Tech Without the Jargon
Submitted by Echo McKelvie
Teaching technology can be a daunting task for anyone, regardless of how proficient they may be. When instructors try to bridge a knowledge gap using language - visual, physical or verbal - that learners have never encountered in their everyday lives, the result can be frustration, confusion, and even a loss of motivation.
Being able to bridge the gap between digital skills language with scenarios that a learner is already familiar with can help draw connections and increase their understanding. By building on familiar experiences, learners are better able to make meaningful connections and understand not only how something works, but why it works that way.
One of the most common analogies I use is a vehicle— a pick-up truck or car.
Q: How can a car be used as an example to bridge the gap with technology terminology?
A: The car's main purpose is to get a person from Point A to Point B.
This concept translates surprisingly well to technology, particularly web browsers.
Q: How can we relate this to browsers?
A: A browser is a vehicle that we use to get from Point A to Point B in the digital world.
A browser functions much like a vehicle in the digital world—it is the tool we use to travel from one digital destination to another. Just as there are many vehicle brands (Ford, Honda, Dodge, Chevrolet), there are also many browsers (such as Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox). While most vehicles will get you to your destination, some provide a smoother or more comfortable ride. The same can be said for browsers: they all perform the same basic function, but user experience, features, and compatibility can vary.
This analogy can be extended even further. Some vehicles are designed for specific environments, and similarly, some browsers are designed with specific platforms in mind. For example, Safari is exclusive to Apple devices, while Chrome and Firefox work across multiple operating systems. Regardless of the choice, the end goal remains the same—reaching the destination.
Understanding addresses in the digital world is another concept that benefits from real-world comparison. Everyone is familiar with a street address, somewhere we can get to physically. To get there, we:
- get into our car
- type the address into our GPS
- the GPS provides directions
- we arrive at our destination
Q: How does a website address work?
A: Open a browser, type in the digital address (ex. www.calp.ca) and the browser takes you there.
Email can also be explained using traditional mail as an example. To send a letter, you:
- need an address
- write the address on an envelope
- include content inside
Email works the same way—only the addresses and delivery method are digital rather than physical.
Search engines can be explained through older, familiar experiences as well.
Q: Do you remember dialing “0” to speak to an operator to find a phone number? Or asking a librarian to help locate a book?
A: If you have, congratulations! You have used the very first form of a “Google” search.
Instead of asking a person to help you find your information, we:
- use a digital search query to find the information we are looking
- are presented with many different websites that contain the information we were seeking.
File management is another area where visualization helps learners. Comparing File Explorer to a filing cabinet makes the concept of files and folders much easier to understand. We don’t simply throw random papers into a filing cabinet—documents are organized into folders so they can be found later. Digital files follow the same logic, and even the icons used today are modeled after traditional paper folders.
Practice makes perfect. We didn't just jump into a truck with a manual transmission and drive off into the sunset. We stalled, cursed, maybe even cried. But we were persistent enough that we kept going until we mastered the skill of driving.
Remind learners that this isn't a “ride off into the sunset” situation, we are going to stall, and maybe burn out a clutch (or two) but we will get there.
Submitted by Echo McKelvie
Learning Coordinator
Edson & District Community Learning Society
