Like any person I use websites, apps, and online platforms in my daily life. All three of these can be tools for academic purposes, but they can also be tools for leisure and social interaction. The websites I use most in my daily life are either websites for my time within the university setting to help out with assignments. One website that I found to be the most useful as a future teacher is the Saskatchewan Curriculum. It is very important to myself that I become familiar with the curriculum in order to be able to think of how to use it most effectively and efficiently for my benefit and my future students. In my time off I usually look at a lot of hockey articles and tools for building a better knowledge of the game. I enjoy looking at these websites because I love learning about new tools used to evaluate players (ex. advanced analytics), and other people’s opinions on the game. The apps and online platforms I use most in my daily life are apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and video streaming services. The apps I use on my phone aren’t used for academic purposes really at all. These apps are for entertainment, like watching funny videos or highlights or even films. I hope to broaden my knowledge of what apps could be useful for academic purposes. Online platforms are platforms that I use for social interaction, such as talking with friends from back home that I don’t get to see as often during my time in University. Obviously during the summer I get to see my close friends and family back home, but during the fall and winter it helps us stay connected with each other.

 

For  University it is very important to stay organized and productive throughout each semester. Some digital tools and apps that I rely on to stay organized and productive are on the iPhone such as their Calendar and the Reminders app. These tools help me stay up to date on when due dates of assignments are. These tools also help me set up my times that I would like to study or work on assignments. I find using the iPhone extremely productive because I (like many others) always have my iPhone on me so I don’t need to worry about forgetting what I wanted to do. I think it would be extremely beneficial for myself to expand my tool kit of tools that are available to help organize and stay productive.

 

With how common technological devices are there are many pros and cons for how easy it is to get your hand on some of them. One major flaw is how technology can reduce productivity. Some technologies that tend to take up my time and decrease my productivity are definitely my iPhone and Xbox. On my phone, social media can be really addicting and sometimes I can lose track of time. One strategy that I use is to turn off all notifications that come from these apps. If I can avoid looking at it in the first place it works for me, so I am sticking to it. For my Xbox I just don’t allow myself to play it till after supper. This gives me time throughout the day to get as much work done as possible. The xbox is really similar to the iPhone with the way that it can allow you to lose track of time. So instead of wasting time earlier in the day I get done my work and treat the Xbox like a reward instead.

 

Having a healthy relationship to technology is very important for myself to have success in University. I find balance between screen time for academic purposes and personal well-being by setting up times to do work and times to relax. I am a big believer in setting goals, so going into each week I try to make short term goals for that week, each month I set up an end of month goal. I find when I am working on something is a great way to make sure I buy in. I also try to reflect on how I did for each goal after the date. For myself, I find it extremely beneficial to allow myself to see the growth I’ve gone through. A strategy I’ve established to ensure a healthy relationship with technology is to try and stay active. It is easy to sit and scroll on social media but when I’m on the move that urge to go on social media takes a backseat.