Hi Kathy,

There is a lot of great information on Excel on the Internet and if you search Excel in You Tube you will can get a step by step video explaining different ways to use Excel. I hope this information was useful.

I began using computers at work immediately for word processing tests and entering grades. Computer usage at ome happened shortly after graduating from college, around 2002. Currently we have a MacBook Pro laptop with 2.2 GHz Intel Core processor and 4 GB of memory. We have a printer/scanner that we can use for printing and we have smartphones for usage as well. The home usage of computers is ample! Nightly we are checking or sending emails, finding info on the internet, texting co-workers or friends, etc. I also use computers at home to complete school work, do grades, communicate with parents, and the like. There are not many other uses for our computers at home that I can think of that I would want to do and am not currently doing!

My first computer was in 1997 when my cousin refurbished an old computer for me to use at home. I cannot explain the speed or memory and all I know is that it was very slow. The computer did not contain any type of Microsoft office tools and it had dial up Internet which was very slow and the only thing I could really do was send and receive email, which was new to me. The next year in 1998 was my first year of college and I was shocked once I got there. Everything was now being done on computers and I had no idea what I was doing, lucky I met a lot of good friends that learned about computers in high school so they showed me the ropes of the Internet and programs like Microsoft Word.
Today I use a computer at home and at work with both computers containing a 4 GB memory. My home computer has wireless access to a printer and my work computer has access to a district network in which I can view, save, or print files from any computer in the network by using my user name and password. My computer at home is used mainly for looking up information and my work computer is used for attendance, grading, power point presentations, and looking up information for my classes.
At home I would love to develop a business on fitness related information using a webpage but I do not have much time after work to develop this and I am also not that knowledgeable about business. The way that I can overcome these obstacles is by scheduling an hour each night to work on the webpage, along with taking a college course on business.

I really like this prompt. It's something I do not often think about....especially since nowadays our students and kids probably think they started using computers at birth! I started using a computer in late elementary school for a program called the Oregon Trail...many countless hours playing this. The computer that I use from school is a MacBook Pro, 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3. At school our technology department sets up our printer options but we do have access to the main copying machines. I am unsure if we have scanner to use as I typically email myself from our copiers (which is a very similar process.) I feel like I use my computer for everything. I don't currently have my own personal computer (aside from the one given to me to use for school purposes.) I create my curriculum, assessments, lessons, communication with all, webpages, and of course use it for my graduate courses as well. As for what I'd like to do with my computers at home or work, I feel like I'm able to do whatever I need (within appropriate limits.) As a professional educator I feel like I need to make responsible decisions with what I do on and with my computer.

Leann,

You said that you use your computer to write lesson plans like many other teachers. Do you have your own format or do you use a program online? Some of my colleagues have recommended for me to start using PlanBook. You can view and print lessons by day, week, or class. You can connect to national, state, and local standards easily. You can attach files and links to you lessons. You can allow students to view your lessons as well as share with your colleagues. There are many features, it keeps you organized, and it is very user friendly. You should check it out!

My first computer I owned was an old Dell computer. That was about 16 years ago. I purchased it for my use at home. I have been fortunate enough to work my entire career in a district that has ample access to computers. I feel lucky to have gained knowledge and experience in technology through work. I can remember when I first started teaching using bubble sheets to fill in grades. That seems like a long time ago!
Our work computers allow me to connect with the Internet, e-mail and anything I really want to do with a computer. I have access to Microsoft Office, so I have Word and Excel that I use most often. I have my own office and a PC in the office.
At home I own a MacBookPro. I have a printer/scanner/copier along with it. I was allowed to download the Office disk to my Mac, so I have the same capabilities at home as i do at school.
I am still learning all the fun and exciting things I can do with my Mac. My goal is to take a class at the Apple store this summer to get optimal use from my Mac.

I got started using computers when I was in middle school. At home my parents had a desktop and I used it to type up papers for school, browse the Internet, and social media. I started working as a P.E. teacher 6 years ago and you were expected to use your work computer for PowerSchool to keep my students grades updated and typing up lesson plans.

My home computer is a desktop touch screen Gateway 2012 with Windows 7 Home Premium. The processor is 2.6 GHz Pentium. The installed memory (RAM) is 4.00 GB and the hard drive is 750 GB. My work computer is a laptop HP Probook 2009 with Windows 7 Professional. The processor is AMD Phenon™ II N930 Quad-Core. The installed memory (RAM) is 4.00 GB and the system type is a 64-bit Operating System. At home and work I have access to printers and scanners. At school I have access to a photocopier as well.

Currently I use my home computer for browsing the Internet, social media, gaming, and editing pictures that I take in my spare time. Mainly it is just for my personal use. With my work computer I use it in my classes to show the students’ video/audio clips for new games, skills, and drills we are learning. I personally use my work computer to type up unit plans, lesson plans, handouts on rules to different games, quizzes, and rubrics. Also, I use PowerSchool for grading and I have created my own school/teacher website. Lastly, I use my work computer to complete coursework for my FRESNO Pacific University classes.

I would like to use my computer at work more to research new games to incorporate into my different units. Also, I am interested in creating new units to keep up-to-date and keep my students interested and engaged. I could find these new activities on sites like PE Central or other teacher websites that I find. Time is really the only thing that is preventing me from doing this. As a teacher the school day is very busy with classes. After school I run a couple different programs for students and volunteer for particular activities the school runs. I take classes in my spare time as well and I commute 50 minutes to work every day so time is limited.

Some creative ways I could overcome this obstacle is by using my time wisely throughout the school day. I could be efficient during my prep time at school. Also, days when I do not have an afterschool program or activity I could stay a little later at work and set time aside to research new activities and games. Even on weekends I could bring my laptop home and set time aside.

When I was growing up we had a computer Apple IIe. I thought it was great. The internet was just starting. In order to use the internet we had to give up using the phone. If someone tried calling they would hear a loud static noise. When I was in school we had computers just to type and do some internet searches. The computer for me was just used for schoolwork or play. Our printer took forever to print, especially banners.
In my school I have a desktop computer that I use for planning and internet use. I have a laptop for attendance and grading. Sometimes use it with the projector for class. we have a printer for school but it is not always reliable.
It would be neat to see if a printer could be a laminator too. Instead of having to print then go find laminator would be time and cost saving. The companies could make an all in one printer with laminator or have an attachment for lamination. I think technology is good for some things, but I also think we shouldn't rely on them entirely.

We had a computer in our home when I was a teenager of which my father was using to write books. I had some access through my high school but I did not really use the computer until college and even then it was limited. After college I bought my first computer and I had a computer at my first teaching job to input grades. Slowly but steadily my usage increased and now I have a laptop given to me by my school district and I use at home and school. We have 3 IPads and 2 smart phones and a chrome book that my family uses, as well as my husband has a laptop for work. We have a copy,scanner, fax, printer and a paper shredder. Now days I have easy access to any type of computer and can usually find and do what I need. I do however wish I was a little more knowledgeable and new more about google docs and spreadsheets. I have decided to take an online course for that as well.

My specs are as follows:
MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2012)
Processor 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000 1024 MB

Karen Pineda

Computers have been a part of my home, school and work place for as long as I can remember.
I can remember the first computer lab at my college and what a big deal it was back in the mid 90's when everyone got a university ID and email account. You had to sign up to use a computer in the lab.
I had a desktop computer at home but never had a laptop for college in the late 90's.

Currently, at home I have a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011), 2.8 GHzIntel Core 17 Processor, 4GB Memory, Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB Graphics and a Brother MFC color printer, copier, fax combo.

At work, I have a school issued Ipad with 4G (only for PE teachers to use outdoors) and a HP ProBook 4440s with Intel Core i5 3210M CPU @2.5 GHz, 4 GB memory, 32 bit operating system with Windows 5.1.
I have access to color, phaser, laser, and 3D printers. scanners and copiers. I also have a SMART board, projector and monitor to use with both devices.

At work it would be almost impossible to teach without these devices. They are used for attendance, grading, assessment, teaching, viewing, music, daily lessons, objectives, presentations, etc.

At home, I use the computers for research, web browsing, grading, lesson planning, and for my children's school work.

Nothing comes to mind as a further need for work or home. I have no complaints about the support and access teachers and students have with technology.

The PE department also has access to an ipad cart with 20 units and a computer lab.

My only problem with the ipads is the network can be tricky.

I can move my class to an area with better network connections when needed or have student pair up on ipads so there is less of a demand on wireless.

I first started using a computer in the late 80's when they became more available to have in the home and or office. I believe that we had an HP to start back then , that probably took up the entire table. They hardly had any storage on them maybe 8 GB the were super slow and we might have had dial up. We had a basic printer that had the holing feed on it. As for now we use our home and work computers for almost everything ranging from finding recipes online for meals, banking, creating memory videos for my sports teams, things that we think are basic to this day and age that we would have never thought about back when we first started using computers. At work I use it for email, classes instruction, research, grades, attendance, showing films, etc... I would really love to implement more forms of technology ie i pads for my staff, into our PE classes but with the low funding from the school district PE is not a top priority for the funding. As a department we could try doing some fundraising for these forms of technology but we have to go through our school leadership teacher in order to be able to do fundraising and we get vetoed quite often again because we are PE.

I started using computers in elementary school at home for homework and using programs to help introduce me to typing such as “Type to Learn.” At work I have always used a computer. My home computer is a 2011 13-inch Mac Book Pro. It has a 2.8 GHz Intel core i7 processor, 4 BG 1333 MHz DDR3 memory, and Intel HD Graphics 300 384 MB Graphics. The software the Mac uses is Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5. At work I use a 2005 Dell Computer. It has an Intel Dual Core 2.6Ghz processor, 4GB of memory and a Windows XP Professional - 17" inch monitor. The printer I use at work a HP LaserJet 2200dn laser printer.

At home I use my personal laptop mainly for listening to and downloading music, social media, editing pictures, and researching personal interests such as shopping, places to travel, etc. Sometimes I will bring my personal computer to work when I am on duty in the hallway for an extended period of time and also when I am mixing music for my dance classes and making playlists for school tournaments such as the Annual Senior Badminton Tournament. At work I use my computer to take class attendance, input grades and data, check and send emails, work on lesson plans, and work on my Fresno Pacific classes. I would like to use my school computer more for researching new ideas for activities to offer my students and to keep up to date with applying other popular technology such as Google Drives and Google Classroom to my everyday work life.

Obstacles can be having minimal time in front of my computer during the school day. My office (in the locker room) is where the computer is and being in different locations for class sometimes makes it challenging. If students have questions about their grade in class sometimes it is difficult to discuss the information with the student because the computer is not available, also only the girls can be in my office. A way to overcome this obstacle is to use portable devices such as iPads and also encourage students to download the application Infinite Campus (grading portal the school system uses) to see grades they are able to check up on classes and message me with concerns. This year, having a study hall duty in a classroom every other day has helped me keep on top of my grades. Scheduling time throughout the school day and at home is an efficient way to use technology productively.

I remember having a computer for most of my life. My parents purchased me a Commodore 64 computer that I would be able to play games on. The games were either from a cartridge or a floppy disk. From there my family purchased a x386 computer that had both DOS and Windows 3.1. As a child computers were mainly for games. In middle school I began using them for word processing, encyclopedia, and was an active participant in chatrooms on mIRC, Prodigy, and AOL. Even though technology quickly progressed through the 1990s my reasons for a computer did not.

As an adult I mostly use the computer for work. At work my computer has an Intel Core 2 Duo at 3.00 Ghz with 4 GB ram and is running 64 bit Windows 7. I use the computer for email and calendars, maintaining my eboard (school webpage about me and my class), word processing and documents, lesson planning, record keeping, and for social media. I also use Spotify to manage my music that is played in class. I am not sure what else I'd like to be able to do with the computer. It has been able to meet most of my professional needs.


At home, I do not have a computer. My home computer has been replaced with my iphone. I am able to email, word process, listen to music, sync photos, video edit, and anything else I can think of with specialized applications.

I was trained on the Macs with floppy drives when I was growing up through middle school. We never had a computer at home and my first full time use of a computer was at the college library each night. When I began working in 2002 we had desktops in every classroom. As mentioned in the previous post I now work with a smartboard and all students are 1:1 with iPads.
My personal computer is a little dated, but I'm using a Gateway laptop with 4 GB DDR3 Memory, 500 GB HDD, Intel-Core i5-2430M, with blu-ray disc, and a 15.6" LCD screen with a webcam. My school has discouraged photo copies and we instead convert files into PDFs or downloadable images for the students device, while at home I have a 3in1 Scanner, fax, copier. My home computer is used for games, bills, research, entertainment, and work. I'd love to have network access to my work materials while at home. This is in the works. The obstacles of sharing data have already been answered with 3rd party drop boxes or clouds. This allows access wherever and whenever.

George you could also share files through google drive as long as your school has a gmail account and you have one at home as well. I don't use Cloud storage very often but if you have lots of pictures and music that is also a great option.

There were no home computers when I was growing up, we did have an Atari game system but that was it. It was not until well into my adult life that computers came into use both at home and at school. My first home computer had less that 1G hard drive.
My current school computer is a HP ProBook 15" with 500G hard drive. it has a i3 1.7Ghz processor. It also has a dvd burner, multiple USB slots, a SD card slot, 1 HDMI slot, a port for connection to a projector, a built in camera, and a jack for headphones. It is also both wireless capable and Ethernet capable.At school we are connectd to network printers and have LCD projectors for use with our computers. We have a portable camera that can be connected by HDMI.
My home computer is an ASUS 17" with Intel i7 processor, dvd burner, multiple USB slots, a SD card Reader, a HDMI port, a firewire port, a built in camera, head phone jack,is wireless and Ethernet capable. At home I have a multi-function printer connected to my home network.

We did not have a home computer until I was in high school. The only thing I can remember is it was a Dell, and we used dial-up for internet which was really slow. We had access to a printer and scanner a few years after we got our first computer. I can remember printing off assignments for school and scanning papers for college.

Currently, I use an iPad and and a Macbook Pro 2.4 GHZ Intel Core 4GB at home. I use my iPad for surfing the internet, downloading iTunes, and checking email. I use my MacBook to organize my online lesson book, keep track of my calendar, send emails, and grade assessments. I also have an iPhone that does everything my iPad does but with a smaller screen. I don't really have a need for anything else right now.