Computer Classes 1969

hollydolly said:
We definitely did not get Computer classes in 1969.. I was 14, and the most tech we got was to have typing classes.. on an old Underwood typewriter . Did that Kid grow up to be Jacob Rees- Mogg perchance ?
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He looks like a young Bill Gates, but I don’t think the timeline fits.
 

I graduated from high school in 1977. I don't think my school had computer classes. All I was aware of was a "computer room" that looked dark and mysterious, occasionally a student going in or out, but it seemed to be for kids who were planning on jobs/careers in relevant fields.
For everyone else, there were regular typewriters.

Other than noticing one at a distance in a hospital emergency room when I was in my thirties, I never saw a computer til I was 41. It was in a town public library, and I needed a librarian's assistance for everything from setting up an email account to getting out of accidental "caps-lock."
 
Certainly never saw a computer in school when a pupil.
As a Student teacher in the late seventies we had two lectures scheduled on computers in the classroom.
In the first we sat behind a computer but didn't get to turn it on.
The tutor failed to appear for the second.
In my first term of teaching I got packed off on a one day computer course in which we seemed to spend a lot of time playing Space Invaders.
i didn't get the internet at home until 2016.
Still don't have a computer though.
Just iPads.
As I write on this one another is connected to the TV streaming NFL game day morning.
 
In the 1970s I did typesetting on various word processors. The first one had two machines: one for input and one for output. It was semi-mechanical, and the copy was stored on tapes. I had to code everything, including each paragraph break.

The next ones were more computerized, but still had moving parts. For example, if I wanted to change fonts, I had to change a disk. The disk had visible letters on it. It spun around, and the computer photographed each letter in turn.

Each machine required a huge manual. A professional trainer came from afar to spend a couple of days training me.

You'd think all this would lead me to being comfortable with computers, but that's not the case.
 
When I was going to high school (mid to late 70's)there was a computer club. I thought of joining but I was at that stupid age when I cared what others thought about me and didn't want to be known as a geek so I didn't join. One of the smartest moves I made in high school was taking a typing class my senior year. I had ulterior motives for doing do so but learning those typing skills was a huge plus when I did start using computers the next year when I went to college.
 
MarkinPhx said:
When I was going to high school (mid to late 70's)there was a computer club. I thought of joining but I was at that stupid age when I cared what others thought about me and didn't want to be known as a geek so I didn't join. One of the smartest moves I made in high school was taking a typing class my senior year. I had ulterior motives for doing do so but learning those typing skills was a huge plus when I did start using computers the next year when I went to college.
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Your motive: either because the class was mostly girls.. or one specific girl, right? LOL
 
Nothing in highschool but I took an adult education computer literacy/programming class around 1982, first time I used a computer. Those were some primitive machines!
 
hollydolly said:
We definitely did not get Computer classes in 1969.. I was 14, and the most tech we got was to have typing classes.. on an old Underwood typewriter .
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Typed on one of those in 8th grade('65). 35 WPM with 5 errors, which killed my WPM. :whistle:

I didn't get to use a computer until the mid seventies in college. Programming FORTRAN on punch cards, fed them to a CDC 3150 mainframe.

Screenshot at 2022-11-20 09-10-42.jpg
 
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Nathan said:
Typed on one of those in 8th grade('65). 35 WPM with 5 errors, which killed my WPM. :whistle:
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yes, tell me about it.. the Underwood keys were soo stiff, that I nearly broke my pinky finger ... . this was 67' 68''69 and '70.. in Business economics class... fortunately after the first 2 years we were given electric Olympia Typewriters and that saved our WPM speeds ...
vintage-60s-olympia-monica-typewriter_original.png
 
Nathan said:
Typed on one of those in 8th grade('65). 35 WPM with 5 errors, which killed my WPM. :whistle:

I didn't get to use a computer until the mid seventies in college. Programming FORTRAN on punch cards, fed them to a CDC 3150 mainframe.

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funnily enough my first job as an office junior in '70 was in a Punch Tape Typing pool...for a Computer company. They had One HUGE computer in the backroom which was half the size of the room.. I had no idea what they did with it, I was just a kid , and they were middle aged men.. but the punch tape room was all women
 
hollydolly said:
funnily enough my first job as an office junior in '70 was in a Punch Tape Typing pool...for a Computer company. They had One HUGE computer in the backroom which was half the size of the room.. I had no idea what they did with it, I was just a kid , and they were middle aged men.. but the punch tape room was all women
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I'm sure that was exciting, in a mind-numbing way. :rolleyes:
I remember the lady that [I guess] transcribed the punch tape that our Ford dealership parts dept. used to transmit data. I don't think I ever saw her face, she was always immersed in her task.
 
hollydolly said:
yes, tell me about it.. the Underwood keys were soo stiff, that I nearly broke my pinky finger ... . this was 67' 68''69 and '70.. in Business economics class... fortunately after the first 2 years we were given electric Olympia Typewriters and that saved our WPM speeds ...
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I liked those portables!! Not so fond of electric, as they were too loud!! In fact, I was still using a Smith-Corona portable when I was 40 years old.

Do you possibly recall what your typing WPM was?
 
JaniceM said:
Your motive: either because the class was mostly girls.. or one specific girl, right? LOL
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It was very sexist back then . Our options were to take typing classes which were mainly designed for the girls so they could get some secretarial skills or a "Free Enterprise" class, designed for the boys to become entrepreneurs. I had already take a couple of econ courses and so decided that I would rather be in a class full of girls instead of boys.
 
MarkinPhx said:
It was very sexist back then . Our options were to take typing classes which were mainly designed for the girls so they could get some secretarial skills or a "Free Enterprise" class, designed for the boys to become entrepreneurs. I had already take a couple of econ courses and so decided that I would rather be in a class full of girls instead of boys.
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Only girls were given Typing classes in our school.. it was an entire 4 years Business & Economics class, under the umbrella of '' Commercial class'.. and was only our class of 40 girls out of a school of 1000 pupils..

The boys were only given the option of Technical drawing instead ..later when my younger sister got to that school they introduced Motor mechanics for girls and boys
 
My first real exposure was in the early 60's. I used GE Tymeshare with a teletype printer and punched tape reader, along with a telephone modem. I programmed in Basic, and the programs and data were read in on the punched paper tape.
 
hollydolly said:
Only girls were given Typing classes in our school.. it was an entire 4 years Business & Economics class, under the umbrella of '' Commercial class'.. and was only our class of 40 girls out of a school of 1000 pupils..

The boys were only given the option of Technical drawing instead ..later when my younger sister got to that school they introduced Motor mechanics for girls and boys
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We boys weren't allowed to do typing either.
Or Cookery.
Or Sewing.
I was utterly useless at tech drawing,Woodwork and Metalwork
Still can't sew and type with one finger!
 
My first computer experience was in the mid 70s. Used cards, had to drop them off at the I/O window in the computer building and come back for the output a few hours or even a day or two later. Still thought it was amazing!

I remember when the college got their first CRT terminals. I thought they were far too complicated and could never replace cards...
 

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