“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
– H. P. Lovecraft
Many people are struggling with putting their computers to productive use due to anxiety.
The first step to alleviating that anxiety is familiarity.
This being the case, we will break down a computer into its components:
the person using the computer
applications (e.g. Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Zoom and web browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome & Mozilla Firefox)
utilities are small applications such as WiFi connection, sound volume control and the computer’s search box 🔎
operating system — which manages all of the software and hardware on the computer (e.g. Windows, macOS and Linux 🐧)
hardware — which is anything you can physically touch on a computer such as its case, its keyboard, its mouse and its display.
ports on a computer are not technically hardware (although you can touch them) but are actually physical interfaces between the computer and peripherals (e.g. printers and external storage devices) that can be physically attached to a computer.
The three biggest challenges to computer comfort and proficiency that many of my technology shy friends face are:
Fear that they will “break something”
Lack of a strong technology foundation
No clear goals or objectives
We will address each of the above three challenges in subsequent tech help blog posts.
But for now, I’d like to address an issue that has come up many times this year — namely people who are having issues using their computers with their other computers and/or mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.
And the primary reason behind their issues is a lack of basic computer knowledge — which can only come with patience, persistence and practice (and getting good help when needed).
the powers of focus and familiarity
Many of my technology shy friends also try to use their computers, tablets, smartphones and wearables in tandem with each other — but are not truly comfortable and proficient with any of them.
This being the case, if one or more computers are part of your technology milieu, come to a complete stop 🛑
Brew a nice cup of tea ☕
Set any other device you have aside and focus solely on your computer.
And then use the mouse and/or keyboard to interact with it…
Open and close various applications on your computer, and break each “Gooey” down, piece by piece.
If you are not sure what something does, click on it and see what happens.
Set aside any projects or questions you have about your computer.
Simply sip your tea and “noodle around” your computer. Once again, your only goal here is casual familiarity.
Patience, persistence and practice are the keys to success here.
Eventually, your modus operandi for getting something done with your computer will simply be “Think about what you want to do and then look around for a way to do it…”
Always, look for visual cues…
Document your technology use (including your usernames & passwords, answers to security questions, names of online services, et al.) in a designated technology notebook.
Apply real-world common sense to your technology use…
Don’t fall for scams and/or infect your computer with malware.
Get good help when you need it!
Lather, rinse, repeat
Repeat this procedure as many times as you need to until you feel calm and comfortable with your computer.
And then (and only then) start thinking about how to get stuff done with it and possibly how to use it with your other computers and devices.
Many people who are struggling with contemporary technology use can benefit from going back to the basics – hence this series of blog posts on “basic computer knowledge.”
The beginning is, after all, not only a great place to start, it’s also a great place to regroup (with a nice cup of tea ☕).
Here we will talk about ways to interact with them.
The word “interact” is bolded in the previous sentence because it’s very important to keep in mind during technology use that actions often have reactions.
Newton’s Cradle Balance Balls
It’s also important to know that computers, smartphones, tablets, wearables ⌚, store kiosks, et al. are all as dumb as a box of rocks and/or a bag of hammers (pick your analogy) and only know what we tell them.
Therefore we must be very careful what tell them.
How one can interact with a graphical user interface will depending on the device that is being used.
But typically, users interact with devices with…
a computer mouse
a trackpad
a keyboard
gestures (including tapping and swiping)
voice commands
The good news is all of these methods of interaction are easy peasy lemon squeezy to learn and to carry out.
And with patience, persistence and practice (aka “the 3 P’s”) they will soon become second nature.
Evaluation
Brew a nice cup of tea and gaze thoughtfully at each piece of hardware (e.g. mouse, keyboard & trackpad) that you can use with your device and look for buttons and “special function” keys (e.g. the F1 – F12 Keys).
Function keys of black computer keyboard (F9, F10, F11, F12). Closeup.
Press them and see what they do.
Context Matters
Keep in mind that the outcome of any mouse click, button push, or the pressing of any keyboard may vary depending on context (e.g. which app that you are currently using, which folder you have open and where the computer screen arrow is).
Hovering a screen arrow over an item on your screen may cause an explanatory “tooltip” to appear
Noodle Around
Sip your tea and use any of the methods of interaction to explore or noodle around your device without any urgency, pressure or expectations.
Click or tap things and see what they do.
Press the special function keys (or any keys that you do not recognize) on your keyboard and see what they do.
If you have smartphone or tablet or wearable (or a computer with a touchscreen), tap and swipe and “pinch” things and see what happens.
Your only very modest goals here are to review or learn more about the methods of interaction specific to your device while getting familiar with your device.
Becoming more familiar with your device will increase your confidence. And with increased confidence comes increased proficiency.
In the next basic computer knowledge blog post, we’ll cover how to interact with a graphical user interface in order to realize a specific goal, task at hand or objective ☑️
Any questions? Need help?
If you need any assistance with any of your devices, the Library offers open Tech Help hours every Tuesday from 12 PM to 4 PM and other hours by appointment.
This will be the first in a series of blog posts answering the oft asked and wondered question: “What is basic computer knowledge?“
In this context, “computer” is sort of an umbrella term for computers, tablets, smartphones, supermarket self-checkouts, online services, et al.
The answer to this question has (for all practical purposes) been the same since 1983 with the introduction of the Apple Lisa computer which was one of the first commercially available computers to feature a graphical user interface.
(But the Apple Macintosh Computer introduced in late 1984 was much more successful.)
In a nutshell 🐿️, regardless of which computer or device you are using, you need to be able to interact with a graphical user interface.
If you need to answer the “What is basic computer knowledge” question with a single sentence that would be it.
In subsequent blog posts, we will explore basic computer knowledge in a bit more depth but interacting with a graphical user interface (in some way) is what it all comes down to.
Definition
graph·i·cal us·er in·ter·face
noun COMPUTING noun: GUI; plural noun: GUIs a visual way of interacting with a computer using items such as windows, icons, and menus.
Oxford Languages
I typically use abstract examples when working with “technology shy” adults because graphical user interfaces, regardless of cosmetic appearance all have the same things.
Regardless of which brand or type of computer or mobile device you are using, you are going to see icons, menus, search boxes, and background graphics and that’s pretty much it.
Bridgeport Public Library Technology Help 