Beyond Mousercizing

February 19, 2012 12:28 PM

What resources are there on the internet to help a senior grow more comfortable using her laptop?

My mother-in-law has been using a website called Mousercise. This website has "lessons" and "exercises" which involve doing routine internet and computer activities to help familiarize and to increase one's comfort level with a computer/browser. She is currently using a PC with Windows 7 installed. She has exhausted the above mentioned website's activities and wants to work with more websites like it. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

posted by Atreides to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Mousercise is unique in its awesomeness. I love that site to death. Abby Stokes does some good senior instruction and has some tutorials on her site. It's not quite so much "okay let's do this together" but it's very friendly with a lot of screen shots that should be helpful. From time to time I click around the stuff available at digitalliteracy.gov. I feel like a lot of the stuff there is grant funded "we're going to solve the digital divide!" stuff that uses a lot of videos to talk at people and isn't truly interactive. However some sites like this one have some useful information in video form, this site teaches typing in a boring-but-functional way, but there's really nothing as engaging as Mousercise.
posted by jessamyn at 12:54 PM on February 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

I know that the question emphasizes web based training. But when I was teaching my father computer use, nothing substituted for personal involvement. Ultimately there will be basic issues that need a computer savvy person right there.
posted by Splunge at 3:10 PM on February 19, 2012

Response by poster: Thank you for the links Jessamyn, it's up the right alley.

As for the issue raised by Splunge, I absolutely agree with the best thing is to be there at my mother-in-law's shoulder while she figures out her computer and internet. Unfortunately, most of the time, neither I nor my wife can be there to help her out.
posted by Atreides at 4:33 PM on February 19, 2012

If you can't be around all the time, remote access software might be helpful. Techsupportalert provides reviews of several free options:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-remote-access-software.htm
posted by juifenasie at 3:33 AM on February 20, 2012

Okay I take it back. I am clicking through this set of sites [found via internet buttons] and I think it's sort of neat. She'd have to sign up for an account [it asks for a centre passcode but you can do it without it] and then there are some guided tours that could be a lot more interactive but are actually pretty good at providing basic information in a straightforward and easy to follow manner.
posted by jessamyn at 4:22 PM on February 25, 2012