I like to think that because I’m a “digital native” I’ve had enough classes reviewing how to use word processors that I can eventually remember how to do almost everything in Word. There’s definitely always a few minutes of frustration, though, when I can’t remember how to make the TextBox do what I want it to do or the border isn’t how I imagined it. For example, the text boxes I used for the Venn diagram assignment drove me nuts! I couldn’t get the size right for the images and text I wanted to enter into them and then the diagram disappeared every time I tried to move the text box onto it. My method of coping is usually to first fiddle with the document, clicking through all of the tabs and drop down menus, hoping something in my memory clicks into place and I suddenly remember what I need to do. If I’m smart, I remember that Google is King of All Answers Land, and just search for my answers through that.
As frustrating as these moments are, they are good for remembering how it feels to be completely unsure, and honestly kind of scared, of how to make technology do what we need it to do. I think part of that fear of the unknown is what keeps some teachers from utilizing newer tools like Zoho Suite or Google Docs. Or maybe they just prefer what they know. Either way, for those who want to employ these processors, they can make the every day paperwork side of teaching easier and more accessible.
