The most important information technology that my mom uses is her smartphone. She has a small dog walking and pet sitting business, and she uses her smartphone in all aspects of her job.When my mom first got her smartphone, she learned its features through a trial and error process and mainly just playing around with the settings. She did not really search for any guides on using the phone, so she essentially taught herself. When I asked her if learning to use her smartphone was difficult, she responded not really. There was a very low learning curve. She easily adapted to the new features of the phone, and my mom even made the comment that it was an easier learning curve than the new windows update for the computer back home.
My mom's smartphone is a lifeline for her business. It makes her more productive because she is always carrying it with her. This gives her quicker capabilities to respond promptly and in an efficient manner. For example, if my mom is taking care of the animals in the barn and notices an animal is acting sick, she quickly sends a message to the owners informing them of the situation and asking what actions should be taken. So by having her smartphone, it makes her job more enjoyable because she can focus more so on caring for the animals, rather than worrying about how to communicate with the owners. The immediate communication through a quick phone call or text message makes her job so much easier, especially when there may be an emergence with an animal. Trust me, you would be surprised how many animal emergencies can happen on a small farm.
I can see why my mom's smartphone is so valuable to her. Occasionally I take over a dog walking route and I use my own smartphone to keep in touch with the dogs owner, or call my mom for questions. I also use the calendar in my phone to remind me of which animal I need to take care of and what time I have to walk the dog.
As a side note, my mom's smartphone is not solely used for work. Since I did not go home for Thanksgiving break, I called her on her cell phone in order to keep in touch with her. So her phone essentially keeps her in touch with society.
1 comment:
Gabriella,
I also talked to my mom about her smartphone and the different ways she uses it. She uses it in similar ways that your mom does; her responsibilities as a freelance writer and active participant in various local committees and boards, she needs constant access to email and other forms of communication.
Outside of using it for communication, my mom needs a little help with all the bells and whistles that the iPhone has to offer. That's where I come in.
I think your blog post is well written and I can really relate to it. Smartphones are pivotal tools in a majority of jobs today, and you really captured that in a cool way. Good job!
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