Back When

There is a country song that makes me laugh a little bit any time I hear it. 

Yes, I listen to country music now and then.  "Now and then"...meaning when my regular station, the one where I don't cringe at my kids hearing every other song that comes on the radio, is full of static.

My parents were diehard country music fans when I was growing up.  We groaned and cried because we were forced to endure such torture when riding in the car.

Then my college roommates were country music fans...and I was converted.

But I digress.

The country song is called "Back When" by Tim McGraw.

It talks about the difference of "back when" to the day and age we live in now. 

"....Back when the wind was all that blew
And when you said, 'I'm down with that',
It meant you had the flu.
I miss back when....
I miss back when...."

Sometimes I do miss back when.

I'm not even THAT old, and at times I still miss a simpler way of life.

But not always.

This morning I opened an email about a conference I am attending on Wednesday.  As I was reading through it, I was chuckling a little bit about how times have changed. The "Back When" song instantly popped into my mind.

I have been working in the field of education for about 17 years.  While that may seem like an eternity to my students, it really isn't all that long.  I'll try to ignore the fact that when I started teaching, I was only old enough to be my students' not-much-older sister, and now I am technically old enough to be their mother.  Even the seniors.

Anyway...in those 17 years, I have attended a lot of professional development - conferences, conventions, in-service sessions, and the list goes on.  Today's email gave me all the information I need for my upcoming day of learning.  Oh, how times have changed the world of professional development.

Here is a little comparison....

Back When: The conference notes (which would have been sent in the mail) would have included a map of the campus.
Today: The conference email contains a link to the campus map.

Back When: If preparation was to be done in advance for a conference, books would have been purchased or articles would have been  mailed ahead of time.
Today: "Please download Apps in advance -- Check your session pages for Apps to download prior to arriving."

Back When: It would have been common to see the phrase "handouts will be provided for notes".
Today: "Please make sure your iPad/laptop is fully charged when you arrive."

Back When: The conference notes may have said, "Additional copies of handouts or notebooks will be available if needed."
Today: "There are limited electrical outlets. If you think you may need to charge during the day, bring your power cord with its extension cord attached. We will have a few power strips, but you may want to bring your own." 

Back When: Coffee and tea will be provided.
Today: "The internet password will be provided."

Back When: Please turn off your cell phones or pagers.
Today: "Please turn off your cell phone's WIFI to help our bandwidth for the day."

Back When: Please fill out the conference survey in your notebook.
Today: "Twitter hashtag for the day is #ksuiCamp. Please tweet resources, comments, and new learning!"

     While notebooks and handouts may be less hassle than chargers, extension cords, and power strips, I am not missing this "back when"!  

     Sometimes technology stresses me out and I feel waayyy behind the times, but for the most part, I am ready to #shareposttweetlikedownloadupdateinstall all the day long!