Reading and researching is a great place to start to feel comfortable with technology. There are many good sites to look at. Computer Hope is website that has many good troubleshooting tips. It has tips to troubleshoot software and hardware. It gives the cause and the solution. This helps you feel more comfortable by giving you a sense of what is going on.
People who have some knowledge about technology feel empowered. The knowledge of technology also helps when you have to call your local IT person while at work. This way when they are asking questions you understand what they want. It makes it much easier to get your computer fixed. If you are interested in learing more, here are some sites to take a look at.
- Trish's Escape from Hardware Hell
- PC Hell
- Microsoft Word 2007
- Microsoft Tutorials covering all of their products
Kristin said: "Computer troubleshooting gives some a quezzy stomach. It is scary for some but terrifying for others. I think the most important thing for people to remember is to not be afraid of trying to fix it yourself".
ReplyDeleteI agree that troubleshooting can be nerve wrecking. I think most people have a fear of making the situation worse. The Microsoft Tutorials link and Trish's Escape from Hardware Hell are good resources that I have now bookmarked. Just recently, I tried to make some changes on my work computer and thought I messed it up because my desktop files just disappeared. I must admit I was a little frightened at first. The last thing I wanted to do was tell my boss that I messed up their brand new laptop. Thankfully, I have some basic knowledge of system restores which is another great tool to be familiar with. System restores allows you to go back to a date and time when the computer was working properly. Fortunately for me, the restore worked. This just proves your thoughts about people not being afraid of trying to fix it themselves.
Here's a link about system restores that you can add to your troubleshooting list: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/system-restore
Thank you for the link it is a great addition to my bookmarks. I forgot about the system restore. It is a great tool Microsoft puts in its operating systems. You should make a new restore point like once a month so you don't lose too much information if you need to use that tool. Where I work they don't have system restore enabled so I make sure I duplicate and back up all of my files in a secondary place.
DeleteKristin,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that some people are scared to even try to fix simple things. Unfortunately, I think it's because we always hear those random stories about someone trying to fix something and it catches fire or something crazy like that. Especially for older people, they aren't as familiar with it so they'd rather just pay someone to fix it.
Thanks for the links. It's good to have a reference for something. A lot of times, we Google and end up getting either a whole lot or not enough information which both can lead to uncertainty. Sometimes, all it takes is a little guidance and we'll be surprised on how much we can really do ourselves. Great post!
Kia
Kia, Thank you for your reply. I agree that especially older people are much more leery about trying to fix their computers. It is hard to find reliable sites to help troubleshooting. It took a long time to find good sites but once I found them I bookmark them for future reference.
DeleteKristin said, “Computer troubleshooting gives some a quezzy stomach.”
ReplyDeleteYes, it certainly does, and I am one of those people. I loved reading your post because I am not tech savvy at all. Your comments made me feel better about this particular aspect of technology that has always been rather inimical. Anyone who uses a computer is eventually going to have something break/not work and they are then going to have to troubleshoot the problem. Most teachers would simply call the tech specialist when this happens and have them “fix it”. However, if we could all just fix it ourselves (or at least know the real cause of the problem) the tech specialists would be able to do so much more in our schools. Think about all the extra programs we could have technology wise if the specialists had more time with which to work on things outside of “simple problems with simple fixes”. I am not saying all computer problems teachers’ face are “simple”, but many are problems they could have probably (with the proper knowledge base) corrected themselves.
Kristin said, “I think the most important thing for people to remember is to not be afraid of trying to fix it yourself. If it is broke you can't break it anymore and it can always be fixed.”
This is easy to say, but very hard to internalize. I agree with your point that “if it is broke you can't break it anymore and it can always be fixed”. However, I am always extremely scared that it is not truly broken to begin with and that I will in fact break it. I think that if teachers learn more about trouble shooting they will become more confident in their abilities and will be less likely to think something catastrophic will happen if they try to fix the problem themselves. Thank you for the excellent insight; it helped me evaluate my own feelings about fixing things myself. The skills I am learning in EME 5050 are helping me feel more confident in my abilities to troubleshoot on my own. I hope to encourage other teachers to become more confident in their abilities as well, your comments definitely support this view.
Kristin said, “Reading and researching is a great place to start to feel comfortable with technology.”
Yes, great point! Before starting EME 5050, I felt very uncomfortable with technology (and for that matter I was thoroughly unaware of some forms of technology that are out there). It is only through the module readings (textbook and websites) that I have truly become more comfortable with the topics we are learning. This in no way means I am even close to mastering the topics, but at least I don’t feel scared now when approached with some unexpected technology “glitch”. Reading and research truly are a great place to start, but then I would encourage the individual to “test out” the aspects they read about because reading without implementation does not instill retention.
Kristin said, “People who have some knowledge about technology feel empowered.”
Well stated! Especially in today’s fast paced technologically advanced marketplace people must have some knowledge about technology and through this knowledge comes empowerment. We should encourage discussions about technology in our classrooms and schools to help both the students and teachers feel more empowered. Also, we should strive to incorporate technology in our classrooms whenever possible. It is only through implementation of the technological aspects we learn that we foster a deeper understanding of the topics. In addition, students are the digital natives in the classroom and by incorporating technology into our lessons/classrooms we help empower their learning and engagement in school.
It was a pleasure reading your blog posting,
Thanks for the insights,
Dawn
Dawn, I am glad you enjoyed my blog. When I first started using computers I was intimidated by them also. Then one day my computer broke and I didn't have enough money to hire someone to fix it. I figured I would read up on it and research it and try to fix it. It was hard to think that I couldn't make it worse but the more I read the more I realized that was true. I eventually became much more comfortable with all different technologies.
DeleteKristin,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your about some people being more comfortable with fixing computers than others. Personally, I am hesitant to fix mine anytime there is an issue. If the issue is minor, I can usually fix it. However, if the issue is more complicated, I am hesitant to fix it. I am afraid I will do something which will make it worse. When I have a serious issue, I usually just take it to a family friend or to a store to get it fixed. Though, after reading your blog and going to the links, I may try to fix my computer by myself from now it. It would definitely save me some time and money doing it myself.
Sean