Computers and Me...My History

My history with computers started when I was a child watching some of my favorite T.V. shows like The Jetsons, Star Trek and My Favorite Martian. I remember seeing the robots and wondering how they were able to walk, talk, cook or process information? I always believed that one day computers would really be able to do those things independent of human supervision.

In high school, I enrolled in a computer class just for fun and learned how to write a basic program for a simple video game. I didn't enjoy that class a much as I thought I would and gave my teacher a tremendous amount of grief. I decided at that point, I would never work with computers again someone else could do it. I don't remember the model of the computers but I believe that they were Apples. Three years later, as a freshman in college, I was using a word processing program on an Apple computer to type papers and speeches. Again, I was not very pleased being forced to do something that I didn't want to do. I didn't understand WHY I had to type on this computer instead of my typewritter. I had to save all of my work on a thin, flimsy floppy disk that was very fragile.

My Junior year in college, I worked in the computer lab on campus as part of my work study job. I had to fight against sexism before anyone would teach me what I needed to know for the position. It was my job to assist other students who were working on assignments on the computer. I became fascinated with all I could do with the computer, and eventually found myself doing a lot of desktop publishing on the Apples. If I remember correctly, this lab was considered a state of the art lab at the time. It had macintosh and P.C. style computers. I learned to use both, but really preferred the Apples because of the brightness of the screen. The other computers had dark screens with green text, think of the computers used in the movie Jumping Jack Flassh. On the Apple, I felt connected to the outside world (although it was before the ineternet). I could be creative and enjoyed desktop publishing documents, forms, etc.

Two years after graduation, I got my first computer at home which was a Macintish Performa. I used this computer as a business tool for desktop publishing and typing articles as a freelance writer, saving my work on the hard disks. I also began using the world wide web on the internet. I used the same computer for 9 years, before I got another one. It really served me well.

When I started teaching, I switched from using Macs to using PC's becuase that was what my district was using. It was convenient at the time being able to use the same word processing program at home and at school. Now, I have been using PC's for so long that I have trouble even remembering how to operate Macs. What I find amazing is that my school district now has some computers that use two different operating systems on the same machine, one as a PC and one as a Mac. I never would have imagined all of the advances I have seen in technology or that I would be comfortable being in the front seat as a passenger or a driver.