Electronic Interaction

I took a little bit of a different approach with my electronic interaction because it was rather difficult for me to get ANYONE to respond! So, with Ms. Averitt's advice, I contacted a college student, Tiffany Collins, through the social utility Facebook. She is a freshman at Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta, Georgia. I chose to contact Tiffany because she graduated from Murphy High School, just as I did, and I also thought it would be interesting to get a student's perspective on technology. The following is our conversation:

Me:
Hi Tiffany. My name is Elizabeth Ashley Corley. I am a junior at the University of South Alabama with a major in Secondary Education and English. In one of my current courses, Microcomputing Systems, we are to contact a teacher, or another student, from another county or even another state. I see that you reside in Georgia and attended Murphy High School as well, I graduated in 2004. It would be greatly appreciated if you could answer a few questions for me related to your experiences with technology in the classroom. Would you be so kind to help me? If so, simply write back and we will go from there. Thanks a million; take care.
Elizabeth A. Corley

Tiffany:
Hi Elizabeth.Yes I would be more than happy to help you what would like to know?

Me:
Ok, for starters what school or university do you attend and what year are you?

Tiffany:
I attend Georgia Perimeter College and I am a freshman.

Me:
What is your major and are you at all familiar with podcasts, blogs, or any form of technology used in the classroom?

Tiffany:
I major in Journalism/Creative Writing. I take the following classes: English, Biology, Spanish, and Humanities. I am familiar with podcasts and blogs however I don't use them in class. We do use computers and laptops for the majority of the time during my English and Spanish class. The computers provide us with electronic versions of text books, study guides, quizzes, and other useful tools that are necessary to most students. Also power points are becoming vary common when during lectures.

Me:
Oh, very interesting; the idea of using laptops in the classroom versus the common textbook, paper, and pencil sounds terrific! I hope that that will soon be a part of South's curriculum, too. I am more of a visual learner and most material doesn't stay in my mind for long if it is not interesting. So tools such as PowerPoints and websites really help me to retain information not only for the test but also long after. In my current class, we discussed burp-back education, which is education that is merely forgotten after it is used, such as forgetting information after you've taken a test. So, does supplemental technology such as your laptop, websites, and PowerPoints help you, as a student, learn better or does it help you in any way? What is your viewpoint of technology in the classroom as we roll into the year 2009; is it vital?

Tiffany:
Yes. Using technology in class helps me learn better in class because I am also a visual learner. I and so many other students find power points and personal laptops a great way to stay interested during class and saving work is always easy. I believe in 2009 itechnoogy will be vital because most of our everyday life consists of depending on technology and soon our education will also.

Me:
Well, Tiffany I thank you so much for helping me with my assignment. You should go to iTunes and download some educational podcasts, they are actually a very interesting way to learn on the go (ipods, etc.). Also, check out my student blog at corleyeedm310fall08.blogspot.com. Again, thanks and good luck on your future endeavors! Go technology!

Tiffany:
Your Welcome Elizabeth. I will definitely do so! Go Technology!

Just like me and many other students, Tiffany is already experiencing the technology shift first-hand. For many, this is a good thing as it can improve learning and makes a lot of things simplier such as tests, lectures, and turning in assignments.