M AS TE R C L ASS
:more than you can chew
tECHNOLOGY
BYTE-ING OFF MORE
THAN YOU CAN CHEW
Ensure computer illiteracy does not leave you lost in cyberspace
FOR MOST OF US these days, using a
computer has become a daily occurrence.
So much so, that many of us can't imagine
life without it; completing work projects,
checking correspondence, interacting socially
and shopping online have all become part of
our everyday existence, but not everyone has
become part of the Digital Age.
Computer illiteracy is still common.
Those who were born in the 1980s and
beyond have grown up in an era of
technological innovation, and are therefore
better equipped to understand the many
gadgets and gizmos that have appeared on the
shelves of our stores ever since. There is still
some computer illiteracy among this group
but it is becoming less common. As schools
are embracing technology, the next generation
of children are learning as much about how
to use a computer or tablet as they are about
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language or mathematics.
At home we are encouraging our young
children to find their way around the web
and to become increasingly comfortable with
everything computers can achieve, but sadly
we are neglecting those at the other end of
the age scale.
A significant number of the older members of
our communities have little or no experience
with computers, and will not be aware of the
many benefits that regular internet usage can
bring.
Initial understanding of what can be
achieved is a major obstacle, but many of
the technologically uninitiated find interest
in the processes that can allow them to
contact friends and family instantly on the
other side of the world. Many people in the
older age bracket are from a generation in
which many of their relatives immigrated to
Australia and New Zealand leaving family ties
elsewhere in the world, so they are eager to
discover the immediacy of an email or Skype
conversation.
Another process of interest for the older
generation is online shopping. As many
seniors find it difficult to cope with regular
trips to the major supermarkets or to their
local stores, the opportunity to have a
delivery brought to their front door appeals
greatly. Through such applications, the use
of computer technology and the internet
becomes more familiar and a part of daily
life.
If you are computer literate and get the
chance to pass on your knowledge please
do. I certainly find that the training, whist
sometimes frustrating initially, always ends
up very rewarding.
If you are interested in becoming more
