Thing #7 - Creating a Blog Post

Hmmm, my thoughts about technology...Technology can be great and amazing, but it can also be a real pain! During my teaching career there were many, many technological changes and advances. Our first computer (one machine for the entire school) was basically a glorified workbook, showing a smiley face on the screen if a student answered a math problem correctly. At that early stage of development, we teachers were taking courses that taught us such things as writing programs that made our names scroll endlessly down the screen. The students, meanwhile, were learning the Logo program at the third-grade level. Neither of these activities proved to be very useful in the long run. As time went on, we received more computers - and a computer lab. We teachers then spent a great deal of time mastering word processing and desktop publishing programs. The students were busy using CD-Roms such as SIM City, Reader Rabbit, etc. to engage in interactive learning activities. When our building finally became wired for the Internet, the potential uses of computers expanded immensely.
I have always enjoyed keeping up with technological advances, but, as I said, at times trying to do things in new ways can be quite frustrating. I would be determined that I was going to do something (such as, oh say, make up a schedule for parent/teacher conferences using a word precessing program) and would end up spending much more time than if I had simply done the schedule with pencil and paper. Also, the language involved when dealing with computer-related matters such as installation, trouble-shooting, etc. is not easy to understand. Those Fatal Error messages are still scary!
I do realize that technology involves much more than computers. I am enjoying using my digital camera, and it is fun to explore the many avenues , such as Flickr, Kodak Easy Share, etc., for organizing and sharing these photos. Likewise, it's hard to remember a time before the instant communication provided by cell phones and answering machines.
I thought that I was semi-proficient in technology, but, as I look over the 23 Things, I see many terms that are totally unfamiliar to me. Hopefully, the fun will outweigh the frustrations as I explore them!