Your first experience of computer technology?
There’s been an interesting discussion over at the ELESIG community (ELESIG is the HEA Special Interest Group for researchers into the learner experience of elearning),
about “What was your first experience of computer technology?” and how it affected people’s subsequent ventures into using computers for work and learning.
I’ve been interested for many years in the expectations and attitudes to technology that learners bring to elearning, and find that establishing their early experiences can throw quite a light on the kind of support and encouragement they need.
As elearning professionals we can tend to assume that everyone knows the basics these days – but there are still numbers of people, especially but not exclusively adult learners, for whom computer technology is still a monster they haven’t tamed.
In the ELESIG discussion Various experiences of early computers from VAXs to BBC micros to Sinclair ZXs and Spectrums, writing early programs in BASIC and using punched cards.
There were few negatives – as you might expect for a group so closely involved in technology – although even in this group some admitted that their early struggles influenced their now tentative approach to new technologies.
Obviously some posters were fascinated by computing itself – programming and playing with the technology – but a larger group had become more interested in the possibilities that computers represent, for communications and interaction, and particularly for learning: ‘imaginative and cutting edge ideas then that revolutionised some students’ learning’, ‘something so inspirational and motivational that I wanted to give up my own time for learning’.
One particular comment I liked was about the person who said many years ago ‘one day everything would be done by computers and they would be small, throw away items’ – and she didn’t believe them. What predictions could we make now – especially about uses of technology for learning – that would be equally unbelievable?