Technology, Good or Bad?

Are we really progressing forward as the technology in our daily lives advances? It is a question many of us have posed.
There is no chance to find out for sure until after the fact, because no one really knows what the future holds. But, still good to ponder as to the possibilities.
True the advances in technology have helped out the medical fields, made it easier to connect with people across the globe, and made it easier to travel. Of course what technology has helped is not limited to just those few things.
As much as technology has helped out the world, I have witnessed as it slowly begins to hinder us humans. For example I personally can only name a few people I have had a conversation with where a screen of some kind hasn't gotten in the way. It seems like the more socially active people get online the less the become offline. As computers and tablets become more accessible more and more classrooms from grades K-12 have incorporated these things in their classrooms. I myself have been in classes where we use computers, and a few where I have used a tablet.
Overall I have no actual issue with trying to use more technology to make classroom activities either more fun or efficient, but I do feel as if it prohibits other types of development, particularly in younger kids. What I mean by this is lets say a child uses a tablet for a classroom activity where by going through the steps of clicking on seed to plant a flower and tapping a water bucket to water this digital seed to watch a pretty sunflower grow. What the child does not get through this activity is the actual experience of planting and watering a seed to watch it grow over time. There is only so much someone can learn through simulation and digital interaction. Hands on experience is critical to a persons development.

What do you guys think? Is technology helping us grow or is it preventing us from growing?

The Student

The woman taps her foot her foot in the air as her legs are crossed. She holds a small square card which she keeps examining, almost as if studying it. It's to small to be the average index card so what could it be? He right elbow rests on the miniature desk connected to her chair, her hand resting in her hair as she leans into it. Despite the fact that she sits here in her black yoga pants and grey shirt, covered by her raspberry colored hoodie, she seems very well put together. She looks at her watch to check the time. Most likely she is waiting here for class to start, checking her phone now and then, but still keeping to that one small card. She crosses her arms over her chest, looking down at the notebook that sits on her lap, reading the contents on its pages. She obviously needs to study for her class, and is attempting to do so, but the early morning haze is still resting upon her shoulders and somewhere in her mind she finds reason to not put effort into studying. The clock nears the 8 o'clock hour and she begins to pack her stuff as she heads off to her class.  

The Challenging Process of Creating Unique Ideas

I don't think I am the first one to say that creating truly unique ideas is a bit of a challenge. I mean there is a whole movie about it, (*cough* Inception).

I mean it is easy enough to get an idea, or inspiration from something such as a book, movie, song, work of art, practically everything. But it is hard to take that idea and make it our own.

Whenever I read a really good book I get inspired to write on myself, and I love how a particular author would write, or the subject of the story and usually end up trying to write a story about a similar subject. It isn't until I am roughly five pages in to the writing process to I briefly scan back and realize all that I have written mimics whatever my inspiration came from. And this is where the trouble begins. I go through phases of trying to make the story its own but it is challenging because I would have a set idea in my head about the story since i already have a full example made for me already.

One of the first long stories I ever wrote was back in 6th grade. I recently finished the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I loved the novel so much I decided to write one of my own. This story of mine went through many phases. The first phase went almost exactly like the book did, just changed the location and the people, that was about the only difference. The next phase was changing the dragon egg to magical gems. The next phase was about magical gems passed down through a blood line of shape shifting creatures between two families who were at war with each other. Followed by a similar plot but with assassins and no gems. As much as this idea of mine evolved it went through this process over a span of roughly 5 years. It isn't easy to make an idea your own or change a complete rewrite story idea into a more unique piece.

I can only name one story of mine that didn't go through all these phases that I have no idea where the inspiration came from, it just hit me one day...I think some part of it comes from Alice in Wonderland but I am not really sure.

If anyone else has this same trouble let me know, and how you get out of it (assuming you have been able to).

The Man In The Suit

The man paces back and forth in the hallway wearing his all black pinstripe suit that emphasizes the roundness of his stomach, and wearing sleek, polished, black leather shoes that look almost new, he sticks out like a sore thumb as students wearing street clothes pass him as they head off to class, paying him no attention. He holds a series of two manila folders and a worn down spiral notebook in his right hand as he looks around for somebody, impatiently and unconsciously tapping the objects in his left palm. What or who could he be looking for? A couple minutes pass by and still there, waiting. At some point he decides to stop the waiting and with a frustrated look in his eyes he quietly walks through the crowd of students and goes up the polished gray concrete stairs.

New Beginnings

I sit here, wondering what I should do today, especially seeing that my first class of the day has been canceled and I have the next 6 hours to myself. So, what should I do but create a blog? After all I love to write and would like to get my name out there in the world in hope to create great and many opportunities for my future, whether it be ones such as a book contract, or as simple as discovering something about myself and just refining my own writing skills.

I feel that if one creates a blog for the sole purpose of just having a blog, or in hopes to gain some type of money, they aren't enjoying themselves. A blog should be something you enjoy and put your heart into because what ever you are blogging about is your passion, not just your job. As blogging has become a more popular way to gain a role in the world I feel more and more people are losing the original purpose of blogging.

So here I am, honestly not sure what I am going to do with this blog, I have no set agenda, no set topic, nothing. But maybe that is a good thing, for if I start off with a blank slate I and this blog can evolve together and find a focus, or learn more things seeing that I have no limit as to what I could talk about.

I enjoy this challenge that is ahead of me, because it is going to be a challenge. Being a full time college student it becomes difficult to find time to sit down at a computer to do something other than study or some type of homework. But having this opportunity to challenge myself will make it all the more fun.