Make-Up Post for March 23

I missed class on March 23 because I was in St. Louis for the National Society of Black Engineers National Convention. I missed the speaker that we had that week so I am going to post about my trip and how it relates to what we study in class.

Technology was used in several ways on this trip. To get to the convention, we had to register online and pay our money online. We left for St. Louis at 5 in the morning, and to get everyone coordinated we used cell phones to call and text one another. During the convention, we kept up with everyone using Twitter, texting and mass text messaging. Also, when we met new people we told them to follow us on Twitter. One of us would give out our Twitter name or receive a Twitter name and we would all find everyone from there. One night, we wanted to go to IHOP, but we didn’t know where it was so I looked it up on Google Maps on my phone and got the directions from there. After a session one morning we were hungry but did not know where to go and get food. One of the guys used his phone and found a deli that was not far from where we were. This location was great because it was very cold and it even snowed two days that we were there

Not only did we use technology for social networking and getting directions, but also during the different informational sessions, PowerPoint and Excel were used to explain things and provide information in a format that was easy to comprehend.

While in St. Louis, I had an English paper and assignment due. The only way that I could turn them in was online. The internet in the hotel was not reliable, however. So I emailed my professor from my phone and asked if I could turn my assignments in when I got back on campus because I was having technical difficulties at the hotel. Luckily my phone has email and I could use the 3G connection instead of relying on a wireless frequency.

This shows how much we depend on technology in our daily lives. We use our cell phones not only for social reasons, but also to get directions, do homework, and find the resources that we need to survive. We will be able to keep up with the different people we met because we added them on FaceBook and followed them on Twitter. When we go to the convention next year, we will be able to find the people we met and meet up with them again by using social media. Obviously, without the internet I could not complete my assignments for school either. There is a strong dependence on the internet to do our daily activities and keep up with the way the world is evolving socially.