Margaret Shares Tips for Learning New Technology

Learning technology can be challenging — especially when it continues to evolve. Margaret Lion, a senior lecturer at Indiana University Bloomington and self-described “uber geek,” helps students understand how to use technology to excel in college and in life. If new technology intimidates you, you’re not alone. Margaret offers helpful tips for learning new technology, insights on the impact of high-speed internet, and advice on the best internet for teachers and online learning.

Watch Margaret’s interview at the end of this article

Teaching tech to students

Margaret teaches Computer Technology and Public Health K200 at Indiana University. Students gain a fundamental understanding of hardware, software and operating systems, as well as how to use programs such as Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Adobe Express and Audacity.

“I call it computer boot camp,” Margaret said. “I’m gonna take you from zero to hero in 16 weeks, and you will be a hero at the end!”

Margaret relies on Smithville Fast Fiber Internet to upload course content for virtual classes and connect with students online. The symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps (1 Gig) allow her to work efficiently from home.

“When I first got fiber, I remember how awesome it was,” said Margaret. “If I didn’t have high-speed internet, I couldn’t do my job.”

*Smithville Fast Fiber Internet helps Margaret support her students at Indiana University.*

Tips for learning new technology

It’s challenging to learn new technology. But with Margaret’s tech tips, you can use software, apps and platforms to enhance your life.

Be patient with yourself

One of Margaret’s top tech tips is to be patient with yourself, because learning new technology takes time. She offers this example: “Do you remember when you learned how to tie your shoes? Remember how hard that was? But now it’s like, yeah, of course I can tie my shoes. You’ve done it enough. When someone looks like they’re doing something super fast and they’re a master, it just means they’ve done it a thousand times.”

Start where you are

Margaret recalls a time years ago when she was teaching a now-outdated version of PowerPoint to a group of teachers. She ending up helping one particular woman learn technology, but not the tech she planned to teach.

“She didn’t know how to use a mouse,” Margaret said. After spending some time trying the mouse in class, the woman eventually learned how to use it. “So now that she knew how to use a mouse she probably had a much easier time learning other software because that barrier was broken. You have to start somewhere.”

Build knowledge step by step

“When you start looking at technology, it can feel overwhelming very quickly, so start with one thing that you know,” Margaret explains. “In education, it’s called scaffolding. You learn one thing and then you can build on that.”

Expand your knowledge with e-learning

One of the benefits of e-learning, according to Margaret, is that it makes knowledge accessible to non-traditional students and students in rural communities.

“Here’s one of the great things about e-learning: it can be on the student’s time. Often that is really good for adult learners who have jobs and families,” she said.

“E-learning is especially important for rural communities. When you are isolated and don’t have the same number of people, you need access to that knowledge and that’s why e-learning is so powerful.”

Stay connected with high-speed internet

Margaret remembers how hard it was to stay in touch with friends and family before the internet when long distance phone calls were quite expensive. From her perspective, life before the internet “was so disconnected and you would often wonder what are people doing, what are they thinking.”

Today, we can communicate with others easily online. By embracing and utilizing new technology, including apps and social media platforms, you can stay connected to loved ones and organizations that matter most to you.

“Now, just get on WhatsApp and you can talk to people around the world,” she said. “I wish I’d had this connection when I moved to Philly when I was in my 20s because then I wouldn’t have felt so lonely and wouldn’t have felt so isolated.”

*Margaret appreciates how the internet makes it easy to connect with others, including the dog rescue organization from which she adopted her sweet pups, Cagney and Lacey.*

Stay true to who you are

Margaret embraces technology, but has many offline interests as well, from belly dancing to LARP to Indiana University Women’s Basketball.

“I am an uber geek. I like to say I’m one of the original geeks, a granny geek, because I was watching Star Trek as a small child, like toddler on up. And I was playing Dungeons and Dragons when it was just a stapled together piece of paper folded in half,” she said.

“For a long time I did LARP and I even ran my own LARP. LARP is live action role play. And I describe it as, you take Dungeons and Dragons and you take improv theater and you smash it together and you get LARP. It’s loads of fun!”

She appreciates that Smithville supports one of her favorite teams, the IU Women’s Basketball team. Margaret has been attending games for the past 15 years and has seen Smithville being honored during the game as sponsor. “That’s local support in a big way,” Margaret said.

Stream what you love with Fiber Internet

Before high-speed internet, Margaret recalls how difficult it was watch her favorite shows or listen to music. Now, she can enjoy all of her favorite content whenever she wants through streaming services.

“I really love watching media. I love watching movies. I love reading books. I love music. I’ve got my world in my house, so that’s good enough for me. If I’ve got an internet connection, that is all I need,” Margaret said.

*Margaret’s love of Star Wars began in childhood, and she appreciates that she can now stream movies on demand with Smithville Fast Fiber Internet.*

Why Choose Smithville

What does it mean to choose Smithville, a local, family-owned provider of Indiana internet, voice and security services? Margaret says the biggest difference comes down to one thing: accountability.

Margaret explains, “If something goes really wrong and I need help, I call a local person. That’s who the help desk is. And I get an immediate response. I don’t get blown off. I don’t get put aside. I don’t get ‘this is an automated service.’ They’re going to make sure that I get good service. There’s a local family group taking care of each other. And it really is like my neighbors coming in and working in my house.”

Margaret Equips Students for Success

Margaret works each day to prepare her students to take on challenges in college and in life. By teaching them not only current programs, but how to learn any new program, Margaret gives students skills they can continue to use as technology evolves.

Watch Margaret’s Interview

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