You could be forgiven for thinking teaching your parents or
grandparents how to use a computer will be easy. They probably had the
same thoughts before embarking on teaching you skills you take for
granted today - like driving, reading or even just using the bathroom!
In those days they were the experts, the professionals who patiently guided you towards achieving simple skills they had perfected after years of practice. They gave you the dignity of independence, which helped expand your horizons to the place where you are today.
You can give them that same dignity, freedom and independence by teaching them how to use a computer. Millions of people are still not online and are missing out on the opportunity to keep in touch with friends and family, to share photographs of special events, to shop and bank online. And many senior citizens simply want to be there, to keep up with the younger generation, to see what all the fuss is about over eBay, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook.
Don't deny it, you've probably thought in the past it would be quite handy if you could email the oldies instead of phoning or visiting and worth spending half an hour showing them how to use a computer. Did it take you thirty minutes to learn to tie your shoelaces or school tie? No, I thought not! It took longer just to tie a knot and I promise you it will take much, much longer to show Mum how to use a mouse.
You have probably been using a mouse since school but it doesn't mean that because you find it easy NOW that your elders will match your level of competence within twenty minutes of you hurriedly showing them. And I can guarantee you will feel a real sense of disappointment and frustration with the woman who taught you so much when she can' remember when to double-click and when to right click.
Our older generation are often on such tall pedestals that it comes as a shock to their offspring to see them struggle to learn a completely new skill. But rest assured - they will learn it, providing their trainer is patient and encourages them to persist.
We all know computers are constantly evolving and you and I have grown up with those changes. We've had a chance to learn the new terminology, programmes and hardware as each one was developed. Today's new computer users need to learn the whole package in one go, which is a massive learning challenge, especially to the more mature learner.
Comparing the rapid improvements of computers to the evolution of life I'd say those of us who were using them in the Eighties were the original cavemen and women. Thirty years later and we've fast-tracked forward to just discovering America. The speed with which technology has developed is phenomenal and it is that speed which worries most seniors. Their fear is inflated when the apple of their eye whizzes through start up, using a mouse, keyboard, getting online and navigating a website in the time it takes to blend a smoothie. You look so clever. They feel so silly.
The rule of thumb when learning to type is that for every 10 words of speed you acquire you need to put in 10 hours of practice. Similarly, they say for every year of age you want one hour's practice when learning to drive. Whether you choose to believe these guidelines or dismiss them as good marketing mantras for typing and driving instructors is immaterial. The fact remains you can't become confident and competent at many, if any skills, overnight.
I recently heard about an apologetic father telling his daughter on the phone that he couldn't make his birthday present switch off so he'd taken the battery out. She'd shown him how to switch on his laptop but not how to log-off!
It's such a little thing but unless you've been told otherwise it is perfectly natural to assume the On Button is also the Off Button. It works that way for virtually every other electrical appliance so why do computers have to break the rule? Can you imagine the poor man's fear and frustration with the machine that kept switching off and then switching back on every time he inadvertently rebooted it!
So Lesson 1 is if you've only got ten minutes to spare today just show your relative how to switch on using the On button and how to switch off using the Windows Key and pressing the letter 'U' twice. In Lesson 2 we'll look at how to use a Mouse.
In those days they were the experts, the professionals who patiently guided you towards achieving simple skills they had perfected after years of practice. They gave you the dignity of independence, which helped expand your horizons to the place where you are today.
You can give them that same dignity, freedom and independence by teaching them how to use a computer. Millions of people are still not online and are missing out on the opportunity to keep in touch with friends and family, to share photographs of special events, to shop and bank online. And many senior citizens simply want to be there, to keep up with the younger generation, to see what all the fuss is about over eBay, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook.
Don't deny it, you've probably thought in the past it would be quite handy if you could email the oldies instead of phoning or visiting and worth spending half an hour showing them how to use a computer. Did it take you thirty minutes to learn to tie your shoelaces or school tie? No, I thought not! It took longer just to tie a knot and I promise you it will take much, much longer to show Mum how to use a mouse.
You have probably been using a mouse since school but it doesn't mean that because you find it easy NOW that your elders will match your level of competence within twenty minutes of you hurriedly showing them. And I can guarantee you will feel a real sense of disappointment and frustration with the woman who taught you so much when she can' remember when to double-click and when to right click.
Our older generation are often on such tall pedestals that it comes as a shock to their offspring to see them struggle to learn a completely new skill. But rest assured - they will learn it, providing their trainer is patient and encourages them to persist.
We all know computers are constantly evolving and you and I have grown up with those changes. We've had a chance to learn the new terminology, programmes and hardware as each one was developed. Today's new computer users need to learn the whole package in one go, which is a massive learning challenge, especially to the more mature learner.
Comparing the rapid improvements of computers to the evolution of life I'd say those of us who were using them in the Eighties were the original cavemen and women. Thirty years later and we've fast-tracked forward to just discovering America. The speed with which technology has developed is phenomenal and it is that speed which worries most seniors. Their fear is inflated when the apple of their eye whizzes through start up, using a mouse, keyboard, getting online and navigating a website in the time it takes to blend a smoothie. You look so clever. They feel so silly.
The rule of thumb when learning to type is that for every 10 words of speed you acquire you need to put in 10 hours of practice. Similarly, they say for every year of age you want one hour's practice when learning to drive. Whether you choose to believe these guidelines or dismiss them as good marketing mantras for typing and driving instructors is immaterial. The fact remains you can't become confident and competent at many, if any skills, overnight.
I recently heard about an apologetic father telling his daughter on the phone that he couldn't make his birthday present switch off so he'd taken the battery out. She'd shown him how to switch on his laptop but not how to log-off!
It's such a little thing but unless you've been told otherwise it is perfectly natural to assume the On Button is also the Off Button. It works that way for virtually every other electrical appliance so why do computers have to break the rule? Can you imagine the poor man's fear and frustration with the machine that kept switching off and then switching back on every time he inadvertently rebooted it!
So Lesson 1 is if you've only got ten minutes to spare today just show your relative how to switch on using the On button and how to switch off using the Windows Key and pressing the letter 'U' twice. In Lesson 2 we'll look at how to use a Mouse.
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