Software: The Bridge To An Ever-Advancing World Of Technology

    The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt to the new mode of learning online. Because of such, various online learning platforms were also established and created, aiding students like me. 

    Personally, my first few months in college sailed a little rocky. As a public school student employing a modular mode of classes in Senior High School, the online learning setup was a little new to me. We were given several activities that needed to be done every week. It was all a battle of convenience, availability, reach, and communication. But as they say, technology makes life a little less heavy, and thankfully, it did mine very well. If I am asked what applications did just that, it would be Google Documents, Messenger, and Zoom meetings, as these are the biggest help I’ve received during those times, up until now.

    Essays here and essays there were my life in the online learning setup. A week won’t pass by without teachers giving us something to tell and write about. However, the real challenge lies in group work that requires every member’s essay input. This is where Google Documents served its purpose well. It enabled groups of people to write simultaneously in the document where we can add, edit, and recheck everything each other writes. This goes the same with Messenger where all of our group chats are located. We need not to meet in person to discuss something. A click away and ideas are sent and received, and vice versa. I’ve first met strangers, turned acquaintances, turned friends in this messaging app, but where I first saw their faces was in Zoom. We were able to hold classes using the Zoom calls. It made classes more accessible and, in some ways, fun because of certain features that highlight its uses.

    In the span of a short period of time, we were expected to rapidly get accustomed to a new arrangement that just involved a screen and a few clicks. The new mode of learning may have been a little complicated to navigate at first, but these three applications mainly made up my 1st semester in college, making it more bearable. 

    Just imagine how many wasted years would there be in our education if not for these advancements. 

 Photo References 

Stick PNG. Retrieved from https://www.stickpng.com/img/icons-logos-emojis/iconic-brands/google-docs-logo-and-symbol 

 

Sussex County Vocational Technical School District. Retrieved from https://www.sussexvt.org/hs/adult-education/g-e-d/overview-on-joining-a-zoom-meeting/

 

Wikipedia. Messenger. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messenger_%28software%29

THE E-WASTE OUTBREAK: A BILLION-WORTH MISTAKE

    Not long ago, a package we’d been dreading finally arrived along with the halt of my also never-ending question of whether there’d be another set of electronics in it.

     

    You see, my aunt once sent us a package containing appliances and gadgets they don’t use anymore. This always put me in a puzzling position since I've been wondering why most people are constantly looking for new products to buy.

    Now, the realization hits that not just my aunt, but millions of people all over the world are constantly purchasing and discarding electronics; however, what’s even more alarming is knowing that only 15-20% of these current wastes are recycled (TheRoundup.org, 2023).

  

    United Nations Environment Programme estimates over 50 million tons of e-waste are produced totaling approximately $62 billion in economic value annually. E-waste is also vastly known to contribute to the acceleration of climate change through its release of toxic chemicals in the atmosphere, its contamination through groundwaters affecting animals, and the degradation of human health especially for people working in landfills according to research (Great Lakes Electronics).

    The continuing rise of e-waste problems has imposed laws and regulations, including extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs. ERP gives the responsibilities back to manufacturers for their products’ end-of-life management (AFPA, 2023).

    Along with this measure, I still think that as users, we carry the biggest role in e-waste control. Employing the Rs of e-waste management is an effective way: Repair rather than Replace as some of our malfunctioning electronics are still salvageable through professionals, Responsibly Research the sustainability and durability of the product to make sure it lasts long, and Recycle or Regive just like what our family has been doing.

    Always keep in mind that small actions contribute to significant changes, and employing informed decisions like this might just be step one. 

References:

American Forest & Paper Association (2023). What is Extended Producer Responsibility? Retrieved from https://www.afandpa.org/news/2023/what-extended-producer-responsibility#:~:text=Extended%20Producer%20Responsibility%2C%20or%20EPR,including%20in%20Europe%20and%20Canada.

Azo Materials. Retrieved from https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=58882   

Great Lakes Electronic Corporation (n.d.). How Does Recycling Electronics Help the Environment? Retrieved from https://www.ewaste1.com/how-does-recycling-electronics-help-the-environment/#:~:text=When%20e%2Dwaste%20is%20exposed,also%20contribute%20to%20air%20pollution.

Nord Holding Ad. Retrieved from https://nordholding.bg/en/news-en/recycling-of-mobile-phones/

TheRoundup.org (2023). Latest Global E-Waste Statistics and What They Tell Us. Retrieved from https://theroundup.org/global-e-waste-statistics/

United Nations Environment Programme (2019). UN Report: Time To Seize Opportunity, Tackle Challenge Of E-Waste. Retrieved from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-report-time-seize-opportunity-tackle-challenge-e-waste

Document One: The Memory File

  

    A story tied by experience is a very powerful thing in this lifetime that allows you to become something or everything to anyone all at once. As far as my memory reaches, this is exactly how I felt the first time I’d seen the weirdest-looking television in my whole life.

https://wallpaperaccess.com/original-windows 

   A child never forgets the very memories that once made her feel “the most.” I remember one of mine being a mix of happiness, curiosity, and excitement. Living in a house with three teachers, I’ve always seen that TV being used in many different ways I don’t even have words for. Not until it was whirred to life and displayed all of its glory in blue skies and green fields, this time, for us kids to try! 

2008 Document1.jpeg

    There were six of us cousins gathered around it, the oldest being the girl of the hour in charge of explaining to us how the supposed to be “television” was, in fact, called a computer that could do many things I’ve always thought to be nameless: type, print, play music, and watch videos; however, as the innocent children that we were, the first one we tried— paint.

   

    The time I got to have my turn was the very moment I felt like a master at age five! Since then, I’ve spent time doodling myself as a princess with a castle built in outer space; just like I’ve said— anyone and everything all at once.
 

 

   That random day dated 2008 was a glimpse of a still continuing story where technology becomes an integral part of my life, shaping the way I see and do things. Memories were saved on it and will continue to do so, just like reliving this one for the future to come. 

References

Wallpaper Access. Retrieved from https://wallpaperaccess.com/original-windows

https://picsart.com/hashtag/cite