Decided that I'd be a good girl today and come to the new library and try to overcome my resurfacing writers block.  If there is one important thing that I have learned about studying, I would really have to say that for me, I need to be in a supportive environment AND, be around others who are in the same boat.  Being around others who are reading, writing,  typing  while zoomed and honed in on their books and computers can be very encouraging for me. It is very hard for me to find a place that I can focus and work and produce something to show for it.

I have tried every coffee shop in town and only found two that worked for me.  And you would think that in Santa Cruz, for God's sake, being one of the Coffee Drinking Capitals of the world I would have more success. Unfortunately one of those is gone and the one that folded was the one I used to pump out the most writing ever!  College  libraries are super helpful, as long as I am not sleepy.  They are quiet, usually clean and if I am disciplined enough, will try to get my big fat butt in there.  This new Tanimura and Antle Family Memorial Library at CSUMB is pretty cool!   Walking in for the first time I immediately noticed the Peet's Coffee. Ya! Throughout the library there are  nice Ikea looking tables and variety of chairs filled with a variety of studiers.  The reference desk was freindly and the computerized catalog was a cinch.  I found a book for a class quick, and somehow found it with out even looking at a map of the library.  I think I have a weird sense about finding things?  I noticed that they even have loaner lap tops here.  Can you even imagine?

I remember having to go to a computer lab and look for an available unit, then grapple with the seats etc.  Now, one could check out a lap top, find a seat and area in this giant library that meets their fancy.  

I am hoping that I will use this new library and beable to pump out some work.  

More later

From Manual Typewriters to Mac

For this blog I was thinking about how lucky I was to have someone decide for me that I needed to learn to type and the evolution of the equipment I experienced while learning.

   

I was very fortunate to have taken typing in my freshman year at high school.  I attended the first semester of high school in North Yorkshire, Harrogate, England at Rossett High.  I'd ride the bus to school, dark in the morning and dark by the time school was out, then at school they put us on another bus, mostly girls,  to go to a business school to learn typing.  We used manual typewriters.  I think by starting to learn typing on a manual typewriter it actually helped me a lot to reinforce my memory of the key board  as you needed to use  much force in hitting the keys and there is something to be said about tactile learning as I work in special ed.  I think I learned to spell better too with the syllabic rhythmic taps that formed words.   When I returned to US and entered back into the rest of the school year, I continued learning to type but this time we had electric typewriters.  They were a lot of fun,  but don't want to give the impression  that I liked them better than the manual as I like old fashioned things.  I remember using chalky tape to type over mistakes which we placed manually over the letters.

When word processors came out I was impressed.  At that time they were a little pricey and I would have liked to have had one when I attended Jr. College.  My dad had got me an electric typewriter with a little window for word processing.  This was almost a joke, as you couldn't see the whole page you were working on and I was a bit jealous of others who had the full screen to look at. Non the less  I was grateful for the gift and used the hell out of it.  With my electric typewriter to change fonts, you simply  would remove the plastic disc and install another font.  There were cartriages for ink and correctable ribbon.  I still have this typewriter and haven't used it much since I am on my third computer.  

Adventures in Technology

Tonight is my first class for Masters of Education Technology as a Tool for Excellence and Equity.
I am excited about this class as I think it will help me become more technology literate and be able to pass valuable information and tools for using technology to my students. It seems like at my work site one of the most computer literate employees is the librarian and I haven't seen too much computer interaction with the students who are in the process of learning the keyboard.

I am hoping to review some of the basics that I am rusty at, such as scanning and uploading pictures (where Dr. Meier says he can help us with image manipulation as to not take up enormous amounts of space)
I would really love to learn End Notes for research writing as I am so afraid of MLA or APA formats
Time to go home!