Waking up With Technology

   Technology and technological interaction is a huge deal in today's classrooms; from elementary to the university/college level.  As I mentioned in my last post, the term digital native generally refers to someone who has been completely immersed in technology since day one.  Since writing my last post I have begun to dive into looking at my own technology usage and what role technology has played in my life, forming my digital native-ness or not.

   Through speaking with my dad over the past 24 hours I have learned quite a bit about my own involvement in technology.  My parents worked in pretty technologically-driven careers as I was growing up, even though they don't have the word "computer" or "engineer" in them.  My dad, when I was growing up, owned his own printing shop, a franchised Sir Speedy.  My mom, at the time, was a CPA in a small firm, working with mostly "local celebrities" (she worked with several NASCAR teams, which to me was a big deal).  While neither of those jobs make you think of technology or technology usage, both were heavily influenced by technology.

   As my dad remembers, we jumped on the "bandwagon of technology" pretty quickly.  My dad grew up in a military family and he can remember his dad making sure that his family was well-equipped with the latest gadget.  My dad, I'm assuming, was brought up with this mindset and continued it with his own family.  While my dad was growing up, he remembers his first computer being a Tandy TRS-80, or a TRASH 80 as he called it.  The storage, as he remembers, for the Tandy was on a cassette drive.  He then said that he remembers upgrading to a Commodore Vic 20 and then a Commodore 64.  The storage for these computers used a floppy disk.  He remembers how the early machines did not come with software; you had to write your own.  While we were discussing his technological childhood he mentioned how he was never that interested in writing the "BASICS" for the computer, but his older brother loved it and wrote most of the software that was used in his household.  He was in high school when the Macs came on the market, which was a big deal because it was the only machine that came with a mouse and allowed for "click and drag".  He also remembers being required to take a typing class in the high schools computer lab which held two computers and a dot matrix printer.

Tandy TRS-80 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80

   Just by listening to my dad's history, before we even reached mine, was very fascinating to see how while he wasn't born with computers, but how quickly the education system seemed to revamp and include them in the curriculum.  As we discussed my own involvement with computers he basically said that I had access to a home computer all of my life, bouncing back between PC and MAC.  He said while I was younger, we had several simple software games that I could play but by the time I was interested in technology it was cheaper to buy gaming systems such as Nintendo and educational programs such as Leap Frog.  As the subject of educational games came up I remembered my own adoption of computers in elementary schools, that is about the earliest that I can consciously remember being on a computer.  We had a complete computer lab; a computer for every student and several printers.  The only software and class that I remember specifically working with/on the computers with was in my art class which is very interesting to me.  We had a program called Kid Pix that was an interactive paint studio.  

Kid Pix Studio

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/PC-Kid-Pix-Studio-Deluxe/1477052/product.html

    The paint studio had many different features and we used them to create different types of art, from abstract-interactive pieces to portraits and landscapes.  I didn't just use the computers in Art, I was required to take a typing class and be able to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.  However, the part of educational technology that stood out to me was my usage in art.  Now, as an adult, I always associate technology with creativity and freedom of expression.  I know several people's first thoughts are things like mechanical and productivity, and I still think of technology in these connotations, but my first thoughts are always back to creativity.  I think because no one thought of technology as a tool for art, my art teacher made it her mission to incorporate it as much as she could.  And in her defense, it worked.  Yes technology is great for productivity, but using technology to express yourself is even greater.  This is a revolutionary idea for most people, it was to my elementary self, which is why I think it stuck with me for so long.