Blogging 101

Can You Disconnect?

Technology is everywhere - we can't help but use it! We use it at school, at home and when we're out with our friends. It has become such a necessary part of our lives that sometimes we don't even realize the impact it has. So, as a challenge to myself, I decided to take a break from technology for 24 hours. Yes, 24 hours!!! I'm taking a break to see just how big of a role technology plays in my life.

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According Jen Nash, author of "Is everyone addicted to the internet?" and article published in the Huffington Post, internet addiction is a serious illness.

The Internet Challenge

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Top 3 Ways to Reduce Internet Use

1. Disconnect Before Bedtime

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2.  Ideas for Non-Tech Fun

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Disconnect for 24 Hours

Add another paragraph.

This is my introduction paragraph.  This is where I will talk about the challenge given by my teacher and why we are disconnecting for 24 hours.

This is paragraph two.  According to Huffington Post, most teenagers are addicted to the internet.

3 Tips for Reducing Internet Use

1. Do not use technology at least 1 hour before bedtime.
2. 
   

Is it possible to disconnect?

Technology is everywhere - we can't help but use it! We use it at school, at home and when we're out with our friends.  It has become such a necessary part of our lives that sometimes we don't even realize the impact it has.  So, as a challenge to myself, I decided to take a break from technology for 24 hours. Yes, 24 hours!!!  I'm taking a break to see just how big of a role technology plays in my life.

I started the challenge on Tuesday morning.  I woke up and the first thing I did was reach for my phone to see if I had any texts.  I caught myself mid-text and remembered that my phone was off limits for the rest of the day.  I'm ALREADY struggling! This is CRAZY!

According to the article in Forbes Magazine, there are many reasons why we should unplug after the school/work day.  One reason is that it relieves stress.  In my challenge of unplugging for 24 hours, I experienced the same thing!  Going without my phone or internet was extremely relaxing!

Being attached to technology can have more harmful effects than just being distracted in school or straining F2F relationships.  One major downside to having 24/7 access to technology is internet addiction.  Check out this video about how internet addiction affects teens in China.

According to the Huffington Post, teens are addicted to the internet.  This addiction is much like an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Online Organization = Easy Button

Do you ever get overwhelmed by all of the technology in your life? I do! 

Ever since my school went 1:1 last year, my teachers expect me to do everything online.  While I enjoy using technology, sometimes it's hard to keep everything straight. This semester in my Digital Literacy class we talked a lot of about online tools we can use in school and our personal life to help us stay organized, be more productive, and make our lives easier.  As a high school student I have used more tools that I can name, but the 3 that stand out are YouTube, Google Calendar and Google Drive.  If used properly, they can help keep you organized and more efficient.


YouTube

Screenshot of my YouTube Channel

This year in Biology we watched a lot of YouTube videos about plants, animals and cells. When it was time to do homework or study, I found myself going through my teacher's website to find the links or going directly to YouTube to search for the videos myself. It took up a lot fo my time. Finally, realized that I could use YouTube to create a playlist and add all of the videos my teacher showed in class. So that's exactly what I did! I use my playlist all the time, especially when it's time to study for an upcoming test. Creating the playlist helped me be more productive because now I don’t have to spend time searching for the videos and I can use that time to study instead. I included a screenshot of my organized playlist to demonstrate what it looks like in my YouTube channel.

Google Calendar

Another tool I use all the time is my Google Calendar. My teachers use it to post our homework each day which is extremely helpful! But, I use it to keep track of everything else I have going on like swimming practice and club meetings. I didn't use it a lot at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was so easy! I even synced my Google Calendar with my iPhone so I can see what my homework is or if I have a swim meet without opening my computer!

Google Drive

Google Drive is something that we rely on heavily at my school. I use it for almost every project and piece of homework that is assigned and sometimes that can get messy. When I first started using the drive, my files were out of control! Most of them didn't have proper file names which made them hard to find when I needed them. Once I started naming my documents with short and descriptive file names and storing them in sub-folders, I became a much more organized student. I found that my homework wasn't "lost" as much and I wasn't as overwhelmed in school.

Technology, when used effectively, can make you more productive and efficient in your work. See, that was EASY!

Blogger is another tool I've used. I created a blog, Daryna's 20% Project, to reflect on my work and give updates on my progress.

Steps to Improving Digital Footprint

1. Create a Facebook page
2. Go through Twitter account and get rid of bad language
3. Promote my blog using Twitter.

One tool I used in Digital Literacy this semester is Blogger. I used Blogger to document my progress on the 20% Project. Check out my blog to see my writing skills and some of my photography.