How to help someone use a computer

One thing I think is important to tell yourself is that, "You've forgotten what it's like to be a beginner." The reason this is so important to remember is that you were once in those shoes. You started the process out knowing nothing, and you have to be aware that you have come a long way to get the knowledge you have today. This means that the person you are teaching is a clean slate, and they don't know what you do. They will need the same time you did to learn the material.

An important rule to keep in mind is explaining your thinking. This is just thinking out loud. When you open up a file, tell your learners, "I am going to open up My Documents folder and within this I will find my folder named Stephanie." This is very helpful to the learner because they will be able to see and hear what is happening.

Reading this article made me realize that when we do our team presentation, we need start out very basic, because we have to assume all of our learners are just beginning with this source of technology.

Agre, Phil (1996). How to help someone use a computer. Retrieved October 14, 2007, Web site: http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html