Note to Readers: This is an example of weaving, incorporating ideas from others contributors' comments into one's posts

Wendell Dryden, an avid blogger and adult literacy instructor, wrote the following comment to my post describing a critical incident: XP and Vista are the flavours of the day, and Win 7 is on the near horizon. I despair of effectively supporting learners now. Sometimes the best I can do is warn them off P2P downloading and give them copies of Malwarebytes install programs on flash drives for when things go wrong.I have not had the chance to test-drive Windows 7. I do not think it will be introduced for some time at the College here. However, I also wonder about the degree of success we will have in supporting current and future adult learners entering as almost beginners into literacy classrooms.

I am concerned that while I strive to keep up to date, I am forced to refrain more and more from overwhelming learners with the new trends and technologies. Linux, FireFox, Abuntu, micro-blogging, are all part of these students' experiences. Some start using netbooks running on Linux, have I-Pod Nanos, and check the news online and check email using a Wii console. But they are unable to type, do basic word-processing, or print off a page in a networked classroom environment. Many are completely unfamilar with Microsoft products, and are more used to OpenOffice. They learn to blog or chat or post their photos and ideas to FaceBook before they learn to open MS WORD. It is indeed an interesting challenge.