The topic of technology’s past, present, and future has been discussed in this column previously, and will probably have been beaten to death by this time next year. But we’ve really only looked at the progression of technology from the perspective of technology itself. We haven’t discussed as much the people who use it.
I have an interesting perspective on this, because as part of my job, I teach a computer hardware class to kids aged 8 to 14 who are in an after-school program in Salt Lake City. They are arguably the future of computer users – they’ll be the office workers and techies of nine to fifteen years down the line.
I’ve had an interesting cross-section in all three sessions of the class that I’ve taught so far. Some of the kids are only taking the class because at the end, they get to keep the computer they’ve been working on, and they want the computer. Others really want to take knowledge away from the class and are fairly enthusiastic, but they can’t quite get the concepts we teach. (These tend to be younger kids more than older ones, but there are exceptions to the rule.) And there are others who are the best students – very enthusiastic, and quick learners to boot.
Some of the best students I’ve had were the ones who came in with the least knowledge. Sasha started out the class not knowing a thing about the inner workings of a computer. But by the end of the class, she was naming all the parts correctly and knew their functions, as well as things like how to install programs. Ashley knew a bit more about computers to start off, but by the end of the class, she got practically everything on the post-test right. For these best students, I give them a little bit of extra knowledge on the inner workings of computers that the other kids might not understand or might not care about.
It’s interesting to watch the kids collaborate. A lot of times when one of the less-knowledgeable kids is having trouble putting their computer back together or installing a program, another kid will jump in to help out. When it comes time to change the desktop background, screen saver, and color scheme, they all trade ideas and tips back and forth about how to get their desktops looking just right. A lot of times, one of the kids will finish something up and then come over and help their friend out.
However, there are some things that just go right over the kids’ heads. If there’s something wrong with the computer, we have to fix it, because the kids can’t really troubleshoot and figure out which part is causing problems, even if they know all the parts’ functions. We make sure the computers are working and have Windows 2000 installed before the class starts; the kids could probably handle installing Windows, but it’s too time-consuming and so we do it for them. However, I have noticed that all but a few kids end up becoming very enthusiastic and involved with the class, even if they came in just wanting the computer or if a lot of the concepts go right over their heads.
It’s a good bet that the best of the students will continue to experiment, and one day they’ll be as qualified as I am to teach the class. As computers become more and more ubiquitous, these skills will become more and more important. The kids also leave the class with a computer and the knowledge of how it helps them write a paper or browse the internet; they learn about temporary versus permanent memory, modems and Ethernet cards, and that video cards don’t just play videos. It’s very rewarding to see the kids leave the class with a deeper understanding of how their computers work and a curiosity to find out more.
