Knowledge of Software

[Little-Miss]

Do you guys know how every piece of your educational software works? Enough to do mini training sessions on it?

[localzuk]

Err... no. I learn when I get asked for help. And that's usually on the spot. ie. 'how do I do XYZ with this?!' 'looks at software, spots something that might do it, tries it' 'by doing this...'

[skell]

Same as @localzuk. Unfortunately that has the side effect of staff thinking that I know how to use every single piece of software in the entire world ever made...

RTFM!

(please...)

[elsiegee40]

You have to be kidding! No I don't.

I work out how to install it and perform basic tesing. Tuition, instructions, etc is for manuals, training courses and insets run by the people who ordered and are actually supposed to use the software... the teachers.

[skell]

Also, at lot of us are TECHNICIANS, not TRAINERS or TEACHERS, and we are not paid as such.

[Little-Miss]

Just looking at my draft PM planning sheet and thats what my line manager thinks i will be doing.....we have got sooooooo much software as well, i'll be here forever!

[firefox_2006]

The SENCo here bought two copies of Dragon Naturally Speaking and wanted me to show her the in and outs of it. The trouble is, the Philips digital voice recorders don't recorder in mp3 or wav formate (.czr?) so you need some technical knowledge to convert the audio before putting it into Dragon software. Also the program is suppose to train to an individuals voice and create a profile. All of this was not taken into account before buying it! We have the Assistant Head teaching some Media Studies students in the 6th form because there actual teacher has never used Adobe CS3 before! Had the Head of IT asking for videos and training materials as I think the media studies teacher is finally going to get himself up to speed lol

[EvLPhenom]

no...there is too much for a start off. If i get asked something i will have a play with the software quicly and if i find out i will show them, if not i tell staff to refer to the softwares website/manuals. Just don't have time to find out how it works, i just find out how to install it properly and make sure it works technically.

[sted]

i generally know what a piece of software does and with most thats it. Im ok at office/textease/open office/smartboard but generally no as others have said the only time i do more than click click yes that seems to work is if someone has an issue

[Domino]

Really, they think that's your responsibility?

If so the purchasing decision for each and every bit should be too then? cause you know what they'll be needing ;-)

It takes me 20 minutes to remember how to use some of the techy suites sometimes, forget user-oriented stuff

[teejay]

If you don't know the software, you can't exactly train people on it, so ask to go on training courses or get cpd time to study it.

[Little-Miss]

Eugh, really not looking forward to my meeting tomorrow now. I'm happy to train staff on things generally, but i dont have the time to know every bit of software in and out. If i bought the software then yeah, i should know how it works but i dont, the staff do.

[sted]

Eugh, really not looking forward to my meeting tomorrow now. I'm happy to train staff on things generally, but i dont have the time to know every bit of software in and out. If i bought the software then yeah, i should know how it works but i dont, the staff do.

im not sure id even go that far just because you bought it just means that on your criteria it fitted not that you know anything about it.

[nephilim]

Put it like this..

For you to learn the in's and out's of the software, they will have to send you on training courses, get qualified and certified to use it completely, and then pay you accordingly to train the staff...they'll soon rethink or take you up on that offer.

We did that here, and I am now the trainer for Pivot Stick Figure Animator (self studied the entire software for all of 5 mins, but they gave me a day to learn it all), as well as SIMS technical training, Smartboard training (software and board), and MS Desktop training for XP (soon to do the W7 one).

[Elison]

I do not. It would take too much time to learn about every piece of software we use at university. Besides they dont pay for it lol
Actually I do something like mini testing just to be sure that software works after installing. That is all. But learnign everything about is is out of my responsibility.