My Educational Experiences with Technology

My first educational experience with technology was in 4th grade in Korea. I had a mandatory typing class that my mom enrolled me into. I was not too hyped about it, but I liked the fact that it was something different than an ordinary book.  Then, I came to America and I remember doing fun activities on the computer. I clearly recall using the colorful, round MAC computers. At the time, it was super pretty, but now that I think about it, WOW! that was super tacky. Anyways, I do not recall the exact name of what I used, but there was a clip art feature, where I drew pictures and added sounds to explain a scene. I thought this was the coolest thing ever. Our class would share the drawings with each other and we had so much fun! When I came home, I would go online and play games, such as snake or do typing activities- the words that fall and you have to type before it reaches the floor. Oh how thrilling it felt to beat the time.

My next encounter of educational technology was in middle school. I remember going on a craze for educational games. Motivated to excel in school, I would buy "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego" CDs from Scholastic Books. Then, I would play the game and convince myself that I was learning a lot. I think my main intention was to move onto the next level. One funny incident I remember was in 7th grade. Although, I was exposed to typing games and certain features of the computer, I was still not too comfortable with typing, let alone knowing all the features on the computer. As I was typing my draft of poetry, I guess I pressed the wrong button. EEK! Because in a class full of only typing hands, my computer decided to go off and it made the loudest sound! I wish it were a pleasant sound. In a panic to turn it off, I pressed every button, until a friend decided to help me.

I would say the most vivid experience of technology was when I first discovered AIM in 7th grade~ I know I had to use a dial up, every time to go on aim, but I didn’t care because I couldn't believe I was able to converse through this mean. I think this was a great way for me to learn typing!