About me...
I have been using computers professionally, and for my own interests, since the 1980s; I have tutored for Citizens Advice Bureau, and have been a freelance computer tutor since May 2009. I am very patient! I don't care whether you pick things up quickly, slowly, or forget stuff between lessons - everyone is different; computers for many people can be quite daunting things, they are 'new technology' and new learners may worry that they will do something to harm the computer or delete everything; it's not un-common for people to think the machine will catch fire if they press the 'wrong' key! So - building confidence is a central part of the tuition - to enable new learners that they are the ones in control. And, hopefully, learn in a rewarding and fun way.
So what do most people want to learn from their lessons? It seems to me, having been a tutor for some while now, that the two most popular items to learn are email, and looking up information on the internet using a search facility such as Google.
Email can be used to contact friends and family wherever they are located in a matter of seconds. And it's free! Getting the hang of using email is also important for of all kinds of other aspects of what we do online as well. Most services will require the user to have an email address - online shopping, booking tickets, updating a car Tax Disc online, setting up a Facebook page, creating a Skype account (free telephone & video) are just some examples where an email address is required. So, becoming skilled in using email is paramount and is central to our modern computing lives.
Here's a photo of me attempting to look vaguely intelligent
Since the early days of the the internet, it is increasingly becoming a necessary part of people's lives to get online. Yet an estimated eight million or so older adults in the UK are yet to "have a go" at this technology. I feel that age should not be a barrier to learning, and I am keen to enable those who feel perhaps nervous or unsure. You won't learn by me simply telling you how to do stuff: you will find it far more rewarding, and enjoyable, through "learning by doing."
Here's a nice quote (by someone!) :
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
Tuition is offered in your own home, on your own computer on a one to one basis. It has been shown that this is by far the most effective way of learning. I know through personal experience, and by talking to others, that computer classes offer a lot but deliver little. There are simply too many people, often more than one per computer, with teaching delivered by a single tutor. I tailor tuition to your needs, on your computer, and at your speed.