Reflect:Consider how the digital revolution has transformed your life. Try to think of unique innovations other than the common cell phone, laptop, or microwave oven. Reviewing what your classmates ha

Picking two ways in which technology has transformed the way I learn, work, or live was actually a bit of a challenge for me. I think of all of the obvious choices first, cell phones, laptops, tablets, social media, but the two that stuck out to me the most were Online Schooling options, and the Apple Watch. These two different technological advances have changed a lot in my working, learning, and personal life. One of which actually saved me from a very scary situation at work.

     Online school has not only affected me on a learning educational level, but also in my work life as well. Enrolling online at University has affected the way I live and learn greatly. I never thought going back to school was an option for me until online Universities became available and more user friendly. With being a wife, a mom, working a full-time job, and having a very hectic life schedule, physically going back to school full time would not have been an option for me. But now that Universities offer degrees completely online, and help you by working around your schedule, college is now an option and a reality for me. Having this opportunity has made my life so much easier. I can work on my assignments at my pace to get them completed by the given due date, I can work ahead when I know I have a busy week coming up, so I don’t fall behind. By having these options, it gives me the flexibility to continue to spend time with our son, work, and take care of our home. It has also made things easier in my work life as well. Now that the schools are closed due to COVID-19, I am now teaching small groups online and also creating assignments in classroom modules. I teach small groups on Zoom twelve times a week, and support three first grade teachers with their new classroom sites and assignments. This has made me very appreciative and aware of what my college professors do for all of us because I have seen a fraction of the amount of work they do in order to educate so many students online.

     The other form of technology that has transformed my life, and work life, is my Apple Watch. Now I know that sounds silly, but there was a situation at work where without my watch things could have turned out in a much different way. I work at an elementary school as a Paraprofessional and a Registered Behavior Technician, so I work with students that have severe behavior issues, outburst, and do physical harm to others and themselves. I wear my Apple Watch in order to time problem behavior for our data collection, I usually do not have my phone with me at work, so the watch provides a nice alternative which makes things very easy for me. One day I was with a student doing an assessment test after she was released from being Baker Acted, and on her way back from using the restroom she hit me in the back of the head with a chair. Thankfully due to the fall detection app on the watch, once I was immobile for a minute the watch provided a very loud countdown before it contacted emergency services and provided the dispatcher with my exact longitude and latitude coordinates. The very loud countdown alarmed the student and she eloped out of the room before she potentially did more damage and left me knocked out on the floor.  A student walking by heard the countdown towards the end and ran to get another teacher. So, this form of technology provided me with a tool that could have potentially saved my life or saved me from more physical damage being done. So, to say this form of technology has made my life easier is an understatement.

     One of the two futuristic ideas that I found interesting was Cute Babies, Our New Masters, which I found under the Top Five Scariest Future Technologies and Scenarios option. This one was interesting to me because I never would have thought such a thing would ever potentially be a possibility. This futuristic idea illustrates a picture of the future where artificial wombs are available, self-designed babies will be available, and the ability to clone humans. This article made it seem like futuristically people will be able to pick and choose their babies features, and even choose their level of intelligence. One of the benefits that I think could come from this, is the availability to artificial wombs for families that are unable to have children due to health issues. Being able to give families the gift of childbirth, something they never thought would be possible for them, to me is amazing. One of the drawbacks I took from this potential advancement is giving people the option of basically choosing their own ingredients and creating a “superhuman child.” It feels like people are playing God with this option. I feel like eventually every child would be the same, superior intelligence with superior looks, because people won’t want their child to have limitations compared to other children. It would take away the uniqueness of the world, take away from creativity and the ability to be different from others. These engineered children wouldn’t know what it’s like to fail or lose, because they will be designed to be almost perfect in a sense. It would be like having a world of perfection, and to me finding the beauty in imperfections is what makes things truly beautiful.

  https://www.futureforall.org/five-scariest-future-technologies.html (Links to an external site.)

     The next futuristic idea I found fascinating is 3D Printed Pabulum, which I found under The Future of Food article. This futuristic idea explains how one day it could be a possible to supply a machine with ingredients and it process the food from your ingredients uncooked. Or a three-dimensional printer that can essentially print out three dimensional foods. A downside to this printed food industry is that the food will basically be “lab grown” such as meat, fruits, and vegetables. The texture and nutrients from this food will be different, and potentially less nutritious for our bodies. Another issue is that there isn’t a way to know what this lab grown foods will do internally to our bodies, because the testing is so new no one knows the long-term effects these foods can have on our bodies. They also say that full, ready-to-eat meals come with their share of problems as well, which I think runs the risk of undercooked food causing food poisoning. Although the drawback is noticeable, I think there are some benefits. One advantage would be being able to mass produce foods for impoverished areas of the world. Places where food sources are limited, and people are without food regularly. Being able to have a three-dimensional printer to produce an abundance of foods, at any location where electricity is available could really help people, such as schools, military, hospitals, and homeless shelters. I think being able to produce food in large quantities without needing many supplies could be very helpful in some cases, but I would also be very apprehensive to try them without knowing the long-term effects those foods have on the human body.

 https://www.futureforall.org/futureofearth/future-of-food.html