Photo by Alexunder Hess on Unsplash
…I actually don’t read the news – but I listen to it!
I’ve always taken pride in the fact that I don’t rely too much on technology… but in reality, it has slowly become a bigger part of my life over the last decade. The more I think about it, the more I see myself using it every day.
So let’s visit a day in my life in terms of technology usage, shall we? I’m going to break this down into tech usage before work, at work, and in the evening:
Morning Routine:
- Alarm: brought to you by Samsung! Every morning I’m gently woken by a beautiful, soothing voice. My phone tells me the time, the weather, and wishes me a great day… what a treat!
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- Morning Podcast: There is a twice daily podcast that I like to listen to before
and after work – a little bit of American current events along with some celebrity news to balance out all the heaviness. - Morning Walk/Run: When I’m feeling up to it, I’ll head out first thing for some fresh air and wear my Garmin watch to help me keep track of the time or listen to some music.
- Morning Spin: If I don’t feel like leaving the house or the weather is crummy, I might use our Echelon bike to connect to a spin class in the morning. Their Echelon Fit app is fantastic – it lets me join live classes or catch replays at a time that works for me.
- Google Home Mini: Before I leave for work I make sure our dog has some entertainment for the day – I ask our Google Home Mini to play some relaxing music for her while I’m at work.
- Morning Phone Call: I call one of my parents every morning on the drive to work for a quick chat and to see how they’re doing – it’s our version of morning coffee together.
- CBC Hourly News: Any additional drive time is spent listening to a 5-minute Canadian news update thanks to the Google News app installed in my car.
…. And this is all before 8 am!
Workday as a Learning Facilitator:
- Email: The first thing I would do when I got to work is open my inbox to check for pinned messages from the day before. As a Learning Facilitator, I prioritized responding quickly to teacher requests – afer all, they have enough on their plates and shouldn’t have to ask twice!
- Calendar: This leads me to my Outlook Calendar. I started last school year with a paper planner but I quickly found that I didn’t always have it with me. Thanks to the power of technology, I pinned a widget calendar to my cellphone that allows me to quickly schedule appointments instantly and set reminders so I’m always prepared.
- Android Auto: Traveling from school to school, there were times when I would be running behind. Thankfully, I could use the voice-to-text option with Android Auto to send messages to teachers to let the know I was on my way.
- Grocery Delivery: When it’s time to get groceries, I’ll use a few minutes during my lunch break to order groceries online. That way, when I get home at the end of the day, I can take some extra time to walk my dog instead of waiting in the lineups at the grocery store.
Evenings with Technology:
- Streaming: To motivate myself to tidy the house and get work done in the evening, I always have either a good podcast or a tv show streaming. I also ask Google Home Mini to set a timer for me to keep myself motivated.
Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash
- Garmin: I enjoy golfing in my spare time, and realizing that my running/gps watch also works on golf courses was a game changer. I always bring it along to check distances and determine what club I should be using.
- Facebook Marketplace: This is a guilty pleasure of mine 🙂 Last summer I decided to take a break from Instagram and Facebook and never really looked back – but that doesn’t stop me from checking Facebook Marketplace in the evening for some good deals!
- Hobbies: I have a number of other hobbies I enjoy, like sewing, crocheting, and
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
playing various instruments. YouTube tutorial videos and online patterns are extremely helpful… it’s like having a private instructor on demand whenever I want to try something new!
- Bedtime: I usually finish off every day with listening to a podcast or audiobook as I fall asleep. I even know when it’s time to wind down because I have a sleep setting on my phone that causes the screen to change to grayscale as a signal that it’s time to rest.
Looking back, it’s pretty clear that technology plays a larger role in my day-to-day than I realize. I try to make sure that I’m using it intentionally to stay connected with others, with current events, and stay productive.
Note: This blog post was written by me and proofread by ChatGPT to clean up some awkward-sounding sentences. I tend to ramble with my writing and have found that using AI helps me see where I can keep things a little more concise!
Hi Jenni! This was such a good read! Right off the bat, you had me hooked with your alarm going off, and you gave a little Samsung ad. I’m personally an iPhone user, but I enjoyed the comedy and knew the rest of the post was going to be just as good! Your post is very well laid out and goes into so much detail about your daily usage. How you organized it made it such an easy read! Also, I had not heard of Unsplash before, but now, after reading your post, I am thinking that I need to start using it to add some visual content to my posts. I like that the citation is right on the photos! You mentioned in your “Evenings with Technology” section that you enjoy watching some streaming services during this time. Do you have a favourite service or a favourite show at the moment? Also, which piece of daily technology do you think you can’t live without?
As an educator, I really enjoyed reading your reflection—it’s amazing how seamlessly technology supports and shapes our daily lives, often without us even noticing. I related to so much of your routine, especially the way tech keeps us organized, connected, and efficient throughout the day. Your use of tools like Outlook Calendar, podcasts, and even grocery apps shows how tech can help reduce stress and free up time for more meaningful moments, both personally and professionally. It’s a great reminder that while we guide students in responsible tech use, we’re also modeling how to use it intentionally and mindfully ourselves.
Hello Jenni, I really enjoyed your day in the life reflection. I had to laugh at your wake up experience because it is the polar opposite from my own hellish alarm. Also, I too resisted tech for sooo long and have slowly and begrudginly realized how much it has woven it’s way into my life as well. It seems difficult to resist when it really does simplify and enhance so many aspects of daily living. I know even having search engines to instantaneously satiate my need for random knowledge, spelling, and/or definitions at any point in time is such a fulfilling experience. Even if there are bizarre biases inherent in those too, for example, if you googled the word misogyny up until about 15 years ago, no results or definition would come up – as if it did not exist enough to even grant it a definition. I wrote a huge paper on how woman were experiencing unilateral violence by being silenced within contemporary western society and postmodern assessment/influence of language in that fascinates me. But that is a whole other tangent…
I am also impressed that you used ChatGPT for a simple form of editing. I’ve never even considered it to be a tool for basics such as that. It shows me that I really do need to jump down the AI rabbit hole to determine how I can utilize that form of tech to enhance my own daily experiences. Colour me inspired!