Here we go...

This whole techno thing actually has me pretty pumped.  It's like a whole new world has opened up to me.  Just when life was starting to slow down (or was that me?) this whole new dimension for communication and creation comes along. Yeehah!  And Hallelujah!
Anyway, I never would have been as brave experimenting out in cyber space had it not been for the Masters Level Technology in Education class I am currently taking!  This calls for a...SHOUT OUT to  my unstoppable teacher, Marialice Curran,  and  all of my techno savvy classmates! We rule!!!!
Okay, enough of that...So, I thought I might learn how to "blog" by sharing my journey from regular old granny/teacher to new techno  granny and teacher extraordinaire!

First, let me tell you that I have come a long, long way in the last few years.  I remember going to the computer lab in High School.  It seemed as soon as I even looked at a button whatever contraption it was attached to crashed.  I was extremely reluctant to do any kind of experimenting because I thought I had the equivalent of a black thumb.  Keyboards froze and locked as soon as I entered the room.  My typing was atrocious...and still is. In fact, I can't even believe kids today would rather type than talk.  Who'd have thunk?

Anyway, more recently I remember a guy coming to our school a few years back to teach us about using computers in our classrooms.  He was from ACES and he spoke very fast and assuredly and seemed very knowledgeable.  None of us learned a thing, however.  He was talking very fast in a language we'd never heard. Although I had occasionally tinkered on our home computer, it was monopolized at all hours by my three kids.  The only extended time I spent on it was to restore it to an earlier time after one of them did something which bumped it off the net. "MOM!  We need your help!," one or two would chant.  But as soon as I got it working again I was the one getting bumped... Right off the chair!
Those experiences did make me less paranoid, however. I kind of felt like a super hero, of sorts.  I figured if I could fix the computer, then maybe my black thumb would not be that much of a problem. Eventually I got comfortable sending and receiving emails, ( but I remained ever diligent not to fall into any chat rooms.  People who spent time in chat rooms were considered derelicts back then, by the way...or that's what I thought of them...)
Back to the ACES guy...After he came we were told by our principal that we should make our own powerpoint presentation.  I made one.  It was lame.  I tried again during that summer, and made a fairly nice one about rainforests which I have used a few times since.  But that's it. I began learning more by watching my students put them together.  They loved sharing and showing me their expertise.  When I began this technology course I decided that it was high time I tried making my own powerpoint again.  Of course, visions of being trapped up in my bedroom for hours in front of my ancient computer led me to my next decision.  I decided I needed a laptop! Something I could bring with me out onto the porch or into the kitchen, etc.  So I surfed the internet..(I've always been good at that), and found an awesome deal!  I got this 16" light weight CQ60-615DX Notebook from HP for only 300 bucks!  I have learned in my 50 plus years on this planet, that the success of a journey depends a great deal on the degree of preparation before departure.  With my new laptop in hand, I was  ready and willing to begin my exciting new adventure into the land of Technology....

More later...Granny's tired...
Anyone know how to load a powerpoint on here? :-)