My grandma never bonded with the microwave my mother bought her. It drove us crazy, but in the end Gram still manged to heat up her food just fine using the stove or oven with no difference in outcome.
There was a time when a person could hide behind the technology he or she used forever and still function in the world.
I believe those days are numbered, if not gone already.
System updates aren't anything new, but their frequency and ability to disrupt has increased over the last year. So much so that we're seeing updates effect outcomes more and more. Older browsers can't support certain plug-ins. Older operating systems can't update to a newer browser. And some places (Google) refuse to play nice anymore with old Office software.
For those who have successfully avoided digital literacy, there's nowhere to hide anymore. For those of us who are regular, if not confident, users there's a fatigue settling in as we constantly adjust to new settings or windows to perform functions we've been doing for years.
It's a mixed blessing of sorts because while updates are meant to solve problems, they often cause new ones.
Here in the LMC, we try and stay on top of the changes as best we can. For all their DI (digital intelligence) students struggle with changes as much as we do. Sometimes we figure out a problem together, sometimes the kids tip us off and other times we scramble for a fix in the eye of a storm (always it seems on a day an English class has a paper due).
Here are some tips for taking the Ugh out and being Up for updates-
- Adjusting to new software changes is a bit like a brain teaser, so your exercising your mind!
- Synonyms for up- well-versed, cognizant, informed and my favorite- savvy. See how smart you sound already?
- Think about the movie Up- doesn't it put a smile on your face? (Except for that lovely montage in the beginning that makes people cry- don't think about that!)
- Up is higher- as in higher learning, higher capacity and high-end user- you're practically a pro!
No comments:
Post a Comment