Karen Has a Blog? Really?

Those of you who know me well are probably astonished that I've created this blog. For someone with an engineering degree, and a general appreciater of technology from a distance, I'm a relative Luddite when it comes to adopting the stuff myself! I'm a fan of more traditional forms of recreation and communication: reading, playing outdoors, knitting, meeting people in person. Video games and even TV have never been able to catch my attention for long. And, alas, marrying someone from a different state, moving to a new state, and raising active twin daughters have pretty much determined that there will not be as much "meeting people in person" as I would prefer. All of this has happened in stages over 15 years, and I've adjusted as time went on (email is an excellent invention that I adopted without hesitation!), but still I have preferred less technologically oriented pursuits. When my daughters turned seven this past year, this all changed. Just about over night, we became owners of DS Lites, and a Wii. I got a Facebook account...and actually use it! I'm learning how to podcast for a volunteer project. And now it's time for blogs. Why? Two reasons: The first was that I had the realization that all of this stuff was here to stay and I couldn't, in good conscience, keep my kids from it. Knowing how to use this technology and participating in current popular culture will be important for their growth, development, and sense of self as they grow older. And, I'd rather have them learn how to use it appropriately from me than from their friends. Which means I'd better know how to use it myself! The second was that I have an amazingly talented friend whom I've known since about 5th grade who recently authored a book that explained the Web 2.0 technology to me...and now it's not so scary any more. In fact, the possibilities for expressing myself and keeping my multi-state family and friends in touch with my family are downright exciting. Check out Kristin Fontichairo's Podcasting at School to learn more about Web 2.o tools and get excited yourself!