CROSSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

I mentioned last week that I was taking a computer fundamentals class at Edmonds Community College.   It would take care of five of seven remaining credits  needed to renew my teaching credential.  Normally I avoid anything that smacks of technology. I never learned to program a VCR, still find my DROID beyond understanding,  and yell for help whenever my TV remotes won't respond to a single click of a button. 

But, I use computers daily, write e-mails, cut, paste, design flyers, and write a blog.  Surely I could handle a basic computer class and fill up my deficit gaps, right?  Wrong!   I could give you a day by day rundown of my learning issues, but suffice it to say that my happiest day, since  the first day of school, was finding an on-campus  computer lab with tutors available for folks like me. 

I have no problem writing the papers.  Writing is a strength.  But, the quizzes are something else again.  One big problem is my inability to remember the various terminology, most of which are acronyms for vocabulary words important for understanding. For example, Here are only a few acronyms from Chapter 5 of Technology in Action, 8th edition, (Evans, et al., Prentice Hall, 2012).

OS  -  operating system
CPU - central processing unit
MS-DOS  OR   DOS  (Micro disc operating system)
RTOS   -  Real time operating systems (embedded system)
UNIX  - ?
RAM  -  random access memory
LINUX  -  open source operating sysem for personal computers
GUI - graphic user interface
GNOME  - ?

KDE - ?

OLPC  -  One laptop per child

GB  -  giga byte

PnP -  Plug and play

API  -     application programming interface

POST - power on self test

BIOS - basic input output system

ROM      -  read only memory

CMOS  -  complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor

I struggled  to put meaning to the acronyms.  Several terms were not even in my text book's glossary as you can see by the question marks.  I searched the web and found a computer dictionary which clarifies terminology for  true internet "dummies"  like me. From The Ultimate Computer Acronyms Archive  , which has 178 pages of computer acronyms,  I was able to find the various meanings.

Is your head sufficiently spinning, or are you one of those lucky techies for whom this is totally elementary?  Last week I learned about the digital divide which separates the digital "knows"   from  the "know nots".  I am thinking that  it is not a good thing to be on the wrong side of the divide; but, struggle as I might, I don't  think I will ever truly be "in the know."   However, it might not be too late for you, and you might be more open to this kind of literacy.  Take classes, classes, classes to become  computer literate.  Computers are here to stay and have taken over every aspect of our lives.  It was sobering to me, a simple farm girl, that even cows are not immune.  They probably have  RFIDs  imbedded so that their every movement can be monitored.  I find myself wondering how my deceased father would look at today's technology.  He'd probably just shake his head in disbelief,  then walk out to the barn to give a pat to Bessie as she waited to be milked.