Tech Tutor Training — Tech Tutor Handbook

Online Tech Tutor Training

Volunteers from all walks of life, all ages, and stages can be successful Tech Tutors. The primary factor that determines if a candidate will be effective helping others is their own personal comfort and confidence with technology. Without having a high level of familiarity with technology in general, a volunteer will find it challenging to provide adequate support to novice seniors over the phone.

The instructions and downloadable documents below outline the technology knowledge a Tech Tutor needs, the scope of topics candidates are expected to help learners with, and how to communicate that information simply to new users.

Characteristics of an Effective Tech Tutor

Technology Savvy

Tech Tutors provide support to older adult novice users over the phone. To accomplish this challenge, candidates should start with a high level of digital literacy and familiarity with average devices including computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Patient and Pleasant

How long it takes to acquire technology skills is largely dependent on the learner’s past experiences and their current abilities. Tech Tutors should exhibit great patience and ability to remain calm and motivational when supporting a discouraged older adult.

Capable Researcher

Individuals can encounter unknowns when using technology, which requires research via Google or another search engine. Tech Tutors should be comfortable reviewing content online to learn independently in order to help seniors with their devices.

Listens Carefully

In order to truly understand how to best support someone, a great deal of active listening is involved. Tech Tutors pay close attention to what people say and ask direct, easy-to-follow questions that provide insight and help inform a senior’s learning.

Communicates Well

Speaking to inexperienced new users about how to use unfamiliar technology is the primary role of a Tech Tutor volunteer. Using accessible language is important when sharing your knowledge with others. A slow and patient pace is essential.

Compassionate and Respectful

Caring about others and their well-being exemplifies how Tech Tutors approach all seniors. Treating everyone with kindness and without judgment creates trustworthy human connections and the most effective and valuable learning environment for all.

Technology Concepts Tech Tutors Know

All Tech Tutors are comfortable and confident users of at least one device in the following list: An iPad/iPhone, an Android tablet/smartphone, A Mac computer, or a computer running Microsoft Windows. Ideal candidates are familiar enough with technology to use any device listed without pause.

REMEMBER: Tech Tutors help seniors use technology over the phone, which means seeing and interacting with their devices is not possible. An ideal candidate can visualize what the learner describes, forecasts the next thing that should happen, and can articulate these ideas effectively in simple language.

The checklist below outlines technology concepts that are often discussed with older adults when providing them guidance using their personal device to connect to a Zoom video call. All Tech Tutor candidates should be prepared to speak about each of these topics using simple explanations and easy-to-follow instructions.

Accessing a device’s Settings for basic configuration purposes, including but not limited to adjusting the brightness, increasing the font size, and connecting to Wi-Fi.
Navigating the Home screen/Desktop of a device to open and remove existing applications, investigate and manipulate folders, and confidently search for something lost (an app icon is missing).
Signing up for a new email address.

Sending, receiving, organizing, and deleting email with popular web browser-oriented options like Outlook and Gmail, or via specialized email apps from Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, etc.
Downloading and installing new software from a device-specific app solution: Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Microsoft Store.
Resetting a forgotten email or account password.

Best Practices for Teaching Digital Literacy to Seniors

Smile :)

Learning about technology can be intimidating. A smile can be heard in your voice over the phone and will help put a learner’s mind at ease by sending positive energy towards them and the time you’ll spend working together.
Be Engaged

Exhibit full commitment to the task at hand… helping another human. Push the conversation forward. A new learner likely won’t know what to talk about next. Help them recognize how to flow from one task into another with ease.
Anticipate

Ask new learners to describe what they see on screen. Identify what you think they will encounter next and ask them to confirm. If not, ask what happened instead. Collect details that help you visualize their experience.
Accomodate

Don’t assume everyone understands jargon. Explain relevant technology terms when encountered and speak clearly, as someone who doesn’t hear well cannot follow easily over the phone. Confirm you’ve been understood.
Slow Down

Provide all instructions at a comfortable pace that the person you’re supporting can keep up with. Going “too fast” is never appreciated and can cause frustration for learners. Offer to restate information you’ve already shared.
Ask Questions

Establish the skills a learner has already with their device and start there. For example, what do you currently use your laptop for? When possible, phrase questions in plain language that can be answered easily with “yes” or “no”.

Explain Technology with a Plan

New learners often appreciate a recommended starting point to simplify the decisions they are not informed enough to make about their devices and how to use them. Tech Tutors should have a defined learning plan that can be customized to anyone and should use it as a checklist to ensure all of the appropriate information is shared when supporting others.

Included in this section is a sample plan that outlines all the topics a new user will need to learn in order to Zoom successfully from their personal device.

Sample Plan

**Notes: Step 1 - Step 2 - Step 3**

A student of any subject, regardless of age, should take notes to record significant details learned. Ultimately, any **notes taken should enable a new learner to practice** using their technology when they are alone, so they need to be **accurate and complete**.
An effective Tech Tutor takes the time to **identify every step of a process** to ensure learners have a resource that’s helpful from beginning to end. These **step-by-step instuctions** require that Tech Tutors **break down common technology tasks**, like checking an email, **into the small nuances that makeup the operation**.

**Technology Sometimes Fails**

More often than not, technology interruptions, like a frozen screen or a program that is not responding properly, can be resolved by simply restarting it. The important thing to remember is that **a new learner often believes they caused the problem** in the first place. This drives some people to feel negative about their technology experience, as they don’t like failing or causing problems.
An effective Tech Tutor should reiterate that **technology can sometimes hiccup and that it’s not a big deal**. Nothing is broken and we should not jump to conclusions quickly. Basic troubleshooting is part of fundamental technology use. Help people overcome small bumps in the road with a **positive attitude** towards overcoming the challenge and encouragement to understand a few rules of thumb for getting back on track.

Tips & Tricks for Tech Tutors

What you do automatically, without thinking, is some of the most important information to share with new learners. You’ve internalized it due to its importance. Slow down and notice what you don’t think about but still do.
Do not express frustration with new learners. They feel more frustrated than you. Always remain patient, calm, and pleasant.
Recommend that any newly acquired sign-in details are written down to avoid confusion later.
Promote STRONG passwords.
Limit your assistance sessions to one hour. Learners and Tech Tutors can become distracted or even uncomfortable after an hour of using a device.
Take time to stretch and move your body between support calls.