I am a child of the 80’s.  We had In Television to play video games.  When Nintendo came out, it was a technological breakthrough that we all begged for at Christmas, and it broke the bank to buy it.  We used the phone book to look up phone numbers for friends in the town we lived in and surrounding areas.  In order to complete a research assignment for school, we had to go to the library, use the Dewey decimal system to look up the appropriate encyclopedia or book we needed to reference the subject.  In fact, we had weekly sessions in the school library to teach us how to look things up in the school’s little library.  Checking the mailbox at the end of the driveway was always a right for which we fought with all our might, because just maybe, there was a postcard or a letter from a friend waiting inside. 

As the 90’s approached and I was in middle school, or Jr. High as we called it then, computer classes were taught in conjunction with typing classes.  In computer class, we played games to teach us the proper way to boot up the system, using MS/DOS prompts and floppy disks to save our progress.  In typing class, we sat at old wooden desks, with even older ink typewriters in front of us, and we were taught the correct position for our hands and fingers to be in to be the fastest and most efficient typers.  Mistakes were corrected with White Out or correcting fluid, and our papers were always spotted with off white dots.  As my class entered high school, computers were a staple in every home in our upper middle class neighborhood, for word processing and gaming applications.  Our first PC was an IBM, and it was enormous!

Upon graduation from high school, I enrolled at nearby University of Massachusetts at Lowell, where the internet boom was beginning.  I had friends who had enrolled in “Exploring the Internet” classes, and we sat together in crowded computer labs “chatting” on what now would be considered a very antiquated version of instant messaging.  We used the computers now for all of our word processing needs, although we still relied heavily on the library books for research. 

After all of this experience with computers, I would, by Prensky’s definition, not be considered a digital native.  However, according to the definition for a digital immigrant, I have done more than “to adapt to their environment, they always retain, to some degree, their "accent," that is, their foot in the past” (I, p. 2), which would also not define my computer and digital knowledge and experiences.  Although I have routinely used computers for more than half of my life, I am still able to function without them, which is a skill I find lacking in today’s students as well as younger generations.  I still rely on the internet as my first source for information since it is easier, faster and requires less research than other outdates methods, rather than turning to the internet as a second option.  On a daily basis, multiple times a day, I log into my Hotmail, Gmail, Facebook and MySpace accounts to check in with friends and relatives around the country and the world.  My own two children ages 4 ½ and 2 ½ are also proficient in daily computer use.  My son, at the age of two, knew how to turn the computer on, insert his favorite game on CD-ROM, run it, and play it to his hearts content.  He now uses Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii regularly, and can almost instinctively figure a game out on his own.  I try to limit the amount of time he spends with his electronics, and we do have several times during the day when we read from books or magazines or the newspaper together.  I have found that he is learning eye hand coordination through all of these interactions with the games and the systems, and that this coordination translates well into his physical play.  Even my daughter, who is currently 2 ½, is becoming more skilled with the computer and the game systems, although she does not possess the same level of coordination that her brother had as a toddler. They will certainly be considered digital natives, as most of their direct learning experiences are coming from digital mediums such as the Sony and Nintendo game systems, personal computer and the internet, as well as their personal, handheld electronics such as the Leap Frog Leapster, which is a mini, more child-friendly version of a PlayStation portable device or Nintendo GameBoy.  Their games are designed to help with eye-hand coordination, phonics, math, shape and color recognition, and early reading skills.  At the same time, they are learning to recognize letters, numbers, shapes and colors by more conventional methods, as I was taught, incorporating both the “legacy” and the “future” content (I, p.4) into their early learning, though their attention does seem to be affected by the use of digital devices.  One example that Prensky gives regarding attention in digital natives, or my own two children, is “Their attention spans are not short for games, for example, or for anything else that actually interests them” (II, p. 4).  I find this to be particularly true for my son, who when we do take the time to sit and read a book, is turning the pages ahead of my reading to see the pictures so he can figure out what is going to happen next.  He prefers his graphics before the text (I, p.2).

I have encountered several difficulties in my experiences with computers, but I find that the benefits far outweigh any temporary frustration that may be caused.  I am the kind of person who will work through a problem, trying to learn all the while, before I will call on someone to help me get out of it.

I currently use Charter for my broadband internet service, and have few issues with service.  We currently use a Gateway computer after having had multiple issues with our previous Compaq computer.  I intend to login to this course whenever possible.  I am currently enrolled in another on campus course at QCC, and have found that late nights after class , on Mondays and Wednesdays, allows me uninterrupted computer time and quiet for thinking and reading.  I have extensive experience with all Microsoft applications for word processing, speadsheets and databases, web navigation skills, e-mail management skills, digital camera, file management, downloading and installing software from the web onto the computer, and storage device usage.  I am hoping to learn more about web site design, deep web knowledge, copyright and security knowledge through this online course.