Digitally Inclined

As the youngest teacher at my school, I find that I'm often the go-to person when people need help navigating their Chromebooks and iPads. Luckily, I am a fluent digital immigrant - you could say I'm "bilingual" in both the paper and virtual worlds. I think there is a sort of nostalgia present when thinking of the paper world and an excitement regarding the novelty of the technological world, co-existing at the same time, much like the ability to speak two languages: a familiar, comfortable one that is easy to fall back on, and a newer one that allows you more access but might be a little risky at times. Being bilingual is a concept very near and dear to my heart, as I am fluent in both English and Croatian. My parents are both from Croatia - as a child, I spent most summers there and still visit fairly often. Learning their native language has allowed me the opportunity to forge long-lasting relationships with cousins, relatives, and friends that I would otherwise have no way of doing.

Although I consider myself digitally "fluent," there are small parts of me that I feel will forever remain old-fashioned and somewhat resistant to the digital world:

• I love the convenience of downloading books on my iPad, especially when I'm traveling (because I tend to ALWAYS overpack), but there is nothing I love more than spending hours in a library or bookstore and lugging home a tote-ful of new finds. My to-be-read-this-summer pile is VERY high.
• One of my personal goals throughout my grad school adventure so far has been to go completely paperless (minus the agenda/list-making part...hah. I don't foresee that changing any time soon). The Christmas present (MacBook Air) from Josh has definitely helped with that! I've even started tracking my fitness goals using some snazzy new technology, which has been incredibly cool and full of information that I never knew I needed until I had it at my fingertips. 
• Although I have my phone on me pretty much 24/7, one of my favorite "school supply"/everyday/life necessity items is my Emily Ley Simplified Planner (yes, I have the pineapple one for the upcoming school year and can't WAIT to start using it). I always feel so organized being able to see my day/week/month at a glance, and I seem to remember them better when I physically write them out. Seriously, if you're a planner person, this planner = life-changing. Side note: I also think I may have a slight notebook addiction....I have piles of them for my endless journals and lists and newfound love of calligraphy. 
• Speaking of calligraphy, that's one of my new hobbies that I have been toying around with. While the art itself is very old, certain techniques and the ability to add a fun/whimsical element to the lettering is relatively new (especially to me!), and one of the most helpful things in this endeavor has been the plethora of calligraphy videos and tutorials I can find readily at any time and/or place. There are so many different ways of doing things, and I find it both relaxing and exhilarating to be able to create something so unique and personal. 

(Not my video, but one of the best quick sample videos I've seen!)

 

All in all, I do consider myself a digital immigrant - but a fluent one at that. I will always have an "accent" and will probably forever carry around a paper planner. I know most of my students will never carry a planner and think it's a waste of time to write something down when they can just put it into their phones. I understand that the world we are in now, the world our students are growing up in, is vastly different from the world I grew up in, and that we must work with the evolving technologies instead of against them....and at the same time work with our students so that we can learn and grow and create stuff together.