I remember the first time I saw a computer. I was about 3 years old; my dad had just bought it to do his homework for graduate school. I remember seeing my mom get to know it. Although I was first jealous of how much time she spent on the phone, I was even more jealous of how much time she spent on the computer. I would sit in her lap and watch her as she learned how to navigate Windows 95. The first times that I really got to explore the computer was when I would send my grandma emails. I remember discovering Yahoo eCards and showing my mom and brothers. I learned how to use MySpace from friends at middle school who encouraged me to get an account. By the time that Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Weebly, and Blogger came along I was familiar enough with technology and user-created web space that I was able to walk myself through them. The nice thing about doing popular things on the internet is that my generation is pretty familiar with researching how to get what we need to completed without purchasing technical manuals or calling support lines like our parents did.
However, receiving supplementary online support can also have its disadvantages. Web sites are constantly updating and changing their policies and methods. Even information published online and updated in real-time can be outdated if it is not released by the company. However, the help websites of companies are not as user-friendly as supplementary online support can be, because they are run by tech companies, not professional writers and fellow users of the online products.
One way to limit the disadvantages of not-up-to-date online support is to research what version of the product you are using or to see when the product was last updated and compare that with when the online supplementary material was published. By making sure that the supplementary information was released more recently than the product or website was updated, you can save yourself a lot of time.
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| My daughter, when she was 1.5, mimicking me. |
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| My daughter, Elia, learns to multitask. |
It's fun to watch kids explore technology. The user-friendly format of most modern devices make it so that even children that are not old enough to read can navigate them and find their games or movies.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to watch kids explore technology. The user-friendly format of most modern devices make it so that even children that are not old enough to read can navigate them and find their games or movies.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's fascinating. My toddler niece learned how to play games on ipad. She was 1 or 2 years old then -- it's crazy. =))
DeleteHi Kyla,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog post! The distinction between updated vs. obsolete products, as well as credible vs. non-credible online sources, is highly important for reliable online support. It is indeed imperative that while information is always accessible in cyberspace, learners still need to exercise critical thinking. Reading sources with a critical eye should be the mantra of researchers to make sure the information they produce are accurate.
Great blog post overall! I look forward to reading more from you this semester.
Dr. B
All responses recorded. ~Dr. B (sgd)
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