Computer Usage and Complexities

WELCOME STUDENTS

We are very pleased that you have agreed to share your time, energy and knowledge with our seniors. Please note that the following information is not a reflection on the level of knowledge that we think you in all likelihood have about computers. As a matter of fact, we suspect that you probably have a better level of understanding about " technology" than many of your trainers in the seniors in cyberspace project.

We have included the following information because we know that some of you do not have much experience in introducing technology to a person who may never have seen a computer before or " touched " one

Our information is based upon the experience of a volunteer who has noted the following needs of the senior and the volunteer.

We hope you will find some of it helpful and that you will enjoy your experience with the senior that you are assigned to.

HOW MUCH TO INTRODUCE AND WHETHER YOU SHOULD EXPECT THEM TO REMEMBER

It is important to encourage the senior to do as much as possible for him or herself in turning the computer on.

However, you must keep in mind how much the senior will remember from one session to another and how independent the senior desires to be. These two factors will determine how much and how quickly you introduce new features that you would expect the senior to remember. It is therefore important for you to observe the senior and his or her reactions to the information that you are providing them. (This was noted in an earlier module re. The type of learner / worker that the senior is)

The senior must never feel pressured to remember. Memory is an issue for all seniors and your role is to introduce the computer as a fun activity - the learning will be a side effect of having fun. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO REMEMBER THIS.

OBSERVATIONS TO BE MADE

1.

Participation Style and Behaviour of your Senior

Does the senior immediately grab the mouse from you after you explain what it is for, or does he or she behave reluctantly - waiting for you to continue on - with your hand still on the mouse. Do they pull their hand away when you place it on the mouse? This gives you a clue to the kind of personality you are working with especially in the early stages of your work with the senior. Once you know what the flexibility in their hands are (noted in an earlier module) you can then decide if their reluctance is due to shyness in taking a risk in using the mouse, or does it bother them physically to hold their hand for a long time on the mouse. Does your senior just sit back passively in their chair and watch the screen intently or does the senior lean forward and point excitedly or with interest to the pictures or text on the screen. Either of these behaviours gives you a clue to how you will need to interact with the senior and what your role may need to be in encouraging the senior.

These are just a few of the things you need to be aware of as you start out with your senior.

2.

Cognitive Level of your Senior

It is very important to note the following:

Regardless of how many questions or how few questions asked of you by the senior, it is very important for you to know your senior and to know how cognitively well he or she is. This knowledge will help you to determine how to proceed. This information must and should be provided to you when you are matched with your senior by the volunteer coordinator.

If the senior is quite cognitively well, they will be possibly able to remember some of what you will show them. If they have memory difficulties, you will keep the explanations extremely limited and you will concentrate on finding out what they enjoy and what limited actions they can do and what they enjoy doing as a task at the computer. (For example is it enough to just get them to push on the screen button?)

Therefore keep in mind that each instruction you receive in how to work with your senior has to be interpreted on one of two levels. If your senior can follow limited instructions and enjoys doing this, you incorporate the instructions each time into your activity. If they cannot follow instructions, you will slowly get to the task that you have picked with your senior and give them a brief explanation of what you are doing.

Example of a simple explanation:

"OK, now we will open the computer, now we will go to your mail box and see if you have any mail”
Or
" Now we will go and look at some nice pictures of flowers etc"

FUN AND LEARNING

TIPS FOR INTRODUCING THE USE OF THE MOUSE

1.

TRADITIONAL MOUSE

Most computers will have the traditional version of the mouse. Once you introduce this to the senior do not try to switch them over to a new mouse type, as it will be too confusing to them. Believe it or not most seniors can use the traditional mouse with just a little help, alteration and help.

2.

MOUSE CONTROL

You may find that you will have to steady the mouse at first by holding on to the cord attachment at the base of the mouse. This helps demonstrate to the senior the amount and the type of movement they need to get accustomed to. It also helps steady the mouse and limits fast movement.

3.

DEACTIVATING THE " RIGHT CLICK"

You may have to deactivate the right click side of the mouse as often seniors spontaneously push down with two fingers instead of the forefinger only. Thus, you may want to insert a small piece of paper under the right click section so that they cannot push down on this part. You may find it helpful also to put a red dot on the mouse where you can recommend that the senior push to " click" the mouse.

For a more technical approach to modifying or adapting the mouse you may do the following. Sometimes the double and single click options are confusing to the senior. To change from the double to single click for opening programs you may do the following:

From the Start menu, under Settings, Folder Options, select Customized Desktop, then click the Settings button and choose Use Windows Classic Desktop and Single Click.

(Information taken from Clarke and Straka, 2000, Internet Access for Frail Seniors: McGill Center for Aging.)

4.

LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION

Listen to the language of the senior when they refer to the mouse. If they develop another name for the mouse that helps remind them what the mouse does - then you should adopt that name for the mouse as well. For example, some seniors might remember what the mouse is used for if you in a fun way refer to it as the " steering wheel " etc.

5.

LEFT HANDED or RIGHT HANDED - Seating Position of Volunteer

Immediately note which hand the senior uses to run the mouse. You will then sit on that side of the senior as you will need to reach across to the screen and you will block the senior's line of vision less if you sit on the proper side.

6.

HAND TENSION OF THE SENIOR

Each senior will tack holding the mouse in a slightly different way, therefore, you the volunteer will have to observe whether the senior is holding the mouse too tightly or too loosely. Encourage them to err on the side of relaxing and holding the mouse lightly. They will not discover this on their own. You will have to instruct them about this. If the senior’s hand movement is too jerky and they are having trouble coordinating the hand and arrow movement, it is quite acceptable for the volunteer to hold the mouse cord and slowly and gently guide the motion of the mouse. This can be done all of the time or until such time it is noticeable that the senior has the right idea. This aspect of learning takes a long time for many of us and for some seniors their coordination will be such that they will always need your help.

7.

HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL MOTION OF THE HAND
OR TRACKING THE ARROW AND RUNNING OUT OF TABLE SPACE / mouse pad

IOur experience shows that as the senior attempts to gain control of the mouse action, it is best to favor the vertical motion of the mouse and arrow. Practice gently lifting up the mouse and bringing it in a downward motion on the mouse pad. You will find that seniors will often run out of screen and they become alarmed that the arrow has disappeared. Gently remind them to move the mouse up on the pad and downward if this becomes a problem. Eventually most seniors will see the pattern and know what to do when this happens.

8.

SPEED OF THE ARROW

It is recommended that the speed of the movement of the arrow be decreased. This can be done by going to the start button at the bottom of your screen. Then to the Control Panel and choose Mouse in you menu. Select left or right depending upon your seniors favored hand and slow down the double click speed to the very left side of the scale. At the top of this screen go to Motion and in this menu you will slow down the pointer speed and you will put the show pointer trails at the very slowest of the scale.

If you as a volunteer do not have access to the control panel and these features need to be incorporated then speak to the volunteer coordinator who should do this modification for you.

TIPS ON FONT and ICON SIZE

Do not automatically assume that the senior will need the font size increased. Unless your coordinator has indicated there is a marked visual impairment, it is best to watch how your senior behaves in front of the screen. If they are leaning forward a lot and if they are complaining then you can increase the font size if the activity you are doing will allow you do so.

If you feel that the size of the font needs to be enlarged then you can go to the Start menu and under Settings, Control Panel and Display section and the Appearance section you can make the changes to the default.

The Pointer: To make the pointer larger (use the Start menu and under Settings, Control Panel and selecting Mouse: in the Pointers folder, change the Scheme from Windows Standard to Windows Standard (extra large). (Information taken from Soft Ware adaptations: Internet Access for Frail Seniors: McGill Center for Aging Clarke and Straka, 2000)

The Netscape or Explorer Icon: To make accessing the internet an easier task, we recommend that you isolate the icon over to a separate space on the screen and leave it there. This way the senior will get to know where to find the icon and will easily be able to click on it with out mistakenly clicking on another icon. This is particularly important in the first stage of your relationship with the senior as you want to minimize all areas of potential frustration for the senior.

RECOMMENDED PHYSICAL TASKS OR ACTIVITIES FOR THE MEMORY IMPAIRED SENIOR

1.

Let the senior push the button that turns the CPU on if it is easily accessible or within arms reach of the senior. If it is not easily accessible then explain to the senior that this is the first step in turning it on.

2.

Let the senior push the button that turns the screen on and off

3.

Let the senior click on the icon for Netscape or Explorer when going to the internet. This will help the senior feel that they are able to get started on their own or with very little help. When taking the senior into the internet for the purposes of looking at web sites, you can refer to the "Internet" as a huge book or encyclopedia that has millions of pages and you can tell the computer to go and find certain types of pages. Most seniors who are not familiar with technology seem to understand and relate to this concept.

4.

Typing in Name and Password: Be sure that they are typing in the correct password. Do not be embarrassed to watch extremely carefully as they type in the password as this will save much frustrating time if you discover they did not type it in accurately. If the seniors hand tremble too much or if they find the key board too confusing then it is suggested that each time you work with the senior that you do this part. It is also recommended that you do this activity during the first few times at the computer. It is our experience that the repeated trying of using the name and password to either log on or to get into the email can cause the senior and the volunteer to become frustrated and this can detract from the enjoyment of the activity. Once you are comfortable that the senior is striking the correct keys for the password then you can have them log in regularly. Successful login is a very rewarding experience for the senior if you can minimize the frustration.

5.

Keep the number of Features introduced on the screen to a minimum
The " on a need to know bases rule" is a very applicable rule in this case. It is our recommendation that you identify and work on the following only in the first 3 or 4 sessions. Go at the pace of the senior’s ability to concentrate and watch for signs of fatigue. Just stop and talk if the senior seems to be getting tired, frustrated or agitated.

EXAMPLES:

A.

Connect the Cursor to the left click feature on the mouse

Explain to the senior that the mouse feature is similar to the idea of driving a car or controlling a lawn mower etc. Explain that the mouse is sort of like the steering wheel of a car. Explain that the cursor or the arrow will do whatever they tell it to do by pushing down on the mouse or pressing the up and down arrow keys. They you should give them several demonstrations and then give them control of the mouse or the arrows.

B.

Four Arrows

Identify the four arrows on the right side of the keyboard. This is one of the most important features on the keyboard for the lower functioning senior. It is here that they can gain a feeling of control over the computer and that they are actively involved in the making of choices about what to look at. This is a very important activity to allow the senior to do especially when you are looking at Internet menus and or web pages. While it may seem a very simple issue for us, for the senior it allows them to scroll quickly around on the screen without using the mouse all the time. It is quicker for the volunteer to do this but when you do it, it cuts down on the amount of the involvement that the senior has when sitting at the computer. This activity is also less tiring for them that using the mouse. For the senior with tremors or with limited memory this feature works well for them feeling as though they are participating actively in the task. It is impossible to make a mistake and they can track the cursor easily.

If the senior can manage the mouse to a degree then you may show them and get them to practice using the scroll arrow on the right side of the screen. Once you have determined which aspect best suits the ability of the senior, you can introduce one of the features (finger arrows or mouse scroll arrows) and limit the rest of the sessions to using only one or the other of the features.

C.

Space Bar

Many seniors have an idea about typing and therefore begin to remember easily the use of the space bar for typing. Find out from your senior if they ever typed and take your cue from there whether or not you need to tell them about this feature. This feature would be discussed when introducing the email typing to the senior or when they are learning to type in a search request for web pages.

D.

Back Space Key

This key is important for erasing mistakes and most seniors do begin to remember how to correct their typing using this key. It is easier to use than the delete button because of its location in another area. Seniors seem to remember that the erase button is the last key on the top row.

E.

" X " in Upper Right Corner

This is of course used for exiting or closing the file or page. This can be explained to the senior as the x that says goodbye or that we are leaving now. Let the senior do this him/herself even if they cannot manage many of the other aspects of the activity. It allows them to control the ending of the activity.

F.

Back Button - Upper left corner

When using the Internet it is important to allow the senior to make as many choices as possible. Clicking on the back button is easy. It is easy to find and it is easy to do. This allows the senior a feeling of control as they see that they cause the screen to change. If you feel the senior will remember you can state that this button allows us to turn the pages back and we can go all the way back to where we were or where we started out. This helps the senior review what you covered on the web and talk again about the experience while all the while they are controlling the activity by directing the machine to " turn the pages back"