How to Help Children Learn How to Use the Computer
Adequate computer skills are a must in today's fast-paced, technology-driven society. More are more things are now being done online. One of the areas now shifting online is education. Many schools have laptop computers for each student, and schools are also having their students take tests with a computer instead of a pen and paper. However, there are still some children who lack basic skills and need help learning how to use a computer.
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Instructions
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How to Help Children Learn How to Use the Computer
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Explain to the child the basic components of a computer. For example, show the child where the power button is, and let them know that you can push the button to turn it on, but not to turn it off. Explain what the keyboard and mouse are and how they function.
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Create a user profile for the child. Be sure to remove any unnecessary programs that could cause confusion. For example, you need not leave accounting software on the desktop. In order for the child to learn as quickly as possible, a simple word processing icon such as Microsoft Word and an icon such as Internet Explorer for the Internet should work fine.
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Show the child how to type using the keyboard. Also show how to open and close documents and icons by double-clicking the mouse. Using the mouse may be difficult for the child to master at first, so showing them how to use it properly and practicing with them is a must. A search engine is great way of introducing the child to the Internet. Google is a great search engine to use. as its homepage design is clean and simple to use.
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Teach the child how to log on and log off, as well as how to properly shut down the computer once they are done. Explain to the child the harm that could be caused to the computer if it is improperly shut down. Also, explain the difference between logging off their profile and shutting the computer down completely.
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Practice with the child using the computer. You should demonstrate its use as if you were going to complete a task. For example, start by logging into your profile and opening up a document or an Internet window. Show the child how you would create and save a document in a folder or find something on the Internet. Once you are done show the child how you would close all the windows and programs. Lastly, show the child how you would log off and shut the computer down. Regular monitored practice will help the child get comfortable using the computer, and after a while you should no longer need to walk through using it with them.
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Tips & Warnings
Writing down a quick tip sheet for the child explaining things such as how to turn the computer on, searching the Internet and shutting down the computer should help them move ahead in computer proficiency and self-sufficiency.
Installing an Internet filtering program will allow you to block access to harmful sites.
