My relationship with technology

As I mentioned in my initial post, I consider myself a fairly tech-savvy person, so I have to admit that I actually spend copious amounts of time using technology, and ESPECIALLY the internet. In general, I would say that I spend about 1/3 of any given day on the internet and maybe even more when I am researching something or trying to avoid actually working (hehe). Other than obsessively checking my numerous email accounts, I most frequently use the internet to organize myself and my studies, mainly through the use of the oodles of Google programs (docs, photos, calendars, blogger, etc.). I also use the internet to keep the classes I teach flowing smoothly--through the use my homepage, created with the help of Nvu--and to pass along useful/interesting linguistic or cultural information to my students. I often chat with friends (always while simultaneously writing papers or surfing the internet) and I spend a lot of time researching things that are interesting to me. Although I was resistant to it for a while, I have to admit that I've come to enjoy Wikipedia quite a bit (thanks Delano).

My main reason for using the internet is always research, whether it be personal or academic. One thing I absolutely love about the internet is the ability to have any sort (and amount) of information at my fingertips; if I ever come across something I would like to learn more about, I just look it up and read until I'm satisfied. It's great. I also use the internet to find recipes, since I particularly love to cook and bake. As far as the amount of email messages I send/receive in a day, it's hard to say; it's definitely more than two, and sometimes it can be up to ten, especially if I include the messages I send back and forth with friends on facebook and myspace. I also try to incorporate internet resources into my classroom as much as possible, since I think it has a lot to offer and can be very enriching and interesting for the students.

Based on all of these things, I would characterize myself as an avid internet user. I spend quite a bit of time on the internet (and just on my computer in general), and I'm not sure what the world would be like for me if it all disappeared tomorrow. In a lot of ways, the internet makes me feel connected to the world around me, so that even if I cannot physically travel to places I would like to visit or physically see things I would like to see, I can at least virtually learn about them. If the internet were not around, I think I would feel as if the world had been closed to me, or as if my connection with it had been lost (get it?!? hehe).

And after saying all of that, isn't it hard to believe that my first experience with the internet was in my first year of high school?!?! I can still remember that amazing beeping sound...and the ridiculous amount of time it took to get anything done...and the thought of two computers communicating over that amazing distance. It still impresses me, actually, even though I do often take it for granted.