Technology is what moves the world around us, but for many seniors, the idea of using a computer can be a daunting task. That’s why The J created the Kindred Active Adult Technology Series, a three part series that walks seniors through the basics of using a computer and some of the basic applications that will help better their lives.
The group started first with an introduction to computers on Wednesday, May 10. This class covered basic computer use and sending emails. Week two focused on Facebook and week three on smart phones. The classes were taught by Susan Kwasny and Jeff Slyn.
Facebook can be very useful for seniors to keep in touch with their family and friends, even if they do not actively post much to the social media. Before the class, Kwasny helped the group create a Facebook account.
Slyn used his own personal page to show the seniors the homepage, how to fill out a personal profile, how to connect with their friends and how Facebook messenger worked.
Kwasny and Slyn explained the personal Facebook wall, and said that this is the place where your friends can see your posts, pictures and “about me” section. One challenge that many people struggle with is finding someone with a popular name and having to sift through multiple profiles in the search results. That is where a good profile picture can help you find the people you are looking for or others find you.
The newsfeed is the central hub for all of your friends’ posts, from pictures of their kids to what they had for dinner that night. Based on who your friends are and the pages that you “like,” your newsfeed is your world that you’ve created. The instructors then showed the group Facebook’s events features, which can help you keep track of all those fun weekend plans, and even your friends’ birthdays. Facebook ensures that you’ll never be that friend who forgets an important date.
Friends are an extremely important part of Facebook, and the instructors demonstrated how to send and accept friend requests. Once you accept some friend requests, you can use the messages feature to say hello to those you have lost touch with. Kwasny explained that Facebook messages can be preferable to texting, as it can be for those friends that you don’t have their personal phone number.
Learning all the ins and outs of Facebook can seem like a daunting task for only one hour, but instructors tackled it and taught seniors how to interact with their loved ones online.
