I have never really been one to enjoy phone conversations. To me, Skype/Google Hangouts are akin to phone conversations where you have to care at least a little about your appearance. I find myself fairly distracted by myself in these conversations. I never see myself interact or converse with people and it's very strange to me.
That being said, I enjoyed using Skype while I was in Mexico as a means to communicate with friends and family. I enjoyed seeing the faces of my family and friends, but on a day to day basis, I don't think Skype/Face Time is for me. Skype always had its connectivity issues when I was using it, which I found equally distracting and frustrating.
I actually hate phone conversations too, but for an entirely different reason (My hearing is crap and I have the most awkward 'goodbyes.' I was born in the right era for me in terms of making social connections. I'll text, msn, or 'chat' you into the ground. I have always found writing easy.
The massive amount of technology out there can be overwhelming, but I believe it is a matter of educating ourselves about what is out there and available to be used and choose which tools apply to us. By finding our strengths in technology and coupling them together we, as educators, will be able to best execute our knowledge of technology in the classroom.
I enjoy using Skype and Facetime to contact friends and family at home. Through experience I would rather just have a good old regular phone conversation most of the time. Poor connections can make it hard to have a good conversation on face to face devices: screen freezing at the worst moments, and random cut out on the voice drive me nuts.
ReplyDeletePahaha I really do enjoy the way in which you examine life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that watching yourself converse is distracting! I hate that people have the option of calling, and thus seeing, me whenever possible. For example, my uncle is in Columbia and so when he Facetimes me I HAVE to answer, no matter what state my appearance is in (since it is not like I can call him back whenever I want). When he's called I've only ever been wearing pajamas, my hair unbrushed, and eating something. Not that it really matters, as it is my uncle, and not some hot guy I've been wooing... but you get the point. On the flipside, though, it is PRETTY cool that I get to talk to my uncle face to face when he is all the way in Columbia, AND that I get to see the view from his hotel window.
I also really like the name of your blog.
AND I agree with the statement you made in your post's conclusion - I really do like having all the technological options available to me, but not everything works for everyone. The trick is in finding what applies (as you said) and works for each of us on an individual basis.
Well I don't think I share the same distraction in watching ourselves converse but I definitely understand the frustration in a poor connection. I have gone from being in a great mood, ready to talk somebody's ear off and then not 2 minutes later I have to lay down and count to ten I am so mad because of the connection issue.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me want to resort to just calling someone but in mine (and Brittani's) case Skype or FaceTime maybe our only option as it may cost an arm and a leg to actually call someone. My little sister lives in Wisconsin so Skype or FaceTime is my only real option of seeing her.
I use FaceTime a lot, mainly for family and the connection quality has its days. However, my main source of communication is the use of a phone call or texting (sometimes I don't even have the patience for that).
ReplyDeleteI do find video conversations frustrating as well, just because they don't always work or they do lag. However I do enjoy them in cases when I talk to people who live far away. It is nice to see the faces of people I miss when I talk to them. But for general conversations I much prefer someone just text me. I get frustrated with my mom when she tries calling me, I don't understand why she calls if she can just text me... she doesn't get it.
ReplyDeleteI have NEVER skyped, facetimed, or done any of the sort. I almost feel the need to try it now. I can imagine how interesting it would be to watch myself interacting with someone else but then again maybe not because when I talk with someone on the phone or even in face to face conversations, I tend to close my eyes a lot. I know, its weird but it helps me to concentrate in a strange sort of way.
ReplyDeleteNew goal: facetime or skype, we'll see :)
I am just getting good at things like Skype, but I have found them very useful for a few specific reasons like you, long distance meetings and such. Overall, I think that it is crucial to look into things like Skype though, since they can bring the world into the classroom.
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