It's a Whole New World

Hi there. I enjoyed meeting each of you Wednesday in class. I think Online Media Design is going to be a lot of fun.  But not easy, at least not for me. 

You see, I didn’t grow up with computers to explore and play with from childhood. The first personal computers came out when I was already out in the job world. I’m never going to be as proficient as either of my two sons, or as you all, because I started as an adult and have always approached it with specific tasks in mind. Playing with computers has to be the best way to explore and learn all about them. Yes?

While I’ve been using Apple computers for the last quarter of a century and never owned any other brand, the applications I have the most experience in are those any elementary teacher might use: word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsing and email. Some PowerPoint, iMovie, iWeb, iPhoto, of course. And some blogging.

My first blog, which I accidentally archived, the first time I posted after Google did some updates, is called Vigil4America. Made me sad to lose it.

I’m a news junkie and a political and media reform activist (actually it’s an inherited condition*), so had to have an outlet for my opinions. I started my blog back in 2006, after finding all my heartfelt letters to members of Congress seemed to have the impact of a nerf ball. And my letters to the editor were neutered by being limited to 150 words.  The blog was a life-saver.

Persuading others – about media policy, civil dialogue, politics, and faith - became a passion. I soon recognized though that my writing skills left something to be desired. In 2007, I attended a symposium hosted by Professor Federico Subervi at Texas State and realized that I really wanted to go back to school, this time in journalism/mass communication.

I retired from teaching math and reading to special education students this May after 31 years of teaching. My husband Perry retired at the end of July. I suppose we could kick back and live the retirement life. Frankly, though, we are both too young for that. So he’s training for a triathlon and working on songwriting, and here I am.

Cindy’s blog post on Steve Jobs was eloquent and moving. I remember the sucker punch I felt when I heard last winter that he was taking medical leave again. I’d kept him in my prayers all those months, until he spoke at the Mac conference in June. I mistakenly thought that meant he was well again. Like her, I never met him, but he was huge in my life.

The History of the Internet was in part a flashback for me. Thank goodness computer screens and fonts have evolved since chat room days with their black screens and neon green or yellow text. Clearly, the part we saw Wednesday was filmed before Steve Jobs revolutionized the computer world with the first beautiful Mac.

The documentary helped me put faces to some of the pioneers I’d read about.  It wasn’t all that long ago, really, but the complete absence of women in the birth of the Internet was striking. Somehow I don’t think the gender imbalance would have been so total if those innovations had begun in the 21^st century rather than the last one.

One point made by Bob Metcalfe (I think) jumped out at me, although in hindsight it’s obvious. The Internet was different from the invention of the telephone and other communication systems of the 20^th century, because it made it possible to find out about events happening all over the world virtually instantly.  I don’t know why I’d never made that connection before.

Looking forward to more new connections in future classes.

*Quotes & Notes is my dad’s newly minted blog. He is a former printer who did some union organizing, then started a printing company, Futura Press, after finding all the Austin companies had blacklisted him for trying to organize the Statesman).  He was an early adopter of computers for his business --  and bought me my first Apple computer.