Modern school
Describe an item of technology you have that is very important
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| Describe an item of technology you have that is very important.
You should say: what the technology is when you got it how often you use it and say how different your daily life would be without it. I have several electronic devices that I use on a daily basis but the one I’m going to describe is my mobile phone. I’m never the quickest to adopt new technology and all my friends had them long before I did. I eventually bought one back in 1999 after my dad had a stroke and was rushed into hospital. I needed to be in constant contact with my family during this difficult time so I had to join them in owning a mobile. I now have an iPhone and keep it with me at all times in case of emergencies but mainly use it for texting and keeping in touch with my rowing club friends via WhatsApp. The phone is so high techthat, not being a techie, I only understand and use a few of the functions. It’s incredible what it can do though, and every now and then I discover something new about it. In fact, this happened just the other day when I was out walking my dog. I often get ideas for my work when I’m out and about and usually carry a notebook and pen to jot them down before I forget them. If I forget to take the notebook, I type short notes on my iPhone to remind me of my thoughts. Then last week, I notice a microphone icon and thought I’d try recording my ideas to play back later. When I tried this, I found that my mobile actually types out the words as I say them. I was amazed and over the moon as I’d discovered a quicker and easier way to make notes. It saves me lots of time and means that I never lose a good idea. I can record as I’m walking along rather than having to stop and write things down, so my dog’s happier too as he used to get fed up with me stopping all the time. It’s quite incredible the advances in technology since I bought that first mobile all those years ago. Back then you could just make calls and send texts. Having started as a reluctant user, I now consider my mobile an indispensable part of my life and 17 wouldn’t be without it. My life wouldn’t actually be very different if I didn’t have it as I’m not addicted to the internet or social media like many people. However, I do feel a sense of security having one and it also gives me peace of mind knowing that any of my family can contact me if they have a problem. lost without their mobile phone. Part 3 Do you think most electronic devices are user-friendly? For the most part, I’d say that they are once you’ve learnt how to use them. The problem for me is always getting started. I’m a bit of a technophobe and don’t find it easy to understand newtechnology. You rarely get a written instruction manual with a new device and the help is generally online. You often have to really search for what you need. Also, technology advances so quickly that as soon as you’ve mastered the device, the software is upgraded and you have to learn new stuff to be able to use it. I really envy young people today as they are natural techies. They seem to know how to operate electronic devices without even being shown. I certainly think that many people of the older generation would say that modern electronic gadgets are not user-friendly. Do you think parents should control what internet sites their teenagers use? Internet safety is a huge concern for parents these days. Computers and the internet have so many benefits for young people, for their education and for staying connected with friends and family, but there are some unpleasant people online who target children on social media and trick them into building harmful relationships. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable because they have a lot of freedom as to who they connect with and they can be too trusting. Most own mobile devices so can go online when they’re away from home and their parents can’t see what websites or social media platforms they’re browsing. Many youngsters are pressured into posting pictures of themselves naked or lured into sexual relationships, which is just awful. I do think that parents should monitor what internet sites their teenagers use, although this is difficult because of this freedom their kids have and how easy it is to get online. On laptops and PCs there are settings for limiting access to parts of the internet, which parents should activate. I’m not sure if you can do this on mobile devices. Perhaps the best things parents can do is to discuss internet safety with their children and make them aware of the dangers they could face online. 18 Could you suggest reasons why some people are deciding to reduce their use of technology? Many people’s whole lives are controlled by technology, especially the internet. With so many different devices available and the number of wifi hotspots increasing all the time, people can surf the internet anytime they want to. It’s easy to waste hours browsing or posting trivia on social media. This is often for no real purpose but simply because people are addicted to it. Everywhere you go you see people tapping away on their mobile phones rather than engaging with the people around them. I think some people realise that they’re slaves to technology and have made a conscious decision to cut down on their use of the internet and their mobiles in particular. It’s hard to relax with emails, social media posts and texts pinging at you all the time. There’s more understanding these days of mindfulness and the need to regularly step back from our frantic, stressful lives. Reducing the use of our electronic devices can certainly help a great deal with this and I believe this is many people’s motivation for doing so. 19
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