In grade school, I read a story about the newfangled contraption known as the telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell. The father and mother in the story were not open to a newfangled thing in their home when the old ways were just fine with them. But, the children and others were excited to have the ability to talk to friends, family and neighbors. 

The story led the reader through the Mom and Pop’s headache at confronting new technologies. They grew up without any convenience as that, and by golly . . . (and you know the rest of the story).

In the 90s I persisted with computers in the freshman composition classes. With minimal support from colleagues, I brought in obsolete computers from the fledgling technology department as they were upgrading. The network was a simple program that connected the stations to each other – but not to any broader Internet. The class was a success and so the networked class was born. I continued pushing the use of computers throughout and found study after study supporting the transition to computerized classrooms.

Even when I was working in the medical or business office environment, I embraced new technology from manual typewriter, to electric, to memory, to fully computerized with all the WordPerfect or MicroSoft software available.

Change is inevitable to humans from our telling our stories in cave paintings, to telecasting via satellite and to streaming throughout the universes. 

Without technology we wouldn’t have heart surgery as it is today or be discovering what Mars is like or finding the other earths in neighboring universes. Approaching technology as a positive tool to help with all our aspects of life has been my consistent frame of mind. 

Learning how to research in the library using the card catalog prepared me for searching on Google or any number of the scholastic search engines. 

So when it comes to new versions of the mobile phone, I’m all in. Like televisions, the mobile technology is becoming more and more affordable. The advertisers seemed to get their messages across that the public cannot do without the newest and best. And this can be so.

New tech allows our doctors painless access to our records for treatment protocols; new tech allows us to text in real time to our friends and family. I get a kick out of sharing pictures with my family and friends and the newest cells even work underwater. What could be better?

So, to all my friends, resistive, as humans do from time to time, to change and newfangled ideas, I’m asking you to embrace the tech as much as you can. We could all find that the world is friendlier and more conducive to living. (DISCLAIMER: Don’t forget about the persistent telemarketers and scammers. I’m reminded to stay alert as my phone rings beside me—wait, it’s a call from MYSELF. How did that happen? Another scam from telemarketers, I bet. They have access to newfangled hacking software, it looks like. And in the words of Pooh and Eeyore, “Oh, Bother!”)

—Nelda Curtiss is a retired college professor who enjoys writing and fine arts. Contact her at [email protected]