What are your earliest memories?
My earliest memory of the Internet is of the home computer, the only computer, in our living room. I distinctively remember setting up my first email account with my uncle, who is now an owner of a successful technology company, with my password accessible to my mother. I also remember using MSN chatroom with my friends constantly!
What "stages" of Internet use did you go through?
I think that I've become increasingly attached and dependent on the Internet and the devices that help me access it. I often use Siri, on my iPhone, for example. I ask my phone the temperature, to text certain people, to calculate measurements, etc. I don't think I was this attached/dependent on the Internet even 5 years ago. As technology improves and advances, the more I can't see myself living without it.
How did it impact your interactions with others, the activities that you engaged in, and your education?
I grew up in the Fraser Valley in BC, and attended a 'traditional' school. We were unique in comparison to other local high schools because we wore uniforms, for one, but we also had a one-to-one laptop program. Each individual student had a laptop that was their 'own', for a monthly fee. The monthly fee, if you stayed at the school until graduation, accumulated into a payout at the end, at which point you would own your laptop.
Did the Internet change your K-12 experience dramatically from that of your parents?
Definitely! I had school email accounts, school websites, parents could email teachers, and our grades were posted online. The Internet increased the communication between school and home (which, of course, as a teen, sometimes worked against me :))
How did it move into your household? What new issues developed your home or school because of the Internet?
As I mentioned above, my mother always knew our passwords. I don't recall the point at which I gained my own privacy in that area, but it held me accountable knowing that she could look at my information at any point. I was young when we first had Internet, and I vaguely remember using the home computer for school projects. I don't think we had personal laptops (other than our school laptops) for many years, which means we only had home access to the computer in the living room. It was very different than now - I didn't have access to the internet at my fingertips!
How are children and teenagers today impacted differently than you were or are by the Internet?
I'm admittedly 'addicted' to technology. My phone is almost always attached to me in one way or another, and without it, I feel naked. My computer is always close by, and I'm often on it for work (my photography business, editing, advertising, communicating with clients) and school (lesson plans, homework, etc.). I think that I've seen a change in myself and society over the last 15 years of technology and our increased dependence on it. Young people today, however, I think are growing up WITH it in a different and more advanced way than I was. For example, my young 3-year-old cousin can confidently use an iPad to access movies, her counting and alphabet games, the camera, etc. Now, I think that most people use their phones or devices as alarm clocks, cameras, listening to music, banking, communicating, etc.
What is your Internet timeline?
I was probably 11 or 12 when we first got a home computer, and I was probably 17 when I first had my own laptop! Now, I'm almost always connected in some way to the internet and a device.
Significant Comment:
My earliest memory of the Internet is of the home computer, the only computer, in our living room. I distinctively remember setting up my first email account with my uncle, who is now an owner of a successful technology company, with my password accessible to my mother. I also remember using MSN chatroom with my friends constantly!
What "stages" of Internet use did you go through?
I think that I've become increasingly attached and dependent on the Internet and the devices that help me access it. I often use Siri, on my iPhone, for example. I ask my phone the temperature, to text certain people, to calculate measurements, etc. I don't think I was this attached/dependent on the Internet even 5 years ago. As technology improves and advances, the more I can't see myself living without it.
How did it impact your interactions with others, the activities that you engaged in, and your education?
I grew up in the Fraser Valley in BC, and attended a 'traditional' school. We were unique in comparison to other local high schools because we wore uniforms, for one, but we also had a one-to-one laptop program. Each individual student had a laptop that was their 'own', for a monthly fee. The monthly fee, if you stayed at the school until graduation, accumulated into a payout at the end, at which point you would own your laptop.
Did the Internet change your K-12 experience dramatically from that of your parents?
Definitely! I had school email accounts, school websites, parents could email teachers, and our grades were posted online. The Internet increased the communication between school and home (which, of course, as a teen, sometimes worked against me :))
How did it move into your household? What new issues developed your home or school because of the Internet?
As I mentioned above, my mother always knew our passwords. I don't recall the point at which I gained my own privacy in that area, but it held me accountable knowing that she could look at my information at any point. I was young when we first had Internet, and I vaguely remember using the home computer for school projects. I don't think we had personal laptops (other than our school laptops) for many years, which means we only had home access to the computer in the living room. It was very different than now - I didn't have access to the internet at my fingertips!
How are children and teenagers today impacted differently than you were or are by the Internet?
I'm admittedly 'addicted' to technology. My phone is almost always attached to me in one way or another, and without it, I feel naked. My computer is always close by, and I'm often on it for work (my photography business, editing, advertising, communicating with clients) and school (lesson plans, homework, etc.). I think that I've seen a change in myself and society over the last 15 years of technology and our increased dependence on it. Young people today, however, I think are growing up WITH it in a different and more advanced way than I was. For example, my young 3-year-old cousin can confidently use an iPad to access movies, her counting and alphabet games, the camera, etc. Now, I think that most people use their phones or devices as alarm clocks, cameras, listening to music, banking, communicating, etc.
What is your Internet timeline?
I was probably 11 or 12 when we first got a home computer, and I was probably 17 when I first had my own laptop! Now, I'm almost always connected in some way to the internet and a device.
Significant Comment:
