Hernandez 1

Maria Jose Hernandez

Ms. Janice Esau

Honors English- 12th

17 May, 2019

Understanding Learner

Criteria #5

Albert Einstein once said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” The

world is constantly changing. Every day there are new advancements, a new politically correct

term to call a people group, and a new conflict. We are stuck in the middle of the chaos

attempting to adapt and learn all of these new things and figuring out what these look like in our

lives. From a very young age, I have faced shifting trends and have needed to adapt to fit the

world’s changes.

I started this transformation at a very young age. I was seven when I started my first

email. My grandfather sat with me and helped me create my first account. Without a phone of

my own, this was an easy way for me to communicate with my grandparents and friends that

lived two hours away without depending on my parents. This adaptation that I started when I was

seven, I still use today for different reasons. Email is now a professional way for me to

communicate with teachers, bosses, colleges, etc.

During elementary school, I underwent another change that affects the way I work today.

I decided to change the platforms that I did my work through. I switched from physical copies of

articles or textbooks that my teachers gave me to online research. This allowed me to learn how

to find updated and credible information to build quality assignments and papers. I also started
 Hernandez 2

using online documents like google drive, instead of word documents and paper, which allowed

me to access my information at any time and from any device making my work much more

productive. This has also allowed me to share my work with my teachers and peers quicker and

more efficiently so we can collaborate or proofread different pieces of work. Furthermore, I

started using Power Points instead of posters which makes my presentations more clear, concise,

and easier to correct. Today most, if not all, of my work is done online and changing my work

ethic at an early age helped me improve and perfect it so that now I can do this efficiently.

Today to adapt to cultural trend, to form opinions on current events, or to research

different political opinions, I must filter through a lot of information that is available. I have

come to understand that many news sources like Fox, CNN, and The Daily Mail all have a

specific agenda they want to push and that I need to look at all sides of an event or incident to

truly understand what occurred. Doing this helps me discuss problems today with a variety of

individuals and learn a lot from others.