Crossing the Finish Line

Looking forward from today, I believe I will use the experiences given with social media to improve my career and hopefully spread the word of my passion to the rest of the world. With practical applications for social media I will be able to logically and effectively use social media to benefit the child life community as a whole.  In the beginning of this journey, I never imagined social media in business to be such a benefit for collaboration.  I think social media has come a very long way when it comes to businesses. I have proudly helped improve my father's company's social media pages to benefit them more than it has been. I taught my father about how to post, and what to post.  Also, he learned why purpose matters in social media.  I believe continuing with him will help his business overall.

I think my future goal of applying social media to child life in order to spread awareness is very attainable, but will require a large amount of work.  In my child life internship I have to have a major final project, and social media will be a large option for me when choosing my project.

The semester overall has been very informational and fun. It will be interesting to incorporate what I have learned into my future, and hopefully make a difference in my career and others'.

Fire up Chips! 

"From Below"

From working with Central Michigan Manufacturing Association, I've learned that there are many opportunities with a high school or college degree within the manufacturing world.  Interesting enough, in chapter 8 of Who Owns the Future, Jaron Lanier points out the key question of the future of manufacturing, "How much will be automated?" In other words, how many jobs are going to be taken by technology as manufacturing progresses as a technological field?  My guess: MOST.  The CMMA is fighting to get people interested in the manufacturing field, while technology is slowly working against it.  Similar to the medical field.  There will always be people to program the robots, or what have you, but that eliminates a large percentage of employees.  This is already in progress! Look at a milling programmer.  In the past, that person carved out each piece of that part to form a part or mold.  Now, a person sits in front of a computer and tells a machine what to shape.  The benefit of this is the accuracy, and milling programmers are not in high demand.  What happens when it continues up the line and the programmer isn't needed because the original draft can be updated without any assistance from a human hand?  This is the vicious cycle.

In my opinion, we as a country need to think about where technology is going.  But of course more important things like marriage rights are keeping the government busy. A whole story in itself, but point made.  It would be a brilliant success if it was calculated out as to how the continuous elimination of jobs through the use of technology is going to effect our economy.  Guarantee the percentage of the richest grows while the rest of us begin our journey to poverty.  I honestly believe that these developers get caught up in having the next newest technology that they do not think twice on what it will do to society as a whole.

Yet again, we live in a world of "me, me, me!"

Fire Up!

I Wish Jaron Lanier Could Come to Class

Maybe if Jaron Lanier came and spoke for our class I would understand him a bit more.  His sentence structure and overall philosophy is a bit over my head.  Chapters 2-4 of Who Owns the Future? constantly go back to how technology is like the middle class.  What I get from this is that technology is  very complex, like the economy.  Which is absolutely a fact.  When I think of technology in relation to the economy, I think of the fact that economy has everything to do with who has what technology.  Your economic status has everything to do with whether you have a tablet, smartphone, laptop, etc. or if you have to go to the library to use the internet for free.  Or you can be the 1% of the population that can afford the Google Glass.  Technology is available to most of the world, but depending on where you are or how much money you have, you're limited yet again.  Who has the fastest wifi? People who pay for it individually.  Who has the newest iPad whenever a new edition comes out.  The Kardashian's (or some other ridiculously rich family).  Maybe this isn't what Lanier was getting at, but every time I saw the word middle class all I could think is the reality of how attainable, or unattainable technology is based on how much money you have.

All the world strives for is technology.

Yay Teen Advocacy!

Well, after hours of decision making, I finally decided to concentrate my final project on the use of social media for hospitalized teenagers.  Most people do not realize how hard it is to be a teen in the hospital.  Not only are children's hospitals decorated for a 2 year old, but they provide no room for independence, privacy, and psychological growth.  How is a teen supposed to become comfortable with themselves when they're constantly being poked and prodded?  Well, teens find comfort and support through social media, like a comfort blanket.    I'm no Prezi queen, and I'm fighting a cold, but here it is! Hope you learn a bunch and fall in love with teen advocacy like me :)

Teen Advocacy Through Social Media

Talk About Morals

Social Media and morals just aren't flowing together anymore.  Especially when you combine that with nosy news reporters and journalists.  I found an article posted by my university's newspaper CMlife that  broke my heart.  Not because it's such a touching story, but because it is so heartless and unimportant to the general population.

Kelly Markatos was a CMU student who died a sudden death at the young age of 22.  The tragedy hit the university hard, and many of my friends as well.  How is it that the world mixed with technology can be so cruel that they feel the need to exploit her disease to the world?  Personal satisfaction.  Nosy people.  That's why.  People today are information hungry and it makes them act like animals.

This reminds me of all of the massacre stories, like Sandy Hook Elementary.  Kelly's family, and all victims families have to live through their loss every day.  Opening the wounds months later to satisfy the interest of uninvolved parties is beyond sickening!  Let families heal! Without technology, people wouldn't have this desire to be informed on such horrible events and thrive off knowing details that do not effect their life whatsoever.

Sometimes I think technology is a horrible thing.  Especially in situations like this.  My prayers go out to the family and friends of young Kelly.  What a horrible addition to their already difficult holiday season.

Fire Up and keep your nose in your own business!

Please, No Robots, Thanks!

Jaron Lanier loves his futuristic predictions.  And boy oh boy do I hope he is wrong about this one!  The idea of robots is kind of cool, if you're the laziest person ever.  I'm sorry, but what exactly would be the purpose of living at all if robots are going to do it all for us? Yes, yes he says "They [humans] will remain essential for the technology will rely on data that has to come from people, but it isn't decided yet if they'll be valued in terms that lead to wealth" (Who Owns the Future). In this section he is referring to surgeons.  Well, sorry Sir Jaron, but although non invasive surgeries sound more appealing, when it comes down to it, I want a human performing the surgery on me that will save my life.  You know, something with a beating heart and a working brain?  I understand the importance of many robots used today, but if surgeons are concentrating on learning how to do things through the robots, when are they learning about hands-on for when Mr. Robot breaks? YIKES!  It sounds to me like surgical residents are looking for a 10 year residency in order to cover all the bases, human and robot.

Topics like this make me think of, yes another childish movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! (The one with Johnny Depp) Mr. Bucket lost his job to robots.  Then he was hired back as the guy to fix the robots.  What a world would that be? Not one I would be all too happy about.  Another movie reference - iRobot pops into my head immediately as well. Robot take over? No, thanks!

Yes, technology is incredible and I love it.  However, I think our purpose on this earth is more than "providing the data that makes the networked realization of any technology better and cheaper." There are reasons people are born with gifts, for example, the ability to logically, safely, and professionally cut into someone's body and save their life.  I don't think a future surgeon's dream is to teach a robot.

Finally. I have to touch on the fact that my future career expresses the need to be honest with patients young and old.  Unless you have a robot-crazed 10 year old boy, I'm almost confident every child would have higher anxiety thinking some metal thing is going to cut into his/her body. That would be a whole new world of coping strategies for the Child Life world.

Fiiiire up! (It's finals week!)

A Tech Savvy Holiday Season

What does every child, teen, adult, even grandparent want for Christmas? Technology. I want a cell phone, I want a kindle, I want an iPad! In the season of want, people will even change these into needs. Oh I need the new iPhone 5c because my iPhone 4 works fine but it's not as light weight and it's not colorful. No, your phone works fine and just because your contract is up and there is a new pink iPhone out doesn't mean you need it. 

Now don't get me wrong, my "Christmas list" consists of a few wants, but I'm pretty sure socks and snow boots are more of a need than wanting a new piece of technology. Maybe my issue is I have a lot of technology already, but I got them overtime and rarely as a Christmas gift. That is what is sickening to me, the ability people have to make Christmas about receiving as many things that they want that they can't afford throughout the rest of the year. 

My take on gifts is that you should give. Give when you find something someone needs or maybe even wants during anytime of the year. Give as an appreciation to someone, and don't do it just because it is Christmas time. Christmas has the ability to bring people together, so enjoy the time, love and laughter. Save some money or donate the money you were going to spend on that new iPad to a family in need, or a charity. Make this season about giving, not receiving. Maybe even cut your list down to more needs and less wants.

I find myself disappointed in people around me, even my own family sometimes. I think society needs to take a step back and look at Christmas differently. It is time we teach our children not to expect a tree full of gifts when they wake up. Stop preaching about the season of giving if all you do is teach your children to want, want, want.

Fire up and think about it! 🔥👆

A Roadmap to Awareness

The Social Organization puts a huge emphasis on purpose throughout chapters 5 and 6.  Purpose needs to be more than just "to spread the word about ______".  The purpose of using social media technologies needs to be in depth, and have the ability to change or continue over time.

Take Child Life, for example.  There are countless areas that Child Life is involved in.  The overall purpose of the Child Life specialist? To help children and families overcome the most difficult time of their lives.  Well hello, that's a lot to cover! Is that how we're going to describe the need for Child Life in hospitals over social media? Absolutely not! There needs to be purpose and these purposes will be around forever as each new parent, doctor, nurse, person hears about Child Life.  Brainstorming is where this comes into play.  Here are very few ideas on what a purpose of a post, website, or collaboration would be:

• Teen Advocacy in children's hospitals that are decorated for young children
• Pain management/distraction
• Use of technology
• Individual stories reflecting on the CCLS

There are endless options on what to post about.  Collaborating, on the other hand, needs a consistent topic.  The same examples above can be used, but the collaboration would be continuous.  For example, if a collaborative technology was used strictly for child life specialists, they could share the ideas their hospital is coming up with, what pain management techniques are working for different types of children etc.  Also, a parent collaboration for support and information on disease, hospital secrets, and so on, can be shared.  

What a great example of how a CCLS can utilize a purpose roadmap - make a blog to help current or future child life specialists! 

A purpose roadmap will provide who the participants are, what motivates them to collaborate, how they interact, and potentially what they are collaborating about.  It would allow for growth of the social media environment to discuss new purposes, or add on to existing ones. Building a purpose road map has the following steps:

1. Preparation
2. Defining the community
3. Brainstorming purposes
4. Evaluating and organizing purposes
5. Documenting the purpose roadmap

With a successful road map, there will be sustained value overtime, providing solid footing to become a successful collaborating community.

Fire Up on the road to success!

PS: This girl's blog is downright amazing -  she forms connections to other blogs about child life and she attracts many types of people from parent to future child life specialist to a medical professional. Check it out here!

Social Media to the MAX

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Netflix, Netflix.  THIS was my morning. On this lazy Saturday filled with procrastination on any and all work I need to complete for the week, I sat, and sat, on social media. Yes, I am pathetic.  However, I must say it was quite refreshing pretending I had no responsibilities in the world (other than shooting awake at 7:30 thinking I needed to be at work).

I woke up, devastated that I didn't charge my phone last night. Yes, the worst thing to happen when you plan to lay right next to the charger for the next 6 hours.  I think I was being a little dramatic since I was up way earlier than I planned to be. Anyway, I checked my social media apps until my phone was on 1% and dreaded rolling over to plug it in.  At this point, I watched Grey's Anatomy for 3 hours.  The worst part was, I was on social media while I was watching my favorite show.  There really is no satisfaction in just enjoying your show is there? I blame my stressful week of presentations keeping me away from my precious Netflix.

After running to the store and making myself presentable to the world (sadly, in that order) I sat on Vine for a half hour. Yikes! I did get a lot of good laughs though, I seriously suggest a Vine session anytime you need to smile.  Now presentable, off my couch, and doing school work, I am checking Snapchat. Oh, the shame!

Let's just say that monitoring my use of social media was done on a pretty pathetic day in my life.  But, it's reality for you! When we have a minute (or 360 minutes) I enjoy using mindless social media apps and technology to allow myself to relax and have absolutely no care in the world besides freaking out to Grey's wondering who's gonna die next!

I do have to stick up for myself here quickly though, because I really don't text all that much.  I find it to be so forced these days, to talk to people constantly with no real purpose. Actually, I haven't done that in years, but my point is that while I improve in some areas, I may overuse others.  I realize that the hours I did nothing could have been used for more productive things, but sometimes you just need a day off!

Time to fire up and get some work done!