When I was younger, my family had no form of technology aside from televisions and radios. We did not have cellphones, internet, or a computer until I was around the age of ten or eleven. I don’t remember being exposed to these types of technologies in elementary school either. I was, however, fortunate enough to have two sets of grandparents that both had computers and internet in their homes.
Every time I would visit my grandparents I would play the new computer games my grandfather got for hours and hours. I remember some of my favorites being Clue Finders, Carmen Sandiego, and JumpStart. I feel that these games were really important to me gaining such a sense of curiosity about the world. The interest I had in the subject matter of these games was so strong that I was actually able to transfer that curiosity to the things I was learning in school. This curiosity and love of learning really helped me to succeed in school as a young child.
In middle school, we began taking typing classes where we would use programs like Mavis Beacon and other typing games to practice our typing skills. To this day I am still so thankful for that opportunity, as it has been incredibly useful in my academic career. I have seen how difficult it can be to write a paper when you are physically unable to put your thoughts on the computer fast enough. I think that this ability gave me an edge in middle school and has continued to help me throughout my academic career.
In high school we had even more exposure to computers as we had a few more classes such as STEM, and Computer Skills. We also had a computer lab that we were able to access before and after school. This was useful to me since we still did not have a computer at home during this time. I had a smartphone which I used for social networking, but I always either went to the computer lab or to my grandparent’s house when I needed to use a computer for school work.
The summer before I left for college I bought my own laptop, which was very exciting for me. My grandfather helped me set it up and learn how to use many of the features on it. Getting this laptop was so crucial to my academic success beyond high school. There are so many aspects of college life that only exist online such as registration, applying for scholarships, and communicating with faculty (via email). Without the background knowledge of how to utilize these online resources, I know that I would not have had the skills necessary to succeed in college.
