| How to Be More Open to Learning New Technology Dec 17th 2012, 08:00 Sometimes it can be hard to accept that you're behind the times. But it can become frustrating to maintain a stubbornness in the face of changing technology, as you'll soon be left at the mercy of those who do know. Whether you've stopped keeping current or you've just never been particularly interested in technology until now, if you've decided that the time has come to embrace the constant upgrades pay your bills online bill and keep up with friends living afar by internet, then you'll be glad to know it's always possible to learn new technology. All it takes is openness to the experience and willingness to spend a little time learning. - Think about the perks of learning more about new technology. Learning new technology can help simplify basic life tasks, and can even open up the possibility of experiences you never even dreamed of. Think how much easier it becomes to pay your bills online instead of having to head to the payment counters, find a car park and deal with queues. Then there are all the amazing options available to you of staying connected with family and friends who live in another city or country––all through the ease of your computer in your home. The ability to use video chat will help you to feel as if the people you miss are just in the next room from you! Finally, but importantly, you will empower yourself to stay in touch and in control of the increasing expectations that citizens participate and respond using online facilities, from liking or complaining about a business to sending your opinions to consulting or rule-making authorities and even voting.
- As you're learning, remind yourself how much the specific piece of technology will benefit your life. Technology is a tool for easier living, so be ready to take advantage of it.
- There is nothing "magical" about technology. It is all understandable in plain terms and even programming is something you can learn using online courses if you find yourself fascinated by it. Do not let the "voodoo of new" put you off learning.
- Technology can help you to keep track of many things in your life, from making inventories of home items (for storage, moving, insurance, etc. purposes) to meal plans. As an added bonus, all of this information will sit on your computer or other digital device, found with a simple search––no more rummaging around for your lists and plans!
- Even if you don't get anything out of the experience, learning new things helps keep your brain sharp. Learning is never wasted.
- Think about the disadvantages of not staying open to learning new technology. If you're resistant to allowing someone to help you learn new technology, whether it's because of your pride or some other reason, it's important to try to let go of your resistance. One way you can do this is by picturing yourself struggling to figure out technology on your own and imagining how that would feel. There is never an age at which we ought to know how to learn everything on our own and there will always be a teacher willing to show the way, be it a grandchild, a community college lecturer or an online buddy. Set aside worries of feeling frustrated or embarrassed about having someone tell you how to do something you think you ought to already know how to do. Remember that many people love to help guide others to discover how to do something.
- Find the right teacher. Finding the right teacher is crucial to learning correctly, as it makes or breaks the experience. Your teacher should be someone who is more or less certified to teach you, as well as someone who has a personality that you find tolerable. It's better for you teacher not to be someone you have previous attachments with, like your son or your girlfriend or husband. They are inevitably either annoying or distracting, so find a teacher that you have no personal attachments for. Reach out to them as much as possible and try to get to know them a little–this might help you learn to like them and their teaching methods.
- Research the options. If there is nobody within your circle of friends or family who seems appropriate to be the teacher, look at community college, night class or online options for learning. In some cases, it may be best to choose someone who doesn't know you, so that you don't feel shy or embarrassed about your lack of experience.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. Even Einstein asked questions, so don't be embarrassed. Often we don't want to ask a question, simply for the reason that it seems too simple, like we should already know it, but the fact is you're not helping yourself by holding back on asking the simple questions. Without understanding the entire system, even the simple parts, you will not be able to get the full experience of the technology. Even when things seem simple, everybody misses little things once in a while. Take a deep breath, tell yourself that it's not such a big deal, and ask your pressing question.
- Be prepared to make mistakes and to find out what works best for you. Mistakes are an important way to learn the way that does work and while we're conditioned to avoid mistakes, this is unrealistic. In fact, a lot of technology works around "mistakes" by providing more than one way to reach the outcome you're after, in recognition that people have their own intuitive preferences for getting things done. A good example is the use of mouse or keyboard shortcuts to make things operate on a computer screen––some people prefer one way, others the other, but both work and hence, both are equally valid.
- Explore the system on your own. Once you've got the basics down, try exploring the technology on your own with your new-found knowledge. This can help you see what is most useful to you specifically about the systems, and get you more interested in investing some time learning to properly use it at a new level. With the excitement of learning what you like about the technology on your own, you might find that you are more willing to learn about the rest of the system as well.
- When it comes to operating systems on computers and digital devices, ease of use is now the main feature. Be reassured that it's fairly hard for beginners to break anything in the virtual system of digital devices, so give things a go. Of course, it also doesn't hurt to learn early on how important it is to back up any of your virtual information, from photos to bank statements.
- Be patient. Not only with the technology, but also yourself. Learning the ins and outs of a new technology can be confusing, frustrating, and can take a long time. Be patient and learn to simply take a moment and take a deep breath if you get annoyed. Patience is key because without it you cannot sufficiently understand the technology, and your view and memory of the experience will always be negative in your mind and will turn you off from using the technology again on your own.
- Give yourself plenty of breaks to digest the information. Your brain tends to lay down new understandings when you're not actively working on the problem. Avoid focusing constantly on the learning but intersperse it with doing completely different things.
- Take it one day at a time. There is no need to learn it all at once, so be patient and learn one new thing per day. This ensures that you understand every concept.
- Optimize your technology. One last but important step to enjoying the learning experience when it comes to new technology is to ensure that you're using the equipment and systems that are optimized your own needs. For example, if your eyesight is poor, increase the size of the text in the browser, online documents and anything else read on screen––learn how to do this for each device, as it varies across computers, phones, eReaders, etc. And if you want to text but you find it hard to press the tiny buttons on a cellphone, purchase one with bigger keys or get one with large on-screen touch keys. There is usually a solution to anything that makes it easier for you to use the technology, so don't let your own special needs stand in the way of using technology.
- Don't be afraid to fire your teacher if they're not the one for you. Even though it can be hard to fire someone, if you are not enjoying the experience of learning and feeling like you are doing well you should find a new teacher.
- Eat something while you're learning. It's a great distraction from the frustration, and if you feel yourself about to say something rude to your teacher, which will happen at some point, you can stuff some more food in your mouth.
- Learn from a person, not a book. This is extremely important, because a book cannot answer specific questions and help you out if you are confused. However, a book can work in tandem with live teaching. Also, if you're using online learning, look for courses with videos if possible and that provide some form of contact, either directly or through forums.
- Wonderful things you can do once you master new technology include: Learning a new language, meeting new friends, finding a great place to eat rated as recently as a few minutes ago, staying in touch with people who live far away from you, finding out breaking news without relying on TV, keeping a huge music collection, learn anything through online courses, pay your bills, run a shop from home, buy things from anywhere in the world, research anything, check out scams and avoid them, play games, store huge amounts of data, build a dust-free digital book collection, find a new love or companion, navigate your boat/hike/bike, find places quickly and easily, and much more!
Edit Warnings - Learn early on how to back up your data in a variety of ways. It's a good idea to use several different ways to back up your digital data, so that there are plenty of ways to retrieve it.
- Learn how to protect yourself online. As in real life, there are always people willing to fleece the gullible and all it takes is some learning about what to be careful about to keep yourself safe. A good place to start is How to be safe online.
Edit Things You'll Need - Notebook (it helps to keep your own notes when you're learning, as how you process the information will be different from the way expressed in the learning materials)
Edit Related wikiHows |  |
No comments:
Post a Comment