Over the last few months, I have getting more and more excited about the new tools of Web 2.0. Reading, learning, sharing, publishing, editing, communicating, editing, etc….
Every morning, I fire up my computer, log into bloglines and read the newest feeds of blogs about subjects I am interested in and passionate about. I plug in my iPod and download the newest podcasts I am subscribed to, then I take my iPod and plug it into my car to listen to the podcasts while I am on the road driving to work.
I am in technology heaven…
Everythng works…
Internet connection works and is fast…
I seamlessly access, download, and transport my information…

Then vacation starts and I am off to go back home to Argentina. I am taking my laptop with me in order to continue to be “connected” to my online life. I am planning on keeping up with writing my blogs, reading my feeds, creating podcasts, etc…

Two weeks into the trip, reality has settled in regarding technology on the road.
IT IS NOT THAT EASY !!!

I am connected via a slow phone line at my mother’s house. Sure I could go to one of the thousands of Internet cafes here in Buenos Aires, but how convenient is that ?
No pajamas…
not at 8 am or midnight…
not to mention having to drag my laptop with me…
having to wait in line in case all the computers are taken at the moment that I arrive…
ending up with an older machine, that does not have a USB port for me to download my photos from my digital camera…
and…
and…

A wireless connection is also not always available. So far, I have only read on several blogs, how easy it is to take your technology on the road, but mostly that “on the road” means United States, not necesarily a South American country.

It gives me a new apreciation for educators using technology abroad under a lot harder conditions and less readily available resources. In the United States, I am almost at a point that I don’t think about it anymore how “the car works”, but I am only concerned about what I can do with it. We need to remember that many (most?)people around the world do not enjoy that kind of resources and access.
Hats off to the bloggers, podcasters and other content publishers on the web who spent more of their time and go through a lot more trouble in order to contribute for all of our benefit.

Posted: 7. July, 2006 at 9:17 pm. Filed under: Uncategorized.
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