I’m not a technophobe. But I do find myself from time to time in sympathy with the ‘Technology is not progress’ brigade. Some of it probably stems from the frustration that comes from the glitches or bugs that seem to plague computers.
Some of it is… something else. Example -You want to print up a little note to go on the door of your classroom, informing pupils that you have moved class. You misjudge the font size and print it off, only to find that ‘Mrs O’Neill’ has been split between two lines and become ‘Mrs One Ill’. You change the font and print it off again, feeling guilty about the amount of ink you have now used. Second time around the destination of your new class is now inexplicably $$£. Third time lucky? No. The printer, exhausted by those large letters, blinks stupidly at you that it is out of toner.
You ask yourself why you didn’t just lift up a felt –tip pen and write the message on a piece of scrap paper. The felt tip pen might have run out, but could have been replaced in a matter of seconds. You are unlikely to misspell your name- the tablets are working today – and you are fairly competent at block capitals.
Tell me that your heart doesn’t sink when someone says ‘ We’ve just been computerised’ or ‘I’m sure I saved it’ or ‘ It will just take a moment on the computer’.
4 comments:
Well I always think computers save you enough time to allow you to sort out you computer problems.
I've just spent all morning (and a chunk of late last night) trying to download a new subscription for my virus checker... I've given up and will go to PC World - how I hate that place - this afternoon.
John - very funny...
But I shouldn't have angered the computer gods - various problems since I cursed them...
Christine - PC World should be on one of Dante's levels of hell! Have you ever had to deal with them over the 'phone? Shudder...
I am minded of a post I wrote last year about the Stabilo pen I bought on impulse. (http://nwinton.wordpress.com/2006/08/24/new-tricks/)
The boy I mention in the blog is still using one of these pens (when he remembers to bring it... but that's another story!)... and over the year I would have to say that it has made a marked difference to his writing.
One thing that I do notice with the creeping computerisation of everything is that my department's paper expenditure has shot up... people (and I include myself in this) print things without a thought because it is easier than walking across the school to the photocopier... So much for the paperless office/school/workplace...
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