I had a chuckle this morning on twitter about a post that said something of the order “Stop blaming the computer, it’s often you that’s causing the problem!” Clicking the mouse 29 times in rapid succession does not make things go faster, it actually tries to run what you just clicked on 14-29 times depending on what you are clicking on. That slows things down.
The link which I’ve since lost had a good metaphor. If you are using a pen with the lid on, it doesn’t work very well. That’s not the pen’s fault, it is the user and their lack of knowledge around using the pen. Technology circles often refer to it as a PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair) or an I-D-Ten-T (ID1OT) error. There are also variations of RTM (Read the manual) that are occasionally mentioned between technologists as we often do it as well.
A critical issue here is how do we teach our staff how to use these tools that are on our desks and we are all expected to use? Is it fly by pro-d? Do just-in-time training videos work (if you know how to view them and take the time, then hopefully yes)? Should we have a series of basic sessions on computer use? Do we need sessions on how to copy from a document over to BCeSIS or PowerPoint or Word?
I mistakenly thought we shouldn’t need to teach people how to copy and paste by now but recent BCeSIS training sessions show that there is a massive gap between the computer skills of our staff members. BCeSIS can certainly have issues, but many issues are user/education/hardware related and have nothing to do with the service. We offer a variety and many sessions on new technologies which are fine for those of us who have adopted the technology, but those who have not are still struggling and we’re not addressing their needs.
Should computer proficiency be a requirement for school district teachers? How about the staff that need training? Pro-d? Inservice? After school sessions? Growth Plans? Invitations or mandatory?
Many questions, but let’s start with one. I’ll be putting out a simple survey today to staff to gauge the need for some basic sessions, I hope those that really could benefit will be checking their email.