Reminisce and Reflect with me.
Special Note: My blog is often retro in nature and the idea for this posting came before the current social distancing and self-isolating global battle with COVID19. Oddly it is now timelier and a stark reminder of how dependent we all are on our technology and social media in 2020. With a computer in the house and our cell phones we are all staying much more connected than prior generations would have been able to do during this time of crisis. That is a very comforting thing!
The 90’s is when I took my journaling habit to our home computer. The robust word processing allowed for more elaboration and speed. The file storage capabilities were a novel new bonus feature. That journal has become the source of many of my reflections for this blog.
I had some exposure to computers as a teacher at that time it was limited with only some schools exploring the luxury of having a computer lab. In the early to mid-90’s relatively few homes had computers.
In our house two adults and three children shared that standard shade of gray big box monitor with the floor tower, floppy disc drawers, mesmerizing screensavers, detached mega keyboard and of course the sizable hand mouse and mouse pad. That would seem totally unreasonable in today’s standards of efficiency, but we were happy campers having that new expensive toy with its multiple functions.
The economy was doing better in the 90’s. A welcome oasis from what had been and what was unfortunately still to come. People were spending more money and the interest in upgrading computer technology at work and at home was exploding. The computer world in that decade was dominated by access to the worldwide web via the internet and Microsoft Windows revolutionary software.
Remember the sound of the dial up internet loading and connecting. Netscape Navigator was likely your default browser and lining up to buy the latest version of Windows was like Boxing Day. Think about all we take for granted now and how far the tech world has taken off and become an integral part of our lives.
Back in those early days computer favorites like Solitaire, Minesweeper and SimCity were played by the hours. Our oldest remembers printing out carefully designed bookmarks and other treasures and playing Ski Free and the Beauty and the Beast game. I just had a flashback to long printed banners I was able to make for my classroom.
K-i-n-d-e-r-g-a-r-t-e-n in big black letters slowly crept through the printer on at least ten interconnected pages with holes on the sides that you had to carefully detach. That was cool in those days! The youngest loved all the Barbie computer games and the kid’s version of SimCity. My middle daughter enjoyed Frogger and Pajama Sam. She was also a fan of the Sims. Santa Claus even became computer literate in the 90’s at our house leaving a delightful Christmas Eve message for our young daughters on the monitor screen.
I recently read an article written around Y2K that asked the question “Do home computers bring families together or isolate family members?” The potential effects and uses of computers within the household were then explored. It was interesting to reflect on the perceptions and predictions researchers made back then about the role computers would play in our future lives and then compare it with how technology has become a fundamental part of homes today.
Computers were given a passing grade by considering the convenient and relatively inexpensive email communication and internet options, the wide variety of information sources available, the software programs to support learning and household management now on the market, combined with the new phenomenon of working at home aided by online technology. Needless to say the depth and breadth of all the home computer recreation, entertainment and games that children and adults were becoming more fascinated with and addicted to was growing exponentially.
Confirming my own hindsight accolades for having a computer in the house when my children were growing up. They do help family members learn, stay connected, manage their home and work lives and have fun too!
Becoming computer literate meant learning new skills and exploring new frontiers. We all spent countless hours in front of that glowing screen reading, writing, surfing the net and playing games. It was the 90’s and I think that our computer promoted and enhanced our children’s learning by getting them to use more literacy, numeracy, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
At that time, we had no idea where all this computer technology would lead us to decades down the road. It was the beginning of a whole new era of higher efficiency and expectations along with greater workloads and more stress. The never really being unplugged times have now been with us for years.
“Do home computers bring families together or isolate family members?” I think we have long since known the answer to that question. They can do both depending on how they are used but that’s alright because technology has become so multifaceted and meshed into society. The pluses far outnumber the minuses. There is no turning back now nearly all children grow up with it, learn with it and embrace it.
As I sit quietly at home writing this blog on my much smaller and more portable personalized red laptop during this unprecedented COVID19 crisis I am indeed grateful for the advanced technology and social media we have in 2020.
With a computer in the house I am feeling more informed about local and global news and events. I am able to continue to manage most of my personal, household and business affairs. I am still feeling connected to my family and friends, my church and work colleagues and with my blog readers. That is a very comforting feeling.
Thank you for joining me.
Karen Boschee
Websites on this topic: https://family.jrank.org/pagws/301/Computers-Family.html
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/90scomputers.html
Hindsight is Always 20/20! Parenting tips. 