Without warning a few minutes ago, I took one of those surprising memory trips that you’re not prepared for – the Proustian type – where something (smell, taste, tune) triggers a zooming back in time, recalling these experiences. But in this case it was a multiple zoom . Reflecting about Web 2.0, and the alarming acceleration of technology in teaching and learning, I was transported backwards through all the stages of writing tools.
Some highlights (lowlights in some cases):
using dinosaur computers whilst translating German engineering content for a pneumatic tool company (memory: losing a whole day’s work regularly);
thinking that whiteboards were fantastic – no dust! (and then accidentally writing on the smartboards with normal marker with the whole class screaming in horror)
getting excited when I purchased an electric typewriter with a corrector ribbon!
getting red and black hands replacing a typewriter ribbon;
the excitement of my first ball-point pen;
slurping up ink from a bottle with my new fountain pen (and needing much blotting paper; remember the blue stain on the inside of the middle finger?)
(here’s a dinosaur:) starting off the day in grade 1 by drawing (or trying to draw) a perfect circle with chalk on a little blackboard and never being picked for display of most perfect circle.