Computing Seniors

Ten years ago, when I first started teaching seniors how to use computers, I was very understanding if someone said that they had no use for computers and no interest in learning about them. I am no longer so relaxed on the subject. Speakers at the Senior Center nowadays end their talks by sending the seniors to their web site for further information or needed forms. Children and grandchildren increasingly communicate by e-mail and instant messenger. Banking & shopping on-line are conveniences that seniors need.

My oldest student so far has been 95 years old. Mary didn't like tv and was often bored at night. The Internet gave her music and information about her hobbies. I'm convinced that it contributed to a better quality of life for her.

I'm not saying that it's easy for everyone. But patience and persistence will pay off. I have never had a student who wasn't happy that they learned how to use a computer.

Seniors may be a little bit afraid of computers, but they're diving right in and tackling this wonderful tool anyway. They want to be able to e-mail friends and family and conduct research on the Internet. I've been teaching seniors for almost 10 years, and they embrace the computer as a tool for communication and self expression. How wonderful it is for them to e-mail a grandchild at college across the country or receive an e-mailed photo of a great grandchild from across the world!

I've been teaching technology to seniors for 10 years, and there's always a student in each class who wants to know "How do I get to the beginning of the Internet?"

The Internet is not linear. It's really more like the wild, wild West! But picture the Internet as the biggest library in the world. Instead of using a card catalog to find your book, on the Internet you use a search engine to find a web page. Search engines index the Internet. There are tips and tricks to finding what you want, but with practice, you will soon be riding the Internet superhighway!

The chances are that your local newspaper, at least most of the articles, are available on-line. Put the name of your newspaper into a search engine such as google.com You can read the paper even when you're out of town. Even though I'm a voracious book reader, I rarely buy a newspaper anymore for those newspapers that put the whole edition online.