Names: Julie Bowers, David Currie, and Laraine Powers Type of session: Presentation Preferred Track: Track 4: Best Practices Abstract: Most of us and our students are strongly conditioned from birth to believe that we must KNOW what we are doing before beginning. However, this mindset is inappropriate for modern technology. To lead computer novices beyond this mindset, we propose using the metaphor of "total immersion learning" wherein the individual completely immerses him/herself into trying use the computer for a specific task in order to learn how to perform the task. Description: Most of us and our students are strongly conditioned from birth to believe that we must KNOW what we are doing before we begin a project. We expect to have learned from some source every step of the process and what to expect as we go along. Our dictum is "If we do not KNOW, we get someone that does KNOW what they are doing to guide us." However, this mindset does not work for computer use. In fact we believe it is a major obstacle to computer literacy and it must be overcome by students and faculty alike if they are to fully belong in the information age. As a more adaptive strategy, we propose "total immersion learning" wherein the individual completely immerses him/herself into trying use the computer for a specific task in order to learn how to perform the task. With today's user friendly computers and vast array of software applications and peripherals, it simply is not realistic to expect to always know what you are doing before you sit down at the computer to do it. Anyone that has spent very much time using a computer understands that most of the time you learn as you go. In contrast, novices fear that they should be well prepared before starting to operate the computer or to them "expensive machine." Novices want to know and understand every step of the procedure before they attempt to do something like download a program from the internet. They are uncomfortable starting the process and making choices they don't understand because they are afraid they will "break" the computer by pushing the wrong button. They believe the situation is analogous to attempting repairs on your car or plumbing without prior experience, where failure is costly and humiliating. Nobody wants to hear "You shouldn't have done that because you didn't know what you were doing." That phrase has a strong negative ring from childhood years. But it does not apply here, because nobody in the information age is saying that about computers. Technical support people manning helplines and other computer specialists do not chastise people for trying to do something and "breaking" their computers; they try to fix the problem. Novices need to learn to expect problems to arise with computer use. Their focus needs to shift toward exploring the creative possibilities of computers and problem solving. While fear of "breaking" the computer is a major obstacle, there are many other negative attitudes that cause individuals to resist experience with computers. Fears of appearing stupid, wasting time or becoming addicted are commonly expressed. Also, many people have had experiences in the past with user-hateful computers and do not yet realize newer computers are designed better. Additionally, working with the learning curve, low frustration tolerance, and unrealistic expectations challenge many students and faculty. Technical issues represent another range of obstacles to computer literacy. People become overwhelmed with their options. Many of the terms and choices lack meaning to the novice so they do not know what to do and they are reluctant to just try one of the options and see what happens. The internet runs slower at certain times of the day. Instructions can be difficult to interpret. Faculty integrating information technology into their courses need to understand and respond appropriately to these issues if they are to provide effective leadership to their students. In this presentation we will discuss how the metaphor of "total immersion learning" can be used to overcome obstacles to computer literacy in students and faculty. Length: 30 minutes Audience: General. Anyone involved in guiding computer novices. Audience level: All On-site equipment requirements: Overhead projector & screen. We'll bring our own computer and projector.
Contact Information: Julie Bowers, M.S. harrillj@etsu.edu David Currie, Ph.D David@horseshoeridge.com Laraine Powers, Ph.D powersl@etsu.edu 423-439-4485 Dept. of Health Sciences East Tennessee State University P.O. Box 70673 Johnson City, TN 37614
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