The Tool
                                    
     My first experience with computers was when I got my first one in seventh grade.  I used
it primarily for entertainment, trading games with friends and generally treating it as a video game. 
After a year or two of this it got old and was put away and forgotten in the closet.  About two
years I got interested in computers again, so I saved up my money and bought one.  This was one
of the smartest moves of my college career.  My computer is a great help to me in learning.
     A computer is also a terrific tool for learning.  It can connect me to multiple sources of
information, from libraries to newspapers, allowing me an almost infinite range of topics.  I cannot
only find specific book, but I can also get whole articles from newspapers and magazines,
searching them word for word for my subject.  There are also many different programs designed
to tutor in subjects such as math, science, or even a foreign language.  Probably the most
important learning on a computer is just becoming familiar with it, which will be good experience
for the future.  It also helps me learn to type, cutting time from my typing and giving me more for
writing.  More learning applications are being thought of every day and  more information is
becoming available on computer,  making computers one of the fastest growing repositories of
knowledge.
     Primarily, the computer is the best help in writing papers for my classes.  I use
WordPerfect for all my wordprocessing needs.  It only takes me half the time to type up a paper
with a computer as opposed to a clunky old typewriter.  I can type it all up not worrying about
any mistypes that I make, meaning that I never slow down to check my work.  Now spelling was
never my strong suit, so once I learned to use the spell checker I only look up one of a hundred
words that I don't know how to spell.  Spell check also takes care of most of the words that I
mistype.  The built in thesaurus also saves me from becoming repetitive and using the same words
over and over.  The real value of a computer is when it becomes time for editing.  Instead of
having to retype paper over and over again in order to change a few words, now I can move
whole pages or paragraphs around without touching a pen.  A computer is an essential tool for
writing a serious, thoughtful paper without the distractions of multiple errors.
          Finally, being able to communicate with people all over the world is great for
finding obscure information.  The internet is the largest gathering place for people in existence. 
There are special interest groups for almost any idea I would like to discuss, from thousands of
people arguing about world politics to a few people talking about an obscure 18th century poet.  I
can find interesting people to correspond with or maybe even meet someone I know who would
like to discuss something important to me.  Many college students and professors populate the net
and have many different thoughts.  Different people's opinions are a great source of essay topics
and for thought provoking ideas.  There are so many different things that can draw me into a
discussion on the net, some that I agree with so much that I have to add my support and some
that make me want to string the author up.  The many views expressed on the net are many times
wrong, even wrongheaded, but mostly they make me think and to learn.
     The computer is such a great tool that is getting more and more popular all the time.  It
has helped me through so many classes and I've found so much through it that I would never give
it up again.  Its not just for video games anymore!