[IxDA Discuss] motivating new learning

[Peter Bagnall]

On 21 Jul 2006, at 00:40, Joshua Gross wrote:
> I'll give a practical example: an experienced colleague, whose work I 
> often edit, can't properly outline in Microsoft Word.

So the problem is not about learning new stuff, he's already using the 
outlining feature. It's that he's not understanding how the feature 
works. That suggests very heavily to me that that feature is badly 
designed. Having used it myself, it could use some improvement. I don't 
think the problem you're finding here is "not knowing about features". 
It sounds more like a failure to understand the model being used by the 
designers of the outline feature.


> ... it's likely that we'll always have tiers of users; the "computer 
> sophisticates" who are starting to take over the lower ranks of the 
> professional world will see their skills degrade (or at least stay 
> static relative to a moving target) as the next generation of more 
> sophisticated users comes of age, and the cycle will continue.

Some people drive better than others, to use your analogy. Some 
*shouldn't* be allowed out of first gear ;-).

As for skills degrading, that's an issue, but less of one than you 
think I suspect. There's a belief that all kids are somehow 
techno-wizards. A couple of summers back I taught a summer school group 
how to make webpages (the hard way!). The group were gifted children, 
each the brightest in their schools, and I found enormous range in 
their computer skills. Some were great, but some were really 
struggling, and I heard the same sorts of complaints about not being 
able to use things that I normally hear from adult and even elderly 
users. I even got the same technophobic commentary.

So I don't think that each generation is magically going to out-tech 
the previous one. At the moment we're seeing a transition from people 
who didn't grow up with computers to people who did, and naturally that 
favours those who did. That will stabilise. Now, whether another 
technology will come along to destabilise it is a whole other story! 
Probably will!

--Pete

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade
they know they shall never sit in.
      - Greek proverb

Peter Bagnall - http://people.surfaceeffect.com/pete/