My
history with the internet closely follows that of the general public,
as I graduated high school in 1985. I actually started my college
education in computer science. I hated the programming courses, but,
loved hacking into the internal communication network and, essentially
sending renegade e-mail messages to fellow classmates. I switched my
major English and briefly lost sight of computers and the internet.
My next encounter came in the business world. My post-college professional development led me first to database management. In this case I managed the marketing database for a company that sold to a niche market. I was learning the language of mass marketing and using information intelligently. My focus was gathering information about individuals that we could use to successfully marketing our products. I remember a co-worker talking about CompuServe and I couldn’t imagine needing that level of contact with people I may have never met. Our company, however, was already using those connections to benefit our marketing efforts, and, ultimately, sales. This would have been during the early 1990’s.
I next moved to the world of technical support. Because this was the mid-to late 90’s, I supported a company in transition from the old model to the new. I worked on every possible platform: mainframe, AS/400, Oracle, LANs, pcs, a few Apple computers, even phone systems! It was the very beginnings of instant communication and the potential for linking remote sites. We were able to take remote control of computers in San Francisco, upper New York and even Canada from our corporate headquarters in the Chicago suburbs. I learned all about cables, IP addresses and network cards. This foundational knowledge has helped me understand the workings of both software and the internet.
While my career up to this point made me more comfortable than most with technology, I am not by nature drawn to technology. In 2000, my husband and I moved away from the Chicago suburbs and I stayed home with our daughter. I also disconnected from tech for awhile. I had a cell phone, e-mailed and occasionally accessed the internet. However, I found my connections more at the playground and in the library.
As I moved back into the working world, I feel that the internet became my biggest resource. It has also become my community. Not only did I glean all sorts of ideas for my new career, I also used it as a means to communicate with my colleagues as well as customers. As I move into the world of library media education, using the potential of the internet has literally made this transition possible. I would not have the time to complete this degree if I had to commute to a campus for all the classes that I am taking online. I have also used it to collaborate through Google docs, Skype and even Facebook. I am excited to use all this potential in teaching students to be successful and ethical users of information. I want to channel from my students those urges that made my classmates and I figure out how to communicate clandestinely way back in 1985.
My next encounter came in the business world. My post-college professional development led me first to database management. In this case I managed the marketing database for a company that sold to a niche market. I was learning the language of mass marketing and using information intelligently. My focus was gathering information about individuals that we could use to successfully marketing our products. I remember a co-worker talking about CompuServe and I couldn’t imagine needing that level of contact with people I may have never met. Our company, however, was already using those connections to benefit our marketing efforts, and, ultimately, sales. This would have been during the early 1990’s.
I next moved to the world of technical support. Because this was the mid-to late 90’s, I supported a company in transition from the old model to the new. I worked on every possible platform: mainframe, AS/400, Oracle, LANs, pcs, a few Apple computers, even phone systems! It was the very beginnings of instant communication and the potential for linking remote sites. We were able to take remote control of computers in San Francisco, upper New York and even Canada from our corporate headquarters in the Chicago suburbs. I learned all about cables, IP addresses and network cards. This foundational knowledge has helped me understand the workings of both software and the internet.
While my career up to this point made me more comfortable than most with technology, I am not by nature drawn to technology. In 2000, my husband and I moved away from the Chicago suburbs and I stayed home with our daughter. I also disconnected from tech for awhile. I had a cell phone, e-mailed and occasionally accessed the internet. However, I found my connections more at the playground and in the library.
As I moved back into the working world, I feel that the internet became my biggest resource. It has also become my community. Not only did I glean all sorts of ideas for my new career, I also used it as a means to communicate with my colleagues as well as customers. As I move into the world of library media education, using the potential of the internet has literally made this transition possible. I would not have the time to complete this degree if I had to commute to a campus for all the classes that I am taking online. I have also used it to collaborate through Google docs, Skype and even Facebook. I am excited to use all this potential in teaching students to be successful and ethical users of information. I want to channel from my students those urges that made my classmates and I figure out how to communicate clandestinely way back in 1985.
No comments:
Post a Comment