One of my first encounters with technology wasn't very technological at all. Disney had produced a miniature fake television in which I would wind the little TV knob and it would play “It’s a Small World After All” and a little picture would circulate behind a warped “screen” to make it appear as if there was more movement than what was actually happening. That was great for a few minutes, but after seeing all of the Disney cartoons and movies and then comparing them, the fake Disney TV quickly lost my interest.
I have such fond memories of the original Lite Brite—with the exception of losing those tiny little
color plugs. It was a perforated canvas where I would write out the few words that I could spell, and draw pictures over and over. Turning out the light to see my work glow in the dark basement was beautiful. Well, to a five year old, anyway. (click to play->) litebrite (photo from: ebay)
(click to play->) etch-a-sketch (photo from: ebay)
I got my first taste of gaming technology with my brother’s miniature Pacman arcade game. It was shaped like the actual arcade games but it was smaller than a shoebox. Any Pacman game would have been fun, but to have it so creatively designed with little joysticks and sound effects was absolutely addictive. (click to play->) pacman (photo from: www.maniacworld.com)
Leaping onto the scene next was Frogger. I played this so much that I kept getting
the little song caught in my mind. After all these years I have never forgotten the sound Frogger made when he was squashed by a truck or sinking to the bottom of the river. Sometimes it was worth sacrificing Frogger for that noise. Looking back I can see how it helped to develop problem solving skills as well as being hours of fun. (click to play->) frogger (photo from: www.gamefreex.com)The next memorable technology was the founding father of games as we know them today: Atari. Problem solving and hand eye coordination were developed, as well as an addiction. Atari was also good in desensitizing me in terms of seeing computer graphics like words, images, and interactive animation. Technology became less foreign and much more welcoming.
The Commodore 64 was my first real introduction to computers. I mostly just played the games. I’m not sure there was actually anything else to do on it. My parents had me playing the math long jump game where the little stick figure would jump further every time I got a problem correct and “bust it” when I did not. There was also a hangman game that helped me get accustomed with typing on a keyboard. (click to play commodore 64's top list of games->) commodore 64 games
I have much better memories of the Commodore 64 and typing on it than I do wit
h the DOS systems. One reason that I’m hesitant in jumping right into modern computers with full confidence is because of this torture device. MS DOS made me appreciate type writers. I always felt like if I did something wrong on the DOS systems, the entire thing wo
uld just explode and I would have to buy the school a new computer. Or, I would explode, thus killing the machine with my bare hands, and thus still having to buy the school a new computer. (Meltdown photo from http://www.ahajokes.com/)
("Office Space" photo from: http.blogs.eweek.com/office-space.jpg)
All of the above mentioned technology helped me with integrating technology into my everyday life and also helped with problem solving and in some cases, creativity. As far as creativity and development as a writer, one of the first devices I give credit to is the tape recorder. I had a beautiful baby-piglet-pink tape recorder/radio. My friends and I would record fake radio shows, inclusive of advertisements, music, sound effects, and even the dog breathing. We wrote it all, even the music. Well, I was the only one who could play an instrument, but we found other things for everyone to make music with. This tape recorder was essential in helping me develop a better story-telling ability, diversity in my stories, and better character development. My tape recorder was as important to the development of my writing ability as pencil and paper.
Then there was Nintendo. Wow. Killing hours and hours, but learning problem solving, and patience. Nothing else needs to be said about Nintendo-- it speaks for itself. (click to play->) super mario (photo from: www.onlinesupermario.com/)
The word processor was a gift from heaven for me as a writer. My penmanship is atrocious and I make a lot of errors typing, so I was never the first to finish my typing projects with the typewriter. Being able to rearrange and copy text has prob
ably saved me time in the amount of years from writing and re-
writing. Not to say that I don't have some negative feelings towards some things... (photos from: http://www.ahajokes.com/)
I believe that the word processor has also been valuable in the visual appeal of writing as well. The different fonts, colors, and page layouts are very important in terms of attracting a reader through the aesthetics of the text. It was also very helpful in a poetry class where the professor wanted a visually appealing poem as well as (hopefully) a poem of artistic quality. I am not sure I was able to deliver the latter, but just like the Lite Brite, I had no problem arranging what was on my canvas, be it the plastic holes or the computer screen.
Without a doubt, the Internet has been the most important technology to help me develop as a better writer. I think the Internet, if used correctly, can assist just about anyone with the development of just about anything. Quotes, statistics, databases, pictures, videos, history, literature, dictionaries/thesaurus are only a mouse click away. Information, feedback, help, and examples for writing are piled up in cyberspace waiting to be pulled down onto the screen to assist me in whatever I am writing at that time.
Email is very helpful in writing development. I pay closer attention to everything I write, even if it is to friends, than I ever would have with just pen and paper. All day long I am conscious about trying to be correct and coherent in everything that I write. I am able to get more opinions and proof reading with emailing friends than if I had to track them down and deliver a manuscript. I also find that I pay closer attention in finding the voice of the writer in what I read because of emails. As I read messages from friends, I can pick up emphasis, tone, emotion, and mood because I know these people, and know how they would speak these words to me. However, I am also conscious of this in other people’s emails and writing.
Technology has been a huge part of my development as a writer. Technology: I love it; I hate it; I create with it; and I can't do without it.
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