E Books are Awesome

I like ebooks in every aspect. Ebooks are easy to use and very convenient. I like to have access to my books without carrying a stack of them around with me. Travel is much better without the stack of books. When my family and I go on vacation, I can take the books with minimal work in the area of packing. I also don’t get to the destination to realize that I have forgotten that book I have been waiting a month to read. Having ebooks as a student is equally convenient. Prior to ebooks, I have forgotten my textbook at work or home and actually found time to study at a different location. That was very frustrating. Now, I can study anytime I have a free moment and many times a moment is all I have these days.

I have many students who do all their personal reading on ebooks as well. They seem to enjoy the convenience and use of technology in an unexpected area. I would like to have ebooks for all academic areas too. Having ebooks would make it easier to get updated versions of our classroom text. It would also prevent the drawing and destroying the class set of textbooks located in my classroom. Students would enjoy the easy access and use of the tools available just as the search feature on key words.

I hope that in the near future we can all go to ebooks completely, I find them more environmentally friendly, easy to use, and more convenient for life in general.

Technology Makes Life Easier

I use technology in all parts of my life.  In the morning I am awakened by my alarm on my cell phone. I roll over, turn it off and press the Face book application to check on any new occurrences since I went to bed. I have family in other states so this is a means of keeping up with their daily lives between phone calls.  I make any possible comments on there then go downstairs to have a cup of coffee. Technology is also a part of this ritual as well. I preset the coffee pot each night so to have it hot and ready when I come downstairs each day.  I check email and then exercise. At times I use the X-box Kinect to zumba as my cardio but not always. I sometimes use the recumbent bike or the rowing machine because I can program resistance and record my progress.   Then it is off to work. As a teacher, I use technology in my instruction, as a means of supporting the instruction, communication, grading, and to take attendance. In the evenings, I work on my online classes and social network prior to bed. I often watch You Tube videos for entertainment or news situations.  My husband and three boys (20, 19, and 16) use technology much in the way I do, but they actually use it more than I do. My three boys are all talented musicians and use advanced recording software to record music they write. My youngest son has a job at a store that also has an online store. He runs that for them in addition to his duties as a clerk.

In my life, I feel that technology makes the day easier. I personally don’t feel that it creates other demands on me. I can see however, how it helps me to manage my life. For example, prior to cell phones, there were many times I would go to the store and return home to realize there was something else we needed. Now, my husband can text me while I am there and tell me what we need while I am still at the store. No extra trips are required. Many people talk about how overwhelmed they are because of extra communication. Personally when I feel I need some quiet, I turn the phone off and let the voice mail do the job it was intended to do.  I can also remember the days before my GPS. I have a terrible sense of direction so find myself lost any time I travel to a new area. Now, the GPS keeps me on track so I don’t lose time riding in a circle. I still talk with my family on the phone and spend time around my kitchen table every night with my family. Technology to me is a tool that I use to make life easier. I am able to save time, record memories, and keep up with family I never get to see.  Technology has been a welcomed blessing into my life.