brittany's+autobiography

My experiences with computers as a K-12 student was very limited. The only eperiences I can remember in elementary school were the weekly or monthly computer trips to the computer lab to play Oregon Trail. In middle school I do not remember using computers at all. In high school, I remember the hassle of trying to //find// a computer to use for a powerpoint presentation that I had to give in Humanities, because we were not given class time to make the presentation and my house did not have a computer.

It wasn't until college that I bought my own computer (with a loan from my Aunt) because I realized college would be much more difficult without a personal computer. My first computer "lived" for about 3 or 4 years, at which time it finally "died". Then I switched to Mac, and I have had it for 3 years. It still runs the same as it did the day I bought it. Best thing I ever bought.

My experince as a "technology user" I think is pretty varied. I regularly use a smart phone, ipod, GPS, Kindle, computers, the internet, video games, online games, email, Skype and social networking sites. I rely heavily on technology on a day-to-day basis. One way that this is evident is that I type more often than I write. I would also be lost without my GPS, either the Tomtom in my car or the one on my phone. The idea of paper-pencil (or even printing mapquest) is almost foreign to me. I use technology to stay "close" to family that don't live locally. We Skype, text pictures of ourselves/things that we are doing, email or call--all using technology. Technology is an important part of my daily life.

I think that computers should play a vital role in our classrooms, however I am unsure of how to implement this. School prepares students for their lives and our world is based on computers and even technology that has yet to be developed. If we are going to prepare students for the "real world" then they have to use computers frequently, even daily or constantly.