I have some wonderful regular clients who I tutor once a month on their computers. Many tell me they just want to keep up with the grand kids. We usually spend a good hour together, going through the many ways to use the computer with ease. I then have them practice what they’ve learned while I am there with them and then we write it down so they can continue to practise on their own.
My tutoring covers a wide range of abilities and needs across a plethora of programs available. There is one thing I always teach everyone in their first lesson is how to use YouTube. Why? Well, simply because YouTube is currently the largest free library of videos online, and not just for watching cats doing funny things! There is an enormous range of free training videos and lessons to keep you learning for hours on end. Simply type in any subject and invariably someone will have made a training video about it.
YouTube is a great resource if you are looking for instructions on how to use a new device, be it learning about Windows 8, or how to use you new Sunbeam coffee machine. You can simply watch, pause and rewind a video many times as you are learn. It is a prefect medium for repeating the lessons until you begin to understand.
Here are a few tips on how to use YouTube. Open your Internet browser and type in YouTube. Click on the YouTube.com result from your search to open the YouTube website. I suggest you bookmark this website so you can refer to it when you need to.
You don’t need to subscribe to YouTube to search and play videos. In the search area at the top of the screen you can type in what you are looking for and it will provide you a list of the most relevant videos about the subject. For training videos I would type in Learn to use_______, or how to use_______.
Some videos may teach you bad habits, I suggest you use the video search filters located at the top of your search, and look for videos by the most recent and popularity, to find those that others have found informative, or are from the official Manufacturer of the product you are looking for.
Just like television, YouTube offers channels to subscribers who want to broadcast their own videos online. If you are looking for a video on how to use Windows 8. I would look for the official Microsoft Video Channel. By simply typing in ‘Microsoft Channel’ within the search area to see what videos they have released.
Once you find the video you would like to watch, just click the play button and the video will start streaming to your computer or mobile phone. By default, the video appears in a box on your screen, but you can make the video fill your screen by clicking on the full screen icon on the bottom right of the screen, You can even ‘cast’ the video onto your TV if it’s compatible, this is handy if you would like to watch a television episode or documentary on YouTube.
All this information is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to web video content. If you are interested in how to set up media streaming on your television, or if you would like some one on one tutoring, or computer support, you can call me.