Danielle, Area Director for the Spokane, Omak, and Boise JV communities, would like to share her thoughts on use of technology:
“National Public Radio recently covered a series in the New York Times on how the use of technology affects our brains and the way individuals operate in daily life. There is more information available and increasing numbers of gadgets designed to make that information more readily available anywhere and anytime. Access to technology is both a blessing and a challenge – in deciding what to use, when to use, and how much to use technology.
Each year, JVC Northwest asks the incoming JVs to reflect on their use of technology and how it relates to each of the four values. In my life, phones and email allow me to connect with those far away and share in my experiences. Checking for new messages, zoning out while on the phone or computer, and standing in the constant flow of information, can also take me away from the present moment. Some of my most free moments have been during retreats or on vacation when I turned off my cell phone and lived by the flow of the events, not the time on the clock. As with most things, my own use of technology requires finding a balance which allows me to be connected to my immediate surroundings as well as people and information far away.
This year, as an Area Director, I will encourage the JVs to find a way to plug-in to the information and multiple levels of community available to them, even if that occasionally means unplugging.”
