Something about this trailer reminded me of the early days of the Apple ][ in elementary schools. Not that there were any computers in my elementary school when I was a student, it’s more a fact that Apple ][s were still the computer of choice when I started teaching in 1995. But the story of Mavis Beacon looks like it’s about more than nostalgia for primitive 8-bit typing tutorials. Until watching this trailer, it hadn’t dawn on me that this virtual teaching icon was a person of color trusted to guide our students through the struggles of learning how to type and then just disappeared. This should make for a good detective story that goes beyond “where in the world is Mavis Beacon?”

According to IMDB the documentary had a limited theatrical release on August 30, 2024, but is still doing the film festival circuit. I don’t think it ever appeared on any theater screens in my area and I don’t know if it will get a wide-theatrical-release date or when it will show up on the streaming services. That’s kind of a bummer. But truth be told, I learned how to type on a manual typewriter in 1971 and when I finally got to explore the world of Apple ][ computers I was more of a fan of Oregon Trail than anything else. Now that I think about it, wasn’t there a documentary on that little early computer phenomenon in the works? [Let the rabbit-hole begin!]. If you saw this film, Seeking Mavis Beacon, please share your thoughts. Enjoy.

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Tags: apple II, documentary, mystery documentary, Seeking Mavis Beacon, tech history

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