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My First Cell Phone
I received my first cell phone, a Motorola Rzer, when I was in 5th grade. For our end of the year 5th grade field trip, our class was going to Washington D.C. My parents wanted me to be able to call if I got lost or kidnapped during our trip. I loved my first phone because it may me feel connected to my family even when I was far away.
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FINALLY! Internet at My House
I was a freshman in high school before we ever got internet at our house. We live in very rural southern WV, so to say that we are behind the times, is a massive understatement. The only internet that would come to our house was HughesNet. At times it was slow and glitchy, but at least I could do my homework at my own house. It was always a struggle to finish internet based assignments without internet access, but I managed. It was so much easier after this!
Image from HughesNet. -
Virtual High School Courses
I went to a high school in a small town where sports were the only thing that really got attention. I was always more interested in academics. My senior year of high school I had four AP classes and two virtual online courses. This was the first year they were offered at my high school and I now had access to an entire world of academic advancement opportunities. I was able to learn about things that I was interested in. It made such a difference to have this access.
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College Capstone and Internet Research
As an undergrad, I majored in, Biology, a very scientific and research based field of study. My capstone project topic explained the differences between recognition and recall memory. I had to complete extensive reseach in planning and gaining background information. None of this would not have been possible without the resources the internet provides. I had instant access to previous studies completed on the subject and guides on how to proceed with my own study.
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Working from Home
The year of 2020, was a crazy time for all of us! I was working for a company called PracticeLink that helps medical professionals find posted positions. In March of 2020, we were all sent home to work. At first we thought that we would be back after a few weeks, but we were mistaken. It was a major adjustment to work from home, especially with the spotty internet service that I have. Technology and internet became some of the most important commodities.
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Teaching Virtually AHHH!
This year was my first year teaching. They always say that the first year is the hardest, but that is an understatement during COVID years. The beginning of this year was a struggle due to the array of quarentined students, virtual students, and ones that were actually in class. The use of Google Classroom / Meets has been a valuable learning opportunity that I am thankful for, but I do wish it hadn't hapened during my first year of teaching.
Image by CalMatters.