HOW I BECAME A DIGITAL IMMIGRANT

DEFINITION:

Digital Immigrant

Someone who is new to technology (me).

ABOUT ME…I was born in the Dominican

Republic in 1977.

Moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1992.

Touched a computer for the first time in 1998.

RANDOM FACT # 1

According to census.gov, 22.8 % of U.S. households had access to computers by 1993.

RANDOM FACT # 2:

Compared with the Dominican Republic where only 25% of the population had access to a computer in 2002.

I WASN’T INTERESTED IN COMPUTERS

My excuses: Excuses

Excuses

I don’t need to know how to use computers, I’m a stay at home mother.

Bad people can steal your identity.

Staring at the screen will ruin your eye sight.

BUT ONE DAY, I DISCOVERED MY CALLING!!

I’m going back to college to be a teacher!!

THEN CAME THE DOUBTS…

Will I have to use a computer? Am I too old to learn?

THANKFULLY…I had no doubt of the support of

my husband and children.

I was willing to fight for my dream.

I knew I would give it my best

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH CAME…

An in-class essay for English.

I had never written an essay before, especially not on the computer.

Everyone was typing except me. What I’m I going to do?

I kept pressing buttons looking for the screen with the sheet of paper… Nothing.

I Decided learning was better than hiding I didn’t know. I went to the professor and explained my dilemma.

…And that is how my digital migration began.

EMIGRATING TO THE DIGITAL STATE.

As with any move, it was hard at first

It took much work and

many hours of practice

Many questions to classmates, professors and my husband.

I still miss the non-digital state where I came from, but growing is worth the pain. I hope.