computers and the older student

One of the things which disadvantage for some older students, is our educational systems reliance on computers. Sometimes I throw up my hands in frustration over these cranky devices. Furthermore, their companion, the internet, is like a big undiscovered country for me. I've been learning this technology piecemeal, but it hasn't been pretty. Listening to me complain, my wife, in frustration, said "I'm tired of you listening to you rant about the computer. Why don't you take a basic computer course?" I replied, " I don't think I can learn it that way: it has to be one step at a time."

Even now, I have e-mailed Dr Blumner for further instructions on how to set up this" blogging and comment assignment." After first sending him the wrong information, I was finally able to give him what he needed  to access my blogs, but as for the rest--I'm still lost. For example, Dr Blumner said I would be able to access my classmates blogs through his blog; I have failed miserably at this. I've clicked on links, comments, and just about everything else with no success( I later figured this part out, which should have been obvious).

I have called my two oldest sons, both U of M-Flint alumni, for help with  this assignment. When I asked my son Dan, who lives in Georgia, to help me with entering links to websites he told me," just enter the websites  manually: it is too hard to explain over the phone." My other son Eric said," I'm busy  this weekend; we'll have to make it another time."

I do have a lame excuse, besides being nearly illiterate with computers, for my lack of retention to Tuesdays lesson: I spent too much time in class with a computer that wouldn't log on; I was too embarrassed to ask for help, and I didn't take the kind of notes I should have. When I finally changed tables to a computer that did work, the basic lecture was over. To add insult to this whole experience, after I did log on, the blogger.com home page looked strange: it was about family history. I asked for Dr Blumner's help; he kindly pointed out that I was on the wrong website: I spelled blogger with one g.

See: http://topcolleges.com/.../community-college-offer-plus-50-program-for-older-students