Author and Artist: Jessica Wang
My Technology Narrative
“Weekly Report Available: Your screen time was up to 7% last week, for an average of 10 hours, 27 minutes a day.” Every week, I receive a message from my MacBook, telling me how many hours on average I spend on it. Digital devices are indispensable parts of my life, assisting me in performing all sorts of tasks and communicating with others. Right now, as I sit in front of my laptop, I begin to think about how computers influenced my life, especially in learning and communication.
Before entering high school, I used digital devices simply for entertainment, watching animation, and playing video games on computers. As I started high school, computers gradually became more significant and valuable for me in learning and personal development. I attended an American boarding school in Minnesota, which is totally different from my previous Chinese school. Unlike traditional Chinese high schools, where students are only allowed to use old-fashioned paper and pen for study, my new school required each student to bring a laptop or tablet. Using our laptops, we finish daily assignments and projects, watch asynchronous lecture videos, and communicate with teachers through emails. In American high school, students are assigned more creative homework instead of tedious memorization and practice booklets filled with tons of Math problems. I believe technology is one of the factors causing this distinction. With the magic of technology, I was able to write a research paper on the Trail of Tears by researching and collecting ideas over the internet, discuss Shakespeare’s play on an online platform, and create visually appealing presentation slides with convincing numerical data and chart about Apple Inc.
During my four-year high school experience, I gradually started to use technology as a tool to communicate my ideas and share my feelings with others. On the other hand, I can also hear others’ opinions and get inspiration from them, thinking and analyzing different things from multiple perspectives. I clearly remembered that how technology provided me with inspiration and ideas for my Advanced Studio Art project. In eleventh grade, my art teacher challenged the class to create an image for our annual Christmas card. After I captured numerous photos around campus, I decided to use ink and pen to draw the Christmas wreath on the chapel door to reflect the school’s caring environment and religious spirit. However, when I watched YouTube videos during the weekend, I happened to view Apple’s Christmas commercial, Share Your Gifts, which was glowing with vivid color. I suddenly realized that this joyous season of the year must convey happiness: my black and white pen and ink Christmas card was too dull and needed colors. I immediately created a new image using watercolor. The response from my classmates and teacher was overwhelmingly positive, and the school chose my piece as the annual Christmas card, sending it to every family during the holiday. Without watching Apple’s holiday commercial on YouTube, I couldn’t make my Christmas card more aesthetic. This is just one example how technology assists my learning process and provides me with inspiration. Indeed, technology plays a pivotal role in paving my educational pathway. With the enlightenment from technology, I changed from a student who could only solve problems with formulaic functions or instructions to an independent learner who can express her creative side through problem-solving, innovative thinking, and artistic expression. In this way, technology is the building block of my creativity and critical thinking ability, shifting my education experience from a tedious process to a more intellectually engaging and meaningful adventure.
Besides easing my academic life, technology also allows me to explore the world beyond the classroom by providing a platform to learn fun knowledge and practical skills. Living in a world awash with data, we are able to obtain all sorts of information through different types of digital devices in a quick and efficient way. My classmates Tony shares his experience on how technology allows him to learn more efficiently. In his technology narrative, he points out that “there are many explanation videos online explaining all kinds of phenomena.” Different from Tony, who enjoys watching science trivia videos and scientific documentaries, I watch a lot of travel vlogs and documentaries related to humanity, which enable me to learn the culture and history of different countries without traveling from one place to another. Also, I enjoy watching various kinds of tutorial videos, such as video editing, makeup tutorials, and baking videos, which teach me a variety of practical skills.
Technology infuses many aspects of my life with convenience and efficiency. In the meantime, there also exist some problems with my heavy usage of digital devices, which I shouldn’t neglect. My classmate Stella talks about that technology causes her to feel “constantly pulled between this tension of distraction versus productivity.” Another peer, Saketh, shares a similar feeling. After he got his first phone, the social media apps often “take up hours of his time every day with no real sense of productivity.” This is also a problem that I am struggling with, trying to stay away from video games, social media, and YouTube videos while I am studying. After reading others’ stories and points of view, I started to question whether technology is really making my learning process more efficient. Without these digital devices, I can actually pay more attention in class without frequently web browsing or sending text messages to my friends; constantly work on my assignments instead of stopping in halfway and starting to watch YouTube videos and do online shopping; have the time to go to the gym instead of playing video games at my room.
Up to this point in my life, technology is a double-edged sword. Regarding its downsides, technology caused me to procrastinate and cost me more time to do my work. Meanwhile, without technology, I will probably become a “well-trained monkey” who solves mathematic problems simply by plugging numbers into a given formula. If I spend too much time on digital devices, it is better for me to take a break from our laptops and phones: spend more time with friends and family, take a walk outside to enjoy the beauty of nature, and sit down to read an intriguing book. The key is to make a balance between technology and life. Although technology has its downsides, its advantages and changes in my learning style are undeniable. If I appropriately utilize technology, it can still enable me to become a creative and productive learner.
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