I spend a disproportionate amount of time on the computer. And, honestly, I don't even know how. A lot of the time, I just sit there bored out of my mind, wondering what it is I usually do, and then suddenly it's two hours later.
That being said, I know a pathetic amount about technology for the amount of time I spend using it.
I can work a computer. I know that when the Internet is slow, you disconnect and reconnect some wires in the "router" or whatever that thing is. I don't really do much with it other than waste time though. I don't browse, necessarily. I'm more of a "save a few different websites and keep going back to them five times a day" kind of user. I learned how to use Excel/Spreadsheet (something that I've used more times than I would've thought this year for a few econ projects, so thank you). I was once a GarageBand whiz. I used to Skype my sister every now and then. iTunes is a great tool to fill that void of silence, followed closely by YouTube.
As a writer, Word is my best friend. A pretty straightforward relationship: type type type, Command+s (save), type type type, Command+q (quit), click save, done. Dropbox, if you don't know what that is, is totally useful as a writer too. It's this app you download from online and it lets you save Word documents and other things like that to the Dropbox folder, and you can access the document online or, if you download the app on another device, you can access it that way too. It's really helpful for when I work on something on my computer and then want to work on it on my laptop instead.
Something I was introduced to late last year that I've been using all year in newspaper, is InDesign 6 (I think that's how its' stylized, but don't quote me on it). Honestly, I'm not all that clear on what it is exactly, but it's what editors of newspapers use to layout the pages. There's lots of buttons and clicking and boxes involved that I never remember until I'm sitting there in front of the page, but I know that if I go into journalism, it's one of the things that will keep popping up. According to Mr. Barr, the newspaper advisor, InDesign 6 is the version of InDesign they use at the collegiate and professional level so I have a head-up on all those posers (I kid . . . mostly).
I know that there's this idea that teenagers need to be attached to their phone 24/7, but for me, headphones, an iPhone, and a book will keep me occupied just as well and even better when I'm outside. I text and call my sister occasionally, sometimes my mom. Once in a while, a friend. For the most part, though, my phone is for show. And games. It's terrible. Sometimes I spend more time playing games on my phone than anything else. 2048 ruined my life.
To be completely honest, I have no idea what kind of technological-digital-whilly-nilly kind of skills I'll need later in life. For the most part, I think I'm set. I'm not going into a high-tech field of work. The kind of tech I do need to know I have some experience with. Anything I do need to learn, I'll learn on the job (I'm a quick learner when I want to be). I could be better with a camera, I guess.
The only thing--the ONLY THING--I absolutely refuse to ever try to use, even if she shows up everywhere I go in ten years, is Siri. Siri is the beginning of the end of the world. I am not kidding in any way when I say that when robots and technology finally rise up against the human race, I am on hundred percent positive that Siri will be leading the rebellion. (This may sound like a joke, but this has been a legitimate fear of mine ever since I saw the movie I, Robot with Will Smith, which is a great movie and if you haven't seen it you totally should. Seriously, Siri is just the start. The next step will be the cars that park themselves. Once they figure out they don't need us, we're screwed.)
Thanks for the movie recommendation and I agree with you Siri is just plan weird and creepy. You should try to have a conversation with her, it's very strange. You can yell at her and cuss her out and she will respond....so strange. In my adult life (about 36 years), I have had to learn four unique word processing programs. Now as a Computer Applications teacher I've also had to teach word processing. I would start out by saying that word processing is actually "processing words." In the beginning my students simply starred at me, in the early 1980's the concept of personal computers and word processing machines (yes they were machines before they were software) was really bizarre. So on average about every 9 years in my adult life, I had to learn a new word processing software: Word Star, Word Perfect, MS Word and Google Docs. I wonder who will eventually knock Google Docs off the board and become the premiere word processing software. So, I think, you will eventually need to learn a new word processing software to help you process your words.
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