I came up with the subject for this blog post while watching this video, where Chris Pirillo's says at one point that what makes technology hard for seniors, is that whenever they ask a question, one of these 'youngsters' goes: "oh, ok, do this, click here, type this,..." How the hell can people remember what to do when they aren't even confident in the environment they're working in?
When someone asks us a tech question, we tend to go over it very quickly, just go: "oh, that's easy, just do this, this, this and this", without realizing that it may not be as easy for them as it is for us. Some time ago, my sister taught my aunt how to import photos from her camera into some photo software on her pc. She stood behind my aunt, and told her where to click, where the cable should be plugged in, ... without ever doing anything herself, she just let my aunt do it. Last wednesday, my aunt came over to visit us, and as she came in, she told us very proudly that she had found out how to rotate photos.
Because my sister had only told my aunt what to do, without doing it for her, my aunt had built up much more confidence, working with the pc. Hands-on experience is very important. I'll try to do the same when I'm asked to teach my parents or other family member something, because i generally find it hard to just sit and watch while they try. It may take longer for them to rezach their goal, and it may take you more time, because you have to stay there longer, while they follow your instructions, but it'll be better for them in the long run.
No comments:
Post a Comment
leave an interesting or creative response.