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Home Videos
Born in 1994, all of my home videos were recorded on something like this camcorder. My grandfather was very much into technology, so he took it upon himself to become the family video man until he passed away in 2001. Wouldn't he be amazed to see just how far video technology has expanded! Photo from Southtree AMB Media LLC -
Home Computer
My family was gifted a home desktop computer just before my grandfather passed away. Meet the iMac G3 in purple! This sat in our family room and was the only computer in the household for over a decade, but of course you could not use it if someone was on the phone! This was the hub for everyone during the digital camera age and the beginning of social media. Photo from Ebay -
New Gaming System
This was the very first gaming system brought into my household to replace the original Nintendo my parents bought just before they got married. The Wii does not use a traditional wired controller, which allows for more dynamic gameplay. Many evenings were spent playing Just Dance, singing Karaoke, and generally goofing off with my younger sister. Photo from Amazon -
iPod and iTunes
Prior to the iPod, walkman cassette or CD players were the only way to have music in a portable format. Now, music could be downloaded from a giant internet library, and people no longer had to purchase entire CDs for one song! My family members and I owned just about every version of the iPod over the course of many years. Photo from eBay -
Facebook Account
Social media accounts started for me when I needed to chat with classmates to complete a group project. I did not have a phone that could support group messages, and getting together in person every evening was not feasible. Social media of course then expanded to include many other websites and platforms to access information. Photo from Facebook -
First iPhone
I got my very first smart phone- a brand new iPhone 5s! Finally I did not have to carry separate devices to contact people, check emails, and listen to music. I am only on my 3rd smartphone (believe it or not) and it follows me everywhere! I use it for work, navigation, music, emails, texting, social media etc. Photo from Apple -
New Teacher
When I began student teaching, SMART boards and ceiling mounted projectors were the common classroom technology. I would spend many hours creating engaging lessons within Smart Notebook, trying to learn all of the tricks like disappearing text. All of those programs are now inaccessible with the updates that have happened in the past 9 years. Photo from eBay -
Student Devices
In 2020, I moved school districts right in the middle of COVID 19 lockdowns. Suddenly students were forced to be at home learning on individual devices. When everyone returned to school, 1-1 devices remained. This was a game changer for lessons, no longer needing to plan for technology in advance and borrow a class cart hoping that everything was charged. Now students could access things at any time within the classroom! Photo from Amazon -
Librarian
My new job this past school year included using new technology. A large, fully mobile, smart panel is in the library. This screen is essentially a giant computer on wheels, very easy to teach with! However, it does not allow me to use any of those smart notebook activities I spent all those hours creating. Photo from Amazon