core 1: draft

Computers don’t hold a special place in my heart beyond their technical uses. I don’t communicate with computers for social reasons; in fact I try to keep my long distance social ties via phone or pen and paper. I don’t find it important to have personal status updates and live chats that bind me to a highly intensive social hub. This is not to say all people that have a MySpace, Facebook, or something similar are socially dependent on an outside artificially intelligent variable to mass communicate their feelings in order to satisfy their constantly changing contemporary quota. I simply think that it is an unnecessary tool for me. I have always found a computer’s potential lying in its technical applications. I am very familiar with common computer software necessary for almost every work environment such as Word and Excel. Furthermore to basic software, advanced CAD programs are required for my career field so my major naturally requires me to learn how to use general engineering software and advanced mathematical computing software.

Technology has come far in recent years and much of its gain has been made to increase communication and to make access to information easier. This advancement in technology is great for being utilized in work and learning environments. But some technology cripples people by having them rely on their phones or computers to answer questions and resolve problems immediately. This kind of technology finding its way into learning environments is harmful to a good education.

My digital literacy has not lead to a reliance on technology, but rather it has made my use of computers more efficient and thus less necessary. My time spent with computers mainly stems from my need to use the computer.

I feel that I have great understanding of all basic computer software and I am currently acquiring more knowledge on advanced software in order to better equip myself for engineering applications. I am becoming less concerned with learning more software and becoming more concerned with applying my current knowledge of software more efficiently. It is essential to know how to quickly and effectively apply information into software to achieve the best results in the shortest time. The engineering field is always moving toward new applications that are easier to use and more compatible, and usually new software reflects the same uses as previous software so the fundamental understanding of one makes it easier to adapt to others.

I want to be able to understand and use new communicable technologies such as cell phones but at the same time I feel it will become completely unnecessary as time goes on. The expense of cell phones are raising rapidly and the ratio of cost to practicality is increasing. The development of cell phones has drifted away from convenience and has become more of a battle between companies and their pride, leaving out the buyer in terms of use. They now rely on their product to make it through the market as a luxury good.

Technology in my early years of life has been able to develop my skills in a changing world where it has become vital to understand what is now becoming common knowledge. I have been exposed to computers and cell phones throughout my life and I believe that constant exposure to computing technology has greatly helped me understand the fundamentals so that throughout being taught new technology I have been able to learn relatively easily. Over all, technology and its impact on me have been very gradual and as far as where I would like to go in the future, I think that it is completely up to where technology takes me. I simply adapt as it grows and changes.