| Path: Projects > R&D > ICT > Laptop Initiative > Case Studies > Sheffield |
[ Previous ] [ Up ] [ Next ]
Sheffield Residential Homes
I am a tutor/organiser in the Sheffield area delivering 7 sessions of IT Awareness/Basic Skills per week, in four different venues. A Resource Centre bungalow and three Residential Homes are used.
I am keeping fit carrying equipment to and from my car boot, to and from store rooms, and from crawling under tables to find plug sockets and phone lines!
Students are all over 45 with the majority over 60 and several in their 70's. The sessions are mainly supported with a one or two page handout but students are encouraged to raise questions and work in their own areas of interest. The first session involved getting to know the computer, some basic computer terms and keys on the keyboard. We practised using the touchpad, getting into Word, saving a short document and switching off and on again. After a sometimes slow and tentative start with touchpad operations, students have been amazed and pleased with the work they have produced.
Some High Points Achieved
 | Letter to voluntary organisation. | ||||||||||
| Poster using word-art, coloured text and clip-art. | ||||||||||
| Christmas letter to friends including clip-art and auto-shapes. | ||||||||||
| Newsletter in columns with scanned images. | ||||||||||
| Scanned magazine image used to design letter heading. | ||||||||||
| Grandad sent letter to grandaughter with scanned picture of her daddy as a little boy. | ||||||||||
| Letter to relatives with scanned photograph of new baby. | ||||||||||
| Simple spreadsheet created and data entered into prepared spreadsheets | ||||||||||
| Sheffield University Action database interrogated. | ||||||||||
| Encarta Encyclopedia used. | ||||||||||
| Various internet sites visited and searches carried out including:
|
A Tutor's Dilemma
After about six, two-hour sessions, I asked one student, who was well into his 70's, how he thought he was progressing.
Answer: Well I don't feel I've learnt much!
Tutor feelings: Oh dear - what have I been doing wrong? Better try and check. Used short question technique to try and establish areas of difficulty.
Tutor: Do you remember how to switch the computer on?
Answer: Oh yes.
Tutor: Have you used Word to produce a letter?
Answer: Yes. I put a Christmas picture in one.
Tutor: How are you getting on with the touchpad?
Answer: I found it difficult to get the hang of. I was moving it very
slowly - but its coming.
Tutor: Have you changed the style and size of the text in your
documents?
Answer: Oh yes. I always make it bigger before I start anyway, otherwise
its too small.
Tutor: Have you used such things as Spellcheck, Print Preview, Save
and Print?
Answer: I've followed the handouts and done all that.
Tutor: How did you find the University Action Database?
Answer: It was easy to use. The words were a good size and the video
clips O.K.
Tutor: What about the Internet, did that cause you any problems?
Answer: No. I looked up Formula One Racing and details of various
drivers.
Tutor: Had you done any of these things before you started this
course?
Answer: Oh No. I'd never been near a computer before!
Moral:
Expectations should not be set too high and students should be continually praised and reminded of what they have accomplished.
Because students feel they cannot remember how to do something without referring to handouts, the tutor or other students they often do not recognise how far they have moved from their starting point. I have found that my students are much more aware of what computers can do and they now have more confidence when asking questions and discussing topics with myself or other students.
by Jean Wilkinson
Top
of page