Blog Post #13

Engage in an E-Media Fast

I learned very quickly on Saturday, April 28th, that I am not the right person to take up new hobbies such as fasting. It was really hard going from using my phone every few minutes of the day, my laptop at least once a day, and usually watching one show a day, to having to eliminate all technology as a whole. I didn't realize how many electronics I used on a daily basis until I started this assignment. My cell phone is always near at all times because my family and I live in different cities. So when I decided to commit to this challenge, I had to tell my family that I would be out of touch on Saturday for a school assignment. My dad definitely had zero faith in me because he knows how attached to my new phone I am. I mean, he is the one who decided to get me the phone so I would be "up to-date" with the times anyway! I have literally everything on my phone. Everything from my Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and of course my communication from texting to calling everyone I know. So I chose to do my fasting on Saturday because I work at night from 4:30 to about 10:00. We are not allowed to use our phones at work anyway so I thought it would be a great idea to at least try. Saturday morning I woke up around 6:45 to let my dogs out and to get ready for a beautiful day without technology. I studied for an hour or so for the Praxis in the morning, which required zero media or electronic devices. After the studying, My boyfriend and I went to Wal-Mart and Lowes to get some shopping done for our house. Once I went to work, I put all of my belongings (my purse which included my cell phone) in the back and got to work. I had almost accomplished my fasting but I realized I had to ask my sister about a day that I had to take off for her baby shower that was coming up. I asked my manager of course if I could text her in the office and then get back to work. After I texted, I realized I had just FAILED my fasting assignment. I think this assignment is a great way for EDM310 students to really realize how much technology has grown and come to know how much they really use these electronics on a daily basis.