Alas, My Last

Alas, I fear this is my last blog. But before the end, I have but a few things to say. While I hated blogging, I did enjoy putting my own spin on my personal blogs. That changed when it became an assignment. Maybe my blogs weren’t up to par with technology per say, but they were all my stories. Maybe I didn’t focus on how technology changed the story of how I live and learn. I could have started my blogs with, “When I was a girl, we had to walk to school. Mind you, my school was just across a small field. There were no such things as calculators….we had to count on our fingers. We listened to radio and watched black and white TV’s, not because we were poor (well we weren’t rich), but because everyone did, there was no such thing as colored TV's for anyone. We only had 3 channels, 2 of which were French. For 25 cents, I could buy myself a chip, bar and pop if I brought an empty bottle back for the 2 cent deposit.” Now, how boring a blog would that have been? Yesteryear seems like so long ago…who am I kidding; it was a long time ago. And as for what I expect 10 years from now,...at my age? "Que Sera Sera" (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).

Etch-A-Sketch Tech Support

Frequently Asked Questions for Etch-A-Sketch Technical Support
Q: My Etch-A-Sketch has all of these funny little lines all over the screen
A: Pick it up and shake it.
Q: How do I turn my Etch-A-Sketch off?
A: Pick it up and shake it.
Q: What's the shortcut for Undo?
A: Pick it up and shake it.
Q: How do I create a New Document window?
A: Pick it up and shake it.
Q: How do I set the background and foreground to the same color?
A: Pick it up and shake it.
Q: What is the proper procedure for rebooting my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.
Q: How do I delete a document on my Etch-A-Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it.
Q: How do I save my Etch-A-Sketch document?
A: Don't shake it.

The Social Web

Wow! What is not to worry about in terms of students sharing with the world via the web? After what we’ve learned about all the non-privacy that goes on within the net, we certainly need to educate students on cyber-etiquette. Pictures, home addresses, personal profiles, all of these things entice cyber predators to lure some unsuspecting student into their lair.

#1 rule: You control their online environment. Do not give strangers permission to view their profiles.
#2 rule: Have the teacher and students do research. Carefully investigate any online social network they may want to join.
#3 rule: Educate the students on how to protect their friends. Teach students to be careful of what they are posting on the internet about them.

Assignment-Wiki Wiki

I haven’t made it a secret about how much I hate technology, so maybe there is something that I’m missing, but I feel the entire student projects can be done on blogs:

There is great potential for Weblogs. Author participation is a great way to involve students in novel studies. What better way than to actually collaborate with the author. This would make it so much more interesting than just reading the book.

The two first nation schools can bridge the gape between their provinces and learn the similarities and differences of their native cultures through blogging. We’ve already learned that videos and music can be incorporated into the blogs.

Daily science journals are similar to what we are doing now with our personal blogs.

Creative writing with peer review is pretty much the same as Jeff wanting students to comment on our blogs.

Again, I'm probably way off base, we’ll see.

Does Not Compute!

I am the first one to admit that I am not into technology. One of my sons is a computer technician, another is a software specialist, and my daughter has her multi-media course along with graphic design and my husband works with computers all day. Even my youngest who has a number of disabilities knows more about his games and computers than I do. My whole family is computer literate, but not me. I’ve never had to be. If I ever had a problem, I just had to get a member of my family to get me out of any computer jam I had gotten myself into. I am struggling in this course and this is one time they can’t help me, I’m on my own. If this sounds like I’m feeling sorry for myself…you’re darn tootin’! It is time for us computer illiterates to band together and come to blows with this cyber war. Throw your mice away, take a stand, move around the room, smell the fresh air. Liberate yourselves! Burn your bra…no wait one second there, I did that is the sixties and I’m still paying for it. They hang down to my waist now. Regardless, it is time to get back to basics. Back to when things were simpler, well maybe not simpler; we just thought they were because we didn’t have to remember as much as we do today. I’m just trying to get my two cents worth out there. I know there are people that feel the same way I do. Join the revolution!!!


Not so long ago....

An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity
A keyboard was a piano!
Memory was something that you lost with age.
A CD was a bank account
Compress was something you did to garbage not to a file.
And if you unzipped anything in public you'd be in jail for awhile!
Log on was adding wood to a fire.
Hard drive was a long trip on the road.
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived.
And a backup happened to your commode!
Cut - you did with a pocket knife.
Paste you did with glue.
A web was a spider's home.
And a virus was the flu!
I guess I'll stick to my pad and paper.
And the memory in my head.
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash but when it happens they wish they were dead!

Really Real

It was great having Jeff Whipple in our class on Wednesday evening, the actual real life teacher and not a face on a screen. Despite the fact that we lost video feed a number of times, he continued to talk about technology and our class didn’t have to miss a beat. It was fascinating stuff! Well, it’s probably been interesting stuff all along, but it’s hard to imagine that when there is always another glitch and we are continually being kicked off-line. We could engage in real conversation and not have to wonder when it was going to happen again. That night technology grabbed my interest. Now putting all my focus on the next assignment (response paper) is another thing.

1. Home is where you hang your @
2. The E-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail.
3. A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click.
4. You can't teach a new mouse old clicks.
5. Great groups from little icons grow.
6. Speak softly and carry a cellular phone.
7. C:\ is the root of all directories.
8. Don't put all your hypes in one home page.
9. The modem is the message.
10. Too many clicks spoil the browse.. 1
11. The geek shall inherit the earth.
12. A chat has nine lives.
13. Don't byte off more than you can view.
14. Fax is stranger than fiction.
15. What boots up must come down.
16. Windows will never cease.
17. Virtual reality is its own reward.
18. Modulation in all things.
19. A user and his leisure time are soon parted.
20. There's no place like http://www.home.com
21. Know what to expect before you connect.
22. Oh, what a tangled website we weave when first we practice.
23. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use the Net and he won't bother you for weeks

Diffusion Conclusion

I am so excited!!! I couldn’t wait to share the news with my loyal blogger buddies…that is if they’re really reading my blogs. If you are out there, I know you are just waiting with baited breath. I’ve found a relic hair dryer. I just can’t believe it!!! And if you’re thinking that I found it at some yard sale, you’re wrong. After looking forever, down one aisle and up the other, I finally came across one hidden behind tons of new fangled, overdressed, over functioning gadgets that are more hype than hip. After wiping off the dust to reveal a price tag comparable to it’s age, I hugged it. She is so beautiful, not in that outwardly appearance, but in a more subtle sense. Just two toddle switches…one for temperature and one for speed, but not too much speed, just enough to make it a wonderful, soothing, unrushed drying experience. Life is good again!!!

Tech Support: “I need you to right-click on the Desktop.”
Customer: “Ok.”
Tech Support: “Did you get a pop-up menu?”
Customer: “No.”
Tech Support: “Ok. Right-click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?”
Customer: “No.”
Tech Support: “Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?”
Customer: “Sure, you told me to write ‘click’ and I wrote click’.”

Tecnical Glitches

Monday’s class was a bust again. It seems that there is always one problem or another. Half the time not all classes can hook-up. we have audio but no video or vice versa. Wouldn’t you think that with it being a technology class that there’d be less technical glitches. It seems a little bit comical to me.

Got another one for you!
Tech Support: "OK Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter 'P' to bring up the Program Manager."Customer: "I don't have a 'P'."Tech Support: "On your keyboard, Bob."Customer: "What do you mean?"Tech Support: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob."Customer: "I'm not going to do that!"

Tearful Eyeful

I have a West Highland White Terrier (a.k.a.) Westie. A while back his eyes became infected so we brought him to a local vet. She said that his tear ducts had stopped producing and his eye sockets were drying out. If something wasn’t done he would lose his eyes. We opted for the medication that would stimulate his tear ducts but it was very expensive. Feeling another consultation was in order, we went to Moncton for a second opinion. The vet in Moncton verified the same thing. He did offer some hope and said that there had been great strides done in this technology and that a local vet had performed successful surgery on few dogs with the same problem. It was explained to us that tubes were surgically inserted to allow saliva from the saliva gland to moisten the eyes. This sounded wonderful to us and we were eager to find out more. The only problem that was encountered after surgery was that when the dog was fed it would stimulate the saliva glands and his eyes would water. The thought of my dog gushing tears every time he looked at food just seemed unnatural. Please tell me there’s another way!!! On a happy thought, they would probably be tears of joy!!! We decided not to go for the operation and continue with the medication. What does this technology mean to me? Well, just thinking about it brings on a few chuckles, I can almost feel a little tear forming at the corner of my eye.

Another tech joke for you!
Tech Support: "What does the screen say now.."Person: "It says, 'Hit ENTER when ready'."Tech Support: "Well?"Person: "How do I know when it's ready?"

Diffusion Confusion

My hair drier died today. That machine had been good to me for 16 years. I tried to find another one just like it but it became very complicated. What happened to the good old days when the only thing you had to worry about were two toddle switches that let you know if it was too hot or fast. I thought technology was suppose to make life easier. Nowadays when you buy a hair dryer, you have to contend with concentrators, removable air filters, diffusers and 1875 watts of power. When you turn that monster on, your hair is dry before pick up your brush. And that fly away look that was so popular in the 80’s, has just returned and it’s too late for any diffusion. Ahhhhh!!! Sometimes technology blows.

Hey! I’ve got a tech joke for you.
A man attempting to set up his new printer called the printer's tech support number, complaining about the error message: "Can't find the printer."
On the phone, the man said he even held the printer up in front of the screen, but the computer still couldn't find it.

Way of the Dinosaur

Looks like the “regular” camera soon will become a relic of the past and take it’s place beside old favourites like the old Brownie Camera, 78’s, 45’s, lp’s, 8 tracks, cassettes, etc. Another great era coming to an end. It will be sad to see them go…it’s even sadder to realize that I’m remembering all of these things from my lifetime…Ahhhhh! I’m so way over the hill. Enough of my trip down memory lane, this is depressing me.

Digital cameras…this is good technology! Anything that can be manipulated for the better of man kind is okay with me. Who out there did not like red-eye??? Gone are the days of waiting forever to receive the photo’s you took months before. It was always a waiting game while you wondered whether this particular film was the right one that was picked out of the numerous one’s you had laying around. As the years go by, technology is making life easier and easier for everyone. With these new digital cameras, you don’t even need a computer to view, print, or edit. The printer itself does it all for you. The little memory chips can hold more than 2 gigs so you never run out of room. Batteries not included!!!

The Microsoft Car

At a recent computer expo, Bill Gates reportedly compared the
computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had
kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would
all be driving twenty-five-dollar cars that get 1000 miles to the
gallon."

Recently General Motors addressed this comment by responding,
"Yes, but would you want your car to crash twice a day?"

And . . .

1. Every time they repainted the lines on the road you would have
to buy a new car.
2. Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway for no reason,
and you would just accept this, restart, and drive on.
3. Occasionally, executing a manoeuvre would cause your car to
fail, and you would have to re-install the engine.
For some strange reason, you would accept this too.
4. You could only have one person in the car at a time, unless you
bought "Car95" or "CarNT." But then you would have to buy more
seats.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was
reliable, five times as fast, twice as easy to drive, but would
only run on five percent of the roads.
6. The Macintosh car owners would get expensive Microsoft upgrades
to their cars, which would make their cars run much slower.
7. The oil, gas and alternator warning lights would be replaced by
a single "general car default" warning light.
8. New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.
9. The airbag system would say "are you sure?" before going off.

Locator Button

Today I went looking for our portable phone. I looked high and low but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Then I remembered the handset had a locator button on it. It was the first time I had ever had to us it and to my amazement, I followed the beep and found that darn phone buried under some clothes in my sons room. Isn’t technology great!!!

Disability with Ability

I see many benefits in using technology when working with special needs children. With it, great strives have been made to help the disabled. There seems to be an explosion of new technology with the purpose of improving not just the lives of children that have limited abilities, but also giving the teachers better ways for these children to achieve those goals.

Groundhog Day!

Ah…technology! Love it or hate it? Up until a few days ago, I wondered exactly what kind of benefits I got from it. I had lost my son to it. He was held up in his room and only appeared for necessities.

When the power went out January 31st and also on February 2nd, being unplugged from his virtual world, like the ground hog, he emerged from his den to view the real world. Seeing no shadow (the lights were out and a storm was in full force), he decided to join humanity. This revelation makes me feel that Spring is definitely coming early!!! It would have been great if not for the cold and having to bundle up to keep our teeth from chattering. We talked real talk, not that virtual lingo and he went sliding. This went on until he remembered his fully powered DS and we lost him to his room again. What do I think about technology? For the most part, it’s great! It keeps me warm, fed, and entertained. Despite the fact that I never see my son, at least I know where he is. Could I live without it? The answer to that question is absolutely not!