What's a File
Note: A brief but memorable anecdote Pete told to illustrate why basic computer skills training matters.
Pete Kaminski was teaching an intro to AI course two years ago, walking students through downloading an HTML file. A 30-year-old professional named Danielle raised her hand:
Pete: "Pete, I haven't understood a single word that you've said for the past 5 minutes. What's a file?"
Danielle's entire computing life had been in Google Office. She had never seen the menu bar, never used a file manager, and had no concept of files on her computer.
Pete: "She did not have any clue what a file was. Her whole computing life has been in Google Office."
This experience shaped how Pete opens the PKAI Course — with basic computer skills assessment: Do you know what a file is? Can you find Terminal? Do you have a password manager?
Mentioned by: Pete Kaminski
Context: Why the course needs basic computer literacy training before AI training
Related
- PKAI Course — where Pete applies this lesson
- Danielle — the student
- Jankifiers — the HTML files that triggered this discovery