"At the Ring House today, a pleasantly surprising number of people showed up to learn about technology. We had been accustomed to only a small handful of seniors who were interested in learning about computers and such, but this time every one of us was able to work with a Ring House resident for a good amount of time. Residents showed up with a variety of interests, from e-mail to Skype to music and much more. Students were very engaged and tried as hard as possible to assist them in any way possible, and the residents seemed very intrigued with what we had to offer. So many people were interested; in fact, that there were not enough computers to handle everyone who wanted to work with one. However, we were able to absolve this by also showing the functions of tablets and phones out in the lobby, effectively having two groups of technology helpers. Also, some seniors were just interested in having a chat with the youth in this age of technology. Today was a true bonding experience between the generations." ~Jerry Yang
"Today was the first time I visited the Ring House in months. It was a refreshing experience and I felt at home seeing so many familiar faces. The first thing I did was attempt to help a man connect to the internet on his laptop. He recently had a router installed in his room, but the internet wouldn’t work, so Jessica and I tried troubleshooting. We couldn't fix the problem because it was most likely a hardware problem rather than it not having been set up yet, but even though we could not help, he gave us his sincere thanks. Later, we sat with Florence, a retired teacher and registered nurse, and played classical music for her through the iPad. After a long and interesting conversation, we left. Overall, it was a fun experience helping people and I hope it’s just as good in the weeks to come." ~Chris Yue
"I don't know much about the computer, and it's extremely frustrating for me!"
I've heard variations of this phrase a countless amount of times while volunteering at the Ring House, and I am beginning to doubt the truth behind this bold statement. Today, while working with several residents on the Internet, I noticed how they had all introduced themselves by describing how incompetent computer users. They then sat down at the computer and proceeded to log themselves in without questions. One resident then commented on how she didn't like the wallpaper she was looking at. As I guided her through the process of the changing the wallpaper, she had quick questions only a previous computer user would bother to ask; "is it two clicks or just one? Do I click the left side or the right side?"
Well, I mused, they DO know something about the computer! As a general rule while using the computer, when in doubt CLICK! You never know until you try, and clicking is the best way to go when using the computer.
We proceeded to explore different topics on Google and other sites, like popular news website cnn.com and movie database imdb.com. If you are ever having trouble deciding what to do on the computer, click on the internet icon, type Google.com into the URL bar at the top of the page, hit enter, and begin searching your favorite topic, an interesting person, or books you want to read! The possibilities are endless, so happy Googling!" ~Grace Chen
"Today was the first time I visited the Ring House in months. It was a refreshing experience and I felt at home seeing so many familiar faces. The first thing I did was attempt to help a man connect to the internet on his laptop. He recently had a router installed in his room, but the internet wouldn’t work, so Jessica and I tried troubleshooting. We couldn't fix the problem because it was most likely a hardware problem rather than it not having been set up yet, but even though we could not help, he gave us his sincere thanks. Later, we sat with Florence, a retired teacher and registered nurse, and played classical music for her through the iPad. After a long and interesting conversation, we left. Overall, it was a fun experience helping people and I hope it’s just as good in the weeks to come." ~Chris Yue
"I don't know much about the computer, and it's extremely frustrating for me!"
I've heard variations of this phrase a countless amount of times while volunteering at the Ring House, and I am beginning to doubt the truth behind this bold statement. Today, while working with several residents on the Internet, I noticed how they had all introduced themselves by describing how incompetent computer users. They then sat down at the computer and proceeded to log themselves in without questions. One resident then commented on how she didn't like the wallpaper she was looking at. As I guided her through the process of the changing the wallpaper, she had quick questions only a previous computer user would bother to ask; "is it two clicks or just one? Do I click the left side or the right side?"
Well, I mused, they DO know something about the computer! As a general rule while using the computer, when in doubt CLICK! You never know until you try, and clicking is the best way to go when using the computer.
We proceeded to explore different topics on Google and other sites, like popular news website cnn.com and movie database imdb.com. If you are ever having trouble deciding what to do on the computer, click on the internet icon, type Google.com into the URL bar at the top of the page, hit enter, and begin searching your favorite topic, an interesting person, or books you want to read! The possibilities are endless, so happy Googling!" ~Grace Chen
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