Autobiography of a Technology User

When I was young, technology was not something I really thought about. My family always had a computer, but it was used primarily for typing up school assignments and playing Solitaire. The computer was kept in my parents’ room and was largely off limits. I often snuck into the room, not to use the computer, but rather to steal the computer paper for art projects.

For a long time I was more interested in hanging out outside than using any form of technology. Things changed a little in 1990 my brother got a Nintendo Entertainment System. That thing was addictive and turned me into a duck-hunting master. This was the first time that I felt some semblance of addiction to anything technologically related. Luckily my parents were relatively strict and kept my brother and I from turning our brains into pure mush with strict weekly time limits on gaming.

Then, in elementary school, technology was reserved for once a week computer time when typing skills were practiced or math games were played. The occasional school assignment was handed in on a floppy disk, and some research assignments were done on the Richmond School District Intranet. Largely the technological “skills” I was taught in school were monotonous and simply acted as a way for both teachers and students alike to escape from the regular classroom for a while.

By the time I started high school the Internet was really taking off. Circa grade 9 I got my first e-mail address, something embarrassing @hotmail.com. I rarely used it, but felt important about being involved in something that felt so grownup. I remember being told that it would be good to include on job applications/resumes, but it wasn’t until many years later that an employer ever actually communicated with me via the Internet.

High school was also the era of ICQ, the “oh-oh” sound that signaled the arrival of a new message is still etched in my brain. I used ICQ to talk with my friends about cute boys and even to talk to said cute boys who I would never have had the courage to converse with in person. Instant messaging was the first time I discovered the semi-anonymity of the Internet, feeling more courageous hiding behind my computer screen. That being said, I never dreamed of using this anonymity to harass my classmates as some students do today. I am not sure if this was due to my wholesome nature, or the naivety of everyone at the time regarding the Internet in general.

The other technological milestone that stands out in my brain from high school is when my father bought a new desktop computer complete with a C.D burner. As the first person in my group of friends with said luxury, I was frequently passed lists of songs at school, which I then had to download via Napster and burn onto disks for my friends. Although this sometimes annoyed me, I felt special having access to something that others did not. This also taught me things about computers that others wouldn’t learn for years. I definitely have my father to thank for making every effort to stay technologically current and for teaching me how to use all of the appropriate programs correctly. During this time, it also never occurred to me that I was technically stealing the songs. In my eyes, things on the internet were ownerless and there for the taking.

As far as school went, technology was still used infrequently. Computers were mostly used for typing and books were used for researching. My school did offer a few online classes, and my Chemistry 11 class had us using a computer program to teach us one of the class’ final units. I definitely found this unit hard to complete, needing the teacher centered typical class structure to make me successful in school. Teaching myself via a computer program definitely didn’t work for me, an issue I have struggled with since. I would definitely not have been a candidate for an online high school education.

In 2002 I got my first cell phone for Christmas. It was a Nokia brick and I used it extremely rarely. It was one of those phones that was actually used for emergencies only. As time went on and I moved from new phone to new phone (usually because I dropped them), yet I still hardly used them. I kept my texting to a minimum and often left my phone on silent during class and then forget to ever turn the ringer back on. I was that girl that no one could get in touch with when she was out, and I was okay with that. I am a bit better about it today, but that is mostly because I no longer have a landline and actually need my cell for actually phoning. I would like to pretend that my lack of  Smart phone today is a result of my integrity, but really it is just a product of my cheapness, but back to my journey.

In university, Facebook appeared. Nothing I have ever encountered before, or since has been so immediately addictive for me. I was completing my undergrad during the glory days, when Facebook was only available to university students. There was something incredible about being able to discover things about your fellow classmates from a distance, without them ever knowing. It was also nice to know that your parents weren’t on Facebook, nor were 10 year olds. The early days of Facebook were a time of naivety, when everything was posted, every night out was documented with pictures and you friended everyone you had ever met and no one cared about privacy settings. Over time as Facebook usage became more widespread, I became stricter in my usage, posting less and keeping my number of friends extremely small. Some of this is due to being a teacher, but more than anything it is about growing up and realizing that the Internet isn’t always the safest or most secure place.

Facebook aside, my real foray into technological literacy came when I moved around the world for a job. Living in China allowed me to create a blog that I felt had a purpose and was therefore not entirely self-indulgent. I used my blog as a way to keep in touch with those at home, mostly out of sheer laziness. I figured, why email all my friends the exact same stories, typing until my fingers fell off, when I could write about my life in one place and make my family and friends come to me? I went with the Wordpress format, having used it momentarily during my B.Ed and thus feeling comfortable with its tools.

Another reason I started using my blog was because as I grew older I realized that everything I posted on Facebook became the company’s property. Suddenly I became unwilling to post my pictures on Facebook, feeling icky about my images no longer belonging to me. My blog allowed me to share pictures while keeping ownership over them… or so I think… I’ve never really been good at reading the small print.

Living abroad also shot me into the world of Skype. My phone in China didn’t have the capability to phone long distance, so Skype was necessary to stay in touch with my parents who insisted I phone once a week. Skype also became the messaging system I used to type chat with friends and kept me in the loop on what was happening in Canada. It is amazing to me that Skype has remained a free service, as it is so incredible to be able to talk to people a million miles away and to actually be able to see their faces as you chat. It definitely makes living far away more personable.

The school I was at in China also forced me to use more technology in the classroom as each

room had an LCD projector, a luxury I did not want to waste. I didn’t really do anything very innovative with the projector, but the ability to use PowerPoint on a moments notice, or to play relevant You Tube videos was novel. During my practicum, my school was still in the dark ages of overheads and televisions on rolling carts so I enjoyed the opportunity to enter the educational 21^st century.

My school also had an ftp, a network where teachers could upload resources to be used by others in their department. Sometimes the ftp was used as a way for students to digitally submit their work, but mostly it was a way for teachers to share worksheets and tests etc. so that all of us new teachers didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. It was an amazing resource and really fostered collaboration amongst teachers. I wish more schools would use something similar.

Aside from some of my advances whilst in China, I have become relatively technologically stagnant in the last few years. I do not have a smart phone, nor do I tweet (aside from for this class) and I don’t Instragram or use Pinterest. I am a master at wasting time, and though I see the value of these tools, both in the classroom and for personal use, I am weary of addicting myself to anything new. My obsessive email and Facebook checking are enough to frighten me away from new technologies, though I like to be knowledgeable about what is out there, even if I don’t use it, so that I can at least understand what people are talking about.