Key Takeaways
- How does a technology-phobic literature major become a mobile computing addict?
- Self-instruction and experimentation push the boundaries on what mobile technology can do for a user and reveal new possibilities for productivity.
- The right software lets users share content across platforms and opens their horizons to the active concept of "Make it happen!" anywhere, anytime.
My name is Jason Maseberg-Tomlinson, and I have a confession to make. In college, I was a Luddite. I eschewed technology and studied literature with a passion. I used a word processing program when I had to, but that was the limit of my foray into the technological vortex.
Today, 10 years later, I'm a mobile computing addict. How did this happen?!? What could change a technology-phobic literature major into a computer junkie?
It started in graduate school, where I went into the field of student affairs. During the final year of my master's studies, I took a practicum position in disability services. I was interested in the policy matters of the office; however, they needed someone to help set up an alternative text program based on scanning textbooks and using adaptive software on a computer. I volunteered. Before I knew it, I was teaching myself HTML, CSS, and the basics of computer hardware. I met a man by the name of Norm Coombs, who is one of the leading adaptive technology advocates, and my life changed drastically. I became an adaptive technology specialist and am now one of the few disability specialists in the country who focuses on the online student population.
Now I use technology from morning 'til night. With the right software, you can share content across any platform. You can read and edit on the go, in the office, or between meetings. No longer do we ask, "What can I do with this?" We can say, "I want to do this; make it happen."
This slideshow represents my average day with mobile technology:
© 2011 Jason Maseberg-Tomlinson. The text of this EQ article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.