One Web Day

Posted on September 20, 2007.

So many times in my life my mother has said to me “Why are you always on that computer!What do you even do?” Nowadays the computer is not only a resource, but it is a way to communicate with friends you might not be able to talk to otherwise. I know personally if I did not have a computer I would not know how to spend my extra time. So, I am very curious what adults that did not grow up with the internet did in their free time. I conducted three interviews to find just what adults did without the computer.

Q1: How did you spend your time differently when you were a child?

Mom:I had a lot of kids in my neighbor hood and we would go rollerskating and bike riding. We played outside a lot, and visited our friends.

Mr.Casella: We used to play outside, play games with friends and make up games. We got a lot of exercise.

Grandma:For homework assignments we would have to go to the library and do research.We used to write a lot by hand.

Q1:What things were harder to do without the computer?

Mom:Doing research on a project. You had to go physically to the library and write notes down,now people just print what they need. Also, we either had to talk to friends face to face or on the phone. We had to write letters to our friends that lived far away.

Mr.Casella: It was harder to do research at the library. It was harder to book flights and hotels. It was also harder to communicate with friends.

Grandma:It was harder to do projects.

Q1:What type of things were easier to do?

Mom: Friendships were easier because now with the internet you dont see people face to face and you use words. You say things that you probably would never have said to their face. The internet makes you less inhibited because you can say and not see the immediate reaction they have.

Mr.Casella: It was easier using a typewriter and writing in long hand.

Grandma:Life was generally easier. We were not as frazzled and did not depend so much on the computer.

Q1:How has the computer affected the way you work and learn?

Mom: You have access to a lot information quicker, and the information can be easily shared with a lot of people. Information can be updated instantly.

Mr.Casella:It helps because you can communicate with parents and it is easier to communicate. You can plan lessons off the internet instead of asking other teachers for help. You can stay in contact with other teachers and can make documentation of parent contacts easier.

Grandma:Well, i do not work anymore, but if I did them making lesson plans would be easier.

Do you think that life was better before the internet?Don’t forget to comment my blog!