Module 8

Computers have been absolutely vital to my education. I can't think of anything I've ever learned that wasn't somehow aided by the use of computers. I don't believe I've even taken a test on paper since the 9th grade. In my opinion, Google is the only resource anyone needs in order to learn anything. It's the ultimate source of up to date information. If you know how to type a sentence into a search engine, the world is yours.

                My first real fond memory of using computers in my education actually goes back to 7th grade. I had just started my entry level percussion class. I always wanted to learn how to play the drums ever since I can remember but my mom couldn't afford lessons or the instruments so I had to go without. The entry level class was not what I had expected, we were required to start with a bell kit... If you don't know what a bell kit is, it's much like a xylophone but smaller and more annoying and lame. I envied the level 2 class because they at least got to play drums, mostly snare, but real drums. I remember feeling cheated but realized my rental bell kit included a practice pad snare drum and a fresh pair of Vic Firth SD1 concert band drum sticks! The first thing I did when I got home what set up my practice pad and pull open YouTube. Every night I would spend 3 to 6 hours watching tutorials and online lessons. This obsession continued on for the next 4 years. I had saved up the money to buy a full drum set and learned to play it from YouTube videos as well. Now I don't like to brag, I just love to play and in my first year of high school I had become the youngest drummer ever to get into the jazz band. All thanks to YouTube.

                My next real obsession actually happened to be computers themselves. Everything I've learned about computers was learned, ironically, from a computer. This was around 11th grade when my mom's old POS Dell was just, well, old. My task was to find a computer on ksl to replace it. What I found was a custom built AMD Athlon 1800+ system. If you know your computer history (which at the time I didn't) you'll know that the Athlon 1800+ was the king of its time. I scored that system for $40.00 cash and when I turned it on for the first time the sound didn't work and it needed hours of windows updates. I had no clue how to fix it but I turned myself to Google. The next thing I know I'm researching computers until 3am. I got really into modding and customizing the system to optimize performance. One day though I pushed it a little too far. I had read about overclocking and thought I could do it. Overclocking is the process in which you slowly, in 5Mhz increments, turn the speed of your processor up. It involves changing voltages, and settings in the BIOS, it's not recommended you attempt unless you know what you're doing. I didn't follow any rules and didn't realize the amount of heat computer produce. In one step, I cranked that CPU from 1800Mhz straight to 3000Mhz. It lasted 10 minutes. I was very upset that I ruined my computer and desperately wanted a replacement. So I continued with my research all online, learning about different components and parts. I finally got the knowledge to purchase all the parts to build a custom computer of my very own. Since then I have gone through many systems, replacing parts every 6 months for better parts, and building systems for my friends and family. I've grown such a passion for computers that I decided to follow that career path and here I am today. The Personal Computer itself, motivated me to further my education.