Blog #7

I started using a computer in my parents' home when I was about the age of 8 or 9. My dad gave me an ancient computer that I used to play Disney games on. It wasn't until 7th grade that my parents gave me any access at all to the internet, but even then I had little interest in using the computer. Back in Junior High, the idea of social networking was really unimportant. If I wanted to talk to a friend, I would call them or go to their house. Social networking became pretty heavily popular towards the end of my High School experience. I began using e-mail, chat programs like AIM, blogging websites like Xanga and MySpace, and I also took part in some online games, which I thought was amazing, because I was able to get to know people from all around the world. I think I had the same or more access to the Internet as my peers did during my K-12 experience. My dad worked for IBM for quite a long time and had several computers in the basement for my sisters and I to play on. I think because of his interest in computers, we were pretty spoiled when it came to using technology and the Internet. I think because of how much I used the computer as an adolescent/teenager, I was at an advantage over some other kids who weren't as experienced with navigating around a computer and with using the Internet, but I don’t believe their lack of experience with the Internet or computers caused any issues for them academically. I knew my way around a computer and knew how to properly use the Internet and its search engines very well by the end of 8th grade; however, in High School, it really was not very important if we as students had Internet access at home. Most of our research was done right in the computer lab at school, and usually our teachers gave us sufficient time to finish our work. I think back then teachers took into account that some students may not actually have access to a computer or Internet at home. It wasn’t as necessary at the time, but now it seems to be that it is almost assumed that everyone has at least one computer with Internet access at home.

As a teacher, I do feel responsible for bridging the gap between the students who do not have access to the Internet and those who do. Nowadays it is very important for students to be able to navigate the world wide web. Because some families may not have Internet in their homes, I would give my students plenty of time in the computer labs right in the school to do their research and work (just as my teachers had done for me), and I would make sure a skilled librarian or I was around to answer questions.