THE GIFT OF COMPUTER SKILLS
What have computers done for our brains? We think of “computer skills” as our ability to use a PC, a tablet or a mobile phone but I want to look at “computer derived skills”. What have we learned to do; what are we better at since modern technology came along? Let’s call it TECHKOWLEDGY.
TYPING
I still get along with one finger but I am writing this story now. I have written two novels, some short stories and poems and opinion essays, tickling the keys with one finger. I couldn’t do that until a keyboard was plopped between me and the world of internet.
WRITING
By writing, I mean the ability to compose script, whether in writing stories, poems, email, schoolwork or just plain nonsense. The little red line tells us when we have a questionable spelling. We can change how we have written something without having to scrap it and start again. The PC and it’s offspring have taught us to write. The pundits and sooth-sayers used to tell us that the computer would kill these skills. They are flourishing like never before. I learned to write with a pen that you dipped in an ink-well and blotting-paper to mop up the mess. THAT KILLED WRITING SKILLS. My handwriting is atrocious.
READING
They said that computers would destroy books and our ability to read. That is patently absurd. YOU ARE READING THIS NOW. Yes, there has been a decline in the sale of newspapers and magazines but we now spend hours, every day, reading on internet. One might argue that newspapers were killing themselves off anyway as they competed to see who could write the greatest amount of trash. Online, we can now be selective in what news we read. Books have thrived in two ways. Although book-stores have been hit hard by Amazon and company, the sales of books are holding up well. Online e-book reading, information sourcing and blogging have all served, not just to hone our reading skills but also, as with newspapers, to sharpen our ability to select what we want to read. Sure, there’s a mountain of trash on the internet but it’s as simple as clicking out and moving on to something better.
AIMING
Aiming was something folk used to learn on a shooting range or playing football or golf. Our ability to aim has increased exponentially. Sliding the mouse, hitting the right key in QWERTY, the boot-up/shut-down sequence, swiping the tiny screen on your phone, online games. Aiming is an essential element of brain development.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Every man and his dog is now a photographer. (Sorry ladies. That’s just an expression. Every woman and her cat as well). Planning and framing your shot, taking selfies, uploading and sending your best shots, cropping and deleting your not-so-good shots. Even some really bad shots have enabled us to communicate. I remember taking a photo of my first grandson without flash. It was baby and his dad and the other grandad, probably the grainiest image you’ve seen but it was a little bit of family history that was shared in email and messaging.
HISTORY
The history taught in schools is thwarted by politics. Access to internet has given us access to differing views of history. I never knew that Scotland had tried to set up a colony in, what is now, Panama and nearly bankrupt the nation in the process. The English Queen and Parliament then bribed the Scottish nobles that, if they signed the Act of the Union and dissolved the Scottish Parliament, the Bank of England would repay what they had lost. They never taught us that at school. I found it on internet.
MAP-READING
Map-reading used to be a rare skill; some of us learned it in the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Armies used to lose battles because they had the map upside-down or it was out of date. Now it is rare to find anyone who can’t find where they are on their phone. We can find a place on the map then take a photographic walk down the street. It’s fun and it’s useful and it helps you find the best located hotels.
GEOGRAPHY
So, with the map-reading, we have learned to go roaming to the rest of the world and to other worlds. We have much better knowledge of who we are and where we are. We understand more of other peoples on our planet, their cultures, their customs and their beliefs. We have so much better understanding of animals and their environment. This isn’t just about knowing things for knowing’s sake; it enables us to trade better and share our knowledge and, hopefully, to make our world a more harmonious place. We also know so much more about how we are affected by the forces of nature that extend beyond Planet Earth. I believe it’s called “widening our horizons”.
HOW TO COOK
There is nothing about cooking that you can’t find, in an instant, in your tech device; not only recipes but different ways of cooking and different ways to combine and present food. We know about nutritional values and flavours and suitable alternatives. So we have acquired the skill of feeding ourselves better thanks to the skill of accessing that information.
HOW TO DANCE
It may sound frivolous and often looks frivolous but young people have learned the joy of dance. Tik Tok has its critics but it’s fun to watch young (and old) people, having fun, practising their moves for their Tik Tok video.
QUICK THINKING
With smart gadgets our brains too have become smarter. There are those who say that with modern gadgets we don’t need to think but the opposite is the case. Yes, there is so much intelligence built into the devices that we can do things without thinking. But this rapid access makes our brains faster, smarter and more powerful. Once again, the computer games, that we older folks tend to frown on, are sharpening the cutting edge of tomorrow’s generation.
COMMUNICATION
This one is controversial. We see groups of people who are obviously together and yet each one is busy swiping their phone. Are they communicating or isolating themselves? But look closer and you will find that they are often googling for the answer to a question that’s just popped up in conversation. Sometimes they are sharing photos or passing around schoolwork. But the skill that they have learned is to hear when they’re not specifically listening. The jury is still out on whether technology has improved communication or harmed it. I invite you to join the jury.
HOW TO GROW THINGS
This is perhaps one of the greatest gifts of the modern age. Gardening, horticulture, growing trees, landscaping, rooftop gardening, hydroponicking (I’ve just invented a new word) are all out there to share. It’s fun; it’s therapeutic; it grows your brain.
HOW TO CONTROL OUR MONEY
There is no question that online banking, online shopping and contactless payment have sharpened our monetary skills. You can now do online trading of shares and currencies. What a marvellous hobby, albeit with its inherent risks. Of course there are the scammers but awareness is another skill we have been forced to learn.
LOOKING AFTER OUR BODIES
Whether it’s exercise programmes or dietary control, we have access to a fountain of information. You have to filter what you read and find what is appropriate for you but filtering is one of the skills we have to learn. If we are aware of what’s going on with our own body, that has to be beneficial.
LEARNING OUR OWN AND OTHER LANGUAGES
Language is the tool we use to learn with, by listening, by reading and comprehending these inputs. I’m pretty good at English, embarrassingly bad at Spanish, even though I’ve lived half my life in Spain. There is no doubt in my mind that, by continuing to use modern technology, my language skills continue to improve.
Comments very welcome. What skills have I not mentioned?
