educating the clueless... how?

tomorrow i have to set up and teach my grandmother how to use her new dell computer. as far as i know she's never touched a comp in her life... how should i start? besides the obvious of not going techno babble mode on her and patience, i dont know where to begin.

verrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy ssssllllllloooooooowwwwwwwwlllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy......

my grandma's 96 and IM's my brother, cousins and me all the time - so, there's hope. Write everything down, too.

good luck!

Develop proper motor skills related to computers, that is, mouse use, typing, etc. Have her feel comfortable manipulating the computer physically first, while teaching her vital operations. Identify her sole purpose of using the computer (typing, surfing the web, graphic design .. maybe) and then focus on that. Make a quick vocabulary list that she can have handy so when she has problems and calls you for help, you can refer to it on that sheet (like the Photoshop quick reference card!).

she voulenteers at the old city cemetary organizing records and whatnot, so she's really familiar with filing systems and typing... do you think it would work if i related it to the filing and folder system she is used to?

good idea with the writing stuff down...

You'll definitely have to write it all down. Also older people really like steps to follow.

1. Click on File
2. Click on Save
3. Type the name you want to save the file as
4. Press enter

Etc... You have to remember they have never used a "save dialog box" before, and don't even know what saving does...

Don't get too technical obviously. Just tell her the bare minimum that she needs to know to accomplish a task. She probably doesn't need to know how to install software or anything. Just use the apps that she has to use.

But yeah, figure out exactly what she will use it for, identify those programs, and teach her those. Put shortcuts to those apps on the desktop too. And instead of naming the icons "Outlook" or "AOL Instant Messenger" name them things like "Email", "Chat", "Internet", etc. So she doesn't have to learn the names of a bunch of programs, and can instead just click on the action she would like to perform.

TEACH HER ABOUT VIRUSES AND WHAT NOT TO CLICK ON IN EMAILS! That will save you a ton of trouble in the future... Get her a good virus scanner too, and setup Windows update to automatically download and install everything so she is current on security patches.

And I would seriously consider setting her up with Firebird and Thunderbird for email, or some other email/browser, to protect her from pop-ups, adware, spyware, etc. It's still not foolproof, but it takes a lot more interaction from the user to **** up your computer with those programs than it does for Outlook or IE.

yep deker
is 100% right i had to teach some ladie that was 90 years old how to use her computer (for pay) she had a 22 inch monitor at 800 by 600 resolution her desktop icons were prettymuch bite size candies lol, but yes she or you needs to write down stuff so she can either study it or on her own time try to use the computer. You should tell her to just start looking around when she has time, looking through the computer tends to help them see how it works... Besides the fact that you are going to sit there and tell her every single step, its fun when they accomplish something because they get so happy. Also you should teach them how to print, its magic to them goood luck!

22 inch monitor at 800 by 600 resolution

holy crap! :D

Also i agree with the above..especially bout the "write it down" thing!!!

One other thing that i think is important though........you really need to let her know that she isnt going to do anything wrong!!!!! Most new users are afraid of the computer......they dont want to click stuff because they might do something wrong/break something or mess something up. Even though they actually might.....you need to assure them that they wont. They wont learn if they are afraid of it.

haha! My Grandma uses a 19" monitor at 800x600... I at least changed it too 1024x768. I was over and taught her how to use email the other day... make sure you repeat things and right it down. I would teach her how to use Microsoft Word, E-mail, and the Internet. Right down each thing, STEP BY STEP.

Word:
1. Click on the "Start" button in the bottom left hand corner
2. Hold your cursor over "Programs"
3. Look for "Microsoft Word"
4. Click on "Microsoft Word"
5. Do the other steps deker said. ;)

Something like that, it really helps, and just tell her to call you anytime she needs anything.

The stupidest thing my family ever did is get my grandfather a computer. My uncle got all these pictures of optical illusions off the net cause gramps loves those kinda things. I get down there and he had opened a bunch in MSPaint, drawn all over them randomly and saved it. So he tells me to fix it. I spend all day retouching the photos pixel by pixel cause nobody can remember where he downloaded them from. After I finish he gets right back on the computer, only to draw all over the pics and save them again.

lol@random
...in addition to all the nice things said here...maybe you should fix up the computer to use that assistant/narrator thing - the voice thinghy...I never used it but I figure repetition will help - and it's fun too for non techies