Technology in My Daily Life

I was inducted into the Information Age when desktop computers were delivered to everyone who worked in Administration at Knott's Berry Farm, an historical theme park located in Southern California.  It was set on my desk with a DOS Operating Manual, and everyone was taking bets on whether I could learn how to operate it.  Could this  middle -aged (I was in my early 40s) "old dog" learn new tricks?  It wasn't easy, because as I learned to operate this marvel of technology, I had to get rid of a lot of old habits like using the return key when I got to the end of a line of text.  Eventually, though, I felt confident enough to throw the "white-out" in the trash and use my new-found  toy with a flourish.  Since that time I've used the computer, and later the Internet, for everything that I do in my business and professional life, and I would say that I accomplished it with the ease of a digital native (Prensky, 2001), or one who has grown up in the digital age.  According to Dede (2005), that gives me a millennial learning style.

Today I am a K-12 teacher of distance learning.  I work with my home teachers (parents) and students using many different curriculum programs (text and online) in math, history, science, and English.  I  often customize the curriculum to personalize the program of choice for the different learning styles of my students.  I use the Internet extensively to find good, interactive websites that I can share with my students.  I have also used it to write an online curriculum in Environmental Science for Middle School students where I developed immersive opportunities involving hands-on "eco-activities" for students that benefit the environment.  According to Dede (2005), this begins to take on neomillennial (new) aspects, also referred to as 21st century skills.  My school was one of the first to offer distance learning to K-12 students, and last year we included virtual classrooms for bringing students together in a synchronous environment.  It is now possible for students who live as far away as China and Africa, to come together, meet their classmates, and participate in activities together. 

Lastly, I’ve become a student of distance learning where I hope to acquire new skills in the fast-developing digital universe that is creating a brave new world in the field of education. 

References:

Dede, C. (2005).  Planning for neomillennial learning styles.  Educause Quarterly, 1, 7-12. 

Prensky, M. (2001).  Digital natives, digital immigrants.  On the Horizon, 9(5).

Prensky, M. (2001).  Digital natives, digital immigrants part II:  Do they really think differently? 

            On the Horizon, 9(6).