'Puter

I got my first Apple Macintosh computer in 1986, when I was in college and Apple made it easy for college students to buy a personal computer.  The typewriter I received as a graduation gift couldn't compete.  That year, my journal went digital and I began to write all my papers and assignments on the computer.  A few years after that, a roommate of mine dubbed the computer the 'puter and I call it that to this day.

A few years later, when I was in grad school, I traded up for a new Mac.  That Mac came with me to my first teaching job and saw me through more writing than I could have ever dreamed possible.  Research, lectures, essays and lessons all came forth from that little box.  It still felt like magic.

Just before JT was born, a third Apple came my way, this one an orange iMac.  In 2002, I switched to the MacBook and became a laptop disciple; it's what we use at my school.  I'm on my third MacBook and cannot imagine life without this little machine.  I jokingly call it my brain,  but it's no joke.  My music, my photos, much of my reading and most of my ideas are on this laptop.   

Last night, as I sat with my MacBook on my lap, working on a lesson for classes next week, JT had his iPad in hand, studying for a Science test and a History quiz.   Thanks to that iPad, he can carry books and school notes wherever he goes.  He makes digital and audio clips with ease, sometimes studying Spanish by hearing his own voice speaking back to him.  It's a marvel.

Thanks, Mr. Jobs.