I’ve mastered it

A while back I heard a neat talk about the separation in cultures. It pertained to the way church was done and it was so apparent to me – and I considered myself in the tech savvy group, not BC. The talk had to do with those who were born BC and those that were born later. Not “Before Christ” but “Before Computers”.

It made since to me. There were, and still are people that I talk to all the time that just don’t get it. Computers and technology freak them out. To me, they seem to refuse to learn – and I don’t understand it.

I’m good with computers; I grew up with them, programmed them, built them, and for a time was paid well to fix them. Computers have been and still are a hobby. I wasn’t born before the first computers, but I am certainly “Before PCs.” I was sure that I was not BC; my son is showing me otherwise.

For the last year, he’s had his own computer. We started with toddler programs on our laptops and eventually moved to preschool programs on desktop of his own. He’s even started school on the computer. We’ve been using Jump Start World – Kindergarten, and he’s more than half way finished. (If you’re looking for Kindergarten materials – or even something for your kids to do on the computer – check our Jump Start World.) The program gives him various learning activities that he needs to master before moving on to the next level…and all I hear on some days is, “I’m mastered it!” over and over again.

It’s not just that program either. He has no problems getting to sites that he enjoys, pulling up other programs, or pretty much doing whatever he wishes. Nor is it just computers.

I received a Wii for Christmas. He’s only four so strategy skills haven’t developed, but he’s almost better than me in tennis and can hold his own in boxing and bowling – and there’s other games that he has very little problems playing.

The kicker, that really showed me that he’s going to be leaps ahead of me soon, was at the Apple story Friday night. I asked him if he wanted to see the iPhone and he was delighted to be able to play with one. In seconds of handing him the phone he was looking at photos (without anyone showing him how) and soon after was taking pictures.

I don’t have long left before he’s considering me BC so I’m going to have to make sure I help him with technology now - while I still can.

* After writing this, I saw a video for Microsoft Surface - essentially a smart table....I’m simply amazed at what our children will be able to do. And not just do, for them, it will be like these things have always existed.