The voice of T-Pain fills the room as Desiree Triunfel reaches to turn off her iHome alarm. Before stumbling to the bathroom, she grabs her Blackberry to check any missed texts from the night before. As she enters the shower, she is sure to play her “morning mix” playlist from her newly updated iTouch.
She suddenly realizes she has only five minutes to get to school, but has just enough time to update her Twitter status on her Macbook Pro computer. Her hands move swiftly across the keyboard as she updates her status; “Just another day in the life of a Senior 2010 :).”
The Class of 2010 has grown up in a decade where technology has flourished. The rapid Internet connection, the multiple means of swift communication and the ability to constantly have entertainment have all become daily luxuries for this year’s graduating class. Yet these technological advances have not always been at the fingertips of AHS seniors. A mere ten years ago these innovations were distant ideas in the imaginations of the Class of 2000.
“Back in my day as a senior at AHS, we carried walk-men and emailed one another,” said 2000 graduate Lance Witkowski. “It was rare for my classmates and I to own a cell phone, so we had to contact each other on our house phones.”
In the year 2000, address books had a whole separate meaning than today. Back then, people recorded numbers and home addresses in paper notebooks that they kept handy. Today, an address consists of cell phone contacts and email, and all that is required to access the information is logging on to the nearest computer or the press of a cell phone button.
“I couldn’t imagine being a senior ten years ago and living without all the technology I have today,” said Triunfel. “Not only am I able to access the biggest news stories in the entertainment world, today’s technology also helps me tremendously with my schoolwork. By entering a simple keyword I can get hundreds of helpful websites related to my desirable topic.”
Such advancements have certainly changed the academic aspects of AHS. Lessons are being taught on SmartBoards, students are expected to submit homework and check for missing assignments via Blackboard and many have become experts on online researching. Through the numerous technological developments, information for projects and homework has become increasingly accessible.
“Kids these days are in constant communication with each other. Whether they’re texting, talking on their cell phones, Facebook chatting, or Oovooing , children of this generation are always in contact,” said parent Dan Deible. “I’m not saying these devices are bad, I’m just stating the truth; kids are obsessed with the various means of communication and certainly take advantage of them.”
What students used to write in letters to be delivered by pigeons now show up as an inbox on Facebook. Relationships aren’t official until they’re “Facebook official,” friends aren’t counted by the number of people at your lunch table, but rather the number of friend requests you’ve accepted, and stalking no longer requires peering through the window, but rather looking at someone’s updated Facebook and Twitter.
Back in the 2000s, Witkowski says, “relationships were broadcast through holding hands and the girlfriend wearing her boyfriend’s letterman jacket. It was always a struggle having to call the house phone in order to talk to your significant other. There were no late night ‘I Love You’ texts, and Homecoming pictures went in frames, not on Facebook.”
More recently, all of these convenient applications have been combined into one product with Apple’s release of the iPhone. Seniors have certainly taken advantage of the 8 gigabyte phone that does it all. Texting, surfing the Internet, emailing, updating Twitter pages and playing games are accessible to students anywhere with the use of their iPhones.
“I love my iPhone. I’m never bored and always have a source of entertainment on hand,” said senior Eunice T’Chawi. “Technology has made my life complete.”
It is impossible to deny that technology has made the members of the senior class the students they are today. Their interactions with one another, their methods to complete school work and the ways they live their lives are completely different than the seniors who graduated a decade ago. Ten years ago, no one could have anticipated these innovations and now we can’t help but think, “what will the year 2020 bring?”
