Choosing a Tutorial

This week in MLIS 7510 we are brushing up on our Microsoft Office skills. I was very glad to have the opportunity to do this, and honestly was glad to have to take the time for it. I am pretty up-to-date when it comes to Word and Power Point, but I barely scratch the surface of what Excel can do.

Learning any new skill can be intimidating, especially when dealing with technology. I have heard it said about searching for resources, say for a research paper, can be a little bit like trying to get a drink from a fire hose. Overwhelming. Learning new technology can be like that, so I like to use the same approach to learning new technology that I would to searching for resources.

First I try to refine my question. What is it I am really asking? In this case say I want to learn how to Record and add sound to a Power Point presentation. Maybe a better word for sound -- that would yield better search results -- would be "narration."

Then I apply some of the research strategies that I would use in any search. These are some questions I ask when searching for a good source or a good tutorial:

• Who is offering the tutorial?
• What is their purpose in creating it? 
• How recent is it?

 I highly encourage you to take the time to find out the answers to the questions as best you can. Learning new technology is intimidating enough without having to RE-learn it because you chose a poor teacher the first time.