Keiran (no last name given) is offering free one-on-one tech tutoring sessions at the Sechelt Public Library starting Jan. 5 and running until March 25.
Keiran’s flyer reveals that you can learn how to use computers, tablets, social media, the Internet and more!
Ages aren’t specified – but we all know – Keiran won’t be working with anyone under 40.
So just let me say, thank you, Keiran! You’re doing what most of us put off until it gets forgotten – the dreaded task of teaching older generations how to navigate the digital world.
For most people born during or after the 1970s, computers entered the average consumer home at an early enough age that kids grew up with them. I grew up with one – my parents had one of those old black and white Macs before I was even born.
Growing up with a computer is a lot different than suddenly being introduced to one as an adult. Kids have these crazy brains that soak up information, but adults don’t.
Since the first home computer in 1977 – the TRS-80 – computers have undergone massive changes in a very short period. Now we all carry tiny super computers around in our pockets like it’s nothing.
For those who were already grown-ups in 1977, the computer was this strange, new, high-tech thing. A lot of people (some I know but won’t mention by name) found computers kind of frightening because they’re so unknown.
For kids who grew up with them though, computers are a natural part of everyday life. Because of that there is an intuitive nature in how younger generations engage with the digital world.
Not knowing a certain program or a new operating system isn’t nearly as problematic for young people as it is for older people, because kids growing up with computers didn’t just learn one program, they learned how to learn new programs.
Older generations weren’t prepared for how fast technology was going to evolve. Learning how to use a typewriter meant that you knew how to use typewriters for the rest of your life. But how does that information help you when Apple is in a technology race with Google to come out with better, better, better every quarter.
There is a certain intuitive understanding of computers that generations born into this futuristic world we live in just have. Unfortunately it can’t be taught. I’m not saying that older generations can’t learn computers or that they can’t be techier than young people. But getting there is going to be harder in almost every case.
So my advice is this: if you grew up with computers, try to be patient with your elders. It is a lot like when your parents taught you to ride a bike – now you get to return the favour.
And for the elders out there, all I can say is this: computers were toys for my generation long before we saw them as tools. Try playing with a computer sometime, without having a set task you’re trying to accomplish.
