Interactive tutorial of some kind for teaching people basic Windows/some internet browsing?

What I mean is, time and time again I have to help family/friends out
with the most basic things. I don't mind; I love to help. But it's
getting to be a really big pain because when they come to me with a
problem, we spend way too much time doing basic things like teaching
them how to do the simple things [copy/paste, move files, how to get
from one folder to another, teaching them safety issues like NEVER
opening up email attachments but learning how to save to desktop and
run virus scanner, etc.] before we can get to the problem at hand.
This is getting to be serious - a week ago or so, a cousin and I spent
2 hours on something that actually takes 5 minutes to do once ones
knows the basics of Windows and Internet Explorer moving around.
Very, very, very frustrating on both sides. Just yesterday another 20
minute session that should have taken seconds only because a friend
kept typing in an email address incorrectly and I had to teach her how
to copy/paste <very big sigh>.

Is there a tutorial program, but not something to read, instead
something that can interactively teach them all these basics so that
we all don't have to waste so much time on things that they should
already know?

Much appreciated if anyone knows of anything like this. It'll make my
life so much simpler, and theirs, too!

 

I hate to say this (but being so short, I've top-posted).
Put a Post-It-Note on the Monitor that says 'Press F1 key for help'

Else 'Windows for Dummies' (or like).
It's a tragedy when you,ve to explain how to 'right-click' for instance,
though thiere may be no reason at all why a newbie should know how to
'right-click'.
Easy when you know how!

(Anyways, wasn't so short after all).

 

The book, Windows for Dummies come to mind!

 

As does the book,I can't find anything useful to say so i'll just post an
inane reply.But then I think you've read it.

 

Hi
www.learndirect.co.uk
have a very comprehensive course in basic computer operating with a series
of CDs which are fully interactive.
They even supply a personal tutor who can be contacted by Email.
Hope this helps(all round!).

 

<sigh> Yes. It is of help. What it's taught me is that there is
nothing that will help them, by the looks of it, at least at first
glance at this thread.

It would be nice to find even an interactive site that they could go
to to spend a minute or two.

See, there are newbies and then there are newbies. People like me
_take_ the time to learn. That's the only difference between my
family/friends and me. They all just don't have the time for this and
just don't have inclination to all go out and do something like buy
Windows for Dummies. It's too intimidating, it's too
incomprehensible, etc., etc. That's why I end up "wasting" so much
time helping everyone (and that won't change, so I have to find a way
to make things work).

One time I helped another friend and after 2 hours just was so
screaming frustrated because he just wasn't understanding what he was
having to do - and it was _basic_ stuff! (And I teach in the "teach
to fish" not "give the fish" manner so that next time around we're not
covering the same ground.) Well, 3 months later, another problem - a
browser hijacking issue - and he didn't remember what I'd shown him
the first time around and he's just not computer literate.

So, off to alt.comp.freeware to see if they've heard of something. I
myself just don't have time to make up more tutorials (I did create 3
"movies" based on screenshot movement with audio on 3 basic items and
if I had the means, would make them all, but those 3 took forever to
get just right.

Well, not giving up on something interactive that they can play so
that they learn. There's got to be something somewhere because
they're not going to go buy then read a book, I can take that to the
bank. Every time we all talk it's "yes, I should do this" and "yes, I
should do that" but it never happens.

Thanks everyone!

 

But the CDs ARE interactive!
They talk you through and demonstrate a subject such as sending E mails or
searching the Web and then ask you to copy the procedure.
If you do it incorrectly you are shown the right way and asked to do it
again.
Hours of fun and knowledge for even the smallest minds.
Then again you could piss 'em all and do a Moonlight flit toFlorida


=================================================

 

<snip>

Hi Fitwell,

There is a web site that addresses functions much more basic than
copy/paste and moving files. It's the tutorial designed to help people
who have never used a computer before:
http://northville.lib.mi.us/tech/tutor/welcome.htm

It has such basic information as "The mouse stays on the mouse pad. You
can lift the mouse to move it when you run out of room on the pad." Keep
it in mind, if you are ever trying to help a person who really has never
used a computer before. However, I always wonder how the first-timer
would get to the site to begin with.

Hmmmm,
Thoronwen

 

Yes, that may be so, but can you imagine what they'll say when I tell
everyone to go buy some CDs before I'll help them??? I need sometime
downloadable. At the very least, something I can easily dl and then
email to everyone who asks me for help.

I like the moonlight flit to Florida, though, that's sounds like a
plan! D

 

Now THAT is exactly the type of thing I mean. In fact, if it were
more comprehensive (that site _only_ talks about the mouse and nothing
else), then I could even round up the files and make something of them
to send to people.

If anyone knows of anything better than the site above, i.e., that
_does_ cover much more than this so that a beginner can learn about
navigating the computer and doing basic stuff, that would be fabulous.
It's the type of thing that should be included on _all_ computers, but
isn't. Here's the type of thing that needs to be covered:

- Windows Explorer and navigating between windows
- how to save / copy / move files around
- explaining clicking and right-clicking
- launching programs covering the START menu and what it means/does
- how to deal with email attachments and how to save someplace, i.e.,
desktop, and to run antivirus software on it
- some internet searching/browsing basics. What the internet means
and how to use it even if in a very basic way
- etc.

I'm not about to give up helping anyone but I'm turning into a
somewhat impatient/frustrated person in the process. I can never talk
to anyone, except one or two of my friends, and just say, go to this
site, do this and then that etc., and that will fix problem. No, I
spend far too much time explaining fundamentals and that's been hard.
And then I learn about all the awful things they've been doing without
realizing it. My cousin, I found out, was just automatically opening
_all_ attachments and downloaded items out of ignorance. You can't
just say to these people not to open attachments and to run their av
scanners on them! They don't comprehend the language and don't have
time to start becoming computer experts. They need to get from point
A to B a lot more quickly than spending hours learning all the basics
that they should. Life is hard enough without adding the computer to
their endless lists of things to do. Some of you are judgmental about
this, I know. It _does_ sound like it's a pretty stupid situation,
but reality is reality. Surely I can't be the only one that wants to
send family/friends an interactive guide of some sort to simplify
this. And I got to thinking that it would be something that I'd
better have and to send because websites die all the time. But I can
certainly work with a site that has everything that I do something
with to make it interactive. Fortunately, I believe that even if I
had to convert to some sort of SWF file that I turned into an EXE,
that I might be able to handle that complex a job. If worse came to
worst, I could just make it into an interactive html document that I
zipped up. Bears some thinking. Anyhoo, I must find the base
material to begin with. And something already in a prepared and
portable format that is still interactive, is still the ideal.

Thanks, I keep looking but I haven't found anything worthwhile. Even
something like a PDF guide isn't helpful - just MORE for people to
read when they're overburdened as it is.

 

Well, I went back to that page, I apologize. It _does_ do more than
just talk about the mouse. However, the page is very badly designed.
If you go to the mouse page and just hit enter, you go into a
continuous cycle of the 3 pages and it looks like that's it. So, I
ultimately went up to the address bar and took out the last few words
to see if I could find an index page of some sort (if there are links
on those mouse pages to get you out of the mouse tutorial, they're not
readily apparent. Sheesh, a beginner wouldn't know what to do. +
Anyhoo, I ended up here: http://www.northville.lib.mi.us/tech/tutor/
and all the HTM pages are tutorial pages. Going to look at this some
more. This could be a starting place.

Thanks once again.