Tag Archives: Computer Usage

Tweeting about le Robots from Think Piece

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A twitter rant as a continuation of the Think Piece project

This blog post is an archive of the series of tweets that were made and interacted with in class of my Original Think Piece Essay. The list below will contain the tweets in chronological order, from earliest to latest.

 

Due to the nature of my topic for the think piece, my audience included people who were not yet familiar with intermediate uses of computers, such as using Microsoft Word, Gmail, and some search databases. Although, being a Twitter user viewing my tweets, there are  some assumptions I can already make of my audience’s computer-using skills. But the effective usage of Microsoft Word and Gmail for professional purposes often escapes many.

I wanted to still connect to my audience by emphasizing the importance of computer skills in EVERY field today. Whether they think of their grandmother, mother, aunt, or even want to sharpen up their own skills in order to become career-ready is up to their own decision when reading my tweets.

My tweets seemed to be effective in the sense that they received feedback relating to what people connected to with this general idea of being digitally impaired. Most of the feedback I received were side notes to be kept in mind as users were reading the tweets. Because my topic was not an intensely passionate/controversial topic, I did not expect anything different.

At the end of the day, this is a topic which I can connect with on a personal level along with many others because I happen to love and live with digitally impaired people in life. I know many others do too. It may not be an issue of immediate importance like immigration or tax cuts, but it is very much an issue nonetheless.

I have never used Twitter frequently before this project was conducted. Because of that reason, the low amount of impressions and the ease with which I was able to retrieve the information pertaining to my impressions makes complete sense.

  • 1.5k impressions over the past 28 days
  • 1,444 organic impressions on the day of the project
  • 1st, 12th, and 19th were the top 3 impressions
  • 2 Retweets, 15 Likes, 12 Replies, and 2 Link Clicks

Are You Professionally Prepared for Robots Taking Over Our World?

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Computer Usage for Working Professionals — Robots are taking over our workplace. There is much to be learned in order to keep up with the growing world of computerized information in today’s digital age. Join me as we venture out together to learn the different essential things related with intermediate computer skills. In this pilot episode we explore the need for beginners to become intermediate users of computerized technology.

This podcast was created with the audience of beginners in computer-usage in mind. Because the Internet is vast, I have to also be aware of other people who may have interest in refreshing themselves on the types of material covered in this series. I have had to make some changes to the think piece essay so that the words flowed more easily, as though I am having a direct conversation with my audience. That is still in progress as I try to convert this technical-sounding podcast into one that sounds more inviting to the listener.

Changes I have made range from including an intro and outro to the think piece as it was originally written. This makes a listener feel at ease with tuning in and out of what they are listening to. Music also played a great part in that. With the aid of non-lyrical music, I was able to give the listener some space in recovering and processing what was just said. Fading in and fading out of music during this process helps to rid the podcast of harsh edges. There is some technical expertise which has to be invested towards a project of this sort. It isn’t the same as creating a ‘think piece’ on WordPress where you simply have to go on writing. A media such as a podcast needs some expert skills in order to appeal to the audience in the same sense that you wouldn’t want a physical audience getting tired of your speech.

Robots are Taking Over Your Work Field

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There is an increasing need for knowledge and skills in using computing technology in today’s work force. According to an article written by Cathy Hopkins in a magazine called Technique, trainers of software packages from different companies approximated that fifty percent of their targeted group did not have adequate skills in learning to utilize their software.

Whether you are a manager at a retail store who has to keep track of shipments every Friday morning or working as a receptionist who has to keep track of schedules on a Windows calendar, it is important to have an intermediate working-knowledge of computers.

As discussed in Filippucci and Pacei’s article in Statistica, computer skills are directly related to gender, educational level, and occupation. Intermediate knowledge when it comes to computer skills can therefore seem like an ambiguous term to some. Yes, computer skills are in connection to occupations, but more and more occupations are also increasing the standards for being “technically-savvy” in their job responsibilities. Therefore, the base for being intermediately knowledgeable of computers in this article will be a fair amount of ease in using Microsoft Word, search engines on the WorldWideWeb, and being able to communicate via arguably the most popular email system currently; Gmail.

Whichever field a person may be working in today’s world is not excluded from the integration of computers. A Fitness Trainer has to be knowledgeable of the different computerized machinery in their gym. An insurance agent and car dealer has to know how to input the data they received from their clients into their company’s software system. According to Paino and Renzulli, even students attending school are rewarded higher achievements by teachers for demonstrating good computer skills.

It is no wonder anymore that regardless whichever profession you are working in, your boss will regard you with higher admiration for demonstrating good computer-using skills.

With less limitations on where you can physically go in today’s world, countries are populous with people of many different cultural backgrounds and experiences. A lot of the times people look at that as a barrier which immigrants have to overcome when coming from poorer countries into more affluent countries. Culture shock, especially when I comes to technology, can be a major dilemma in many people’s lives in the West.

The differences in culture can actually be treated as an advantage in the different ways that a person can approach this newness.

There are many roads one can take in gaining sufficient computer skills. Especially if you are living in a metropolitan area, it is all-the-more easy for you to find a free class that will teach you about Microsoft Office and the vast world and usage of the internet.

If those are not available to you, you can always try to learn on your own. Systems today are interactive enough to help you along the way of trying to understand them. Microsoft Office and Gmail definitely have an interactive system where you can get answers to specific questions regarding the system when trying to figure out how it works.

Understanding one system of technology is a gateway into understanding many more. Microsoft Word is only one of many software systems that can be used to get similar results. So is Gmail. Also, when it comes to search engines, there are many different systems that were built for your benefits with different purposes in mind. As you learn about one system, you will gain the confidence and background knowledge of working another. You simply have to try.

 

WORKS CITED

Carlo Filippucci, & Silvia Pacei. (2013). MEASURING COMPETENCE IN COMPUTER SKILLS. Statistica,67(1), 3-25.

Hahnel, C., Goldhammer, F., Naumann, J., & Krohne, U. (2016). Effects of linear reading, basic computer skills, evaluating online information, and navigation on reading digital text. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 486.

Holt, Lila, & Brockett, Ralph G. (2012). Self direction and factors influencing technology use: Examining the relationships for the 21st century workplace. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(6), 2075-2082.

Hopkins, Cathy. (2009). Improving auto workers’ computer skills: Many adults are re-entering the workforce due to layoffs and downsizing. But what about the workers who entered the workforce before it became so highly computerized and technically complex? CTE has much to offer them as well.(career and technical education). Techniques,84(3), 48.

Paino, Maria, & Renzulli, Linda A. (2013). Digital Dimension of Cultural Capital: The (In)Visible Advantages for Students Who Exhibit Computer Skills. Sociology of Education,86(2), 124-138.

My think piece was written using the outline of a paragraph-by-paragraph format. I started out small. There was first the basic concept of what I wanted to convey to my audience. Then I gathered my research material and went to work of producing the paragraph-by-paragraph format. I had the general idea of what I wanted to convey in each paragraph. From there it was a matter of inputting the correct content into each paragraph. After completing the Think Piece, I realized that it was a blog post reaching out to an audience who probably only have a few minutes to spare on my writing. That thought provoked me to steer from my initial planning of having only a few paragraphs to creating smaller chunks which will make it easier for my reader to understand my writing fully.
My intended audience would be the people who may at least be capable of turning on the computer to try to complete important tasks. There are many people out there who are under the pressure of trying to integrate themselves into their workforce by learning about the new computerized systems that are utilized at their workplace now. My article is intended towards them. It is to raise awareness and provide a stepping ladder into learning more about what they need to learn.