NEWSLETTER
| CA - Costa Mesa |
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About the Costa Mesa, Ca. Learning Center
The Costa Mesa
Senior Center, IBM, and Charles Schwab sponsor The SeniorNet Learning
Center of Costa Mesa, Ca. It is staffed by volunteers, mostly seniors recruited
from the local Orange Coast Computer User Group, OCIPUG,
who have extensive experience with computers. These volunteers come from all
walks of life and are extremely dedicated. Some of our staff seem to virtually
live there.
The SeniorNet Learning Center of Costa Mesa, Ca. is a local chapter of
the international nonprofit organization "SeniorNet" whose mission
is to provide older adults education for and access to computer technologies
to enhance their lives and enable them to share their knowledge and wisdom.
The organization has benefited millions of seniors since its founding in
1986; supports over 130
Learning Centers throughout the U.S. and in other countries, such as
Japan
and Sweden, and SeniorNet Australia, and New Zealand.
SeniorNet also publishes a quarterly newsletter and a variety of instructional
materials; offers discounts on computer-related and other products and services;
holds regional conferences and collaborates in research on older adults
and technology.
The SeniorNet Learning Center of Costa Mesa, Ca was organized when early in 1999 Costa Mesa Senior Center and SeniorNet got together in order to establish a SeniorNet Learning Center at the Center. In March, 1999, computers were installed in the large classroom, and the volunteers were given a class in "How to Teach Seniors to use computers." The first training classes were conducted in May, of 1999 and consisted of three introductory classes and three labs. Since that time, approximately 1,000 senior citizens have taken classes offered by this all volunteer organization, we are currently in our 19th session of classes and looking forward to our 5th Anniversary in the the Spring of 2004.
In 2001, the organization moved the classes to a dedicated classroom made
available by the generous contributions of the Director of the Costa Mesa
Senior Center, Aviva Goelman, in loving memory of her parents and the Rock
Harbor Church, with whom we had shared a multi-purpose room at the center.
This new facility allowed more classes to be taught and the new facility
is also host to a 2-hour open lab on Monday through Thursday, when members
can practice what they have learned in class or work on individual projects.
In addition they may simply access their email and the Internet, on a fast
cable broadband connection, that makes surfing the web a real pleasure.
There is also a CD Burner, 2 scanners and 3 printers where members can use
their newly acquired skills to do various projects from scanning, fixing,
and printing their photographs, creating greeting cards to writing their
memoirs.Ten different classes are offered each session.
These classes are each 2 hours long, meeting once a week for 8 weeks in
our classroom which is equipped with eight computers, seven for students
and one for the instructor. A Large screen TV allows the students to view
actual procedures, as they are performed on the instructor's computer. We
are considering adding other classes, such as Quicken and Family Tree Maker.
We have recently initated presenting Workshops, with a 2 session e-Bay Workshop,
in between the Summer and Fall sessions, that received a lot of interest,
enthusiasm, and was well attended.
Costa Mesa Costa Mesa Senior Center 695 W. 19th Street Costa Mesa CA 92627 USA Phone: 949-645-2356 Contact: Ron Perkins Off-Site Home-Page: http://www.cmseniorcenter.org/seniornet_classes.htm |
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