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Here on this blog I hope to get a conversation going amongst students, teachers, administrators, and parents about who, what, when, why, and where we should teach technology skills for the 21st century. I am technology teacher at Truckee High School in Truckee, CA and currently teach classes like digital media, e-learning, applications, and keyboarding -- yes...still important! :) Please Join the Conversation!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

"Steve Jobs made the ugly world of technology beautiful"

"Steve Jobs made the ugly world of technology beautiful"; this morning on the national news I heard an anchor on NBC quoting this Tweet he had read last night after the announcement by Apple of the passing of their C0-Founder and leader, Steve Jobs. This tweet really grabbed my attention because I think it elegantly sums up why Steve Jobs impacted our lives so powerfully. Not only did he make computers and technology better looking, but he also made them cool and easy to use. No longer were computers and programs reserved for computer "geeks" and technologically savvy programmers and the like. Mom, Dad, son, daughter and grandma and grandpa could now access the benefits in life by being able, or at least comfortable to try, to use computers and the programs that run them.

Since this death is being called the "End of an era" I thought it was important as a computer teacher to have my students read, discuss, and reflect and blog about this amazing innovator and person and how his visions and work changed their lives. I had them start by reading the following article and highly recommend it.

'End of an era': Apple co-founder Steve Jobs remembered

The students really seemed to understand the significance of the passing of Steve Jobs because of the impact his technology innovations had on their own lives. When I did a quick survey of the class and asked them how many of them had an Apple product, every student raised their hand. The products he helped create at Apple had reached every single student in my class, including myself. Many of them had iPhones but almost every one of them had an iPod or iTouch. Obviously, his business savvy and vision for technology has been extremely effective and by just surveying my one class here in Truckee, CA provides that proof.

For me personally, my first computer (see pictures) was a Macintosh SE SuperDrive which had a 30 mb hard-drive. One of my students commented; "sick, you could almost store 5 songs on that bad boy". Crazy, I know, but I paid about $2,000 for my Mac and wrote every college paper in my four years as a student at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA from 1990 to 1994 on that "bad boy". My students were even more shocked when I let them know that not only did I not have the Internet on my Mac but that I did not even see my first web site until 1995 when a good friend showed us AOL on her laptop after dialing in on her phone and attaching it to the computer. I also learned in the article about how Steve Jobs landed an internship with HP before graduating from college. This was powerful because I'm constantly teaching my students about the benefits of networking and finding internships. I also learned that he worked for Atari, the first gaming system I got my hands on as a kid growing up in Urbandale, IA. as I mastered the skills with my favorite games Asteroids, PacMan, and DonkeyKong. I was also amazed to learn that Steve was put up for adoption by his biological parents and adopted by a middle class working couple in Los Altos, CA.

In conclusion, my students recognized the impact and success one person can have by thinking out of the box, being passionate, working hard, and following your dreams like Steve Jobs did. They also understood and commented that they know the future holds many more innovations and changes ahead in regards to how we as humans live our daily lives and use technology to assist us with routine functions as well as creating new opportunities for living and communicating. I hope they translate this into a passion to become life-long learners and to have dreams and goals to be part of the future and where we go.

Rest in Peace Steve, you will be missed but not forgotten!

34 comments:

  1. What a tragedy!! The world is changing though, new devices that will amaze the world are getting closer than what you think. The future is in our hands, we get to decide what we get to do with it.

    This is my blog post hyperlink http://thswolverine32378.blogspot.com/
    From: Carlos G.

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  2. steve jobs motivator is very helpful res more at http://unknown-betterblog.blogspot.com if this link does not work use this one http://unknown-betterblog.blogspot.com/

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  3. http://liveandlearningblog.blogspot.com/
    Emily H

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  4. http://contributationiskey.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era_07.html Adam Crosby

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  5. my blog http://teachingsofglenshire.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era-and-birth-of-new-one.html
    A. Kuyper

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  6. http://truckeecaly34.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era-steave-jobs-death.html
    Cooper Krug:)

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  7. http://thslearningexperience.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era-apple-co-founder-steve-jobs.html
    Emma C.

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  8. Steve Jobs was truly a great thinker and will be missed. this is my blog post: http://thswebtwopointoh.blogspot.com/2011/10/steve-jobs.html

    Evan H.

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  9. http://schooltimetoplay.blogspot.com/

    Sydney Poncelet

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  10. Sam Bockius

    http://studentreflectionths.blogspot.com/2011/10/rip-steve-jobs.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. http://thsreflection.blogspot.com/
    sarah c

    ReplyDelete
  12. http://learningatths.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era.html
    Austin V

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  13. http://blogger1web20.blogspot.com/
    Sean D

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. Molly C:

    Steve Jobs was truley a visionary of our time. Everyday we have a little reminder of Steve, via Iphone, Ipod or anything els he created.

    Here is the link to my Steve Jobs blog:
    http://internetinsperation.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era.html

    Molly C

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  16. http://learningandthings.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era.html


    Nathan Keese

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  17. My Steve Jobs BLog:
    http://truckeehighreflections123.blogspot.com/?zx=b2160d787e234792
    Casey Fong

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  18. http://freshmanlearning.blogspot.com/?zx=615342a8820f20b7

    Marissa Visconti

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  19. Steve jobs was a man who told us what we needed for the future before we even wanted it. Jobs started Apple with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976. He built up from a garage and brought the technology into our pockets. He has affected my life by giving me the capability to do stuff on the go.He thinks that we should all live our life by not wasting time and not being afraid to follow our heart. He will be missed.

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  20. Every morning I wake up and take a shower. Once I get out, I begin to listen to my Itouch. I then go on my computer and check the weather. These are just a few things that I do every single day and without Steve Jobs I couldn't operate my day the same. He was a gifted visionary who was an adopted child and I am sad to see him go. R.I.P. Steve Jobs

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  21. Steve jobs has innovated what we know the world to be today. All of his innovations he has made with his IMAC and ipods has lead to the New world and without him we would not have everything we have now. dreams, everything starts with a dream and Steve Jobs dream has come true, re-invention of the world. With all the love and care he put into his job as the co founder of the vast company Apple, he has surely made his mark in the history of the technological and social world as we know it.

    Personally he has made a mark on myself, being an itouch user, he has created such magnificent devices that changed the world. Life, such an amazing word for just four letters. value life, besides we only live it once and we need to value something that is given to us as a gift.

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  22. I learned That Steve Job changed the world. Not only did he improved computers he made the world be more connected. Thanks to him you don't have to take a trip all around the world for a meeting you can use the internet to communicate. Every day I listen to my iPod i couldn't live without it. You should live your life as it were the last cause you don't know when your last day in this world will be.

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  23. I learned That Steve Job changed the world. Not only did he improved computers he made the world be more connected. Thanks to him you don't have to take a trip all around the world for a meeting you can use the internet to communicate. Every day I listen to my iPod i couldn't live without it. You should live your life as it were the last cause you don't know when your last day in this world will be.
    -JANA VENEGAS

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  24. Steve Jobs was a very motivational man. He founded one of the most successful and well known companies in the world. This being Apple. When he was born, his biological mother gave him up for adoption. His adopted parents sent him to college which he ended up dropping out of. He dropped out because he thought he was wasting his time and his parents money. After this, Jobs went to live at home with his parents. He and an old friend from high school began building the first mac computer. This eventually led him to found Apple. He has changed the world by introducing all Apple products. These products are very important in current society. His work has impacted my life because I own an apple product which I use almost every day. He thinks everyone should approach life as if it is your last day, because you never know if it will be.
    S.F

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  25. Steve Jobs has changed the lives of the world after the creation of Apple, it created mini computers, super-efficient celurares and everything else you can imagine. He was a great example of life, started from nothing and turned what was until last week.

    Maria Angelica Oliveira Trombim

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  26. Steve Jobs believed that everyone should live there life and treat each day as there last. when Steve was born his family put him up for adoption because they couldn't afford him. Later in life they found out that he became one of the most wealthy men in the world. Steve didn't even graduate from collage and he said "that was one of the smartest things he ever did." Steve and his buddy decided to create apple in his parents garage and start his business. A lot of the electronics in the world today would have never been created if it wasn't for Steve. I personally own 2 ipods and my mother has a iphone.

    posted by Nick5430

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  27. http://thissiteissoannoyingittakesallmynames.blogspot.com/
    Krysta M.

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  28. http://whatilearnedatths.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era-apple-co-founder-steve-jobs.html

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  29. Steve Jobs, change & improved the lives of many people. He seriously made technology so much better for us for creating Apple.
    - Juanita M.

    Here is the link to my blog:
    http://thsstudent-thsstudent.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era.html?zx=d4ffd583bdf8c70c

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  30. Steve Jobs was a really inspirational man. When he was born he was given up for adoption, then he got accepted into Reed college. He felt that the education he was getting was worthless, and a huge waste of his parents hard-earned money, so he dropped out. Steve Jobs changed the world by making it more connected. He also changed high tech technology from being almost obsolete, to almost being a necessity in every day life. His work impacted my life by making products that I use every single day. Steve Jobs believed that everyone should live every day as if it were their last. He was really smart and motivated, therefore, he changed the world.

    - Michaela Ness

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  31. Steve Jobs, changed all of are life's by improving are technology and life style. He improved it even when he didn't have any money. When he born,his biological mother gave him up for adoption.Later in life his adopted parents sent him to college which he ended up dropping out of because he thought he was wasting his parents money. He belived yop should live life to the fullest.
    M.P.

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  32. Steve Jobs was a great man. He possesed things such as integrity and knowledge. He created Apple after he dropped out of college and had no money. He suffered through poverty to better technology. I give him pionts for that. He was generous and people should respect his death.

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  33. I learned That Steve Jobs changed the world. Not only did he improved computers he made the world be more connected.He improved the computers when he didnt have much money. I think he was very ispirational man, he belived live your life the fullest and dont give up on your dreams! Steve didn't even graduate from collage and he said "that was one of the smartest things he ever did."

    ReplyDelete
  34. http://thslearningreflections.blogspot.com/2011/10/end-of-era.html
    Benito G

    ReplyDelete

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