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| | Senior Saturday at KDC
SeniorLearning.com was a volunteer organization dedicated to empowering Seniors by helping learn the technology to access and process the information and services available online.
SeniorLearning entered into an informal alliance with the Knowledge Development Center of Atlanta (KDC) with a shared vision of empowering Seniors to use technology in their lives. This alliance produced the concept of “Senior Saturday at KDC”. Using the first-class, top-rated facilities of KDC, and the passionate group of adult facilitators and coaches, the first class of eight Senior adult learners started on April 29, 2000 taking an Introduction to Microsoft Word®. These courses and workshops were offered in three-hour blocks for a four-week or two-week duration. The common area was used for breaks to encourage full use of the facility and for the vital social interchange that characterizes a Senior adult learner. The networking of these Senior learners resulted in a level of enthusiasm and a camaraderie not usually seen in a learning environment.
Senior learners share information; the fear of the competitive edge is not there. Seniors collaborate in their learning. Learning becomes fun, since their motivation to be in a learning environment stems from quality-of-life issues. The learners want to be there, rather than ‘having’ to be there.
After facilitating Senior computer and Internet classes for just over 250 Seniors in a three-year period, prior to the formation of SeniorLearning.com, we have concluded that they are more challenging than other groups of adults for the very reasons that have brought many of us into education as a life career. They collaborated, conferred, developed critical thinking skills (previously thought to have been lost), celebrated their individual and collective accomplishments, "high-five’ed" each other, and yes, indeed, misbehaved in class (passing notes, not paying attention, and playing solitaire), but, NEVER had one fall asleep.
Some of the common myths attributed to Seniors, in terms of their learning capability, appear to have little validity in their ability to learn technology-based skills and competencies, and, in some cases, at a surprisingly quick rate and level of proficiency. Their motivation to learn is related to ‘quality-of-life’ issues rather than getting the ‘competitive edge’, or career advancement issues.
The ability to communicate with family and friends through e-mail is such a major step for most, that in some cases, they've established a picture-swapping circle of family members, and some had their own “Moderated Lists” for communication with friends.
They regularly referred to “their Senior Web page” as a resource for links to places found valuable, as they made the transition from the familiar analog world to the previously intimidating digital one. One 83 year old arrived in class to make an announcement that she had found a “way cool” Web site she wanted to share with her fellow learners.
They were so excited about learning technology, but not as an end. They do see learning the technology as a means to access resources previously unheard of, let alone how to use and effectively search the Internet and other databases. They used Boolean operators, they knew the difference between a search engine and a directory, and let their “Senior Savvy-ness” slip, occasionally, in conversations with peers. They found sites that meet a need, for example; of finding the cultural and linguistic history of their ancestors, managed their stock portfolio, found vacation sites, or buying anything online (especially if they can't walk long distances in the mall, or are homebound, or are otherwise limited in their physical mobility), etc.
In conclusion, a 73 year old man came up to me after a 12 hour Internet class, and thanked me for “...changing the direction of my life”. Needless to say this statement had a profound effect on me. The vast amount of life experience brought to the learning environment by this population contributes so greatly to its synergism and excitement.
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