THIS ANALOGY MAY CAUSE FOLKS TO RAISE THE ROOF!  Beginners frequently have trouble grasping what an operating system is and how it's different from application software. I've come up with an analogy that really seems to help. 

I compare an OS to the owner of a building. What does she provide to tenants? 

A directory in the front lobby (directory structure), an elevator (cut, copy, paste), a heliport or loading dock (ports), janitorial services (recycle bin or delete command), and other such services. Participants usually add their own ideas to this list.

Roger Rowe
Summer Institute of Linguistics
Waxhaw, North Carolina

A WET AND WILD DEMO OF FILE STRUCTURE VERSUS FILE CONTENT. To communicate the relationship between file structure and the data itself, I perform the following demonstration. 

First, I hold up a pitcher of water, which I explain represents the data, or content, and then tell the class I'm going to pour it. But I'm not holding a cup. 

As the water spills to the floor, I explain that if you don't have a structure, there's no place to store your information for future use. Then I pour the water into a cup and note that now I have a structure. This demonstration usually gets the point across.

John McMaster
Modern Woodmen of America
Rock Island, IL
 

MOTIVATE STUDENTS TO GET BACK ON TIME FROM BREAKS BY TEACHING SOMETHING SPECIAL AND "UNOFFICIAL." Every experienced instructor knows many tricks that aren't covered in the course. Here's your chance to share those pearls of wisdom. 

Prior to the break, announce that “This knowledge byte will air” immediately after the break. Example: “Be sure to be back here by 2:45 to hear how to undelete a file.” Use self-control and don't tell latecomers this secret. If enough people miss it, you may want to do a rerun at the next break. 

Susan Boyd
Jenkintown, PA

The above Tips are reprinted from the book "Quick Training Tips! How to teach computing skills to practically anyone" edited by Loretta Weiss-Morris, copyright 2001-2002 Systems Literacy Inc.

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