Entry #9: Media in my College Career

I was 14 years old, a high school freshman, when Apple introduced its iPhone in 2007. It was an amazing time in the cell phone industry. This was the first phone that relied solely on finger touch to operate. All phones before that used some sort of keypad, keyboard, or stylus type of operation. Needless to say I was amazed. The most advanced phone I had at the time was a Motorola Razr. Like the original flip phone style Razr (pictured left). If you were really cool you had a sidekick (pictured right). Technology rapidly progressed and as of 2013 Samsung and Apple were gridlocked in a war to see who could make the best phone.

Now, how does this all play into the college experience and how we interact with media? Well the push to provide users better platforms and quicker access has also reached the college scene. When I first entered college in 2011 at Northern Arizona University, school was very different. We had an email and online student center but our classes were not monitored online. The syllabus was carried around like a bible and I had at least 6 binders and notebooks to keep track of all the lectures and assignments. Tests were on paper with pen and textbooks were heavy with hundreds of pages.

This picture is a sharp contrast to the college experience I am having now. Look at this blog! I have a class that requires blogging and counts the blogs as a major writing project. This is borderline blasphemy and I am sure dusty old academics are churning in their graves at the idea students are not writing every word on thousands of sheets of paper. My current school uses an application called Canvas. I can now track all of my classes and the grade books online. Most of my assignments are digital uploads. I even take most of my tests through the online application. Some of the learning content and lectures are uploaded digitally as well.

The changes are really dramatic but they also help to improve and facilitate learning as well. I have become more addicted to my phone over the years. However, I have a broad professional network that spans many states and most of my friends live on the east coast or even as far away as Alaska. Having access to quick communication with these people are invaluable. I don't think it takes away from my experience of the present world. I think it helps me to be more aware of it. On the other hand though, I can see how technology could easily become a negative influence if it completely consumes the user. When your digital contacts become your only contacts you really lose out on the human experience.

I think in the case of advancing technology, moderation and balance are key.