I did something today
I've never done before. I walked my 70-year old mother through her first
on-line shopping experience. I'll spare you all the gory details, but just
picture this: I have the computer; she has the need for new pants. We're on the
phone together and she knows nothing about websites, on-line shopping, or the
number of the specific Levi's she wants to purchase. So, as I try to find the
perfect pair of pants for my gray-haired momma who is under 95 pounds and
stands 5-foot, 1-inch, including her cow-lick, I’m also trying to help her
understand the art of on-line shopping. We successfully found the jeans of her
dreams and I got them for 25% off and free shipping. But I digress.
This experience
prompted me to post about it on Facebook which elicited a rather interesting
and lengthy conversation with some friends about the lack of techno- know-how of
our aging parents.
Ø
Read books, study on-line, or ask questions. Use
the knowledge gained by others to your own advantage.
Ø
Take classes at the local community college,
library, or computer store. Often they're free or inexpensive.
Ø
Ask a teenager. Chances are whatever new-fangled
thing you need to learn, he or she already knows and will teach you in exchange
for food.
Nikki Studebaker Barcus
I, too, learned to type (not keyboard) on an IBM Selectric typewriter in high school. It is by far the handiest class I ever took, because I use that skill every day. My early article submission went out by snail mail with a SASE, and that's how all writers submitted in those days.
ReplyDeleteIf I had refused to go with the flow and still cranked out articles on the IBM typewriter and submitted by mail, the majority of editors wouldn't take me seriously these days. In most professions (with the possible exception of ditch-digging), there comes a time when you must upgrade yourself to match the current way of doing things. Refusing to do so can render yourself an irrelevant relic of the past. We may not enjoy the constantly changing learning curve, if we want to write for publication, then that is part of the price to pay.
Well said, Rick and I'm impressed that you know the name of the typewriter. :) I agree whole-heartedly, but it seems things are changing so fast it is difficult and sometimes scary to keep up. And regarding ditch-digging, my husband and I just had a conversation about how, even though they know use plastic tubing, it is still called a "tile".
DeleteI developed a few good sources of books to read on the technology I use (The Missing Manual series). I also picked 4 top websites on my technology to use and check them most often.
ReplyDeleteI can actually boast -- I learned how to type in Jr. High!
ReplyDeleteOn technology, I'm kind of on the fence. I'm up on somethings but tend to be a dinosaur on others. For example, we're recent to having cell phones.
Here's what scares me about technology. What happens if something happens to the power grid and we lose all access to the internet or things like that? I think Terri Blackstock has a series about that possibility. I mean, how many of us can survive without a microwave? We've made some gains, but we may not be aware of what we've lost to make those gains.
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox!
Jeff
Good info., thoughts, and questions, gentlemen. Some thinking and some more studying left to do for this one.
ReplyDeleteNikki,
ReplyDeleteMy brother is only four years younger than me, but I can tell he's far more advanced in technology. And it's amazing what four and five year old kids know! As you, I see it as my job, so I need to stay as current as I can. :)