Computing the past to the new

James Cavanah
DTC 375
Dr. Farman
3/12/08
Word: 786


For this assignment I decide to interview Dawn Cavanah, which would be my mother who is currently a travel agent at AAA Travel in Kennewick, Washington. My mom has asked me not to reveal her age but as a true son I feel its necessary for the purpose of this paper. Currently 43, my mother has had many reception jobs and has seen how our technology has grown. She has seen it all; going from a typewriter to the evolution of the computer and the transition from written logs to data logs. As are new generation advances with the new trends and crazies we forget about our older generation and the change they must make to a faster, more efficient style of writing. My mothers recent discovery is using itunes to download all the songs she use to listen when she was younger and accessing WiFi areas.

My mom had many jobs from the age of 16, starting out in a local pub in Manchester, UK. As she finished school and University she began work at a doctors office as a receptionist. There she said she had to look up manually hand written files for patients and type proscriptions and check up slips on a typewriter. She said, “ I was lucky that the type writers at that time had a somewhat erase button, really it was a white out button”. She felt that the growth of technology came piece by piece, which made it some ways easier to grasp the applications.

James: So mother, what did you use before the computer?

Dawn: well when I was at school we used manual writing and curly writing.

James: Curly writing?

Dawn: Well you know, cursive! we called it curly writing in England. When I went to university I had a tape recorder that I would record my professors with. Usually after my classes I would go home and rewrite what I had heard that day. I would say that most of the time at university we handed most things in using the typewriter, well that’s if you could get one to use.

James: So what was the general form of writing you used when you went to work?

Dawn: Well when I started my job at the doctor’s office they were in the switch from manual files to the computer files, so everything had to be typed up and put into a database. I felt like I had the skills to use the new computer system since I was so familiar with the typewriter and had used a computer at one point.




James: how hard was it to make the transition?

Dawn: Well it was just a process of getting to know the applications and the programs. Learning how to interact with the computer to get what I wanted was pretty tuff. I had a lot of help from family members.

James: Do you feel like you are more familiarized with computers know.

Dawn: My computer is my lifesaver. As a travel agent I rely 100% on the Internet and my files being saved. I can honestly say that even though I use a computer everyday, I am still eager to learn new short cuts and find new applications. It makes it so much easier for me to work at home and keep up to date with my client’s status. When I worked at the doctor’s office I would have to answer the phone write down the information, usually ask them the information over again and then file it, that’s until we got computers. After a while I was learning how to type faster and answer the phones at the same.

James: What don’t you like about the computer?

Dawn: Well the only thing I don’t like about it is that I always seem to have problems with my network connections, it seems like that it is week when I use my home computer. When we first started using the computers all the phones and other computers were connected to the same network, which took forever to connect. There’s not much that I really don’t like, I would say that there is a lot to learn and all the applications can get a bit confusing when entering the Internet.

James: So where do you think the future of computers will go?

Dawn: Well I think its pretty amazing already! I look at your sister and she can type so fast and use her phone to text without even looking, she’s only thirteen! I think that maybe we will move to voice commands, just like they’re doing with cell phones or computers that are fully touch screen like the iphone