As someone who grew up with a computer, Is hard for me to picture how I would get along without one. When I was a kid, we had a machine that was not nearly as powerful as the one I have now. It was a Tandy, and it was useless by modern standards. We could use it as a word processor, log on to bulletin boards, and crawl along on the Internet. That was it. It was good for text only, and it was only somewhat good at that.
Still, when I decided to teach a computer beginners course at the local community center, I was shocked by how many people couldn't even do the basic work I used to do on my Tandy. Many of the computer beginners didn't even know how to turn on the power! We were using a good beginners computer – a Macintosh. Although I have not been impressed with Apples, I will say this for them: they are idiot proof. You don't need to know anything about computers to learn them. Your do not need to reinstall files, worry about viruses, or change system settings. All that is handled by specialist, and to the credit of Apple computers, things go wrong very rarely.
I had no problem with teaching computer skills to seniors. It was a little bit strange, however, teaching young kids how to use computers. When you are a senior, it makes a lot of sense to spend time on the Internet. It is a great way to keep in touch with people who you might not be able to otherwise see. Even for computer beginners, it doesn't take that long to learn how to use email and the web.
Kids, however, spend far too much time on the computer nowadays. Video games have gotten so elaborate and so entertaining that they lure kids away from activities that would be much more healthy. These young computer beginners would do better to learn a musical instrument, get some exercise, or read a good book. Instead, they all have parents who are buying them kids computers so they can get a head start on their classmates in the high-tech economy.
I know that computer skills are essential to survive, but I think people take it too far. It is alright for a child to be a computer beginner when he enters elementary school. There is no reason for little kids to spend all their time in front of a glowing, electronic screen instead of playing with their friends.
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