|
|
|
|
The Recipe For Learning A New Computer Skill
|
|
|
Learning the computer scared me almost as much as speaking in
public, my worst fear ever. But, why? Computers answer back with that dreaded popping sound when you make a mistake, but they don't kill, wound or even bite you. |
|
|
When I learned to swim. I felt scared at first but, soon, I could dog paddle. My
feet were off the ground and I was moving through the water. I thought, "Wow, I can do this". I wasn't scared any more. |
|
|
I expected to be scared at first learning Microsoft Word, but took it for granted that,
sooner or later, I would reach the dog paddle "Wow, I can
do this" stage. |
|
|
I couldn't have been more wrong. I kept getting stuck and, when you are
stuck on the computer, you are really stuck. You can't go forward and you can't go back. |
|
|
I spent hours staring at the
computer feeling helpless and
frustrated. I was too scared to touch anything. What if I did the wrong thing? What if my new
computer blew up? Many times, the answer was staring me right in the face, but my brain was so
full of "what ifs", I didn't even see it. |
|
|
We immediately blame ourselves for being too stupid, too tired
or too something else, but it can't be pilot error. There are too many people who feel the same
way about computers. There has to be something wrong with the way we learn. |
|
|
The creators of Microsoft Word tutorials think it's OK for us to wade through masses of text
to find an answer. The creators of the Help Section don't need help and don't understand those that do. The creators of quick
tutorials think it's OK to give us the basics and leave us with lots of unanswered questions. |
|
|
I have to say that I was thrilled when I learned something new
like how to save a document. But, then, I started to feel uneasy. Where had the document gone? How did I get it back on my
screen? The tutorial didn't say and the Help Section was no help at all. |
|
|
If only Microsoft Word tutorials were created like recipes. You can be a total
cooking novice and, yet, create a delicious chocolate cake simply by blindly following the
step-by-step instructions. You don't have to wait for the dog paddle "Wow, I can do this" stage.
You are confident from the start that the creator of the recipe has spent many hours getting it
right and all you have to do is blindly follow the steps. No getting stuck and no stress. |
|
|
Over the years, I have done many Internet tutorials to learn lots of different things and,
one day, to my amazement, I found a "recipe" tutorial. At the top was the graphic I wanted to create for my web site and, below,
step-by-step instructions on how to create it. |
|
|
I printed the tutorial and blindly followed the
numbered steps, obediently clicking this tool, that command, this color box, that square, etc,
not having a clue what I was doing. I loved not having to think, read masses of text or work
anything out for myself. |
|
|
And, when I finished the last step, there was this lovely
graphic. Wow, look what I did! I got an immediate thrill. Then, I went back over each step and
looked carefully at what I had actually done. Ah ha, so that's what this tool is for and that's
how I do that! I learned more in the 15 minutes it took me to do this tutorial than hours wading
through any other tutorial. |
|
|
I needed a whole cookbook of "recipe" tutorials when I was learning
Microsoft Word. To have the cookbook organized with each step following on from the previous step in the order I should learn
it would have been the icing on the cake
and the cherry on the top would have been a real
person at the end of my emails to answer any questions. Is this too much to ask for? I think not. |
|
About the Author
Georgie Farmer is the creator of Nail It Now "Wow, I can do this" Microsoft Word
Tutorials: Getting Started (CONFIDENCE Builder), Microsoft Word Is Easy When You Know HOW and
Tabs, Tables, Tips and Tricks. These tutorials are specifically designed so that you get an immediate
thrill and CONFIDENCE and can be found at
http://www.nailitnow.com.au/word/index.html |
Copyright © 1998-2013 Nail It Now. All rights reserved
34 Tucker Avenue, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia
Phone: 61 3 9646 9511; email: georgie@nailitnow.com.au |
Tutors, Tutorials, Training, Tips, Education |
|
