By Martin Luttrell
The Council on Aging is using a $15,000 grant from AARP to fund a program aimed at increasing digital literacy and enhanced computer skills for the town’s senior citizens. Pilot classes for the Digital Connections program are expected to begin next month, with a full slate of classes to begin in September, running through the end of the year.
Classes will be offered free of charge.
Surveys will be sent out in the council’s monthly newsletter, and posted on Facebook seeking feedback on numbers and types of computer education needs, said Andy Nicholl, who is assisting the council in setting up the program. The long-range goals are to increase computer literacy and confidence in using the internet, while making the program self-sustaining, he said.
“The first survey we have going out is qualitative — how confident are you on the internet? What problems do you have? What do you need to build your skills?” he said.
While the surveys are gathering information, the council will work with regional school district Director of Technology and Digital Learning Ryan Robidoux to select Nipmuc Regional High School students who will teach the classes. “Some of them are going into technology as a career,” Nicholl said. “They will identify the right ones. It’s up to us to make sure they understand the program.”
The council currently has a less formal technology program that assists seniors in using computers and smartphones. That program will continue to run in conjunction with the Digital Connections program now being designed, he said. The new classes will be able to answer questions about smartphones and tablets, and will have a help desk, a centralized resource that provides technical support and troubleshooting to end-users.
Council member Phil Cieply added that students teaching the classes will be monitored by adults with a technology background. “They’ll make sure the class stays with the program’s curriculum design, he said. “It’s much more structure that what we had before.”
The AARP funding will be spent largely on personal computers and related hardware, software licenses and communications, such as mailers, he said. Funding could also be used to create so-called “hot spots,” physical locations where a user can access the internet wirelessly.
“We’ve got a formal budget all laid out. We’ll be very diligent in spending it,” Nicholl said.
Seniors who enroll in the computer classes will be asked to take a follow-up survey to see what they learned and how confident they are in using the internet, Nicholl said.
The state’s Digital Equity Initiative, spearheaded by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, focuses on smart phones and tablets, “so we’re intersecting with that,” he said.
While the grant funding will pay for some computers, Nicholl pointed out that there could be an opportunity to acquire refurbished laptops currently being used in town departments.
“The town is doing a major technology upgrade next year. So, we’re hoping that next we’ll be able to use some of that equipment,” he said. “I’m hoping they won’t send those PCs away. Let’s use them at the senior center.”
Among the benefits anticipated from the Digital Connections classes are increased digital literacy, enhanced computer skills, navigating useful websites such as government, ie: Medicare, DMV, IRS, library services, town services and enhancing intergenerational networking.
Cieply is hopeful that the program will include a lending program at the library. He added that with good results from this year, the town could obtain more state grants to help further the program.
AARP did not require prior approval of the curriculum, but does require the council to submit a report at the end of the year, Cieply said. “We will show how we spent the money, how many people we served, and how well they did,” he said. “As long as you do due diligence, get results and serve the community, they’re happy with that.”
