Technology Autobiography

My experiences with technology have been great in number, and have increased as time has gone by. I began using a computer in elementary school for typing, and I remember also playing games like “Number Crunchers” and “Oregon Trail”. These were the old Apple computers and I was never too inspired by them, but the gaming aspect held my interest as a young child. It wasn’t until the summer before my freshman year in High School that I began using the World Wide Web to surf the internet, to access an email account, and to have social interaction with others via instant messaging and chat rooms.
This use of the internet opened up a whole new realm for me. I was exposed to it through my uncle in California; he is a film editor and had been using it for years. I signed on to AOL through his account and computer, and had my own hooked up with a few months at home, using dial-up. I loved being able to research online, communicating with family and friends with e-mail, and chatting with people I didn’t really know for fun. I felt connected because of it, and I learned to type faster as well. I used the computer to create projects, got into using clip art and altering photographs, and also for writing in a journal, to which no one else had access. So, there is no wonder I like using weblogs so much; I had created my own offline without even knowing it.
Currently, I use technology in as many ways as I can comfortably, in order to make my life easier, and in some cases even to earn extra money. I take online surveys for extra cash, sell things on Amazon.com, and even publish my writing for a few cents per view. I am connected with the world, and I think that bringing this into the classroom is essential if I hope to reach my students in a way that gets them ready for the real world. I think it is essential that teachers are trained to use new technologies, and given the resources to implement the use of them in the classroom. I know that it changes the way education is brought to children in schools, but it is a positive change overall that should be embraced…it isn’t going anywhere!
My only issue with the use of technology is that it presents many dangers to students and can be detrimental to the overall academic success of children if it isn’t used professionally and effectively. What I mean to say is that students can become so dependent upon using the computer for writing and for researching that they no longer have the skills to head to the old-fashioned library when they need a concrete source for a project. Or, if the computer isn’t functioning correctly, the excuses for late work pour in by the bucket loads. I see that teachers must convey to students the rules and regulations for using technology, and make clear their expectations for projects/assignments, but that they must also give students the tools they need to use other avenues in the event that the computer and internet are not available.