A full week of one-on-one computer training sessions has really opened my eyes to some of the issues facing older demographics. A lot of people I am seeing tell me they have no desire to learn any new technologies (Facebook, email, internet, computers), but feel forced to do so to 'fit in'. As one patron described it, he doesn't want to be a 'caveman'. Many of these technologies require previous knowledge that some may not have. For example, to use Facebook you have to know what the internet is. To find the internet you have to know what a program is and where to find them. To open a program you have to learn how to use a mouse etc,. I feel that technology is evolving very rapidly and that if you are not following the latest in the technology world, you will quickly get swept up and left behind; something many of my senior clients are experiencing.
I often find myself thinking about what technologies are going to be out there in 40 years and whether I'll be able to keep up with them, or if I'll be swept behind. Any thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I also help a lot of seniors with one on one classes. They seem excited of the idea of understanding this entirely new world of technology. That excitement quickly fades once they encounter a problem.
ReplyDeleteMost want to learn to stay connected, via e-mail, with their loved ones who have mostly moved away. I can see how this can be a good motivation. However, yesterday in a Computer Searching class I had an interesting realization.
We were teaching the students how to use Google to find things they were interested in. I suppose the example we were using was dogs. Although most seniors might be interested in dogs, I could see their thought process being "Why don't I just get a book about dogs instead, it's much easier". (We are located in a library after all)
Then one student asked how to search for a list of calcium rich foods. We explained how to type the search in google, and a woman next to me waved me over. She had a look of excitement in her eyes when she told me that she was diabetic and had osteoporosis. I was a little confused, but then she said that she was really excited to realize there was information on the computer that could help her learn about her conditions. She had never thought of the internet as being a resource to live a healthier life.
Just this one realization seemed to make her understand the allure of learning to use the internet. She had told me before she didn't really know why she was learning it in the first place. She wanted to email her cousin, but that was really her only motivation. I think sometimes, learning about peoples interests and personal lives will help to understand the full potential of technology.