How Technology Has Shaped My Life For The Better

For as long as I can remember, technology has been a part of my life. I’ve played video games since I was a kid, we had a family computer for as long ago as I can remember (with a dial-up internet connection no less), and I practiced my computer typing as well as used different computer programs to learn in grade school. This has persisted strongly into my adult life, with me having a personal fondness for apps and tools to make our lives easier.

Many people lament technology, but I appreciate it (check out this great book review for some more optimistic thoughts about technology). It has done so much for me in all its different forms. It has helped me meet new people, have fun, and learn. Here are some stories and reflections about each of these gifts technology has given me:

Meeting New People

It is really powerful to connect with people over shared interests, whatever they may be. Once you get people talking about what they love, it makes their enthusiasm contagious. I’ve had the joy of sharing my love of video games with people ever since I was young. I would play games with the neighboring kids and would swap games with each other too. When I got older, I bonded with my college roommate with Call of Duty (the first Modern Warfare to be exact), and met some nice people from all over the world through games like World of Warcraft. You could even consider the connections I’ve strengthened through silly games like Words with Friends or playing online Blackjack games on smartphones. Video games will always be a part of my life, no matter how big or small. They’re just a great way to have fun with others!

Have Fun

Speaking of fun, technology helps us have fun. Obviously video games are a big way, but our smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, and streaming devices - when connected to a decent connection like the best satellite internet - allow us to share funny videos, enjoy our favorite shows and movies together, and let us bond over old memories with our photos. I personally don’t partake, but there are apps like Snapchat that give people great joy through silly filters and doodles. Not to mention all the apps out there that are simply made to be fun, like a lightsaber app or one that makes funny sound effects. There were limitations on doing any of this before, where now we can share in all of these things even if we are far apart from those we care about.

Learn New Things

Something that I really appreciate nowadays is being able to look things up when I want an answer. It can range from who this actor is in on whatever show I’m watching, or viewing an informative YouTube video about the science of napping. There is so much knowledge out in the world today, and now all of it is at our fingertips. While some people seem to scoff at this modern era where we no longer have to wonder about things, I love how we can have answers to any and all of even the most mundane queries.

As we reevaluate the role technology has in our lives, we can appreciate it as a worthy compliment to it. There is certainly a line where it becomes too much, but we can use technology in a proper way to supplement our lives and make them richer. We just need to understand what it can offer and its limitations.

Movie Review Monday: E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 1982 classic, E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial directed by Steven Spielberg.

I've been wanting to watch this movie for a while now, as it was another one on my sci-fi classics list to finally see. Unfortunately, when seeing these films (specifically ones like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) some of them just didn't really connect with me. While some were enjoyable, I think they were all definitely films of their time that had an impact when they came out, but now, with other modern films capturing the minds of audiences, they more serve as historic benchmarks than anything else. I think sci-fi as a genre is heavily dependent on the era from which it is made, since when it is at its best, it provides a unique opportunity for powerful allegories.

Now, back to E.T. I thought this was a cute, simple, small movie. It wasn't worried about the world exploding or an alien invasion. It was just about a lost alien trying to get home. In that way, it was a refreshing story when compared to the big, loud, and/or dumb sci-fi we get currently with things like Transformers (and all the movies trying to copy its success). Otherwise, I didn't really enjoy this movie. A lot of it happened with no explanation and it was a bit clumsy as a result. I just found myself confused by it but it was still a fun movie for the most part. At under two hours, it still felt a little long and stretched out to be honest. Even with all that being said, and it being an older movie, it feels like it is made for a family to watch together and it was definitely made for kids. Something I noticed watching this movie was how most of the adult roles are either not focused on or are shrouded. The whole film feels like it is done from a child's perspective in that way. It's a neat touch.

I'm glad I got to see this movie and appreciate what it offers. While it wasn't my favorite, I get the appeal, especially for someone who was the right age when it came out originally.

You can watch E.T. right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 04/22/16

Greetings!

Here's what is on my mind this week:

• Earth Day

Today is the day where we seek to appreciate our big floating rock in space that we all live on and where we keep all of our stuff. I appreciate the long tradition of this holiday, since I seek to be as sustainable as I can in all aspects of my life. I still have improvements to make, but it is something I think about often as I make decisions in my life (using reusable bags, using my reusable coffee mug/water bottle, saving on paper, etc.). May we all honor Mother Earth! She's the only one we got, so let's treat her right!

• Job Search

I've been applying and interviewing for stuff since October, and I am finally circling on something awesome, which I can't wait to tell you all more about. I will just tease this for now. Stay tuned for more next week...

• Dance Floor Theory

I finally got to see my good friend, Tom Krieglstein, speak in person to a group of student leaders this past week. I've known Tom for over two years and know the type of awesome impact he has on campus across the country. This was special for me though, since I got to witness it firsthand to see student leaders click into the message and content. I'm really glad we were able to have Tom speak, and I look forward to what positive change will come from this.

Thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: The Year Without Pants - Wordpress and the Future of Work

This 2013 book by Scott Berkun explores his journey into the unique workplace culture behind WordPress, which powers a huge amount of the blogs and sites on the internet. Coming from his previous experience at Microsoft, Berkun comes in with an outsider's perspective on how a bunch of people all over the world can work together remotely to help power twenty percent of the web (comes out to be millions of websites).

To put it simply, I really enjoyed this book. It has some great insights into what makes teams and companies work. Everything from workflow, culture, to relationships is covered here through stories and a sort of journal of Berkun's year at WordPress. I highlighted so many things from this book. While Berkun is certainly relative about why the workplace culture behind Wordpress works and its limitations, he has a lot of great general thoughts about management, teamwork, and getting things done. These can be taken by anyone to help them do better with whatever they do. Not every company can have everyone work remotely, not every company can simply mash together their business with how WordPress works, but there are plenty of solid insights here.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Trust is expensive to build and easy to destroy, which is why it's rare."

"The fundamental mistake companies that talk about innovation make is keeping barriers to entry high. They make it hard to even try out ideas, blind to how much experimentation you need to sort the good ideas from the bad."

"This is the advice paradox: no matter how much advice you have, you must still decide intuitively what to use and what to avoid. Just as there is an advice paradox, there is a data paradox: no matter how much data you have, you still depend on your intuition for deciding how to interpret and then apply the data."

"Your model of the universe can be a perfect model of the past, but the past is not a reliable predictor of the future because there is no such thing."

"The culture in any organization is shaped every day by the behavior of the most powerful person in the room."

"It's a great bullshit test of any boss who says, 'X is important.' If she doesn't match that statement with resources, she's incompetent, insincere, or both. If it's important, prove it."

Also, I will accept the irony that I writing this review about a guy working at WordPress on my SquareSpace blog (I used to use WordPress). I really enjoyed the platform and still use it on other sites I write for. I would use it again since the blogging part of it was great, but I wanted some more functionality out of the rest of my site, so I left. Nevertheless, Berkun's experience working at WordPress really captured some of my frustrations that I've had working as a full-time professional and some of the aspirations I'd have for organizations I'd be a part of.

I highly recommend you check out this book! You can find it at any of your favorite book retailers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 04/15/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Doctor Strange

We were treated to our first look at the newest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe this week with the teaser trailer for Doctor Strange. While there has been some backlash for whitewashing The Ancient One (perhaps ignoring that they're having a gender nonconforming woman in the role), I nevertheless thought this initial glimpse was great. They're also changing Baron Mordo to be played by an black actor, which is great to add more diversity to what is a somewhat lackluster roster of MCU heroes and villains when it comes to diversity. This movie just looks like a trippy, wild, fun ride that is like Inception with magic and superheroes. I'm in!

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Another great teaser trailer we got this week was for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (how are we going to abbreviate this movie title? FBWTFM?). Exploring more of the deep Harry Potter universe, this movie will take place in 1920s America, which will be a refreshing take and will provide so many opportunities to flesh out this world. I'm really looking forward to this movie, and while we don't get much in this trailer, anything taking place in this world already has my interest piqued.

• Fear the Walking Dead

After the disappointing season six finale of The Walking Dead, this past Sunday we were treated to the premiere of season two of Fear the Walking Dead. This show's initial six episode season one was pretty slow moving (I know I saw someone joking that pretty much the entire season was summed up in a quick "Previously On..." which goes to show how little happened) and this first episode was no different. The jokes about this show being a zombie sort of write themselves. Both of these shows are starting to lose me with their inconsistency and lack of character exploration or anything that gets me really invested in the show. Also, FTWD struggles to me with their chemistry between the characters, which makes it hard to watch or get connected to the show. I think I'll give FTWD a few more episodes to win me over, but if not, I don't think I'll waste my time anymore.

Thanks for stopping by!

Positive Psychology, Social Media, and Student Affairs

* This post was originally featured on The OOHLALA Blog.

I recently took a course on positive psychology, (shout out to my professor, Dr. Colleen Georges!). The focus of positive psychology is on being happy. I’ve found that utilizing the principles of this psychology has helped me to be a more optimistic, empathetic, and grateful person in my daily life.

Positive psychology is great for improving one’s personal life but it’s also a useful application as a student affairs professional. Using the insights of this psychology you can provide students with support and help them succeed in their endeavors.

This psychology is apt for in-person interactions, however as many students spend most of their time online I’m going to talk about how to use positive psychology when engaging with students through social media.

3 Ways to Use Positive Psychology & Social Media to Engage with Students

1. Celebrate positive moments with your students

I enjoy helping to celebrate when my students share an academic or personal success. (Such as getting an internship or membership to a fraternity or sorority). A simple “like” or retweet shows that you’ve taken notice of that student’s post. It makes them feel valued and creates positive feelings.

Pay particular attention to anything related to their college experience. This helps support the value of what they’re choosing to get involved in.This can also be applied to small, simple moments your students share about the good things that happen in their day. The impact of showing that you see, hear, and celebrate the joy of your students is a great way to help spread positivity throughout your campus.

2. Share affirmative messages and quotes

Another simple way to spread positivity throughout your campus is to share brief notes with your students. If you know they have an interview or test coming up, send a quick digital message to wish them luck. You can also share quotes to help motivate and inspire your students. When students are busy and stressed with exams and finals, provide support by sharing helpful videos, articles, or photos to keep students energized.

3. Be helpful everywhere you can

A great way to spread some good energy online is to listen and be helpful to students who have questions or concerns. You’ll surprise and delight your students when you jump in with some advice or resources to solve their problems. They’re often hoping for an solution to their problem but aren’t expecting it since a lot of the time no one responds.

As a student affairs professional, you have the knowledge to get your students help. We do it all the time in person when students stop by our offices. Use that same mindset on social media and your students  will feel supported. Even if they don’t need you all the time,they’ll know an answer is only a post away.

If you commit to this digital effort, it will supplement your other work by spreading positive energy and support for your students. Employing positive psychology principles on social media is a direct connection to the work we do in person with students. We want them to feel valued, supported, and celebrated. This is just another way we can do that for our students every day.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 04/08/16

Greetings!

Here's what is all the geeky stuff going on in my world this week:

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This movie finally came out on Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD this week, bringing along some new special features alongside the much beloved film. I was really excited to dig in with the behind the scenes stuff for this movie to get some more background and context to the the story and production. I have to say I was a little disappointed by what I found. There is certainly a breadth of different special features, but the depth isn't there. I found myself sort of bored with them, and I watched most of them all in one sitting. The deleted scenes were the worst part. They were all irrelevant fluff and only added up to a few minutes of footage. I'm sure they are going to repackage this movie several times in the future (in addition to all the current versions for different retailers) and have a trilogy box set with Episodes 8 and 9 when they come out that has more special features. I'm happy to finally own the film, I just wish there was more stuff with it.

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The first teaser trailer for this upcoming addition to the Star Wars universe dropped yesterday morning. To put it simply, I am so excited for this! It is a unique exploration of this rich universe for the first time as a movie. We've had plenty of video games, comics, and books that expand the Star Wars universe, but this is the first "anthology" film we'll be getting, and it looks like it will not disappoint. Dare I say that it could be even better than Force Awakens?

• The Walking Dead

This past Sunday was the season 6 finale of TWD. I did not like it. I think the cliffhanger was cheap even though there are some that are clinging to it as masterful storytelling. The entire finale episode was a build up to a moment that itself dragged on and then did not pay off (it won't for another seven months). This show has had high highs and low lows. It is either really unique, fun, brutal, emotional television, or a super boring drag with no end in sight. After the finale, I contemplated giving up on this show, as I have with other shows in the past (for example: New Girl, Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time, Game of Thrones, Heroes Reborn). I think the break will help me get some distance and reevaluate if I want to keep committing time to the show. Maybe Fear the Walking Dead will reinvigorate me with this zombie universe.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: The Hunting Ground

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

In honor of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this week's film is the 2015 documentary, The Hunting Ground, which explores the college administrative culture that has existed for years and propagated an epidemic of sexual assaults between students.

I've heard a lot about this film, and have seen that many campuses have shown it to their staff and students. I think this is required viewing for both groups. It thoroughly examines both the experience of students and what context created a system that would make administrators want to blame the victim and side with perpetrators. Pressure from donating alumni, fraternities, athletics, and others to maintain the pristine image of the institution make the "logical" conclusion to sweep sexual assault cases under the rug. The result of this though is students on campuses across the country getting away with a serious crime. Also, the survivors of these assaults feel let down and overlooked by the institutions they've spent valuable time and money to go to, and perhaps have become a passionate member of the community. Often being under served makes these students not want to persist at their institutions simply because they are not the priority. Obviously they should be but this documentary highlights this ugly consequence of a deeper issue at higher ed institutions; that the student experience is hardly the priority for decision makers. It frustrates me seeing this confirm problems I had feared but I hoped weren't true.

This problem is deeply human, it comes from us and it can be solved by us, We can do better helping each other and we can focus on doing the right thing by putting our priorities in check. I see a lot of campuses striving to do better and making good progress. I think the stories of this film and the hard work students and staff have done leading up to now are helping us move in the right direction, but there is still much work to do in helping prevent these horrible acts from happening in the first place. This is raw, powerful, genuine, emotional, important film that I am glad I was able to watch.

You can watch The Hunting Ground right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by.

Weekly Geek Outs - 04/01/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• April Fool's

I'm not a big fan of April Fool's Day. Especially within the geek/nerd community, sites often play with our emotions by posting fake trailers and announcements for things we would actually want to happen. Also, I'm just not one for pranks most of the time. I feel like I have to stay off the Internet all day on April 1 because nothing I see can be taken seriously. I know it is all in good fun, but some sites just annoy me. Maybe I need to loosen up, but that's just how I feel right now. Don't play with my emotions, Internet!

• Friends

I'm not talking about the popular '90s sitcom here. I'm talking about my actual friends. Since I became recently engaged to my partner, I felt inspired to reach out to friends and call them to catch up and share the good news. It's been nice to connect with the people I care about who have since moved all across the country. It's important to make time for the people in our lives that we care about! Actually talking to people on the phone or via video chat really helps keep connections thriving even if you can't hang out in person. I miss all my friends and I hope to see them all again very soon.

• TV

All my shows have been a mixed bag lately. Flash has been coming on and off with new episodes for no understandable reason. Arrow is okay, SHIELD has been losing me a bit, and I've been enjoying the more robust lineup of Comedy Central shows lately (Broad City, Workaholics, Not Safe, @midnight). There is so much good TV out there either to watch through Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or elsewhere. I think I may need to invest myself to a new series. I also need to catch up on Orphan Black and watch all of Supergirl (only watched the pilot). I take my entertainment seriously, it's important for me to have good stories to watch to unwind and I like to share a lot of this entertainment with my partner too. I'll be sure to keep you all updated with my thoughts as I explore some new potential TV series.

Thanks for stopping by!

Combining High Tech and High Touch

I’ve been reading some excellent articles lately by folks such as Patrick Love and Joe Sabado. They're talking about technology integration into student affairs work. It has me thinking about what the value of incorporating more technology into our high touch work. We’re currently experiencing a time where these new inventions are changing modern campus life. Also, with these tools there is so much potential for augmenting the work we do making sure learning and engagement happens. No longer will it be guesswork or estimations. We can have hard numbers for what our students are doing (or not doing). With more of this data, and better access to it, we can be poised for success in making sure we’re doing all that we can to support all our students, each day.

Big Data to Big Insights

Student affairs professionals are well positioned to gather a lot of information about their students. Whether it is related to events with an ID card-swiping and student engagement technology like Check I’m Here, or online class analytics from platforms like Canvas. We can know a lot about what our students are doing. Also, we can convey this data in a clear way and contour it to our needs. Need to know the split of program attendance between residential and commuter students? Need to know how first-year students are getting involved versus upper-class students? These tools can pull specific information like that for you. This can provide insights that will optimize your efforts by focusing on what’s working well. You can also trim the fat and cut away services that aren't needed to make room for what you need to stat doing. Combine these tools with the robust communication functionality of something like Cranium Café. It allows for professionals to take advantage of face-to-face interactions even if your students are around the world and has its own data and analytics. All these tools together will create an ecosystem that will allow for your team to give the best support to your students each day.

Predictive Analytics

An awesome aspect of software that has strong, positive implications for student support services is predictive analytics. This means that if certain behavior occurs, a trigger kicks into action to alert you that a student needs help. An example of this could be that a student hasn’t gone to the dining hall for a week. Once the alert comes up, professionals can jump into action to support the student. Students can even be provided with personal alarms to increase security. Even if the student doesn’t want or need help, they’ll know that the institution cares about their success. Any good tool for managing student information should have this feature since it takes the guess work out of figuring out who may be at risk. It allows for the high touch, soft skills to be utilized where they’re needed most.

Global Information Access

Just to clarify here, I mean to say “global” as your entire team, not the entire world. I have seen too many times that necessary information is only accessible in limited ways. It could be that an app only works from a wired desktop computer in your office. It is inexcusable to not allow your team, especially on-call administrators, to be able to access information no matter where they are. This allows for seamless support to occur since information is always just a few clicks away. You can go one step further too, and work to create an optimized mobile app for your team. As opposed to having them pull up information through a web browser on their tablet or smartphone, which can be less than ideal. Work with your campus partners to build something that serves everyone's interests.

Life moves pretty fast nowadays, but we now have the tools at our disposal to better keep up with it. With more insights, predictive alerts, and easier access to information, professionals can use high tech tools to augment their high touch efforts. Invest in these tools so that you can invest more of your time on the students who need your support the most. The return of a more engaged, supported, and persistent campus will be well worth the cost.

Now go out there and do good for your students!