I had a request today to identify what all of the Function keys meant on a class members' computer. The issue is that all computer manufacturers are different, and that can lead to confusion.

I was able to view the keyboard on the internet, and then describe the applications/settings that each Function Key (Fn) controlled in that specific example.

As time passes, I see the same issues with senior citizens and their computers ( or tablets). The systems are under-utilized in most cases. The equipment is purchased with good intentions, but more and more I meet people who had no exposure to computers in their working life, and who are, frankly, a little intimidated.

I try to take them through some basic steps, but then push them away and ask them to start communicating with me via e-mail. That first step gives them some confidence, and then I can lean into browsing, internet setup, and finally, security programs that are available.

I am a big fan of "free".

Teaching the same subject over and over again, can become boring. That is why I sometimes need to get my head in order before I start my first class of the session.

So many experience levels exist that I hadn't thought about. The teacher or the nurse may not have had as much exposure to everyday computer use as, say, an office worker. When you then add the possible computer operating systems, tablet computers and smartphones, you can see that I have to be quick on my feet.

While I do have a teaching outline, I have found that letting the needs of the students dictate where I take the class, and I sometimes have to research answers; something that takes me out of the normal day.

I have added some new classes this semester, one about Power Point. This free class will gauge interest for future presentations. The other class is about Blogging--surprise, surprise.

Keep on Keeping on

There are so many devices on the market now that it is sometimes difficult to hold a training session with the general title "Tablets".

I have found that with a variety of products, and within that a variety of operating systems and their versions, I have had to be much more specific about my training classes.

Starting in September, I will focus on Android devices and see how that filtering works.

Meanwhile, I am teaching a seminar "Introduction to Lumosity", and 1 3-hour course on Blogging. Internet Basics will be back for 1 class time.

I will also be doing a short seminar on Smartphones, and 1 on Google (with all of the options available in THAT group)!

Should be fun!

Confirming the dates for my next set of courses at The Parkside Centre here in Sudbury. Looks like a start date of Oct. 22nd. This time we will try to match folks with minimal internet experience into one group. I will let you know how this experiment turns out.

Yesterday I had a student return after a short absence. He was gung ho to continue, but kept telling me that his wife was much better at this than he was.

I know that his eyesight is poor, so he is always trying to read the screen on his computer with glasses, and then the handouts without. His real issue is one of confidence.

Hopefully I can give him a small amount of homework to boost his confidence level.