I have two young daughters and I feel like technology hasn’t made
its full impact on our family like other families with older children. I use my laptop and my Smartphone and I find
it difficult to use these tools with an almost 5 year old and my 2 year
old. The demands technology places on a
home and its family is just one more piece we have to balance now. I feel compelled to check my email accounts
several times a day, check my text messages as soon as I hear my phone ding,
and check all the updates on my Facebook newsfeed just so I can feel like I am
in the loop. With that being said with
the growth of my family and our busy schedules, technology helps keep us to be on
time and in the right place and keeps us connected when we spend time apart. I can use the calendar on my Smartphone to
remind me of events we have and where we need to be. I can use Skype to talk and to see my girls
when I am out of town for extended periods without them. I spend a lot of time texting with my husband
since we seem to see so little of each other with our demanding jobs. Technology helps me feel connected when I am
away and when we can’t be physically together as a family.
Spector,
J. M., Merrill, M. D., Merrienboer, J. V., Driscoll, M. P. (2008). Handbook of research on educational
communications and technology. (3rd ed.). New York, NY:
Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Thorsen,
C. (2009). Techtactics: Technology for
teachers. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Jacki,
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten how important my calendar on my i-phone is until you mentioned it. Especially when I have foster children with their busy counseling and visitation schedules, I can’t keep everything straight without a calendar I can take with me everywhere I go. I am not a big texter, but I do occasionally use it to communicate with my kids. My phone gives me a “banner” every time a friend’s post shows up on my Facebook page. I turned off the alarm because it was too annoying. Right now we are without power because of a big wind storm last night, so my phone has been my means of communicating with everyone, through phone conversations, e-mail, and Facebook. Although I can get wrapped up in and distracted by all the technology around me, I really appreciate the helps in my daily life.