For those of us that use technology on a daily basis, it is easy to forget just how foreign a computer can feel to someone with little to no experience. New technology users come in all forms and learning to use a computer from scratch is difficult. Here are a few tips to consider when teaching someone to use a computer for the first time.
1. Increase font size. Squinting at a computer monitor isn’t comfortable for anyone. On a Mac, go to Finder > View > Show View Options to adjust the font size. For a PC, visit the computer’s Control Panel. Large font keyboards can be purchased to provide assistance as well.
2. Reduce mouse speed. Slowing down how quickly the pointer moves across the computer screen allows a beginner to easily navigate the computer. This can also be adjusted in your computer settings.
3. Play solitaire. Not only does this strengthen hand-eye coordination, it also provides good practice for tasks such as drag and drop, click and hold, and aim with the mouse.
4. Put the homepage to work. Based on a beginner’s purposes for using the computer (email, work, news, research, shopping, weather, etc.) set the Internet browser to conveniently start at a specific page. You can do this in the Preferences section for your browser.
5. Check the library. Several books, such as Easy Computing or Best-Kept Computer Secrets, present terms in a simplified context and provide step-by-step demonstrations. These also serve as great reference materials when a question pops up later.
Just in case you missed them, here’s what we shared last week:
On Monday, Amber posted a Stratepedia desktop background for January 2010.
On Tuesday, I shared information about a new, comprehensive guide to Facebook from Mashable, one of our favorite tech blogs. If you use Facebook in any capacity–from keeping up with friends to managing your personal learning network to promoting a business or cause–I highly recommend checking it out.
On Wednesday, Amber provided some links to follow during CES, the world’s largest annual consumer electronics show. Watch for her wrap-up post later this week.
We closed on the week on Friday with a discussion of five desktop conferencing options to help you meet and collaborate over a distance. If you’re as sick as I am of digging through snow and ice just to get to a meeting, you’ll want to check this one out.
Along the way we posted lots of great links about new products from CES, the new Google phone, updates to Facebook, and more. Check them out and have a great week!
If your computer didn’t have a mouse, what would you use in its place? Looks like we might find out soon enough–according to an article in Australian PC Authority, industry analysts have suggested the mouse will no longer be used as a computer input device. Instead, we’ll use motion-sensing devices like the Nintendo Wii controller or the Apple iPhone, which is both motion-aware and touch-sensitive.
What do you think? Will they ever pry your trusty mouse from your hand? Or have you already moved on to other input devices? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Computer mouse heading for extinction, Australian PC Authority, July 22, 2008
I’m usually pretty good about keeping my computers’, cameras’, and miscellaneous gadgets’ manuals on file. Inevitably, though, I come across a problem and find my manual filing system has failed me. If this happens to you as well, don’t worry–a copy is often just a few clicks away.
As more companies provide user documentation on CD-ROM, they are also placing that same documentation online. Manufacturers like Apple, HP, Canon, and Polycom make it easy to find manuals for their products, usually alongside driver updates and other important information related to your gadget.
No luck on the manufacturer’s site? Don’t give up yet–SafeManuals.com may have what you need. The site archives more than 800,000 manuals, free for download. It’s not limited to just computer-related items, either–I found the owner’s guide to my nine-year-old car on the site.
Where do you go first for tech support? Share your tips with other Hello readers in the comments below.
Reference:
Gunderloy, M. (2008, June 6). Find your missing manuals. Web Worker Daily. Retrieved June 6, 2008, from http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/06/06/find-your-missing-manuals/.
I’m somewhat displaced today, as we wait earnestly for Stratepedia HQ to get a fresh coat of paint. As I wait I’ve been catching up on some online reading. This news has been hitting my RSS reader for a couple of days now: PC sales (and by “PC” I mean both Windows and Mac computers) are on the decline in Japan. The reason? People are finding smart phones, and web-enabled TVs and game consoles a better way to go.
How does this affect what we do? Are computers yesterday’s news? Should we at CRL be focusing our technology development on smart phones and Wiis? Personally, I don’t think this changes the philosophy we’ve adopted at Stratepedia all that much–we develop for the web, not for the computer. We’ll just have to think about our materials being used in different contexts. What do you think?
Japan Leading the World From PCs to Devices [O'Reilly Radar]
