I am in the middle of a Technology Overload!!! Technology is EVERYWHERE and I don't particularly like it! Isn't it supposed to make life easier? If it is, I am not there yet. In the last week these are my encounters with technology (and technology is winning!):

1. Learn the new phone system in our rooms (I have not been able to figure out how to get the music that is coming out of the phone to stop- let alone set up voice mail)

2. Learn the new on-line grading system which is supposed to be better and easier than the old on-line grading system (which I never could learn)

3. Create and update(!) our new teacher web pages to keep them current with what's happening with our classrooms

4. Learn the features of my new cell phone that includes texting (!) I can not figure out how to retrieve voice mails and figure out recent calls or change the ringtone

5. Navigate the many features provided by Molly's high school including teacher web pages and on-line grades and lunch deposits and the calender and...and...and...

6. Figure out how to use my new state -of- the- art ceiling mounted projection system in my classroom and figure out how the vcr and dvd work with it (I never figured out the OLD way yet)

7. Learn and implement our new digital yearbook program and teach it to the kids (yikes!)

8. Continue to edit and publish our school newspaper

9. Blogging, Flckr, Facebook, e-mails, digital scrapbooking, and of course...on-line shopping- but this is all the fun stuff and things I could do endlessly if I could

But the ULTIMATE IRONY in all of this is that I have my Masters degree in computer education (I find that totally laughable). I learned "everything I know" on an Apple 2e computer and it was before the Internet. As Ferris Bueller says. "Life moves pretty fast..." and that's how I am feeling. It's just too much at times. Between all of the user names and passwords and remotes my head is spinning!

In contrast, when we go to Michigan- I have to stand on our picnic table clutching my cell phone which is pointed towards the heavens in hopes of catching the Verizon satellite as it goes by. Once in awhile I get a signal but by the time the person answers there is NO service. With our tv- we get about 5 channels, 3 of which are different versions of ABC. There is no place in the town for Wifi (talk about a gold mine if there ever was) and it's ok. It's kind of a nice feeling to "unplugged" for our times up there; looking forward to a relatively technology free long weekend! Anyway...technology is here to stay, regardless if I can use it.

Do you ever find yourself "technology challenged?" How does technology impact your day?