Im not sure the best way to explain where im going with this thread, but basically ive been thinking about setting up a workshop or something for the older generation to learn about the building/maintenance of a computer. The idea has come about due to an increase in older people expressing interest in having a computer but not knowing where to start and not wanting to get 'ripped off' at a big store like PC world. Most of these people havent got a clue about what actually goes into a computer and think that inside the box is all sorts of witchcraft, When i show them the actual internals of a PC the response is usually "thats it!!" Now the idea is fairly simple show people step by step the process of building a PC, obviously id need all the components and OS for a complete computer per person, that isnt an issue. The main idea is a fee for the lesson, plus the option to buy the completed computer once its finished Has anybody thought/done anything like this? and i dont need this to make a profit, obviously it would be nice but not essential its just for something new to do.
tbh I am certain that people attending this kind of class would pay you and make sure you make a profit out of this. A lot of people, as you said, are willing to learn but are afraid at what seems to be a gigantic learning task, whereas we all know it's actually quite simple to learn the basics The problem is you would have people that are not on the same knowledge level, which means that you would need to start with the very basics with some people while the rest might get a bit bored The bad news is I am pretty sure you weren't the first to have this idea The good news is that even if you're not the first, there are still a lot of people to help
One thing to consider, many would also benefit from a basic operating system instruction. Simple things like the difference between deleting a shortcut and uninstalling. Maybe show how to use msconfig to disable startup applications. Or a basic instruction on filesystems and others types of things that will carry over regardless of OS. In high school I had a class that provided a PC repair service to the community, you might want to get in touch with local schools in your area and see if anyone would be interested in helping your efforts, or if you could maybe use their classrooms and resources. Community colleges would be a great place to poke around as well.
Lol yep was teaching some old boys a new computer system for asset tracking and these guys didn't even know how to turn it on. It was funny and frustrating at the same time and lets not even go into passwords arrrr it was almost the death of me. I was seriously expecting to come in morning and find tip-ex on the screen. But they got there in the end...... Sort of
I personally think it could be a good idear, I'm kinda curious what age group do you consider as the older generation?? Also I think things like transfering photo's and printing them most people have a camera.
this shows how patient one must be to teach. In math class, no matter how hard it is, it's easy for the teacher but he still has to repeat everything 60 times before the slow ones understand. This is a great patience test
Yeah i know its not a revolutionary idea, but from what ive gathered so far there is nobody offering anything similar near me I was thinking about adding the basics of how to use a computer aswell, its a time issue atm, i dont know how long it would take to get people to the usable OS stage. The school i went to is just down the road and they have the facilities for night classes but again i dont know how long it would take. The file transfers a good idea as is setting up/using a printer. Im unsure as to the older generation hence the '' . I suppose 40+? i know there are many 40+ year olds that can use a computer with no problems, but as it would be aimed at those with little to no knowledge i think that age group would be a good start. Obviously if somebody younger had no knowledge and really wanted to learn then id be happy to help.
A few questions if i may Did you have any prior experience? How did you find the process of building a PC? Did you have any hardware issues? What do you mainly use a PC for? After installing an OS what other utilities did you install/load Im trying to get my head around what to actually offer apart from the building and OS tweaking, Maybe also offering a 4Gb usb stick which has installers for Avast Openoffice Malewarebytes Spybot Adobe PDF Reader Flash 10 Aswell as a readme file with discriptions of what each programs for/does and also some sample pictures/music/video for showing how to transfer files like bumsrush suggested.
Interesting thread, I actually have had a similar idea recently but to focus more on the younger generations (10-18) and educating them on how PC's work. If this idea takes off, I'd be happy to talk more in-depth and maybe even help to support the project.
that make's me ancient , As a rule with any age if you can find something that grabs their interest and make it fun it will be much easier to teach them regardless of age, Make it boring and you will loose them. I've seen this with other subject's when I did my city & guilds in art glass kiln forming after the first two weeks there was only half the class left.
Interesting idea. I was interested to know what your role is; either a community worker or teacher and where your 'client' baseworkshop is coming from/going to arranged. You could offer dinner for a PC lesson if you want ot be charatable! Why not just tell them to buy a dell if you're afraid they'll be ripped off?
The low end office machines with monitor seem pretty good to me. Warranty and devilishly good power efficiency. I think showing 40+s how to build a PC and then game on it is a bit far fetched!
Its still a very early stage in the idea but i already know 20+ people that would love to learn how to build a computer as they've already expressed an interest. At the moment im still in a contract for a small workshop, which i had as my cabinet making workshop. Its big enough to hold 10-15 people comfortably, I wouldnt want to 'teach' that many people at the same time, i think 'class' sizes of 5-10 would be better and i wouldnt be too stretched. Im not a teacher nor a community worker but i have spare time and ive taught people before how to build and maintain a computer. Luckily im gifted with a lot of patience. Sure i could tell them to go to dell, but what i want to do is get them excited and to show them what goes into building a computer, and how easy/rewarding it is. You make a valid point but im not trying to get them to game on anything, What ive found with all the 'older' people ive sorted computers out for is that they need to be fairly fast as they dont like waiting for things to happen
Sounds like you have it all sorted, I was thinking getting the facilities and crowd together will probably be the hardest thing to sort out even before motivation! You may need more than one workshop per group. 40 minute lessions are meant to be the most productive. fitting everything in one session is going to be tricky.
The timing issue is the biggest hurdle imo, There is no way 40 mins is long enough, Im thinking maybe 2 sessions the first the construction the second the OS and programs.
Dam i would of even thought 2 40mins just for building, there is a lot of stuff you tend to take for granted after you've been doing it for a while. Then you have factor questions and problems.Tips and tricks. Also component identification and possible variations. As for the OS and programs thats when the fun starts in my opinion the real hard part (mmm thinking XP here so go easy) driver issues etc, raid, ahci etc etc.
