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Kids are No Longer Computer Literate

Short one here today, but basically, as I watched my daughter struggle to use Pages on her (fairly old) MacBook, I realized that kids these days are actually less computer literate than their preceding generation.

Don't get me wrong - they're more technology-literate. They're just less capable of using devices they don't touch directly. They know how to use a mouse or a trackpad just fine, but they don't understand the concept of toolbars that have more than three or four items in them, or menu bars. The concept of saving your work doesn't make as much sense to them ((And sometimes, as with Google Docs, they don't even have to save when they're using a computer.)).

It's interesting. I don't think iPads are going to take over. Apple still sells a lot of MacBooks. But kids are less prepared to "get real work done" on a computer than they have been for the last 20 years or so.

One Response to "Kids are No Longer Computer Literate"

  1. hmm. This makes some of Apple's more controversial changes in the last few releases of OS X make more sense, if they're thinking about usability for younger users. (autosave, versions, defaulting to saving in iCloud, etc.)