PEBCAK: Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard
I thought when I transferred from the newsroom to the classroom that I wouldn’t be playing tech support for my co-workers. My prediction was somewhat correct. I’m no longer tech support for my co-workers, however I am teaching basic computer skills far more than I ever expected to.
There is something terrifying about this generation.
They were born with technology at their fingertips, yet none of them grasp how to use it.
Today students were removing footage from their SD card. That isn’t something that I fault them not understanding, since every camera records footage in their own unique way. I was shocked to discover that not a single student could create a new folder or identify their desktop versus Google Chrome. A few didn’t even know how to right click with a basic mouse. Nearly every student told me that outside of a Chromebook, they did not use a computer. That was if they used a Chromebook, most simply used their phone or tablet.
I thought the tech issues were bad when I taught middle school. But those students, who are now sophomores, had stronger skills. These freshmen seem even more perplexed when using basic tech.
It’s bizarre that most of these kids didn’t know how to click a mouse. When I tell them to right click on the mouse, they either double tap the left button or they just barely click the Right mouse button. And when we’re going back to regular clicking instead of clicking the left mouse button, they use the right one. Because all these kids have ever used is the trackpad or their finger on a phone or a tablet.
It’s not just computing they have an issue with. Students keep confusing SD cards with SIM cards. They are not the same and despite my constant corrections; they don’t understand the difference between the cards. SIM cards allow mobile users to connect to phones to the network and it stores their user information. While an SD is a removable memory card. I’m sure you’re aware there’s a big difference between cellular connection and data storage. Apparently, the kids don’t think it’s a big deal.
I’m not sure when we stopped teaching kids how to type correctly, but I’m sure it’s around the same point when we stopped teaching cursive. We need kids to read cursive so they can read original documents and sign their name. At this point, I think we’re just going to have people marking X instead of signing their name like a pirate.
That’s how I feel every time I’m asking these kids to type out a simple word and they’re hunting and pecking. Nobody knows what homeroom keys are. Nobody understands that if a word is already highlighted, they just have to type. They don’t need to press delete. They don’t need to do anything extra.
As I am teaching kids how to add new folders to their desktop, I am also teaching them how to copy files from their SD card and transfer it to their desktop. Watching kids figure out how to operate a mouse to highlight the files is entertaining and frustrating all at the same time. Teaching them shortcut keys like pressing control n to open a new file is mind-boggling to them. Pressing Ctrl a to highlight all the files that they need is magic. I don’t know how these kids have been using devices basically since kindergarten and nobody has actually explained to them what to do.
We are doing these kids a disservice by not actually having basic computer classes anymore. I remember in elementary school where we would go to the computer lab and we would do typing drills and we would practice using our keyboards and did fun games. But in reality, these games were teaching us how to use the mouse correctly. These games that we would try to beat the leaderboards on were teaching us how to type correctly. It’s always funny to have my students watch me type a document as they’re talking to me and I’m not looking at my keys. It’s almost as if I’m an alien.
This is just a very bizarre world and I wonder how employers are dealing with the young adults entering the workforce. Are they sitting down with these fresh adults and showing them how to use a computer? Are these people asking questions or are they just staring at a desktop computer for the first time, hoping they can make it work?
I could easily just say I teach TV production, not an intro to computer course, and leave it at that. But before I can have my students edit, I have to make sure they know how to operate a computer at the level that I was doing in elementary school.
Thankfully, my students seem eager this year, but they aren’t ready to get into the nitty gritty. We’ve spent the last week putting cameras on tripods and learning how to use a professional camera. I hope when we open up Adobe Premiere Monday, things go smoothly. But I know I’ll be spending more time than I want teaching basic tech and how to operate a real computer.
