In a previous post I talked about how working on and fixing computers is not magic. I’ve been asked in the past “how did you learn this stuff?” Typically it’s asked more tongue and cheek without really wanting a complete answer. The answer though, I think is important.
A lot of things I’ve learned have come from a hands-on approach. Simply just using a computer every day. Those things have comparisons to other hobbies, jobs, and tasks. You learn how to play a guitar from playing a guitar. That in of itself is pretty simple. But, teaching yourself to play guitar without knowing anything can be frustrating and difficult even with a book as a guide. Thankfully technology has reached a point where just about anything you need to accomplish somebody, somewhere, has created a video demonstrating how to do that task. Most likely you are not the only person in the world to have that specific problem. That’s what I’ve found in my adventures with technology. I can almost always find an answer online, but it takes some detective work. Tinkering and watching how other people have accomplished tasks has taught me much more than any class could.
When we have a problem we can find a solution with the help of the Internet. We have an incredible opportunity to learn just about anything without any monetary cost. I recently spoke to an IT professional in charge of the department. He makes the decision to hire or fire IT employees. The company has required, with some exceptions, every hiree must have a bachelor's degree. They do not care what field that it is in but they require one none the less. When considering a potential employee he looks at two things. Number one, does this person's personality fit the with the group. That is very important. He believes if you get the right personality and person, you can train that person to do a good job. Second, do you have enough knowledge already to get started. He does not care where the knowledge comes from but you need to be able to do the job.
Where can you obtain the required skills? If I can learn through videos, tutorials, and free online courses such as MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses) why is an extra university degree important? More information about MOOC’s can be found here.
The question remains: how do we get kids to want to learn for themselves? How do we teach them to do it and like it? In my current situation I feel it is extremely difficult with the amount of filtering our corporation does to block students from accessing the Internet, including YouTube. I'll save that rant for another blog post.
What do you think? Discuss in the comments below.
A lot of things I’ve learned have come from a hands-on approach. Simply just using a computer every day. Those things have comparisons to other hobbies, jobs, and tasks. You learn how to play a guitar from playing a guitar. That in of itself is pretty simple. But, teaching yourself to play guitar without knowing anything can be frustrating and difficult even with a book as a guide. Thankfully technology has reached a point where just about anything you need to accomplish somebody, somewhere, has created a video demonstrating how to do that task. Most likely you are not the only person in the world to have that specific problem. That’s what I’ve found in my adventures with technology. I can almost always find an answer online, but it takes some detective work. Tinkering and watching how other people have accomplished tasks has taught me much more than any class could.
When we have a problem we can find a solution with the help of the Internet. We have an incredible opportunity to learn just about anything without any monetary cost. I recently spoke to an IT professional in charge of the department. He makes the decision to hire or fire IT employees. The company has required, with some exceptions, every hiree must have a bachelor's degree. They do not care what field that it is in but they require one none the less. When considering a potential employee he looks at two things. Number one, does this person's personality fit the with the group. That is very important. He believes if you get the right personality and person, you can train that person to do a good job. Second, do you have enough knowledge already to get started. He does not care where the knowledge comes from but you need to be able to do the job.
Where can you obtain the required skills? If I can learn through videos, tutorials, and free online courses such as MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses) why is an extra university degree important? More information about MOOC’s can be found here.
The question remains: how do we get kids to want to learn for themselves? How do we teach them to do it and like it? In my current situation I feel it is extremely difficult with the amount of filtering our corporation does to block students from accessing the Internet, including YouTube. I'll save that rant for another blog post.
What do you think? Discuss in the comments below.