I know every student at Winona State uses technology at some point every day. Maybe even each hour of your day includes the use of some kind of technology. I can definitely say I wouldn’t be a successful student without using technology. Whether it’s using my laptop for D2L, to write a paper, conduct research for a project, or to take a much-needed Netflix break. I’d be lost.

The University Theme Kick-Off Digital Interaction Fair took place on Monday, Sept. 12 between the Science Lab Center Atrium and Watkins, as well as at the Gazebo. (Photo taken by Kassidy Jackson)

The University Theme Kick-Off Digital Interaction Fair took place on Monday, Sept. 12 between the Science Lab Center Atrium and Watkins, as well as at the Gazebo. (Photo taken by Kassidy Jackson)

 

Winona State’s theme for this year is “Our Digital Humanity.” This theme examines human life in the digital age, and the university’s goal is for us to think deeply about the different technology we use in our lives and challenge ourselves to view the changes it has made in the way we relate and learn. Also, we should challenge ourself to think of the implications digital tools have for our futures.

There were a lot of cool technologies students, staff and the community members were able to explore at the Theme Kickoff! (Photo taken by Jacob Striker)

There were a lot of cool technologies students, staff and community members were able to explore at the University Theme Kick-Off! (Photo taken by Jacob Striker)

 

I think this theme is important to students, our professors, staff and the community. We use these tools to do many things in our everyday lives; not only for school, but to check keep up with the news, for entertainment purposes, to video-chat people hundreds of miles of way, etc. So many amazing things can come from using technology. We should fully understand the capabilities of these outlets and advance our thinking in this digital world we live in. This is key to understanding the technology we use, the impact it makes on us as people and the countless things you can do with it. You can use technology to express your voice, to be creative and to educate yourself.

Robots and other futuristic digital tools were featured at the Kick-Off. (Photo taken by Jacob Striker)

Robots and other futuristic digital tools were featured at the Kick-Off. (Photo taken by Jacob Striker)

 

Immersing yourself in the knowledge of all the things technology has to offer is beneficial to yourself, and we can better our community with this exploration. Don’t think technology has just one purpose; think deeper and learn more about what you can do in this digital world with the tools given to us.

So, as we continue the school year, ask yourself: In this digital age, what kind of future do you want to create?