Towards the beginning of last summer, I scrolled past the most adorable video of baby mountain goats. I was hooked. I proceeded to fall down the rabbit hole many of us tend to find ourselves in and watched video after video after video after video of these amazingly majestic creatures. Then it hit me! I live next to mountains. Mountain goats live in the mountains. I put two and two together and decided on an ultimate summer goal: encounter a mountain goat in the wild.
Accomplishing this goal required a very special resource, a very unexpected resource; The Internet! Crazy, right? I needed Google to learn about where mountain goats live, I needed apps to help me find trails in my area that are well known for mountain-goat sightings, and I needed YouTube videos highlighting those adorable baby mountain goats to keep me motivated to reach my goal.
After a very long summer of spending a lot of time researching, a lot of time learning, and even more time hiking my dream finally became my reality. I came face to face with a mamma mountain goat and her baby! It was an incredible experience I will always be grateful for.
My time searching for mountain goats in the wild taught me a very valuable lesson about the way we use our technology. It can either help us reach our hopes, goals, and dreams or it can totally distract us and prevent us from accomplishing and experiencing all of the incredible things we could have otherwise experienced and accomplished. I believe that technology is a necessary good that can be used either way. It is up to us!
So, the real question is, what’s on your bucket list? Brainstorm ways you should start using your technology to help you reach your goals! And, likewise, brainstorm ways you should stop using your technology to help you reach your goals. Here are five suggestions to help get the creative juices flowing:
1. Use Screen Time Management Apps to help you find a digital balance that works for you.
2. Use YouTube Tutorials to help you learn a new skill, talent, or ability.
3. Use Social Media to spread kindness and positivity.
4. Use Google to find reputable resources that help expand your knowledge.
5. Make something that matters!
Let’s use technology as a tool and a resource to help us live our healthiest, happiest, and most fulfilling lives. Let’s teach our students to do the same. When we use the Internet with purpose and intention we can accomplish absolutely incredible things.