My Technology History

The first experience I had with a computer was in the fifth grade. The computer lab was directly across the hall from my classroom. Mr. Anderson would line the class up and then march us across the hall. Once in the lab we would work on typing. It has been so long that I do not remember if we did drills or played games, but I will always remember the sayings used to help memorize the placement of the keys: quick ask Zoe, what stops x-rays, even dogs can’t, red fish vanish, than grow bigger, yaks hear noises, under Jack’s mattress, I keep commas, over long periods. The beginning letter of each word corresponded with the same letter on the keyboard, up and down and across the keyboard.

             Then came the day when my cousin got a computer. This must have been sometime during my middle school years. I was extremely jealous. However, I did benefit from her new technology, but it was not the same as having my own. It was purchased to assist us with schoolwork, yet we rarely used it for scholastic purposes. We would play Oregon Trail or talk to random people in chat rooms. I do not think I will ever forget the buzzing and beeping of signing on to America Online. It will always be a pleasant sound from my childhood.

            During high school I was finally able to talk my mother into getting me a computer. I would need one for college anyways, so why not get one a little earlier? We did not get the Internet until a few years after we got the actual computer. However, I was still blissfully happy. I would play Where in the world is Carmen San Diego, Monopoly, Chess, and another game that helped with typing. I rarely used it for schoolwork.

            Actually in school, I did not do much with computers until college. Besides typing lessons, there was not much I did with computers in the classroom. Other students elected to take Business Technology. However, I could not tell you much of what students did in this particular class. I always signed up for debate, theatre, or teacher assisting. For random classes, we would type up reports on the computer. Having said that, my K-12 formal education would not have been much different without the use of technology.