I really struggled to get into this class in the beginning because it is something that doesn’t come natural to me…kind of like golf. I try to like it because my husband loves to play golf but I just can’t seem to get into it. Why? Because I’m horrible at golf!
However, after going through a few more weeks of this class and completing the assignments, I’ve gained some confidence with troubleshooting & working with computers. Like I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have the “go to” people if I run into computer hardware issues so I’ve never really had to try to fix things myself. I still have so much to learn but now that I’ve gone through a few of the assignments for this course I have a few success stories under my belt which has definitely boosted my confidence. While going through the course & learning of the assignments, I always feel this overwhelming rush of “OH MY GOSH! How am I going to do that assignment?!?!” After stepping back and trying to process the information, the mountain doesn’t seem as big. I remember feeling this exact way while taking the 2 undergrad computer end user/network administration courses. I’d call my mom crying, say, “Mom…I don’t know how I’m going to get this assignment done!”, and she’d calmly tell me to break the “mountain” of an assignment into smaller “hills” and get it done. That’s the same approach I’ve taken with this course, and it has seemed to work. It sure helps to have a caring instructor as well…and I’m not just saying that because I think he’s going to read this post but because it is true. It is so much more motivating as a student to have an instructor who truly cares about the success of each student in the class. It has really pushed me to work harder which has resulted in me really being able to understand and learn the material.
The one thing I think can be improved for future classes might be the very first class session. After that session was over, I sat in front of my computer feeling pretty numb & overwhelmed. There were so many computer terms & acronyms that were thrown around; I felt like I was in way over my head which put a bad taste in my mouth right from the start. It might be helpful to take a short pre-test so the instructor can get a good grasp on the level the students have upon entering into the course & then start out the first class at the level where the students demonstrate their beginning knowledge. Even if the instructor isn’t able to go over all of the basics that some of the students might need, it might be helpful to at least have a few articles or good resource websites where the students can go for some of the basic knowledge/information. Also, I felt a bit overwhelmed with the amount of work in the beginning of the course. I realize this is an accelerated course so I’m not sure if anything can be done about that. It was really helpful to have a compassionate instructor who would allow you to turn in assignments at a later date if more time was needed.
Thanks for a good class. I’ve learned lots & hopefully will continue to use this information/knowledge as I continue on my instructional technology journey!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Computer Management
Thoughts...
While reflecting on the 2 questions given to us this week to blog about, I am struggling & realizing I need to know so much more about computers. I've always considered myself a pretty tech-savvy person but now that I'm going through this class I'm beginning to understand how my parents feel when they are trying to use the computer ...and that is the feeling of walking around in the dark trying to find the light switch in a new house. I feel like so far I've been able to walk around this dark room (this class) & haven't run into any walls...but still feel a bit lost & overwhelmed but am very thankful for an understanding & helpful instructor! Okay, so on to the 1st question!
How Can I Improve the Management of My Computer
I know there are a few things I can set up on the computer to run automatically each week to ensure the computer is up-to-date for various updates including software & virus/security updates. My husband has set up a few things to help improve the computer's optimal utilization to include a defrag & disk clean-up scheduled once a month. The McAfee anti-virus protection software is scheduled to check for updates each time the computer is started up to ensure the computer is fully protected. We have also purchased an external harddrive to storage large files like pictures, video & music so it doesn't take away from the computer's harddrive space. Another thing that seems to help with the functionality of a computer is to uninstall/delete all of the trial versions of software that come on new computers. When we recently purchased a laptop for my parents, we had Office Depot clean up all of the trial versions that were on the computer as well as install the antivirus software. If I knew how to do the "clean up" of the trials, I could have saved some money but instead had Office Depot perform the services in order to ensure things were done properly. I've used this analogy before - I felt like I usually do when I'm at the oil change place....like I'm getting the wool pulled over my eyes because I don't know any better. When asked about this service it sounded like a good idea at the time but it is probably something that I'd be able to do on my own with a bit of research.
What I Think I Need to Know in Order to Ensure Proper Computer Functioning & Data Safety
With a bit more knowledge about some of the virus "stuff" I think I'll be more informed to help keep the computer functioning properly and the data that is stored on the computer as safe as possible. After completing the virus assignment I hope to be more aware of what the viruses are referring to and how to keep my computer/data safe. Besides that brief answer I guess all I can say is... "I don't know what I don't know..." so hopefully by the end of this course I'll know exactly what will help ensure proper computer functioning & data safety!
While reflecting on the 2 questions given to us this week to blog about, I am struggling & realizing I need to know so much more about computers. I've always considered myself a pretty tech-savvy person but now that I'm going through this class I'm beginning to understand how my parents feel when they are trying to use the computer ...and that is the feeling of walking around in the dark trying to find the light switch in a new house. I feel like so far I've been able to walk around this dark room (this class) & haven't run into any walls...but still feel a bit lost & overwhelmed but am very thankful for an understanding & helpful instructor! Okay, so on to the 1st question!
How Can I Improve the Management of My Computer
I know there are a few things I can set up on the computer to run automatically each week to ensure the computer is up-to-date for various updates including software & virus/security updates. My husband has set up a few things to help improve the computer's optimal utilization to include a defrag & disk clean-up scheduled once a month. The McAfee anti-virus protection software is scheduled to check for updates each time the computer is started up to ensure the computer is fully protected. We have also purchased an external harddrive to storage large files like pictures, video & music so it doesn't take away from the computer's harddrive space. Another thing that seems to help with the functionality of a computer is to uninstall/delete all of the trial versions of software that come on new computers. When we recently purchased a laptop for my parents, we had Office Depot clean up all of the trial versions that were on the computer as well as install the antivirus software. If I knew how to do the "clean up" of the trials, I could have saved some money but instead had Office Depot perform the services in order to ensure things were done properly. I've used this analogy before - I felt like I usually do when I'm at the oil change place....like I'm getting the wool pulled over my eyes because I don't know any better. When asked about this service it sounded like a good idea at the time but it is probably something that I'd be able to do on my own with a bit of research.
What I Think I Need to Know in Order to Ensure Proper Computer Functioning & Data Safety
With a bit more knowledge about some of the virus "stuff" I think I'll be more informed to help keep the computer functioning properly and the data that is stored on the computer as safe as possible. After completing the virus assignment I hope to be more aware of what the viruses are referring to and how to keep my computer/data safe. Besides that brief answer I guess all I can say is... "I don't know what I don't know..." so hopefully by the end of this course I'll know exactly what will help ensure proper computer functioning & data safety!
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