Sunday, August 24, 2014

You’ve Come a Long Way Baby!

 Yeah, I stole that title from my ex favorite cigarette brand but when you think about technology, what a journey it has been. 

I recently finished reading a book by Erma Bombeck, “A Marriage Made in Heaven or Too Tired for an Affair”.  This great read was a treasure found at Half Priced Books, and details her journey from engaged, to married raising kids, to the first moments of empty nesters.  

I took great delight in the chapter on technology.  In a section of the book labeled 1979, with a chapter title “Technology’s Coming! Technology’s Coming!” Erma and her husband have purchased their first VCR.  They are going out to dinner on a Friday night and want to record “Dallas” (what everyone watched on Friday nights).  You know that joke about not knowing how to set the time on the VCR…well, they spent so much time trying to figure it all out, that when Dallas came on they thought they were recording;  as it turned out, they were just watching it and went to dinner when it was over.    I had a similar   story with my parents.  They bought a VCR so that they would have a clock in the family room.  They had no idea what to do with the machine otherwise until I introduced them to a little “mom and pop” video store next to one of their favorite pizza shops.  Then the fun started.

I was the coolest kid in my dorm cuz I had an electric typewriter. 

I remember my father setting up his first computer in the basement.  You had to   enter prompts after the C:\ and I had a list of steps to follow to get to the word processing program.  I told my father: “This computer thing is never gonna last.” I guess I missed that one!

I remember graduating from college and getting my first job.  I began to save money so I could buy a stereo with a CD player.  It was one of those all in one deals; turn table, dual cassette deck, am/fm radio and cd player.  I had seen the writing on the wall and knew that CD’s were the up and coming technology.  I was sooo ahead of the curve!

After 2 years in the work world, I returned to school and boy that computer thing was really important as I began to write papers for my Master’s Degree in Education.    I love the sound of a good dot matrix printer! I still have documents in my portfolio with lesson plans printed with those little dots.

After another 2 years, I landed my first full time teaching job.  I had 2 old (at least I perceived them to be old) Apple IIe computers in my classroom.  I had 5 ¼ inch floppy discs with math games and Oregon Trail.  The lighting of the screen was green.  Green on black, no other color; it was one step above the Light Bright game. (Google it if you don’t remember or should I say aren’t old enough to know).  

I don’t know how I quite discovered the computer labs in our building but one day, I stumbled into one and started to play around.  We had a Mac Lab and a PC lab.  The Mac lab was smaller and less used so it was perfect for me to bring my classes in.  I became proficient at all aspects of ClarisWorks.  I had my students using the draw program to create their own notes about geometric figures.  I had them use the draw program to also design their own t-shirt iron-ons that I took home and printed on my good color printer.  I used the ClarisWorks data base program to manage paperwork and communications with the teachers of student I worked with.  I was one of the first teachers to use the email program (I think it was called White Pine) and I emailed my cousin in England (studying abroad from Case Western Reserve).  It looked like a DOS program. 

As technology was developing, I became rather proficient at the Microsoft world as well.  I used to tell people I was bi-platformal as I could operate in both the Mac Lab and PC lab.  Eventually, I caught the attention of one of the   Media Specialist in our building and she recruited me to teach teachers technology classes in the Microsoft Office world.   I managed my way through Word and PowerPoint pretty well.  I have learned a lot about Excel especially from my husband who is “certified” and I think I am one of the few people who absolutely loves Access. 

I love technology!  I am not about technology for technology’s sake but it is such an expansion of the universe.  I mean really, this morning I was sitting in church and I was reading a book.  (I read while my husband and the band rehearse).  The author referenced some guy and his reflection on God.  Not knowing who this guy was, I pulled out my IPhone 4 and googled him.  I read about this person who I had never heard of before.  He had a pretty lengthy Wikipedia page.    It was that instantaneous answer that in another decade I probably would have been too busy to seek out.  I love being able to pull out my phone and map my way to somewhere. 

Most of all, I love having an app that collects all the blogs  I like to read and being able to share them with people who may also find them valuable.   I was in a presentation one day and the speaker referenced something that I have never forgotten.  I believe the reference was made about Chris Anderson’s view of innovation (He’s the “curator “of the TED TALKS). In an article he wrote for Wired Magazine he talks about the kinds of people involved in innovation.  Excerpted from Wired article (TED Curator Chris Anderson on Crowd Accelerated Innovation BY CHRIS ANDERSON  12.27.10):  

[Anderson talks about these people]:
  • The trend-spotter, who finds a promising innovation early.
  •  The evangelist, who passionately makes the case for idea X or person Y.
  • The superspreader, who broadcasts innovations to a larger group.
  • The skeptic, who keeps the conversation honest.
  • General participants, who show up, comment honestly, and learn.

 I AM A SUPERSPREADER.   I learn something and try to   match it up to people who can use it. 

Where will technology take me tomorrow?...A long way baby!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Back to school….

So the #1 question with the beginning of August is:  “Are you ready to go back to school?”  

Everyone asks.  Most expect me to say no. 

As of July 31….I am ready.  

Don’t get me wrong…I love summer vacation. I get all kinds of projects done around our house and yard. This year,  I had the most amazing summer.  My husband and I traveled to Utah for a vacation. Two days of the vacation were a conference called Nerdtacular and the rest was touristy stuff.  The conference was fun and entertaining.  We met podcast personalities that we regularly listen to.  The rest of the week-long vacation was spent sightseeing and hiking.    It was our first time in Utah and we cannot wait to go back. This was early July. The second fun event of my summer vacation was the arrival of my parents who live in Florida.  Fifteen years ago, they decided to become permanent residents of the “Sunshine State”.  I love my parents dearly and when they come to town, we try to pack into  10 days all the things we would do together if they lived here….shopping, dinners, movies, visiting relatives and friends….The  10 days they usually stay are NEVER  enough.  It gets harder and harder, as they get older, to have them so far away. They are in generally good health but…well…just saying.

So today, they departed to go back and yeah, I’m ready to go back to school.  The school anxiety has started.  The prime indicator is dreams.  I have dreams of being in school and that kind of ends summer vacation.  The next thing is checking.  I am constantly checking for dates.  I was supposed to have a meeting this week.  I fully knew it was supposed to be on the 6th, but last night I could not go to sleep without double checking school email to confirm it. As it turns out, the meeting has been canceled.  I have signed up for a 2 day seminar later this month and I know I will not only be double checking on that meeting's dates and times but also checking on the  first day of school….The “checking” makes me crazy because I know the dates  but I worry at the same time so I keep checking…..

Yeah…I’m ready….I laugh because I usually perceive that parents are always ready to send their kids back to school almost the week after  summer vacation starts.  More and more however, I find parents complaining that school starts too early…that school should not start until after Labor Day….and in general, many parents seem to enjoy having their kids home.  So, while parents might not be ready for school to start…I am and when the kids get there...I'll be really ready!