• Given the significant role that technology now plays in our day to day lives, it’s crucial to understand how that technology influences our daily routines, both personally and academically. For this blog post, take a moment to consider your daily tech habits. You might consider any or all of the following questions:
  • What websites, apps, or online platforms do you use most frequently in your daily life? Are these tools related to your academic pursuits, or are they primarily for leisure and social interaction?

• Google, Netflix and Facebook
• It’s mainly for leisure and social interaction. Netflix should be obvious why. I use Facebook to share photos of my interests. I don’t post my thoughts or whatever all that much, I watch reels and play games. I chat with my sisters but basically that’s about it. I mean I use Google scholar for academic journal articles and I tend to search books about Decolonizing Education whenever that’s a topic, and that’s where I came across a few books. Managed to borrow a book from the library instead of buying one.

• • Share the digital tools or apps you rely on to stay organized and productive. How do these tools help you manage your coursework, assignments, and study schedules? Are there any specific features or strategies you find particularly effective?

-I deactivate Facebooks for days sometimes; never a week though. It helps get rid of time spent on leisure. I don’t think I use digital tools all that much, I have a calendar and notebook that I mark my assignments on. Although, there is a calendar on my phone and notes but I don’t really find that useful on my part because it feels too small to be looking through it and I’d have to scroll down and I can’t really visualize if I’m halfway done. When it’s a new class, I use an alarm clock on my phone to remind me of the time. Even with assignments, I like it better when the readings are on paper that I can hold and read with lighting. I noticed I had migraines back-to-back when I tried doing assignments through my laptop and can’t seem to focus when I feel that pain.

• • Reflect on any tech-related distractions that you encounter regularly. What websites or apps tend to take up your time and decrease your productivity? Are there any strategies you use to minimize these distractions?

Simple way to say it, I’m basically an anime nerd.

I read Manga online, watch a few shows on Netflix and Youtube. I’ve been recently watching InuYasha on Netflix and it’s been 10 years since I watched it and they made a spin off that I haven’t seen yet but it only shows 6 seasons so that’ll be the end of it soon. There’s this other show that has airs a new episode monthly so I’m impatiently but patiently waiting for it. I don’t really know how to minimize my time on this, eventually I get sick and tired of sitting down and doing nothing while I’m watching. I do my motherly duties and homework.

Facebook is a huge distraction too! I watch reels and chat but I minimize it by deactivating it for a couple of days. Chatting can be easily minimized when there’s nothing to talk about, I chuckle at the thought of that.

• • How do you strike a balance between screen time for academic purposes and personal well-being? Are there any strategies or boundaries you’ve established to ensure a healthy relationship with technology?

I honestly haven’t worked on balancing it just yet. Last semester was absolutely draining. Juggling six classes and family life, along with financial problems? -Bad word-, it was mentally draining that I thought of booking with a mental health therapist. Sad to say, I didn’t book one, I emailed the therapist but I can never bring myself to actually see one. I don’t want to sit there and talk about what’s bothering me, nor video chat or call. Deactivating Facebook and having family visit helps me a lot, I was lonely for home but I couldn’t go back as a failure.