Anywhere I go, quite literally, I’m asked what I do.
“Oh, you’re a teacher? What do you teach? Oh, technology education. My phone seems to die awfully quickly, do you know why? Do you know how I set up my voicemail?”
The answer is usually yes, and I don’t usually mind helping. However, I always wonder afterwards–and this comes up in conversation with my mother as well–how much did someone actually learn from that interaction? Did they take away how to change their “digital” habits? More likely is that they just learned how to do one simple (complex, you might say) task in a world with many simple digital tasks.
I’m often asked to look at different pieces of technology. For instance, I’m not a developer but I use Android mobile devices. I don’t own an iPhone, but if I look at an iOS (Apple) device I can almost invariably figure out what’s going on. That earlier question of “Do you know how I can save battery life on my phone?” means I’m going to ask them to look in their “Settings” for a “Battery” option. Well, there it is! Sure! This app is using a lot of power. Uninstall it.
My point here is that it’s not like I’ve read the manual. It’s not that I’ve done it before. It’s that I’m using a global set of principles that I’ve inherited from using many, many different devices and understanding generally how they function and how they’re set up. “Well, my TV remote uses infrared lights and has to be pointed here without obstruction, so maybe I should try that with this new Roku/Apple TV remote.” Learn how one device works, learn how they all work–move on to the next type of device.
The key to getting that experience with this wide variety of devices is Google’s search engine. If you want to learn technology, you need to learn the basics of using Google’s search. What do you want to do? Do you want to learn to tie your shoes? Type that in, “I want to learn to tie my shoes.” Then, learn to exclude options you don’t want. Do you definitely want to learn to tie your shoes and not a boat knot? Type “I want to learn to tie my shoes -boats”. That will get rid of (subtract) any links about boats.
Honest to goodness, that’s where three-quarters of my technical knowledge comes from. And trust me, I haven’t even broken the water that is IT. If you still can’t get it after a Google search, fiddling with it, and drawing upon your previous experience with other devices, then it’s time to call a professional–whom you should pay. If you ask a family friend to help, slip a $20 in their pocket. Trust me, they’re doing it all the time and they deserve it.
Lastly, since we talked about Google–I want you to check out Google’s line of products that are all based on cloud computing. Which, by the way, you should be using. Cloud products are the pie in the sky and they’re changing the way we use computers. If you’re not on that train, you should be. Save documents between computers and edit them without software on Google Drive, keep your email accessible and free of spam with Gmail, and use your computer as a phone with Google Voice. Don’t go out and buy Microsoft Office or pay for Skype minutes–they’re outdated. Ride the wave.
Security is definitely an issue these days, and despite what you’ve heard about hacking leaks, your data is relatively safe on these products. Safer than it is on your credit card, in your mail, or in Target’s database–that’s for sure. Call a professional if you’re really spooked. Many of you know Mayor Rob Marlowe. He owns a computer store called Gulfcoast Networking. Give him a call at 727-847-2424, I’m sure he can help!
This technology is available and it’s passing you by. Good luck out there and keep on clicking!
by Jon Tietz
