My good friend Nibby Priest posted on Twitter a link to this blog written by Mary Biever. Mary is an Energetic corporate computer trainer, wife & mom of teens. Passionate about social media, tech, cooking, gardening, 4-H, and empowering people. You can find Mary at http://marybiever.wordpress.com and http://twitter.com/MaryBiever. Mary, Thank you for letting me post your blog at the Ecosystem.
“Young people get this stuff easier.”
For 14 years, I’ve worked as a corporate computer trainer. My biggest success story was a 70 year old lady who learned to keyboard and moved up to designing databases in 6 months. She said, “If I can outlive 2 husbands in marriages of more than 20 years each, I can learn to use a computer.”
The biggest challenge is overcoming the Fear Factor. I tried an experiment that can help.
I did turnabout with high school students. I divided 10 students into 2 teams and brought in typewriters for the challenge. One team had an electric typewriter, and the other had a manual. They had an assignment to type a page of text in an hour. I gave them 0 instructions on how to use a typewriter.
Questions asked:
- Where’s the printer?
- This typewriter needs a new toner. (I showed how to rotate the ribbon wheel.)
- You have to push this bar for EVERY line?
It took each team at least 5 minutes to figure out how to put a sheet of paper into the typewriter. Within an hour, each team had typed a paragraph.
I got out a bottle of liquid paper and told them, “This is spellcheck.”
After the challenge, I noted their frustration. Then I told them I learned to type on a manual typewriter and remember when my school got a single row of electric typewriters.
Then I told the teens that the amount of change I had encountered would be miniscule to what they will see by the time they are my age.
Finally, I added – to be open to the challenges those changes present.
Never quit learning. Broaden your horizons. Try something new.
Yes, when I got my Android it took me a month to use it comfortably. My teens had to show me how to make a phone call and answer it. But I did learn it.
You can learn it too.
Think of it as a tiptoe through the typewriters to the 21st century.
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Mary Biever is probably considered a antique herself in a good way. She consistently has taught others how to use technology for over 10 years in Henderson KY. That is a long time in computer years. Her diversity in interest along with just being a good trainer makes her a much needed fixture in the industry. Insurance peeps can learn a lot from her insight.
I'm sure we have many insurance people who can relate to this typewriter story!
Nibby, I am so glad I saw you tweet about this particular blog. I love ready Mary's blogs. Always so insightful. I completely agree that there are many people in our industry that can relate to this story.
My recent post Presenting at the Federation of Insurance Women of Texas
Pat, I'm glad we met recently online. I have a feeling this is the beginning of a long and wonderful relationship.
My recent post The Chilean Miracle- Collaboration is the New Black
Mary I too believe this will be a long, wonderful relationship. Thank you so much for letting me post this for my readers.
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