Will I have the Computer Skills Needed For a Distance Learning Course?
Six Requirements, A Checklist of Skills, A Key Thought
The Six Requirements
First And Most Important. : If you have never used a computer you can still become a distance learner. Repeat. If you have never used a computer you can still become a distance learner. You may need a little preparatory work before you start.
Second: Key requirements to succeed as a distance learner are motivation, determination, persistence and willingness to learn new computer skills as well as course content. You will need a computer.
Third: Get information from the course organizers before you pay anything.
Find out the specific computer skills required for the course you wish to follow. When you know you can focus on developing the skills that you will actually need for the course. Get the organizers to make a list of the skills you will need. Ask someone who knows you and who knows a bit about computers how long it will take you to learn these skills.
Get full details of the features your computer should have. It is best to get the list of features in writing so you have it for reference if you need to go computer shopping or discuss with someone.
The course organizers will want to please you to get your custom. Ask as many questions as you need to. Ask to speak to the course manager if necessary. Be persistent until you have all the answers you need. Don't be embarrassed to say I don't know very much about computers at present so I would appreciate if you could give me this in simple language.' Take notes or get them to send you information in writing.
Fourth: Find one or more people to help you get a computer set up and get started using it. There is certainly someone in your circle of acquaintances, friends or family or someone you could briefly hire who can help you get started. Find that person and find a way to get them to help you (remember that motivation and persistence!). Young people with computer expertise may enjoy sharing their skills with an older relative. Bribe them if you have to!
Fifth: Once you get started you will best develop your computer skills by doing a little and doing it often. Keep the bribes and the support going as back up if you can.
Sixth: If you can find a friend who is interested in pursuing the same distance course then you will provide moral and practical support to each other. Check out likely places to find such a person. They should be genuinely interested or it will not work. Once you join a distance course, it is really helpful to form bonds with the other learners on the same course so you can support each other.
Checklist of Basic Skills You Will Almost Certainly Need Before You Can Take a Distance Learning Course
1. How to turn on a computer and use a keyboard and mouse to move around
2. How to create and save files on a computer
3. How to access websites
4. How to send and receive e-mail
5. How to send and receive e-mail attachments
6. How to create typed documents and send them by e-mail
7. How to register as a user of a website and create a password
The basics of each of these skills can be acquired in 30 minutes or less with some guidance. To master the skill fully you will need to practice it regularly in the days immediately after you learned it and keep using it regularly thereafter. It is necessary to tackle the basic skills first and add new skills gradually over a period of days or weeks. Take careful notes of each step if you have someone giving you guidance on how to carry out these computer tasks.
If you are fairly motivated and you have some support and practice time you could acquire and practice the basic skills over a two-week period to reach a level of competence suited to many distance-learning courses. With just these basic skills you can start many distance learning courses.
Some Other Skills You May Need During a Distance Learning Course
1. How to zip files
2. How to upload' files to a website
3. How to download' files from a website
4. How to use removable storage devices in connection with your computer
5. How to use and contribute to an on-line (Internet) discussion forum
6. How to access and use a Learning Management System
7. How to edit content collaboratively with others on-line using a wiki'
8. How to use a web cam
These other skills can be acquired when you need them in the context of your course work. The other people on the course or the organizers will probably help you. It is generally easier to learn computer skills when you actually need to use the skill in a real situation.
The Key Thought: Computers Are Not Very Mysterious
There is nothing inside a computer except information. All a computer does is organize different kinds of information in different ways and send it around between different people. Anyone can use a computer. A lot of people have invented a lot of strange words for this process that just makes it sound mysterious if you don't happen to know the invented words.
Good Luck!