Monday, February 26, 2007

My Over Tech-ed Life

The recent wind storm in Wichita Falls did something horrible. It knocked out the tower that beams my internet service to the little modem that sits by my bay window- very disheartening. It is times like these that I realize how much of a role technology plays in my existence. I am specifically speaking of communication technology.

On my computer is a small program that downloads the latest weather information for me by the moment. It is only offline if my modem is offline. Each morning before I go to work I have the ability to pull up my personal weather center and figure out exactly what I need to expect in the way of temperatures.

When I arrive at school, the first thing I always do is turn on my computers. As a ‘modern’ teacher, I have never had a ‘lesson plan book.’ All of my lesson plans have always been done on computer. My grades are also on computer. In fact, never have I had to manually figure grades for my students.

My student’s projects, homework assignments, and a good portion of class work are delivered via computer. I have a continuous power point presentation that runs in my room informing my students of various important things that concern my class.

My ‘overhead’- the things that used to only project black-line masters- is connected to my LCD projector and classroom laptop computers to display images and streaming video from the internet for various lessons and topics that are being discussed where technology can provide some aid.

In fact, today we used our graphing calculators with my screen displayed on the wall for any student who might not know exactly what to do or how to do it.

All of that is only half my day. Then I come home…

I check e-mail messages, work on Sunday school lessons, and children’s church lessons all on my computer. In fact, I don’t think I have ever hand written a message for any type of lesson I was doing outside of school either.

I pay my bills using my computer, keep up with local and national news using my computer, and a host of various other activities. Tonight, right before I go to bed, I will most likely watch a ‘webcast’ of the NBC Nightly News from MSNBC.

To think what I did without a computer is absolutely mind boggling. However did I survive? O well, regardless, the tower has been repaired, (Thank God!) my service has been restored, and my over tech-ed life can continue uninterrupted… for now anyway.

8 comments:

Kassie said...

Do I EVER know the feeling. Being stuck in during that ice storm with NO internet for 3 or 4 days was like the WORST thing ever!!!!!!!! And to think I didn't have an e-mail account 8 years ago!

Linda Elms said...

Joseph, do you even know how to WRITE with a pen or pencil? LOL! I do understand the frustration of not being "connected". I'm glad they got the tower fixed for you, because I enjoy your writing.

Gene Holley said...

This is so true! We are so used to being connected - NOW. We were without power the other day for just an hour or so and it seemed like forever. Eveything we wanted to do required power!

Joseph James said...

Yall should have played a game of Monopoly... family fun at its finest- unless you are an Ouellette family, then they always end in agravation and anger.

Tammy Bryant said...

Joseph - try being a business teacher and the server go down during class or even before class. Okay so you decide to use the textbook and run off copies of the work necessary and then the copier which is networked is not working. It makes for a fun day. hehehe. I love the tech world but when it freezes and I am stuck in - oh how wonderful!

Karen Prince said...

I too understand the frustration.
Our electricity was off for several hours on Saturday due to high wind knocking down power lines. I couldn't do anything!
Finally I sat down and read the Reader's Digest from cover to cover.
Karen

Linda Elms said...

Ya'll are all so funny! Of course, I know the feeling of not being able to get on-line and communicate with my friends by email, IM's, or blogs! LOL!

Joseph James said...

It really is funny to hear everyone say how horrible it was to be out of power for 'an hour' or two! lol Imagine what people did without the internet to take up all of that SPARE time! LOL