Thoughts about Technology

My experiences with technology:

I was born in 1979...the beginning of the home computer age! As a child of the 1980's, most of my technology memories are centered around toys. :)

My first encounter with technology (that I remember) occured when I was about 3 years old. I watched the movie E.T. at the drive-in theater, and the movie featured a Speak & Spell by Texas Instruments. I fell in love with the contraption that helped E.T. phone home--I thought it was magical!!! My parents bought me a  Speak & Spell, and my love of reading, writing, and spelling began! 

There were so many technology advancements in the 1980's. It was the perfect decade to be a child! Mom was a school teacher, so she really wanted to give gifts that were beneficial for learning. Christmases were especially exciting! In 1983, my parents purchased a Texas Instruments Home Computer. It was neat because the keyboard connected right to the TV. There were so many learning games. Every now and then, my Dad would take us to the flea market and we would pick out a new game: We loved the chunky white & black cartridges. On the TI computer, my brother and I learned how to add, subtract, spell, read, master mazes, etc. We adored the TI home computer, and used it for many years! (Yes, it is still in my parents' attic: Thank you, Mom!)

In the early 1980's, my brother and I went to the arcade

to play Nintendo. One Christmas circa 1985,  he received a Nintendo Entertainment System. Wow!  Super Mario Brothers was the newest game..and the graphics were AMAZING!! LOL. We played the Nintendo for many, many years. Looking back, we were very fortunate. I remember my family getting a Walkman, Cable television, an answering machine, microwave, and VCR. My parents worked really hard to be able to purchase those things.  I even remember Dad carrying "half" the VCR in a shoulder bag to take home videos. The first camcorders were HUGE!

As a child, I loved the idea of exploring space, as many children do. But when the Challenger crashed in 1986, it was devastating. It was the first time I witnessed a tragedy. Sadly, I found out that technology could fail miserably.....

Following the 1980's, I have a large brain GAP regarding technology experiences! I don't remember much about technology advancements when I was a teenager in the 1990's. We had a typewriter and word processor for school work. I did not know what the Internet was. Throughout most of high school, I remember completing research papers "the old fashioned way". I went to the library and looked up information in card catalogs and encyclopedias.

In my senior year of high school, I remember getting "dial-up" access to something new called the World Wide Web. It was an exciting new thing, but there wasn't a lot of information "out there" yet! I specifically remember having to do a 20 page research paper on a disease called Ebola. The internet was new. I remember trying to research information on the Web about the illness, and I found almost nothing! I had to go to the library, and look through the encyclopedias and talk to the librarian about Africa's outbreak. Back then, there was little information available on the subject. If I were to look up Ebola nowadays, I'd find thousands and thousands of articles and images, and probably videos too! How fast things change and evolve!

In college, I use email and internet frequently for research and  recreation. I recently learned  to do Power Point presentations. I'm getting there! LOL

Today, I am slowly learning to integrate technology into my world. Unfortunately, I do believe that children's brains are changing because of the quick-flashing data of the modern world. I see the changes in my kindergarten children who live and breathe on video games and flashing images. They can't slow down. No, I do not always embrace new technology, but I am slowly learning to adapt! Sometimes I miss the simplicity of the days before the "fast-foward" paced world.  I have a fascination with Amish communities because I envy their simple life styles.  I own an "outdated" cell phone that only calls and texts. I like to read books with paper pages. I have a separate computer, phone, and camera....and I like them each for their own purpose!

I know that I should keep an open mind about incorporating technology into my classroom. I am willing to learn new ways to integrate technology at school. I teach kindergarten, so I am looking for some simple ways to do this.

 My son is 3 years old, and I am all too aware that I'll need to learn to keep up with him regarding this issue of technology---so I think I'll start by giving him my good ol' simple Speak & Spell. :) :)