Tips for Teaching Seniors About the Internet? 175
ColGraff asks: "I'm spending this summer teaching senior citizens how to use the Internet - specifically, email and the world wide web, so how do I teach them in a way that will meet their needs in the best way possible? Some of these people have no computer experience and I don't know if should I plunge right into web browsers (while filling in knowledge gaps as needed) or give background info first? How do you teach someone to use a mouse effectively? (Sure, it seems simple, but think about it a minute. How do you know how far to move a mouse? How fast to double-click?). What about tips on using search engines, and how to sort the wheat from the chaff? Finally, what else should I teach? Is there anything in particular I should know about when tutoring the elderly?"
show them GNU/Linux (Score:1)
lesson 1: it won't explode (Score:1)
When I taught my grandparents how to use a computer (mainly for word processing; this was 5-6 years ago, when the internet wasn't so omnipresent that they felt they needed to use it) their main worry was that they would break it, either physically by pressing something too hard or by doing something wrong that would ruin the software. They had an image of a computer as an extremely delicate thing. The analogy that worked for them was a car: they didn't know how that worked inside either, and yes, it was possible to do real damage to it, but not particularly easy. You should have seen their faces the first time they got the "bomb" error (this was an old Mac) -- and when I "fixed" it by turning it off and turning it back on! Once they had seen that, they were a lot more comfortable. jf
A true, yet disgusting story (Score:1)
Seriously this is how to teach them. (Score:1)
Re:Consistency (Score:2)
I happen to be one, and happen also to have just finished 8 years of teaching computer use to adult "newbies," many of them "Seniors." The thing I found most surprising was how much manual skill is involved. I started using a mouse when there really wasn't much to do with one, and added skills from there. It's not so easy now.
Takes patience. Especially with men. There's a lot of variation, of course, but a lot of older men have spent a lifetime working with tools that require gross movements - wrenches, hammers. Not always easy for them to do "fine" work. I tell them to try to remember the first time they drove a stick-shift car or rode a bike. Seemed clumsy at first, but now they can do it without even thinking.
And Windows, by the way (assuming that's what we're talking about here), is not so consistent as it might be. Double-click on an icon but single-click on a button. Click twice (not double) to rename a file or folder. Triple-click, even, in Word. Etc., etc.
A couple of specific tips, in response to the original post here. I introduce the idea of double-clicking on the test pad in the Mouse control panel. Nice payoff, when the jack-in-the-box jumps out. And mouse movements in Windows Paint - drawing lines and rectangles require the same technique as selecting text in a word processor, for example. Solitaire is good mouse practice too, of course, but not everybody knows how to play. Everybody likes to draw. And, it produces a file we can do other things with later (drag to the recycle bin, etc.).
Takes patience. Neat when it works, though. I had a woman in class a few years ago who was so afraid of computers I had to encourage her just to turn it on. Five weeks later she was sending out Christmas cards by email.
T
Based on my teaching experience, I would suggest . (Score:2)
1) at the beginning of class, find out what the level of experience is, what they hope to get from the class, what they are interested in. You could do this several ways:
a) orally - you might want to do this with interests like "what do you want to learn on the internet", but not skill related things like "who has never used a computer before". finding interests orally should stimulate some discussion, but no one wants to admit they are a novice in public
b) written: either hand written or using notepad or wordpad.
2) If you need to brush up on computer skills, forget the jargon, go slow, start with the basics. This is a mouse .... blah, blah blah. Play solitaire. It helps develop mouse skills. Go into the options ... you can show radio buttons, check boxes, etc there. Use the pulldown menus to start a new game. After this, get people to use word pad to write you a note. Let them write you a note telling you what skill level the have , what they want to learn, how many grandkids they have, etc. Another good one is paint. Have them draw a self portrait. No one does it well so they all get a laugh out of what they did.
3) Introduce the Internet. You can explain what a server is and that you use a browser to access it. Forget lots of technology talk ... it is not needed and likely not desired.
4) Point them to search engines. Explain how they work and some major differences. For example: Yahoo is like a hand coded yellow pages, organized by topic. Google is like the index the back of a book.
5) Help them learn how to search. For example: If you want an airline ticket ... searching for airline tickets may not the the best way to do it. You may want to go directly to an airline's site and see if they have tickets. Teach them some technique.
6) Do some research, show them sites that match the interests and wants you found out earlier when you asked them.
Remember to keep things at a reasonable pace. These people do not rush. They also do not get impatient with each other if one or two are slow. They have learned patience and tolerance. They are intelligent, and have learned much in life. Being in a class like this shows they are active and ready to learn more. Treat them with respect and decency.
You will have fun. I always enjoy teaching classes to seniors. It is a breath of fresh air.
Please check out Generations on Line (Score:3)
These folks have done a lot of the handiwork in simplifying the net for elders. They've put together materials and a "starter" site that has been specifically oriented to be the "training wheels" for the elderly. The site is fully tested with actual elders and includes large type everywhere, scaled for different monitor sizes; a web-based email with all of the confusing elements yanked out; a search engine interface with all of the confusing elements yanked out; and a simple message area where elders talk about things with schoolchildren.
It's in place or pending at several hundred sites and is expanding. It was just written about in Thursday's Philadelphia Inquirer [philly.com].
They grew up in different world... (Score:2)
There are some things to keep in mind when working with elderly people:
Only One Thing Worth Knowing (Score:4)
There's only one thing worth remembering. The elderly aren't dumb. In many cases the elderly are incredibly intelligent: the stupid ones will have wiped themselves out somehow before making it to retirement.
The elderly simply won't be familiar with the technology. It probably took you several months before a mouse became "obvious". So keep in mind that you're teaching INTELLIGENT people who are UNFAMILIAR with the technology.
There's an organisation with the express aim of teaching the elderly. It's the University of the Third Age (U3A). There are resources on the Internet and there will almost certainly be U3A groups within your local area.
Hold their hand, literally (Score:3)
Consistency (Score:5)
The main thing about the elderly and others who haven't learned computing yet is that they fear the complexity of the machines. If you show them that the user interface is designed to be consistent and helpful and not contrary and impossible, if you show them just a few cool things and what you did to get there, and if you convince them that they can learn it and that it's relatively simple once you've got some practice, then there's no problem.
Essentially there's no difference between the elderly as a specific group learning computers than any other group. Teach them not to fear the computer, show them a few cool things, and then let them loose. That's how I learned computers, I'm betting that's how you learned computers, and that's probably the best way they can learn them too.
It's the attitude that's important. If you try to learn going into the experience thinking that the machine is going to do everything it can to thwart you and that really it's a very difficult task, you'll fail. If you approach it with confidence, then it will be easy. Giving the confidence to approach the machine is your job more than actually teaching the mechanics is. If they have the confidence, the mechanics will teach themselves to the user.
Re:The mouse thing can be tricky. (Score:1)
Solitaire.. seriously! (Score:5)
Showing someone how to play solitaire on a computer is a great way to help them learn basic mousing skills, while becoming comfortable with the idea of sitting in front of a computer. Pretty much everyone knows the rules behind the game, and it's easier to make the mental leap from playing cards to the graphics on the screen than understanding concepts such as "desktop" and "file", which are abstracted much further.
Whenever I starting teaching someone who is new to computers, I try to make as many comparisons to real life as possible.
For instance, when I explain about the different between RAM and a hard drive, I tell them to thing of the computer as an office desk. The "hard drive" is the file cabinet where everything is kept. The "RAM" is the top of the desk. They can work on as many files at the same time as they can spread out on the top of the desk. Once they run out of desktop space, they need to close up one file, stick it back in the drawer, file the next one, and lay it out again. I tell them that in computer terms this is "swapping", and that's what the computer is doing when it starts getting very slow and you can hear the hard drive making noises...
--Cycon
Agreed . . . (Score:1)
My mother was always afraid she was going to break the computer I set up for her and dad, and therefore tended to use it rarely. After I lied and told her that I had everything backed up and could instantly retore it no matter what she did, and that she couldn't physically break it by pressing any of the buttons, she relaxed and now spends as much time with it as everyone else.
Now if I could only get her to stop forwarding me dumb jokes through email . . .
Experimentation (Score:2)
Re:ElderVision.Net was tackling this... (Score:1)
Just turn on your machine
The Windows install is clean
We won't even drive a mile
And you can surf in style
So let me introduce to you
The one and only man with a vision
It's Jeff Peppers Elderly Heart's Club Band...
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Consistency (Score:3)
My 88 year-old Grandmother wanted a computer "and the internet" for her 85th birthday. I foolishly went with an eMachine that seemed to be everything she wanted. Bad choice. Hardware problems have plagued us, and Win98 runs even worse on that machine than others.
My Grandmother is a very intelligent woman. She was a medical doctor long before it was common to have women doctors. She understands using processes, doing lab work, scientific method, following recipes, etc. But she still has some difficulties. She's still quite sharp, has a reasonably good memory, and decent motor control.
In any case, the big discovery about "intuitive user interfaces" is that they aren't. Why do you double-click on an icon on the desktop, single-click on a browser link, click and drag on a menu, and single-click on a toolbar? The inconsistencies are aggravating. Even if you try to break it down, you get completely tangled up: "when there's a little picture (icon), you double-click, except when it's in a toolbar. A toolbar is when all those little icons are at the top of a window. Well, yes, you can arrange all your desktop icons to be at the top of the window, but it's still not a toolbar." Etc.
My overall findings are that:
1. Coordination is a problem. Mouse control, click speed, etc, are difficult. You can compensate somewhat for this by changing mouse sensitivity and double-click rate.
2. Resolution matters. After trying many combinations, I eventually got her set up on a 17" viewable monitor running at 640x480 resolution. Bletch, you say? But it makes those icons "bigger" and easier to hit. It actually helps a lot.
3. Extensive written out procedures for dealing with common problems help, but don't solve the problem. When an unexpected error message pops up while following a procedure, the rest of it goes out the window.
4. Playing around is helpful but can cause problems. Learning by trying things is great, but you do need someone who can undo the mess. One time, she accidently pulled the tool-bars out of MS Word. She went through the menus to try to bring them back, but was looking for "buttons" rather than toolbar, so she couldn't get them back. This led to randomly trying options in the Word prefs. It took me an hour to straighten everything back out.
Still, it's remarkable to me how much of this stuff my grandmother gets. I hope that when I'm in my 80s, I'll still be able to figure out how to use the Home Defrobnicator to instavid the grandkids...
bukra fil mish mish
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Monitor the Web, or Track your site!
Been there, done that...some thoughts (Score:2)
Believe it or not, the main problems I dealt with were physical rather than mental. Maybe not so unbelievable, I suppose--these ARE teachers, after all. Many of the teachers were sufferers from usually severe arthritis. Hence, they had great difficulty in mouse control.
Be prepared to deal with the possibility of needing to have some large trackballs for some of the people to use--I found they were much easier for some of the more senior students to operate.
I envy you, though. The people you will be teaching sound like they will be there only because they WANT to learn. Try teaching 30 failures (90% of the summer school population I taught) who may be in high-school, but have rejected even learning that 2+2=4, and blocked education from their lives completely. Or have decided they only want to surf for porn. Or teachers that REFUSE to come into the 20th century gracefully.
Have fun!
Mousing can be tough for seniors... (Score:2)
The way to talk to them is... (Score:1)
Elitism prevents good growth in our "fine" clubs. (Score:1)
..Yet how quickly those same posters who apply such wisdom to the elderly, will quickly call today's middleaged or young ones stupid for failing to grasp a principal we might know.
...yet we were all newbies once, no?
I see countless posters, especially in recent articles, mentioning how they wish they learned programming way back when they were younger or how if only this or only that. Granted, learning how to use the mouse is a far cry from learning how to "manipulate the data" in memory thru arcane syntax. Then there's branching logic and multi-threading and me oh my.. But its only a matter of seeing all that arcane knowledge in the right light, is it not? How much better the open source community would do if they nurtured wannabe programmers rather then condem them back to the side-lines to continue dreaming.
There are those self motivated enough to pick up a damn book and read and read and read, and learn, and implement and become self-made programmers. There are others who were fortunate enough to afford college and have the knowledge feed to them until they got it or dropped out.
But what about those who only needed the proper guidance? The proper hand holding? Or perhaps just a lift over one particular mental-wall that prevented them from seeing the whole overall picture?
The entry-bar for programming has lowered greatly thanks to Java, Python and OO concepts in general. Some feel there will be a day where the entry-bar is lowered enough to where you can tell a computer what to do in detail purely thru english.. I feel all that is present today, no matter how arcane/complicated it is to learn how to program today.. all you need is a good teacher and/or a good written lesson plan, no?
So let me pose the following questions...
1. How many power users today who have a good grasp on utilizing their computers wish they were programmers and would probably give it a best effort try if they thought the path they were taking would lead to enlightenment on being that programmer?
2. Joe PowerUser, who knows enough to build his own clonePC and work with Linux and WindowsOfTheYear and he wants to learn to program in C (which I consider the mother of all languages worth learning today).. How would he go about it? What if he barely knew algebra? What if his common sense logic was a bit off?
What would he have to read (HOWTO URLs would be helpful rather then just books, but books work well to I hear) before he can even read the "Learn C in 21 days" stuff?
I'm talking about gaining some good foundation logic, not just "enough to get by". The better the foundation, the more fluid the housework.
-Mathematics and You 101?
-Pure and Simple Logic HOWTO?
-Structure and Design principals with pseudocode examples?
This may all be offtopic, and I may not have even structured this comment well enough.. but I can either try to please those that would nitpick, or I can appeal to those with a sense of reason beyond my own and would simply grant rather then talk about how I've been denied. I do hope I caused nothing more then a flood of replies of some pointers on where to go for those who wish to learn more then how to push their mouse.
-Matthew
Re:Consistency (Score:1)
actually, this is dead wrong. I'm a usability engineer. people who did not grow up using interactive (electronic) technologies have radically different techniques for learning technology than do people who grew up with things like calculators, video games, and computers. this disconnect is most obvious in people who are approximately over 40 versus those who are younger than 40.
those who have grown up with digital technologies have a very exploratory method of learning. they punch buttons until they get what they want. people who are older than this -- realize, please, that i am NOT talking about the 50 year old sysadmins or whoever else reads slashdot -- do NOT use this exploration method. they tend to search for step-by-step instructions and tend not to look for hidden functionality (menus). in other words, they tend to approach "learning technology" problems in the way that one would attempt to learn how to use a mechanical object. unfortunately for the elderly, most interfaces today are designed with the implicit assumption that newbies to the interface will try to learn by exploring.
there are other issues in human cognition/physiology that affect how the elderly learn computers as well. for example, the amount of light that the elderly eye can perceive is about half that of a 25 year old. this means it's much harder to read text, look at pictures, and find what you're looking for. motor skills decrease -- it's harder to target icons.
Re:Poor Trent Waddington (Score:1)
Re:Security Focus and Bugtraq (Score:1)
Security Focus and Bugtraq (Score:2)
Let them work on a Macintosh (Score:3)
But lately, my father wanted to buy a computer to discover Internet, print photographs of my daughter, and do some word processing. I suggested him to buy an iMac.
He's 60 years old, and he has absolutely no experience with computing (even using a tape recorder is difficult for him
I had to configure the internet dial-up parameters, install Realplayer, and show him the basics of internet. What are search engines (I gave him only search engines in his native language, as he's english is very poor), how to save pictures, how to print them, how to read and send mail, how to launch the word processor, how to play a DVD. I also bought him a book (something like Macintosh for dummies) .
Now he really enjoys his computer. It took about 1 month for him to be autonomous. Now he's still discovering things, but he doesn't need help from anyone any more.
I'd still suggest an iMac for beginners. MacOS is easy to use. It's eye-candy. There are less viruses than in the Windows world. And for stability... well, sometimes it crashed. But it's doesn't stop working for no reason. Sometimes with Windows, after installing new software or after a crash, things are ceasing to work, and it's very difficult to fix (my Windows 2000 box doesn't work more than 2 minutes since I installed the DVD drivers, I don't know how to revert that) . So far, things like that never happened to him. His Macintosh is still running the default install with no problem so far.
Another great thing about Macintosh hardware, especially iMacs : they aren't noisy. Older people (at least my mother) find noisy PC fans really annoying. iMacs are silents, especially when the hard disk is in standby. And a last great thing about Macintosh hardware : they are easy to plug. No need for a lot of cable, and this is also very good for older people.
Re:Consistency (Score:2)
I do agree that things should be kept simple. This does not mean to treat them like they're retarded. Perhaps a combination of showing final purpose, and preparation of basic knowledge. Point out the goal, and try to get a sense of real communication. Don't just babble off information, and expect it to just be absorbed. Be more interactive to make sure they all understand the goal... use metaphores... ask them to tell you what they are thinking, and either reassure their correctness or guide them down a better way of thinking. You can use your students to teach others, by pulling out their perspective and moulding it into a helpful view for everyone. It's likely other students will share views with those that you can get to share, and showing a progression of thought from a common point helps everyone.
After establishing a well communicated goal, step back to the beginning, and show them how to get there. It might be good to reassure them a bit, and try to keep it clear how the current step gets them to their goal. It's a lot easier to travel a path when you have some clue about where you're headed.
And finally, keep a good sense of their progress. If everyone is picking things up, move on... don't beat a dead horse. If the students are having difficulty with a specific topic, look at the problem. Is it that their is a missing step needed to understand that topic, or is it just that there is a mis-perception? Either way, always remember to work with your students so you know how they're doing.
I've never taught kids, but I have taught in professional training courses. My students have had a range of backgrounds, from never having used anything but windows to having been a regular UNIX user, and I have always been able to get everyone to understand what I was teaching (Oracle DBA, UNIX arhitecture, and SAP architecture classes). The key is to keep it interactive.
Good luck in teaching those seniors!
Cheers,
-Alex
Re:Consistency (Score:1)
--
Taught my parents a year ago.... (Score:1)
BTW My Dad lost interest (big waste of time INO) and my Mom has become very proficient all on her own.
G
Re:Solitaire.. seriously! (Score:2)
Re:Task-based learning (Score:1)
Nah, like everyone else, if they do random stuff, they'll forget about it. People remember how to do things that mean something; people also tend (in my experience) to forget things that don't mean something. Another poster made a point about not bothering with technical details that don't affect the task at hand; that is a very valid point.
The "Oh, cool, I can do that???!!!" factor is important, too. If you show someone how to do something that helps him or her but that he or she didn't think he or she could do, then have him or her do it, he or she will probably remember it. Which brings in my favorite task when teaching seniors about their computers: let them know that they can customize the way the interface looks, especially colors and font size. This introduces them to the Control Panel (on Windoze machines), which is a bit of a Pandora's box, but when you show them how to change to "High-resolution colors, large fonts" with two clicks (by using the schemes), they will often be amazed. Many seniors have poor vision (eyes, like most body parts, tend to deteriorate over time); a lot of the seniors I met didn't even realize that I could make things that much easier for them.
Get kids to teach 'em (Score:1)
Re:Elitism prevents good growth in our "fine" club (Score:1)
A plug for the book I learned C++ with: Practical C++ Programming (published by O'Reilly in IIRC 1996) which is what I used in my intro programming class freshman year of college, as a replacement for the regular course textbook which I didn't like. The book is well-written, coherent, and easy to use, with good examples.
Teaching how to think logically is a vastly more difficult proposition. I would tend to think that logical mindset is an innate talent-- either you have it or you don't. That said, one of the best courses I took at college (Carnegie Mellon) was called (something like) Introduction to Modern Mathematics-- basically a course in How To Prove Stuff (mostly by induction). No requirement for math background beyond basic algebra. Gave me a good foundation for how to reason about programs. The textbook was called "Classical Algebra", can't recall the author at the moment. Contact artemis@cmu.edu if you're interested and I'll see what I can dig up. Also, my high school geometry class had a section on how to do basic geometry proofs (less esoteric than induction) so you might look for a HS geometry text.
A lot of people find the idea of "where do I start?" daunting. A "power user" might be directed towards learning shell scripting to start out with. S/he can become comfortable with the basics of variables, conditionals, etc without the overhead of learning the concepts behind, say, C++ or Java, while building a tangibly beneficial system tool. Web scripting (not just HTML, scripting) is also useful in this way-- results are fast and tangible.
For whatever reason, I found Perl really accessible. Regexes are cool, and text manipulation might be easier for some than numerical manipulation.
I'm sure I'll think of something else later. Hope this helps.
Re:They're just students, after all... (Score:2)
The point I was trying to get across was that the person in question needs to evaluate his students. He can't just get advice like "some old people can't hear well, so talk loudly". It has to be "be sure you teach appropriately for your students".
Now, you can assign people to groups all you want. Have fun. But unless you look at them individually, don't teach my kids
Barclay family motto:
Aut agere aut mori.
(Either action or death.)
Re:They're just students, after all... (Score:2)
As for walking into a Roots concert with a Backstreet Boys T-shirt... Well, I dunno about that. I don't know who Roots are. But I know I wouldn't dress in any particular way. Well, if I thought it was going to be a randy concert, I probably wouldn't wear my best clothing. But if I felt like wearing my favorite T-shirt(it's actually just a plain blue T-shirt made of some rather nice cotton - but let's pretend it's a Back Street Boys T-shirt), then I would. Mine you, I'm a fairly big guy, and I've got fairly big friends, so I'm not worried about getting beaten up or anything. Not that I even think that would happen. Maybe it would where you come from, but any place I'm likely to go to would have plenty of people willing to defend someone if a situation arose.
But I think that's neither here nor there. I was trying to get across that the best teachers evaluated their students individual. Sure, they have to teach to the class - but that doesn't mean that they can't be aware of what each individual student is capable of, what their needs are, and how to best teach to them specifically. I don't know if it's the skill itself, or just the attitude though. I'd bet that it's the attitude. A teacher willing to really *look* at the individual is probably willing to put more effort into teaching in general. Who knows? I don't have a degree, but I'm a very, very good tutor. I dunno if I could do as well with a class of 30, but I betcha I could do just as well with a class of 10.
Anyways, have fun
Barclay family motto:
Aut agere aut mori.
(Either action or death.)
They're just students, after all... (Score:3)
I'm spending this summer teaching senior citizens how to use the Internet - specifically, email and the world wide web
Very commendable.
Is there anything in particular I should know about when tutoring the elderly?
No. Elderly people don't speak some alien language. They don't have green blood. They're just students. Teach them like you'd teach any student. Some will be faster than others. Some might have poor eyesight. Some might not hear well. Some might be a lot smarter than you(generally speaking). Just teach them like you'd teach other people.
I find analogies work best. Of course, you choose your analogies based on the audience. But that's an individual-student thing, not a generalization to be applied to differently-aged people.
Capiche?
DaveBarclay family motto:
Aut agere aut mori.
(Either action or death.)
My Experiences (limited though they are) (Score:5)
As to you question, I would show them how to use (I assume) windows. Basic things, starting programs, closing them, using the start menu. Maybe deleting files. Use some kind of word processor as a demo for all this, so they can learn something useful, as well as how to use the OS. Show them how to start a web browser and basic things, like how to go forward/back, favorites, the history, etc.
Just my $0.02
I can't say it enough (Score:1)
patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience patience
Re:Consistency (Score:1)
Foundations (Score:1)
For example, my dad, who's 77, called me over to his house to show me "something weird" that was happening when he was exiting out of Internet Exploder on Winblowz 98. Seems that he was double clicking, instead of single clicking the X to exit IE and bringing up the Winblowz start menu. Even something as simple as this can be very frustrating for older persons with little computer experience.
You have to also remember that some people in the later years tend to forget things easily. Something that was taught yesterday may need to be refreshed at the next session.
Another issue is that allot of these folks are just plain afraid of this "new fangled" technology. They don't understand the inner workings of a PC and are afraid that if the click on the wrong area, or hit the wrong key that the PC will go south.
Re:Consistency (Score:1)
Fear is the key (Score:1)
Re:stick to the tamer side of the web (Score:1)
Re:stick to the tamer side of the web (Score:1)
Re:ElderVision.Net was tackling this... (Score:1)
Do old people lose appreciation for colour and get better at picking out minor variations in tone?
Re:Hold their hand, literally (Score:1)
She was back up to speed in no time.
Longshot
Font size is very important (Score:1)
The mouse thing can be tricky. (Score:2)
Senior Summer School (Score:2)
Re:Hold their hand, literally (Score:1)
Re:Some good points here... (Score:1)
I agree. If you have to teach programming to old people, Perl is the way to go.
--
Stress security! (Score:1)
Also, stress VERY HEAVILY that web browsing and email are indeed FREE. When showing this nun aspects of email and the 'net, she will often ask me "will it cost me anything?" Stress also that unless they specifically give out a credit card number for something, no one can charge them for anything, as deceiving as a message may be.
RUN AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN (Score:3)
I live in an retirement town which poor seniors flock to, we basically have the worst of the worst. I can tell you from first hand that the elderly are largely intractable. This isn't to say there aren't elderly who can't learn -- but most simply can't.
Theres several problems with the elderly and technology in general
1 Its all new to them. The elderly are very good at staying away from new technology, so many will have absolutley no frame of refrence for using a computer. Case in point : my g/f's grandfather about 3 years ago came home absolutley extatic about this new thing called an "ATM" that "gives you money and you don't even have to go into the bank!" Her grandmother still refuses to use it. Many of these people will have never used a digital system of any type before.
2 Abstraction, the elderly have difficult abstracting concepts. Try explaining to them that the internet is millions of computers by connected by all sorts of different things
3 Most senior citizens formed their personalities and prefrences in their early 20's. For most of them, that was half a century ago. Brain plasticity (ability to learn new skills) decreases with age. If you learn a language before the age 14 it is stored in a different place in your brain then if you had started younger in your life. Some elderly are *incapable* of understanding computers.
4 Lastly, many of the elderly are just assholes. My grandmother absoultley gets off on screaming and yelling at people. She looks FORWARD to it. This isn't just her, ever been to Arbys and see a 70 year old yell at some poor 16 year old until she's in tears?
Anticdote : My grandmother has a street light on her property for which she is assessed a property tax of 40$ a year. The lighbulb went out on a SUNDAY NIGHT, and she called the city and left a scathing message to the tune of "I pay 40$ a year I want this thing fixed now!"
-- my point is, many of the elderly have lived long and FUCKED up lives -- alot of them who were young during the depression era have alot of issues. Alot just have issues.
5 Their sense of entitlement. The elderly are the greediest portion of the population -- they feel they are owed everything. Your gonna have people call you up and DEMAND help with something *RIGHT NOW*. How is your patience?
-- now -- I've certainly painted a bad picture of the elderly here. There are of course some very kind and nice elderly people out there.
So now I've listed the traits that will make them unable to learn, these are traits of folks who can learn :
1. People who are reasonably affluent and it good health.
2. People who own other technologies like microwave ovens, cd players, people who can work their vcrs (Seriously, if you can't work a VCR how could you ever use a computer)
3. People who aren't scathing mad at the world (we have alot of those here).
Lastly, I'd like to attack the MS propaganda that computers are "easy to use" and the capitalist-consumer-tripe that you have to have a computer to participate in society today.
First off: Computers are not easy to use, they are easier to use then they used to be. MS's claim is that anyone can use their OS, bullshit. You know how many people there are who can't install a program or copy a file to a disk? "The only intuitive interface is the nipple, after that its all learned."
Seconly: The media has tried VERY hard to make people think they MUST have a computer. Thats simply untrue. There are alot of people who simply shouldn't have computers -- and theres nothing wrong with that.
Re:Consistency (Score:1)
teaching seniors... (Score:1)
i have been teaching seniors, on and off, for the last couple of years now.
most seniors i know, have a tough time learning about new things, especially when i comes to technology.
the first thing you have to do, for your own sake and theirs, is make everything you do and say idiot proof. dont use any technical terms!
there is a definite need to know basis for those, and senior (actually every enduser) doesnt need to know! (e.g. POP3, TCP/IP.
put away your geek pride and stick with the simple things. i admit its tough, but it works far better.
before you start teaching, think about what you want them to know about the subject (computers, internet). email and the web are must do's, but i never even touched the subject of chatrooms and such. dont get me wrong, i would have tried hard to get that info across, but there is on real need for that.
the only thing that most seniors expect from the net, is exchanging letters with their friends and families, looking at pics of their grandkids, and the odd one subscribes to a daily joke mailing list.
most software today, has way to many options for my taste, so you have to shield them from those aswell. unlike something i have read in one of these comments, seniors usually dont poke around software to find out what it can do!
reading, deleting, saving, replying, forwarding emails, and viewing attachments does the trick.
eventhough i agree that search engines (even google) can be somewhat confusing, its a good idea to teach seniors the concept. bookmarks are a definite must aswell.
correct usage of the mouse, is also i thing that needs to be thought. most of my "clients" confused the left and right mouse buttons, or moved the mouse while dbl clicking. the later is usually the case, when they concentrate on the mouse instead of the screen. tell them to follow the arrow/cursor on the screen while moving the mouse. also tell them to "cup" the mouse with their hands, thus using middle and index finger on the l/r mouse buttons.
a game of xbill would definitly help them with their coordination, but i wouldnt even want to go there. which brings me to my next point.
dont let them use linux. please!!! no one i know wants to add to evil bills riches, but the only thing you'll archive by "trying" to teach linux to a senior with no prior computer knowledge, is one less senior using computers and the net.
if they get frustrated by something, that their kids talked them into in the first place (maybe!), they'll just throw the towel.
by the way, if they ever encouter a bsod in windows and they ask you about it, dont start ranting away, about how this piece of software sucks
sound aweful in know, but try explaining to them why they were sold a faulty product. there is no know fix for faulty MS products, so tell them how to fix them (ctrl+alt+del, in most cases) and go on with life. just think, its waisting your time and theirs
Tom
PS: comments and questions via email welcome.
PPS: flamers suck!
How to help someone use a computer (Score:1)
The Best Way... (Score:1)
Or, anyway, that's what worked for my grandma, God rest her soul.
Diversity among the elder generation (Score:1)
Assure them they can't break the machine (Score:2)
In general computer classes that I've taught (and not just those for the elderly) I've found many students who are afraid that they'll "break" the computer. They've been told that computers are expensive, that they crash, that they're delicate, that they're complex, and so forth. Combine this with students who are sometimes very self-conscious that they seem to be the only ones on earth who aren't computer-literate, and they approach every step with fear and trepidation, which inevitably hampers experimentation and learning.
So start off your class with a reassuring statement about how robust the computer is. No matter how they click their mouse or type on their keyboard, they aren't going to physically damage the machine. Even if they somehow manage to find a way to erase or misplace the software on the computer, it is easily replaced. You probably want to encourage them not to spill drinks in the keyboard or pound on the machine with a brick, but other than that they should be fine. Once they learn that they're not at risk to incur a $2,000 repair bill, they should be more comfortable experimenting with the machine.
Some good points here... (Score:3)
Other points: As we know, there is usually more than one way of doing things. It might be best to stick with one consistent way... e.g., maybe the main menu route. Then you can convince them that the toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts do exactly the same thing, somewhere down the line.
Get them to write stuff down! All of my clients keep a special notebook for computer stuff. Make them write stuff down in some detail... cutting/copying and pasting seems to be a real bitch for some reason. The desktop metaphor is just similar enough to the "real world" to really be confusing to some folks.
Get them comfortable with email right off the bat. This can get them nicely reconnected with their families in many cases, and plus makes it easier to support them.
Make sure they understand the difference between the Internet and the Web and email and so forth. It's not as obvious as it seems! And it's fun to see the light go off when they figure out just what the Web is...
If you're not into it, don't do it. I've worked with folks who have had very bad experiences at the hands of impatient, inarticulate jerks who made them feel stupid, and it takes some time and effort to work through it. This ain't rocket science, it's just a bit different from what they're used to.
Which leads to my final point: Have some heart for these people - like them! Have some time to talk about non-computer stuff, etc. Find some points of contact. You will be so rewarded when they become adept computer jockeys! And even if they don't!
- sgage
Gear it to them (but don't miss things out)! (Score:1)
-Mark
Må jeg få en tjener? www.nine9.ukshells.co.uk [ukshells.co.uk]
Best book I've found (Score:1)
The best book I've found for first time PC users is by Cliff's Notes, and it's called "Using Your First PC" or something obvious like that. I got it for my mom when I finally dragged her kicking and screaming into the digital age (her typewriter actually has keys that jam!!!). The best thing about it is that it's small, as you would expect from Cliff's Notes. It's just a basic reference with tons of screen shots.
Re:Consistency (Score:1)
It started out as a joke. (Score:1)
I always wondered how close to the truth that idea was, until I had to instruct a 70 something guy at work on how to use the internet. I started off showing him some of the usual things, search engines, typing addresses directly in, etc. He was floundering along until I showed him some porn. Now he does all his own surfing, only asking for help with little hints and tricks to do what he wants faster. He now has a vision of what it is he wants to do, which I think was the problem in the first place.
Re:Consistency (Score:2)
I do not think this is the case. I have been teaching my grandfather, whose last computer ran DOS 6, to use his brand new HP, complete with scanner, printer, and CDR-RW drive. He picked up the mouse and GUI very quickly, but he will not learn anything by poking around. Why is this? He won't remember what he did. Unfortunately, as people get older, the memory starts to go. I had to teach him the same thing over and over, and he'd still say, "I don't remember doing this last time." What worked very well (my grandmother's idea) was having an index card for each task. One to connect to the ISP, one to scan, one to check email, one to instant message someone. He may not remember what he's supposed to do, but he can follow the instructions on the card, and learn the tasks at whatever rate he happens to learn them.
The fact that... (Score:2)
DO NOT touch the keyboard or mouse. Ever! (Score:2)
I know it's just so tempting but you've pretty much lost it if you give in. I've heard too many people say "And then he grabbed the mouse and typed something, but I don't know what..."
I also think it pays to remind people that they're not stupid. Don't let people say "Oh I don't get it, I guess I'm stupid." Tell 'em it's the programmer or designers fault--which it is generally.
I also agree with what's been said about getting people to write things down.
Teaching Search Engines (Score:1)
In the Daily Mirror in the UK is a fiendish general knowledge crossword. Finding the answers to the questions on the net is good for teaching search engines, and some of the big info sites (e.g. imdb, britannica, expedia). It also helps for bookmarks, as similar categories of questions often come up.
Re:Some Techniques... (Score:2)
One confusing thing about this is that ONE goes DOWN from the root to the "leaves" in a computer filesystem, and real world trees always (I'm fairly sure of this) grow up, not down.
Re:Linux is dying (Score:1)
Bring back the goatcex.....at least that is perverse.
Even slashdot's trolls are getting weak.
Lol
Start with "basics" (Score:3)
People sometimes get a little frustrated with slow progress at first (because it's a while before they can get to the "fun stuff") but I think it turns out to be well worth it.
Also, I've noticed a sign that things aren't going well is when your "students" have to resort to rote memorization. For example, my mom writes down every single step I tell her. If I say "go to the File menu, and then pick Print" she has to write it down in excruciating detail, ie, "move mouse pointer to the word 'file', press left mouse button, move mouse down to word 'print', press left mous button, etc..."
And she wonders why her progress is so slow. You can't really begin to be productive with a computer until the basics (moving the mouse, pulling down menus, etc) are intuitive.
Of course, we were all newbies at one point. And old people don't have the benefit of having grown up with all sorts of electronic gizmos like us. Come on... how many of you had your paths into the computer world paved by Ataris and NES's? Hehee...
http://www.bootyproject.org [bootyproject.org]
Do not (!) start with the basics. (Score:3)
shaky hands (Score:1)
(click-shake-click winds up as 'drag and reselect' and not as 'open/launch'.)
Adjusting the double-click speed helped a bit, but the best thing was getting them a trackball. Much easier to isolate the movement from the clicking. They never looked back.
Teaching seniors... wow... (Score:3)
1: You're going to have to keep your group size small. 1 person trying to keep 20 seniors to task is just not going to work effectivley (IMHO) Back in HS, I helped with a training session for teachers. We were in a 1:5 ratio, and it was hard enough.
2: Plan, Prepare & Practice your lessons. Think about what you are going to teach. Think about things from their angle. If something is glaringly obvious to you, it's not going to be glaringly obvious to them.
3: Handouts are effective! After being asked over and over and over again about "How do I do this...", I created a series of paper handouts that has step by step instructions to do it. (Screen shots are helpful!)
4: See what they already know. Find out what the people already know. Try to get them working in teams with people who have a little bit more experience.
And my last rule of thumb: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) I can't emphasize just how important it is for you to keep things simple.
Re:They're just students, after all... (Score:2)
students are broken down into groups all the time and different teaching approaches are used for each group. for example, acelerated or honor's classes try to isolate a group of students who are supposedly brighter than their peers. the teered college system that our country has is another way of classifying students. Grade levels based on past experience is another.
Furthermore its hard to argue that age doesnt play a roll in the ability to grasp new concepts and learn new facts. try teaching a four year old and a 35 year old a new language, chances are the four year old will be fluent long before the older student. repeat teh experiment with a 35 year old and a 70 year old and youll get the same results.
the only point to saying that a group of people are just students when they could much more accuratly be described by seniors is to be Politicaly Correct. and this is still slashdot right??
stick to the tamer side of the web (Score:3)
For example, if they want to look up information babe ruth mlb's web site would be a better place to start than a search engine.
if you give them a list of bookmarks ranging from encyclopedia's to trivia sites itll be easier for them to digest the information than if you give them a search engine and show them how to get whatever they want.
Hardware considerations (Score:2)
teaching beginners (Score:2)
1) with Power off - have them find all of the keys on the keyboard (enter key, escape key, functions keys. etc) Make the push ther keys, which is why the power is off
2) With Power off - mouse drill, as above - pick up the muse find the ball, etc.
3) Power on and off drills - how to tell if it is on, sleeping. etc. How to turn on the computer, how to shut it off, correctly.
4) Following directions - do a simple installation of something with a professional manual.
The point of this is to get used to the manual, how to figure things out, and how to know when to quite because you are over your head.
Do not explain the directions to them! Ask them to read the directions, system requirements, etc. on each individual bit, ask them the vital question. "what does that mean to you?" "Read it again" etc.
Example:
"Okay, read the first line" - 'requires windows 2000'
Okay! "What does that mean to you?" - 'it needs windows'
"right! what kind of windows does your computer have?" - 'I don't know'
Okay! What did it say when it started?" - 'I don't remember'
"Well, let's look" - 'Okay'
"Good. let's shut down the Computer" - (student does so, because you already taught this)
"good, now turn it on" - (Student does so, because you already taught this)
"excellent, - What does it say you have?" - 'Redhat Linux' -
"alright, let's read that first line" - 'requires Windows 2000'
"Right. And what kind of windows do you have?" - 'Redhat Linux
"good. Now is that windows 2000?" - Nope.'
"Right! so can you use this on this computer?" - 'Nope'
"Right. - Is that Windows at all?" - I guess not"
"Right. Now what about that computer there?" - 'yes it is, I see the logo'
ETC. through reading the instructions. This obviously needs alot of patience, but gets the basics covered quickly.
handle questions by having them look.
('Will this run on my machine?' - "What does it say?")
If you keep focussing on people looking and learning and doing it themselves and getting more familiar, that will handle things thoroughly.
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Some Techniques... (Score:5)
Having spent a number of years assisting older new computer users in becoming accustomed to their machines, I think I can offer some helpful suggestions. My advice is perhaps best broken into three categories: attitude, metaphors and technology.
Attitude
One of the most common mistakes I see among younger people working with the elderly, even well-meaning younger people who are volunteering to help in the first place, is a patronizing or condescending attitude. Most older computer users expect that computers are going to be frustrating, to some degree. They don't need to be "soothed" and can deal with frustration. By the same token, they don't need to be faced with two sources of frustration: the computer and the instructor. To avoid contributing to frustration:
Speak clearly and at a moderate pace and a volume perhaps slightly louder than you are used to using with twenty-somethings. This is a generally good habit to get into with people in their seventies and eighties. Don't scream, but don't mumble, either.
Don't digress. While you may think it is profoundly important to explain how the software is working in the background, or what the difference between RAM and the hard drive is, this extra information is just clutter to someone trying to accomplish a task. Only bring up extraneous information if you are asked a direct question.
Use common language and avoid jargon. If jargon is necessary, define all terms. It's true that people benefit from explanations and context, but only if they understand those explanations.
This last point leads to my next section, on the use of appropriate metaphors.
Metaphors
The biggest conceptual leap for an older computer user is the idea of hierarchy in the computer, whether that hierarchy is expressed in the layers of the file system, or in layers of stacked windows. Operating system GUIs, all of them, fail miserably in terms of usability by allowing windows to be stacked, and allowing non-modality. Yes, of course you readers of Slashdot are power users, and these things don't confuse you, but have you ever been in a forty-five minute conversation trying to explain what happens when a pop-up window disappears behind the main browser window? It is impossible to overestimate how difficult this concept is for many older people. It is not, by any means, a lack of intelligence, capability, memory or any such thing. Rather, it is a learned concept that the average Slashdot reader was fortunate enough to pick up transparently in childhood. I don't mean to suggest older users _won't_ get the hierarchy concept, but that instructors should not brush by the idea without acknowledging what a big conceptual leap it is. Metaphors can help the transition.
There's a reason why the Macintosh has a "desktop"; it was presumed that the metaphor of the desk and working with static, page-like files would allow users to comfortably transition to the hierarchic file system. Use the desktop metaphor to explain the idea of layered windows, which are much like stacked pages.
The "tree" metaphor has also been successful with a lot of my clients. The hard drive is the "root", the folders/directories are the "branches" and the files are the "leaves". Go ahead and draw a picture; this isn't patronizing.
By the way, don't encourage new users of any type to mulitask. For example, never, ever, ever start by saving a document to a personal folder in the hierarchy. Save everything to the default location. Then, close all applications, and commence a completely different exercise: moving the document from one place to another. This prevents users from conflating the function of the application and the filesystem.
Technology
It is extremely worthwhile to attempt to set up your users' computers beforehand to make their experience better. Make sure that all applications are easily accessible from the Start or Apple menu. Make sure that all windows in applications are maximized, so the desktop is hidden (this is much less confusing). Make sure each user has a "My Documents" or personal folder accessible from the desktop. Make sure that to whatever extent is possible, applications present modal windows, and that Web sites you visit do not generate pop-ups or other screen clutter. Plan the lesson ahead of time and set the lesson up in your software, so that you are not in the position of confusing the user in the process of correcting an overlooked and extraneous step.
Re:The orthoginal problem (Score:2)
So the real question for seniors on the net is: how do you prepare people who were "outraged" by the mere idea (in its day) that game-shows were sometimes fixed and who think that anything that looks and feels like a news show is relatively unbiased?
This is a great question, and probably as important a component of teaching people about the Internet as the technological side.
Here are a couple of ideas that occur to me:
1. Give them examples of stories about people getting ripped off or hurt. You can't come up with an example to prepare them against every possible con scenario, but you can try to instill some skepticism by giving them an idea about the breadth and creativity of unscrupulous people on the Internet.
2. Show them some actual sites with incorrect information, poor business practices, etc. A good example (that would probably hit home for many older people) might be to look up a medical condition on several authoritative-looking websites, and show them the differences and contradictions among the various websites' descriptions of symptoms, treatments, etc.
3. When they're starting out, some of the guidelines you'd use with your kids are probably applicable here as well. Don't give out identifying information except perhaps an email address for registration, don't give out credit card numbers, don't give out passwords, etc. Of course, you can't talk down to them or they'll be (justifiably) insulted, and they will probably eventually want to do things like e-commerce. So also tell them about the things you should consider before buying stuff online (e.g., return policy, privacy policy, reputation of the merchant, etc.). If they wait a while before they start doing e-commerce, the extra net-savviness from their experience will probably help them in finding such information online.
4. Show them the extent of online horrors by sending them to goatse.cx. (Just kidding, I think.)
Re:stick to the tamer side of the web (Score:5)
Now-a-days all you kids and your eco-friendly fancy schmancy respect-everybody want to teach old people how to use the internet.
Well, all I have to say is this... If old people needed to learn how to use the 'net, then they would learn it. Your typical old-nearly-dead (such as myself) spends their time watching Alex Trebeck and Pat Sajek and we have no need for the fancy-schmancy commerciallized contorsion that used to be the internet.
Back in my day, we used the internet to trace milatary sectrets and send information to colleagues. Now it's a commercialized joke that's dominated by too few large corporations.
Instead of teaching us old fogies how to use the internet, we'd rather that you gave us all sponge baths.
whatever you do.... (Score:2)
then again...maybe you do wanna keep it simple despite it being completely misleading. it's like grammer school. They only teach you what you need to know till you are taught better.
Games (Score:3)
Once they got caught up in a game of solitaire, they got over the intimidation of the computer and learned the mouse very quickly without even realizing it.
Its also a good way to introduce menus like options and help, since its all very logical in the context of a game.
Teaching computer skills (Score:2)
First, the most common method is to teach by example and promote task oriented proficiency, such as is done if the classic for dummies books. This methos is by far the preferred method when doing introductory training, and is probably most appropriate for senior citizens who don't nesecerily have a concept of the overall capabilities of computers or technology as a whole.
The second method, which is far less common, but which I prefer and feel would be much more effective for inquisitive indeviduals (those who chose to become computer literate, bot because they felt the need to, but rather, because they wished to). That is, to provide a conceptual framework around which the student can develop experience and gain task oriented proficiency, rather than teach in a task oriented fashion.
It comes down to the old saying:
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a long time to come... or however it goes
I would think the former strategy would be a better teaching method for senior citizens though. This is what I've found in my short time as an adult education instructor.
--CTH
---
Write Down Instructions (Score:5)
it's easy (Score:3)
Two words (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Explain... (Score:3)
Also, a little pet peeve... Explain the 'syntax' of a URL -- what the "http://" means, and how the domain is essentially a reverse directory -- slashdot goes under "org", and "www" goes under Slashdot.
A smaller pet peeve -- the www isn't necessary. I've taken to not typing it at all, and very rarely do I need it.
As if you don't have enough tips... A discussion of e-mail hoaxes and spam is in order; not to mention viruses. I find that seniors are usually impressed with the coolness of a complete stranger sending them a 'webpage' as an attachement... And my grandfather was convinced for the longest time that the US Postal Service was going to start taxing everyone for lost profits due to e-mail. And dealing with spam could be its own lesson.
Good luck with the class, I appreciate what you're doing.
________________________________________________
Re:Solitaire.. seriously! (Score:2)
My grandmother bought her first computer when she was 89. She's an intelligent, alert woman for her age, but you have to accept that a person's mind becomes set in its ways by that age. It's been very difficult for her to learn simple tasks. Not because she's not intelligent or even not capable of learning, but because it's a medium that's so completely unrelated to anything she learned as a child. There is no point of reference for her at all, which makes every little thing a thing to be individually memorized, not something you could deduce from something else. Here are some things I've learned from trying to help her with the "evil machine":
And most important, have LOTS AND LOTS of patience!
Solid Models (Score:2)
You can break this down further with URLs. The example I used which worked well was a (modified) file cabinet. This relationship doesn't work as well today with more people using scripting like PHP and Perl for their sites (in that, you don't get to make the subfolder analogy very well, now).
Also, one CRITICAL thing is, when you're teaching a class, profile the students for a second. Is somebody not ready for the class? One Saturday, as I was teaching a class, there was one older gentleman who was getting VERY frustrated. I talked to him for a moment and he says, "That's all well and good, but HOW DO I TURN THIS THING ON?" I discussed with him separately after the class in a small scale about some basics, and let him know that I'd offer an introduction to PCs level course later on. He was appreciative.
I think, in general, you'll be okay as long as you stand up there without thinking "how do I teach these sheep to use the 'Net? I mean, it's so freakin' easy!" Make them treat you like a peer (which can be tough, I was teaching these courses at 15, and it's hard to get a 60 year old to imagine you in their position). Once they think of you as a friendly figure, it can only get better from there.
-k.
Just a couple of hints. (Score:2)
relate something in life, to the computer activity. Example would be the Little Ceasers pizza commercials to the double click of the mouse. Have them say "Pizza Pizza" as they click it twice, you would be amazed how much time this is going to save you.
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid - Don't overwhelm them. Write them out process sheets. Step 1 - power on computer, step 2 power on monitor, step 3 check that keyboard and mouse are pluged in, step 4 put in logon name, step 5 put in password.
Assume they know nothing..period and document it all to paper and hand it to them. Go though it step by step. Never move out of the basics until they ask to be moved. They are proud and will not tell you they don't understand.
Be very very understanding, and take extra care it will be difficult at times.
I wish you the best of luck.
Neck_of_the_Woods
Re:Consistency (Score:2)
Linux, a 24x80 screen, and the command line
now if only Gopher were still alive...
Mobility tricks... (Score:2)
Our solution was to mix in instruction in keyboard shortcuts. It may be faster to mouse, but remember that beginners (especially seniors) are going to be constantly trying to catch up with the computer anyhow -- they aren't likely (at least not at first) to be multitasking and needing that extra speed.
The tip that has been the most successful has been that anytime you would need to double-click, you can single-click on that item, then press [ENTER] to get the same result. Folks who would gamely try to double-click over and over without success have no difficulty clicking once then pressing [ENTER].
Beyond that we've simplified their interface as much as possible - maximized windows by default, turned off unneccessary toolbars and menus so they had fewer distractions, set the fonts to be slightly larger and the screen resolution/contrast to be as easy as possible for them to see.
We enabled sounds, but we reset the sounds to be simple and distinctive, and to only use a few of them, so that they aren't confused by the pecular chirping frog, but instead have learned that this sound is an error, that sound means they have new mail and that sound means they've successfully clicked or whatnot.
After a while the seniors get more comfortable and, for the ones who are physically able, more adept with the mouse. Initially it's best to make it as simple and friendly as possible for them and don't make them rely entirely upon the "newfangled mouse-thingy".
Best of luck!
-Coach-
ElderVision.Net was tackling this... (Score:3)
Only one problem. Our success was cut short by the fact that venture capitalists didn't seem to think we were a company with a valuable service. Go figure.
If you want to know more about this, you can check out ElderVision's web site (a minimal version is still online) at http://www.eldervision.net [eldervision.net]. You can jump straight to our product description here [eldervision.net].
If you'd like, I can put you in touch with Jeff Pepper, the man with the vision (no pun). Send email to silicon@compsci.duq.edu. Maybe he can provide you with more information.
The orthoginal problem (Score:3)
My fear of her getting on the internet is that the kind of confidence tricks played on the elderly could easily be amplified against her by her, seemingly fundamental, feeling that only authorities are allowed to speak authoratatively in a public media.
Oh sure, she'll *say* she understands that she should beleive next to nothing on the net. But will she *believe* it well enough to protect herself.
Prior evidence suggests not.
So the real question for seniors on the net is: how do you prepare people who were "outraged" by the mere idea (in its day) that game-shows were sometimes fixed and who think that anything that looks and feels like a news show is relatively unbiased?
ASIDE: Do you think that "the youth of today"(tm) are less likely to "fall for" televangelisim etc because of their being brought up "relatively jaded" about how seriously to consider the words sent to them on the NET and by extension TV?
--
Forget about other users (Score:2)
The first concept serves to attract the old people (usually, one of their biggest problem is loneliness). The second is to put aside some concepts you get from TV, movies and advertising.
For me the next steps will be dealing with the mouse (the is usually a huge problem with old people). Some simple games for 3-years old kids could help (they usually use huge surfaces for you to click). Next the keyboard for writing a simple text in a word processor. Then the concept of e-mail addressand sending an e-mail (make sure they all have some kind of mail account, even if you create them yourself). Then go for the web (accessing pages and web searches).
Just my € 0.02
First inner city kids, and now the elderly? (Score:2)
What do they need computers for anyways? Feed them enough food, and give them their prescription drugs, and they should be happy as clams. They can hardly remember their own names, and they wear diapers. Same with the inner city kids. Learn them about computers, and they've just wasted some time. Learn them how to steal a car, and they've learnt a trade.
End sarcasm, enter troll mode:
Seriously though, don't assume that the elderly are retarded, and don't assume that inner city kids are retarded.
There's lots of elderly people out there who are active computer users. They've got their own clubs and groups and classes. You might as well have asked about fly-fishing, knitting, antiqueing, or any other hobbies popular among retirees.
What surprises me is that some young pup so obviously fresh to the issue at hand has been asked to provide educational services to the elderly. I am sure they would have been better off digging up some old folks already on the internet, and let them teach their peers.
Little info as required/pages/addresses (Score:3)
* Provide as little information as required to get the users to access the internet. You don't have to go into the notion of "servers" and "clients", and you certainly shouldn't mention "way back mainstays" like FTP and Gopher. The users just need to know there are "computers out there" that are sharing information, and some of this information is available to look at. That's it.
* Metaphors help, but you got to use the right ones. I found the best one I tried (and got most people to instantly understand web browsers) is that these are like pages in a book. You can go back, flipping through the pages of the "internet book" using the Back button, and you can go forward through the pages using the Forward button. Any time you see the hand and can click the mouse, that's like reading a new page you haven't seen before.
* Email addresses confuse the hell out of people until you explain that it's almost exactly the same as real-life addresses on envelops. The part before the @ sign is the person you want to send it to, and the part after is their "street number and city". Again, don't get too caught up in metaphors, but basic, solid ones certainly work.
Good luck.