48 Hours Technology Free

This is how I felt for 48 hours!!

I started my fast and unplugged on a Wednesday afternoon and plugged back in on Friday when I went to work on graveyard. I have disconnected my Facebook before on my own and once for a class, that was nothing compared to this assignment.
I really struggled, I only watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Hulu. The first night I kinda just stared off into space trying to decide what to do! I gave my phone away so I was not tempted to use it, unplugged my smart T.V, and put away all my devices (laptop, tablet etc.)! My daughter had strict instruction not to show me the numerous post and funny YouTube clips that she received for the next two day (very hard for her).
First off I use my phone for an alarm and my clock so I felt lost and a little anxiety ridden on if I would wake up on time or that others would  forget to wake me. I continuously checked in a panic out of reflex for my phone only to realize I had given it away for two days.
I did get a lot of reading done for my homework, but realized that I don't have anything good to read besides textbooks during the semester. I could not believe how much time the internet takes up my day in one way or another. It was the longest two days. I know I sound like a whiner, but I don't think I could disconnect again. My kids are all grown and I really had nothing to do, I found myself being really bored, a lot. I did not find it refreshing at all!!
I also found that my family did not interact with each other at all, so trying to have conversations with them was almost impossible. Everyone was on a device but me!
I did go for a drive, and sat out on my porch a lot. Really, really nothing exciting.
When Friday rolled around, I was like an addict who hadn't had a fix in months, it was almost overwhelming how much I tried to do in a short amount of time. I went through all my accounts and messages. This assignment was an eye opener, but not why you would think, I realized. I need to get a life!!!

App Review

 

The app I chose to review is  http://www.perrla.com/  I use it on my PC but you can also download the app Perrla for APA on Google play. The app on my phone was not working at the time of this review. 

I have mentioned in my previous blogs, I like to use apps that I will utilize. I was referred to this app by another classmate. I love it! This app is a step by step process to citing your papers in APA format. It is simple and effective.  

Perrla which stands for (Pupils are Equal, Round, and Reactive to Light and Accommodation) supposedly means normal, was created by Gary McGuire in 1998.  A self taught computer programmer created the app due to his wife struggling to format her college papers. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xikIjClbSnM

Perrla APA starts at $39.95 for 12 months

•  PERRLA is 100% APA (6th and 5th Editions) compliant  so you can relax and focus on writing your paper, not  formatting it 
•  PERRLA does the work for you:
•  PERRLA for APA automatically integrates with Microsoft  Word
•  Automatically creates an APA title page and, optionally,  an abstract
•  Automatically sets proper headings, margins, line  spacing, etc.
•  Our Reference Wizard walks you through formatting all  200+ different APA reference types
•  Creates all citation types correctly, including complex  types
•  Automatically builds your paper's reference page
•  Automatically stores references in a database for re-use  in future papers
•  Reference syncing automatically uploads references to  the PERRLA Cloud, making them available for use on  any internet-connected computer you've installed  PERRLA on.
•  References can be categorized by subject, class,  whatever, searched by keywords
•  Add personal research notes to each reference that will  not be displayed in your paper.
•  Easily create a Table of Contents
•  Easily insert figures and data tables
•  References can include annotations in order to produce  an Annotated Bibliography

Purchase includes 12 months of unlimited software updates to keep you 100% compliant with the latest APA formatting changes AND access to our US-based Customer Support Team. 

Here is what the Phone app looks like.

Best Device

I have chosen Livecribe 3 smartpen as  my best device.

I am all about ease and convenience and when doing my research, I found livescribe to be my best device. It would be a device I would actually utilize. I am horrible at taking notes in class or work meetings this is the device for me! It can be a little pricey starting around 199.00 but I think it would be worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFE74S40WoI

What is it??

The Livescribe 3 is the new iOS-friendly Smartpen from Livescribe, communicating with your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth direct into the companion Livescribe app. The pen uses a regular ball-pen tip, and hidden inside the barrel is a camera which tracks the pen as you write. It only works on Livescribe’s special paper, which is covered in an almost invisible pattern of tiny dots that let the pen keep track of it. Fortunately this paper is cheap, and comes in many forms –  You can also print your own paper if you use a 600dpi laserjet printer.

The pen switches on with a twist of the barrel, and status lights let you know what it’s doing. You only need to pair the pen once, in the app, for it to be automatically recognized in the future.

You can write on paper and watch the progress in the app as you go. Then, when you open the app, all your work is instantly transferred.

Charging is done via a microUSB port hidden under the rubber “eraser” at the top of the pen. The hardware is as simple as an actual pen.

Your Livescribe 3 pairs with Livescribe+ to instantly sync everything you write on paper directly onto your iPhone or iPad. 

Here are a couple of examples.

In page view you will see your entire page of notes exactly how they were written.























Feed view splits your notes into useful snippets that are arranged chronologically allowing you to work with the specific pieces of information you need.





















This device has way too many benefits to list.

The Medium is the Message is the Medium

After reading the article by Marshall McLuhan's "The Medium is the Message is the Medium", I am not going to lie, it left me perplexed, foggy on the meaning. In order to understand the concept further I started to do research and I found two points. One point " the medium through which a message is experienced shapes the user's perception". The second was that " a medium can be a the message itself if it is delivering content that would otherwise be impossible to access."
I realized (my aha moment) that if we were to use the computer to access different information and at the same time used an iPad, tablet, phone etc..each device would give us a different means of accessing the same information, and different perceptions. Without computers, iPad, and tablets there would be no need for the internet. It is a matter of everything going full circle.