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If you’ve ever tried to share a photo with someone on Facebook or Instagram who didn’t know to view it, than you’ve experience what’s called a digital barrier.
Often times the elderly are intimidated by this digital age and a little hesitant to embrace some of our modern day gizmos and gadgets, but students from the Computer Science department at Michigan Tech are on a mission to change that one by one.
Volunteer students have been giving up their Saturday mornings to teach area seniors and anyone else who’s seeking a little extra computer help how to do things like browse the internet, setting up email and Facebook accounts and using the PC as a basic tool.
Assistant professor Chuck Wallace said, “This is a program where everyone learns. People will come in, learn about the technology and our students also learn about the obstacles that regular people face in dealing with the technology.”
Wallace leads the program entitled B.A.S.I.C. – an acronym for Building Adult Skills In Computing, and this week, the program covers some essential topics for those new to computing.
Wallace said, “Tuesday, we’ll be talking about fake news and how it gets spread around social media and how to detect it and how to prevent it from spreading.”
That session takes place at the Portage Lake District Library at 6:30 pm. Another session will be held at the same time on Thursday covering the basics of internet use, and next Tuesday’s session will cover sharing information on social media, without sharing too much information.
Library programs are free and everyone is invited. More information can be found at PLDL.org.
