Blog Post #0

I have extremely conflicting feelings about technology. I tend to be fairly adept in the technological world and grew up in computer courses from 1st grade until I started college. However, there is a part of me that continually considers Amish life, not for the religion but for the field work, the candle light, the homemade ink. In a certain way, I feel like that explains my previous experience with technology: a skill that I'm not sure I want to hone. Not because I'm opposed to it, or because no one will teach me, but because there is something poetic about not typing, not talking on the phone, not having a light switch to flip. There was at least one computer in my house from the time I was born until now. And though I found the computer(s) to be interesting (particularly the 1980's laptop which is now larger than the monitor of my desktop), I was drawn to the typewriter more, because of the clicking sounds it made. (I suppose that is technology, just an earlier form). I suppose it is impossible to think of a day when I don't use technology though. At the very least, I blow dry my hair every day. 

Given all of this, I believe that there are two major things I am hoping to learn in this class, one having to do with students, the other with myself. Because I seldom keep up with the newest technologies, I would like to learn what those are and what sources exist to keep me updated with that so that I may provide my future students with more information than they would be able to acquire otherwise. Secondarily (well, perhaps I should admit to how selfish I am and state that this one is to me, at this moment in time, the more important one), I am hoping that I can come to a new conclusion about the technological dilemma that is a constant part of my life.

I think that this has already begun. That is to say, the questionnaire I just took helped me to better identify what type of student I am, the results of which would have taken me much longer to discover were it not for technology. I was in the 1-3 range for everything except the last category, which informed me that I am a global learner. I think that part of me knew this, but was not able to access the right words to explain my ways of functioning. I think, perhaps, if I am allowed, I would like to share this with the friends I study with, with the hope that it would enhance our ability to learn from and teach each other.

...I feel like I need to now say that I hope I didn't offend anyone by what I said. I am trying very hard to understand my own feelings on technology and writing them out helps me understand better.