Today, most of the new users for computers and computer programs are children, but there are some adults that have yet to use one and many need some help getting started. The great thing about many programs today is that they are so much more easy to use than they were just five or ten years ago, and most people can learn on their own after they have had a short introduction to computer programs that they want to or need to learn to use. Whether learning for a job or for school, computers are essential today and are thankfully more user friendly than ever.
Gone are the days of running a computer by putting commands into the computer. They are run with simple mouse clicks that almost anyone can do. In fact, when running an introduction to computer programs for new users, you want to teach them all about how the mouse works and how it is used to do almost anything on a computer. You can start with simple exercises, or perhaps you could start them playing a game like solitaire that uses mouse clicks for the entire game. They will love playing the game while learning to use the mouse well at the same time.
Once someone knows how to use a mouse rather well (don’t forget to teach about right vs left clicking and other mouse functions) you can then show them how to open up a program and do the basics. If someone is learning Word, for example, you can show them how to start a new file, save it, and perhaps how to make sure it prints correctly when they are done. This type of introduction to computer program functions can help them with other types of programs that have the same basic commands. Most word processing programs have the same basics so these are good lessons for anyone starting out on a computer.
Anyone getting an introduction to computer functions should also learn about how to save, store, and then find anything they want to save in My Documents. They should learn how to make sure they organize everything into different folders so that they can find what they need without sifting through a lot of different areas searching for one thing. Many computers today have picture, video and data file folders already in place, but it does not hurt to teach someone how to make new sub folders to make finding whatever they need easy and fast. Nothing is more frustrating then knowing you saved something important but you just can not find where you put it.
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There are many other useful and easy lessons you can give someone when doing an introduction to computer programs and basic usage. Think about what you do the most on a computer, such as start and surf the Internet, and then go from there. What you do the most may be the very same things that someone else wants to do or will be required to do for a job. Thankfully, these lessons are not as hard as they use to be, and with so many people being good with computers these days, there will always be someone to answer follow up questions for your student when you are not there.
Note: Keep checking our Job Skills section; we will be posting a series of Job Skills articles to help you land that new job.
