Talk:College Student’s Guide to Computers in Education/Chapter 2: Inventing Your Future

Wiki Activity As I was reading through a list of possible topics to comment on, I came across the topic- Higher Education. This topic caught my eye because of course, it pertains to me. I am in the process of obtaining a higher education at UAB. Therefore, I was curious about what Dave Moursund had to say about it. Moursund wrote a book to aid college students in their quest of obtaining higher education, "College Student's Guide to Computers in Education". I clicked on links that accessed parts of his book: title page, chapters, book abstract, about the author and comments. I was particularlly interested in chapter two (Inventing Your Future). Moursund wrote that predictions about the future are usually based on having good knowledge about the past and present. Moursund states that this chapter contains information about the past and present and some forecasts for the future. I began to reflect on my past and present and how what I do now will effect my future. Although Moursund is greatly implying to computers in higher education, I couldn't help but associate this to various aspects in my personal life. I am in my 30's. Therefore, I remember when computers were not a routine part of my elementary and middle school academic experiences. Typewriters were used to write formal papers, such as reports. The information I recieved about a report topic was recieved from library books. I remember a past that wasn't as closely associated with technology such as cell phones, Black Berries, the Internet and IPods are today. However, by the time I entered high school, there seemed to be a new age attitude about computers. We were encouraged to take classes such as keyboarding and basic computers. I still remember how basic the computer were in the old computer lab- huge desktop computers, black screen, green font. This provided me with the ability to now type my reports and print them out with more helpful tools such as backspace when I made a mistake. As the computer continued to evolve, so did my education. Undergrad college had new computers in new computer labs. Although still large compared to modern desktops, these computers were smaller and looked new age. Internet was now accessable. The information that I could now obtain for reports was from diverse sources such as Internet websites, books, online encyclopedias, journals, etc. It was during this time that I purchased my first desktop computer and became more knowlegable in different aspects of the computer such as Windows, Internet and email. By the time I entered graduate school, my knowledge of computers was even better. Prior to entering grad school, I had used many different computer programs and software in my classroom, projectors and powerpoints, ELMO camera projectors- no more old, outdated overhead projectors! I saw technology change rapidly. Presently, I use technology everyday. It continues to make my life easier and more in touch with the world. Online courses allow me to work from home without having to commute long distances. I have the same conversations with my online group members as I would if I were sitting with them in class. This summer semester will be the last as I graduate once again. However, I still maintain that desire to achieve higher education. As I look forward to the future, I can't help but wonder how computers will continue to evolve during my next academic adventure. They will get better, faster and smaller. I wonder what they will be like when my young son begins his college career? Who knows? But I do know they will be there. Emily Johnson