Recently I told informed my daughter that not only did we not have computers when I was her age (she is 14, I am not almost 50), but we did not have VCR's, or DVD's, or cable, or digital camera's, or laptops, let alone a computer. I told her I loved to type on a real typewriter, that I took typing in high school along with shorthand. She laughed and we had a great conversation about how fast things have changed and how different things are and the benefits of then and now and finding the happy middle.
I remember learning to type on an old heavy black typewriter with ribbon in my grandmother's house and I remember getting in trouble for getting the ribbon stuck or pulling it out and how messy it was. I remember next taking typing in high school with electric typewriter's and how much easier it was than the manual one and how much faster and there were also manual non-electric ones but nobody wanted to use them. I would like a real typewriter to do my creative work, actually, real being relative, of course....
And I remember when I got my first computer. I should say I remember when my kids got a computer from their dad, my older kids, that is. He got a newer one and the kids wanted one, so there it was. It was prehistoric in many ways, but not to me. That was in 2002. I remember getting so upset when the older 2 would be up in the middle of the night instant messaging, and I was shocked other people were on line as well. Now I sit here our after hour and little did I know how much a part of life computers would become. And here I sit.....
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ReplyDeleteHi Patrice,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your stroll down memory lane. I learned to type on manual typewriters also. When I was taking typing class there were just a few new electric machines in the classroom. My most vivid memory of typing class however, is the day the teacher jumped on the desk and threw a typewriter across the room. Although that still seems like an extreme action to me -- as it did to the school officials at the time -- this new technology has given me moments where I could relate...
Learning to use computer technology is somewhat like learning a new language. If you put in the time, and practice, pretty soon it all starts to make some sense. I don't have another class this quarter except the computer literacy class, so I am hoping to put together a travel plan for my cousins and I to go hiking together next year in Switzerland. It could include a spreadsheet of projected costs and a slide show of the places to visit, and perhaps a flier to promote cousin participation.
I think the people who were born in the years before computers were invented are in danger of being left behind and left out if they don't make an effort to learn the new technology. Lack of this education could cause them to become isolated and will certainly limit their opportunities to stay connected with the next generation.
I remember those old typewriters and the way typing one letter was like doing lunges with your fingers! To depress a key all the way took a lot of pressure so that when I used an electric for the first time, I would use the same amount of pressure and a letter would be printing out like it was a machine gun!! Consequently it would be much faster to type on an electric. Now isn't it wonderful that corrections are so easy that making a mistype is no big deal.
ReplyDeleteMany things about technology makes life much easier and faster, other than when you don't know how to use it. Learning the technology and then trusting it are two different things!
Amy, Thank you for the personnal account of your history with technology. I know your right with how much computers will be apart of our chilrens lives. I just don't understsnd why yet. I guess that is why it's the technology revolution, impling massive change with in thestructure of society. My daughter is six and just by giving her access to the computer I can see that not only does she enjoy it she has no fear of it as I do. Which I'm very happy about. Amy Seabrooke
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I took typing in high school, aren't you? I see people keyboarding with two fingers and I find it amazing. Perhaps we are lucky to have had a bit of transition to the whirling techno world we live in. I've always thought my kids had the advantage, but maybe we are lucky enough to view it as a tool at not a necessity. Don't take my computer away, but please let me turn it off at least one day a week!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have seen many changes. I remember what fun it was to use the word processor, because of how fast it was and also much less messy. This was at work, though. The first time I got a PC for home was about 7 years ago and really didn't use it much. It is very interesting how little by little this technology (almost and sometimes) rules us. When I get out of my email, MSN pops up, and I admit I can spend some time looking at what's there, like the "best-dressed list" from the Oscars. It makes me realize how easily this information pops up; I don't even have to turn on the television set or use a remote control (I remember when those were new and amazing).
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