Old School Mother Living in a New School World

DTC 375

Dr. Farman

3-12-09

1064 words

I interviewed, Annabel Naccarato, my mother. She is a 49 year old Para-educator with the Pasco School District. Annabel is not would you would call techno-savvy, at all. She barely knows how to turn on a computer, let alone navigate one. She went to high school where “computers were unheard of” to raising a daughter who is currently in the Digital Technology Curriculum (DTC). She took typing in high school and hated it, but Annabel has been trying to hop on the technology bandwagon. She has recently taught herself how to text and thinks owing one of the newer phones with the Qwerty keyboards would give her somewhat of an advantage to tackling the bigger project of learning to type on a full size keyboard.

Annabel grew up watching analogue television and has since been able to enjoy basic cable, cable boxes, and now, direct television. She knows that technology will even more so “encompass our lives, as well as the world around us” and feels it necessary to try and become “comfortable with computers, as well as technology, in order to be successful”. Though the transition has had its setbacks, and she “can’t help but be intimidated”, she is “open and willing to learn” at any expense. She has reached out to me to help her in this ongoing process. We look forward to this process to not only being a learning experience, but a great bonding experience as well.

Adriana: When I was in high school, we were offered keyboarding classes, were you offered anything like this while you were in high school?

Annabel: Well during the early to mid ‘70’s, we were only offered type-writing classes because at that time our schools didn’t have computers. They were only manual typewriters, not even electric! Computers were unheard of and I only took one semester of Typewriting 1. I didn’t like it so I opted to take driver’s Ed my second semester.


Adriana: Did you find these classes useful? If so, how?

Annabel: I honestly didn’t. I never used them to write papers I only hand wrote my essays, but when I was a senior, and had to do a term paper, I hired one of my friends to type it for me (she laughs) because she had taken two years of typing. She was much faster. It would have taken me half of my senior year to write that one term paper. I remember having to use white-out to cover up my mistakes, wait for it to dry, and then re-type over the white-out.


Adriana: Since technology has advanced and we now use computers, have you since learned to type?
Annabel: No!


Adriana: Is that because it is not necessary, or because you are too intimidated?

Annabel: In some ways it is necessary, but since I am computer illiterate, I find it very, very intimidating. I chose not to learn because I never thought it would be used in my previous line of work. I didn’t realize that computers would be in almost every home and used in almost every aspect of our lives. We used to only communicate over the phone, or by hand written letter. Now almost everyone uses email, text-messaging, etc.


Adriana: You said you didn’t need it in your previous line of work. Where do you work now, and do you think it’s necessary that you learn to use the computer now?

Annabel: I work for the Pasco School District as a Para educator. I am in the classroom for the most part and find it absolutely necessary to learn the skills. My students ask me to get online and “Google” things for them, which I find hard to do at times. I find myself asking them for help instead. Just recently I was on the computer at work and asked a co-worker to help set up an email account for me and we realized I’ve had one. My inbox was full, I’ve had emails since I started working there in 2007 (she says laughing)! It took us forever to delete them all, and even after all that, I still don’t know my email address, or even how to check it!


Adriana: Do you think if you possessed these skills you would be working somewhere else? For instance, do you think not having these skills has set you back?

Annabel: Yes, I would probably be working somewhere else that pays better. I believe my lack of skills has set me back because I am always asking people to look things up for me, due to the fact that a lot of information is accessed online. Also, everyone seems to want your email address, and things like that.


Adriana: You recently tried taking a keyboarding class, right?

Annabel: It was a beginner’s computer class, but it ended up being way too advanced for me. What made it difficult was that I don’t have a computer at home to practice on. Also, they didn’t teach me the basic lingo, like what an “icon” is for example (she laughs). It was extremely frustrating and discouraging!


Adriana: If you had one of the newer phones that have the “cool” QWERTY keyboards, do you think that would help you in your ongoing learning process?

Annabel: Yes, because with those new PDA phones, you would have to pay for internet access, and since I would be paying for the internet I would definitely use it in order to get my money’s worth. I would be forced to learn to type as well as navigate the internet.


Adriana: Do you think technology has made life easier, or perhaps hindered it?

Annabel: Well, easier for life I would say, but harder for myself because I’m old school. I don’t like talking to machines, like automated tellers and recordings. Back in the day, you always got an operator or live person to help you. I also don’t like when we have a power bump and everything shuts down, it’s like time stands still. Everyone is at a loss because we’ve become so dependent on technology.


Adriana: Anything else you would like to add?

Annabel: I regret not learning when I had the chance. If I would have known everything and everyone would be so tech-savvy, I definitely would have been more willing to take the time and learn!