Grateful for Techie Seniors Thursdays Webinars

More and more senior citizens have turned to modern technology to ward off feelings of isolation especially during this pandemic. We are grateful that there are online learning lessons devoted for the aging population by the likes of Ms. Koree Monteloyola and company. They fully support the elders and/or retirees with internet literacy and keep us abreast with the latest developments.

In a nutshell, the Techie Seniors’ mission/vision is to provide a free platform that will enable us to learn about computer technology through the web & social media. With the knowledge that we acquire, life becomes easier and we get to enjoy it to the fullest. As we utilize mobile devices and the internet, we strive to be responsible online users and make optimum use of the benefits that we can derive from digital learning.

“More and more senior citizens have turned to modern technology to ward off feelings of isolation especially during this pandemic.”

The Senior Citizen Thursday (TST) webinars can be accessed through the Facebook page of Techie Senior Citizens and Retirees PH while the past episodes are viewed through YouTube. The format of the webinars is light and engaging. In-between the discussions, the host greets the participants and encourages us to state our names and where we come from so they can gauge their viewership base. We can send our comments and ask questions. Reviews & rating can be given on how the topic for the day had been handled. We can also answer the Internet Usage Quiz, from which results can be gleaned how well the respondents understood the lessons.

The educational goals of TST webinars are to meet the interactive learning needs of seniors, develop their physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing. Through online studies, we acquire technical skills and reduce cognitive impairment. The stereotype that we are devoid of skills for digital navigation is proven wrong. It is a common complaint that most families do not welcome the idea of teaching elders as they feel we can no longer absorb new learnings. To somewhat address this problem, free online education like the TST webinars makes learning easier as it is not held in the traditional textbook way. It is more fun and helps us retain concepts better.

“The educational goals of [Techie Seniors Thursdays] webinars are to meet the interactive learning needs of seniors, develop their physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing.”

Through the TST webinars, we are able to detect fake news and learn to deal with scammers. Now, we can order food, shop, send and receive money online, establish contact with relatives & friends and join virtual bible studies.

The episode that particularly struck me was the one that deals with online selling. My husband and I are engaged in the sale of driftwood and bonsais. Webinars like this give us a chance to do digital advertising, undertake customer profiling, change prices of product lines, receive specific orders, etc. Additionally, Ageism in Technology stood out for me. Here, we learned the challenges that confront senior citizens, what ageism means and what can be improved to lower digital ageism. Likewise, we were taught the means of technology and the digital skills we can use, and the requirements to access the internet infrastructures.

“The episode that particularly struck me was the one that deals with online selling. … Webinars like this give us a chance to do digital advertising, undertake customer profiling, change prices of product lines, receive specific orders, etc.”

The TST webinars have been of great help to us during the pandemic. Through the learnings from digital literacy lessons, we acquire skills that keep us fully engaged with the modules. We can do chats through Skype, Viber, Facebook Messenger and respond to others using Instagram or Twitter. We can access laboratory results, medical and health information, watch movies, videos and play mental games that boost memory. We know about the local and foreign news. All these we can continue to do to bring new meaning, purpose and inspiration to our lives even as we go through this dreadful global health crisis.