Web 1.0
Elementary school (Late 1980s): When I first began learning about computers it was when my father bought one. I was about 11 years old. It had a black screen with green blocky lettering. I even typed a short story on it and printed it out. I remember the dot matrix printer and learning how to load the paper. I'd make paper chain necklaces with the perforated edges.
Junior High School (1989-1991): Then in junior high school I started a computer class which I promptly began to fail. After getting more attention and extra credit in class
(courtesy of a visit from my mom), I started to get it.
High school (1991-1995): I used a typewriter for my research paper. I don't know what happened to the computer. I used my typewriter to write my first fiction novel. In the summer I volunteered at the library. There were no computers.
College (1995-1999): College required a bit more technological knowledge. We had a computer lab and I discovered email. Although, at the campus library I still used the card catalog to look up books and scholarly journals. I did take some classes on word processing, spreadsheet creation, and PowerPoint presentations. I even took a Maymester-like class on digital animation. My technology knowledge grew when I interned at the Digital Media Center on campus. I was a student assistant that helped faculty create multimedia presentations. I learned to create websites, scan slides, mass email, etc. Now I see the value of that internship.
Post-college (1999-2003): Moving on to the after college years. I had a job using databases to verify information. At home, I had dial-up Internet! I had an email address. Then with practice I became pretty savvy with Microsoft Word and typed my first fiction novel and saved it to a floppy disk. I self-published my fiction book using a print-on-demand company I found in Writers Digest magazine. It did have a website. Afterward I started searching the Internet more and more. I did try to create a website, but it was difficult to create and was not very attractive.
In my next post, I'll tell about my transition into Web 2.0.
