Teaching tech skills

[untonuggan]

I am trying to help my mom be more tech independent, because right now partner and I are her tech support and when we move it would be nice if we weren't. (Or just emergency tech support.)

Yesterday we worked on "how to post photos to Facebook and Craigslist," which was a subset of "transferring files from your email to the computer.

It was then that I learned that she (a) never opens her computer's file browser system; (b) saves most of her files in the Downloads folder; (c) all of the "it's like a filing system" explanations over the years have never sunk in and my mom does not understand how to save a file and find it later, or transfer it between one space and another. This may also explain why she can't find old emails I send her and is always asking me to resend them.

She also tends to memorize tasks in a linear manner, like if she is already browsing the internet and you tell her to open her email, she closes the browser, opens Firefox, then goes to the email tab.

I have tried sending her WikiHows on posting photos, etc, but I think part of the issue is that they are not basic enough for her.

Also complicating things is that she is using a 10 year old Linux tower partner and I built, and my dad does *not* do anything but Windows. So when we leave she is going to have to (a) find someone to port her data to a ~new computer~ and decide on an OS; (b) find someone to maintain a Linux system with files saved god knows where.

Does anyone have advice for an external source where I can send my mom to learn super basic computer skills like "how to find things in your email" or "how does saving and finding your files work"? (Complicated somewhat because she's not in a Windows environment and she has trouble translating skills from one platform to another; this is an issue whenever she gets a new phone as well.)

(And yes I know it is technically not my problem, but it will be easier for it to be not my problem if I can refer her to another way to solve the problems she is having.)

Comments

[vintagewitch]

I don't know if this will help with learning Linux, but libraries often have public classes in computer basics - so they would be pretty cheap if not free and she would be walked through it step by step, and hopefully build her skills independently.

[mathemagicalschema]

This, also, community colleges.

[silveradept]

Many of those libraries also have access to resources that can be used at home for extra practice outside of class, so long as their library card is active and in good standing.

[alee_grrl]

And some libraries have regular electronics tutor hours as well.