SeniorNet

Executive Director's Blog

Written by

As the saying goes, we’re now in the ‘dog days of summer.’  Though SeniorNet’s online community is up and running 24/7, summer is the time when many Learning Centers either take a break or have lighter class schedules, in order to prepare for the next ‘school year.’ Many are upgrading their labs, some are preparing for a migration to the Microsoft® Windows™ Vista Operating system, some are readying curriculum for courses in the Fall, others are holding summer barbecues, and Learning Centers like the Computer Club of Oklahoma City – SeniorNet User Group (CCOKC-SNUG) are conducting creative fundraisers such as their annual Rummage Sale, which was again a great success! We’re especially grateful to the CCOKC – SNUG for not only successfully pulling off such a fabulous idea, but also for the funds they generated for SeniorNet! What’s unique about SeniorNet, a national, 22-year old nonprofit organization, is that our computer Learning Centers across the country and our international website are run by a formidable force of dedicated and passionate older-adult volunteers. I’m continuously amazed by their innovative ideas and new programs, like this CCOKC – SNUG annual Rummage Sale and our pioneering online courses in Classical Latin! And these stories travel farther than the U.S., even beyond the wonderful World Wide Web, and on to other forms of broadcast media. I recently conducted a telephone interview with ABC Radio’s “Overnights” program in Australia. It was a most enjoyable experience, where not only did I have the opportunity to provide an overview of SeniorNet to the program’s listeners, but the host and I also took calls from older adult computer users from across the Australian continent. We addressed technology questions and even heard recommendations on how to find the best Cauliflower Soup recipe online - these tech-savvy seniors had a lot to say. An 85-year young woman even called in to let us know she’s enjoyed computing for the past 8 years! At the conclusion of the interview, I asked the show’s host how they had heard of SeniorNet. Although we do have affiliate Learning Centers in Australia, he responded “From your website.” I am also aware that we have many online participants from around the world – we truly are a worldwide organization and the stories on our website touch the lives of millions! So while you’re enjoying these ‘dog days of summer,’ perhaps with a tall, cool glass of lemonade, I invite you to share your creative ideas and innovative programs with SeniorNet. I’m certain there are many great ones like the CCOKC – SNUG Rummage Sale. Tell us your stories by e-mailing them to comments@hq.seniornet.org   and we’ll share them with the world on www.seniornet.org . We look forward to hearing from you!

Executive Director's Blog

Written by

Greetings SeniorNet Online Readers! With summer here and many of us making use of the extra long days to accomplish ‘To Do’ lists, such as like cleaning out the garage and selling unwanted items on eBay, surfing travel sites for the best deals on summer vacations, or even taking that laptop computer with you and logging on from a hotel, KOA Campground or countries abroad, one concern that should be at the forefront of our minds in conducting each of these activities, is online safety and security, or “Cybersecurity." As we’ve all heard on the news, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S., and many of the identity theft-related scams are now conducted online. Some of the early examples included false e-mail alerts from eBay or PayPal asking for personal information to correct an account and false e-mail notifications appearing to be from banks, requesting account information (a legitimate bank will NEVER email you for this kind of information). And the online spoofs and scams have only grown increasingly sophisticated in the past several years, with newer techniques such as Phishing, Spam, Spyware and Side Jacking. Want to find out what these dangerous new techniques are, and how to protect yourself from them? SeniorNet, an organization that has been bringing older adults together with technology and connecting them to their local and global communities via the Internet, is committed to educating older adults on Cybersecurity, so that your online experiences are not only enjoyable and productive, but are also safe. Thanks to a grant from AT&T Corporation, we’ve developed and have recently updated our Cybersecurity curriculum, to help you identify the online dangers mentioned above, and learn how to protect against them. In addition to offering the course at many of our local Learning Centers, we’re also making it available here on the SeniorNet website for free download by all who visit. At present, you may download materials for a self-paced, four-lesson course that describes security concerns related to your computer and the Internet, and that provides information on methods, tools and software you can use to protect against security threats. And stay tuned, because by the end of this summer we’ll have these materials integrated into SeniorNet’s website, for a more interactive experience. Here’s to a summer of safe computing! Kristin Fabos

Executive Director's Blog

Written by

Hello SeniorNet Online Readers, As we enjoy the Spring season, now is an appropriate time to brief you on some of the new things springing up at SeniorNet… One of the things about which we’re most excited, is our new offering of online courses !  This full catalog of courses is instructor-led, but is taught entirely on the Internet, giving you the opportunity to learn a wide variety of subjects, including: digital photography, computers and the Internet, health, personal finance, history, languages, writing, literature and more, all from the comfort of your own home, at the time of day convenient for you. Some of you may wonder ‘Is this a replacement to the in-person courses offered at SeniorNet’s nearly 200 Learning Centers nationwide?’  Absolutely not – the peer-taught, peer-mentored, in-person learning experience that a SeniorNet Learning Center offers is absolutely unparalleled, and our 22 years of experience has taught us (and has enabled us to teach many other senior-focused organizations around the world) that it’s how seniors learn best. We think of the online courses as a great complement to our in-person courses - for those of you who may now be familiar enough with the computer to learn other subjects of interest, online. We also believe it’s a nice option for the millions of seniors worldwide who unfortunately do not live near a SeniorNet Learning Center. Another great benefit of the online courses is that we're offering a $20 discount per online course, only for SeniorNet members. And, if you choose to sign up for your SeniorNet membership online, it's only $30/year. So if you sign up for or renew your SeniorNet membership online, then take two online courses, your membership has more than paid for itself! Learn more and check out SeniorNet's new online courses . Currently, I am perusing the catalog of courses and am looking forward to taking an online course in the March session…so many of them look interesting, it's difficult to decide which to take; but I'll update you on my experience in my next blog.

Executive Director's Blog

Written by

November - Today in Northern California there was a definite chill in the air, which, together with the changing leaves and talk of this Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday, makes it truly feel like Fall is upon us and the holiday season is nearly here. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, as it’s a time to join together with family and friends in celebration of all that we have to be grateful for. It’s also a time to reach out and help those who are less fortunate, in order to enable them to experience the joy and true meaning of the holiday season. Reflecting upon my past 3+ years as the Executive Director of SeniorNet, there is much for which I am grateful, and it’s at the forefront of my mind every day.  First and foremost, I’m grateful for SeniorNet’s volunteers: In our Learning Centers, there are the unparalleled, truly committed group of 4,000 older adults across the country that run our local Learning Centers in efficient, self-organized leadership teams; the course instructors who use their tech skills and savvy to bring other seniors into the ‘information age’; and the mentors, who patiently work with students in the classrooms to provide 1:1 help and ensure that all are keeping up with the specialized computer curriculum that only SeniorNet offers.   Unique to SeniorNet, we are truly an online community of computer-using older adults. That online community exists, thanks to the work of over 100 SeniorNet online volunteers! They may not live near a Learning Center or physically go to a location to volunteer, but they spend countless hours online every week, putting their web experience to work in moderating the hundreds of simultaneous discussion forums available on seniornet.org, providing technical support, facilitating SeniorNet’s online book clubs and scheduling interesting authors to make guest appearances, or teaching Greek and Latin online in SeniorNet’s Classics Courses, the list goes on and on... It’s through these impressive volunteers that SeniorNet has been and continues to be, a pioneer in civic engagement for older adults. I refer to this group as “the ‘Magic’ of SeniorNet’ and though I realize that hours of work and dedication go into creating that ‘Magic’, it’s what makes SeniorNet tick. I see that ‘Magic’ in action when visiting our Learning Centers and spending time on our website, and one of the favorite parts of my job is showing that ‘Magic’ to funders, sponsors, and those not previously involved with SeniorNet, then being able to say “Isn’t that just incredible?!?” while appreciating the awe-struck expressions on their faces. I, along with the rest of staff at SeniorNet headquarters, am so incredibly grateful for that ‘Magic’ - thank you! I’m also grateful from the support SeniorNet receives from its funders, sponsors, individual contributors and membership dollars that allows us to continue to deliver the SeniorNet mission of providing computer access and education to older adults 50+. As the pictures on our homepage illustrate, just last week we received a generous grant from the AT&T Foundation to expand SeniorNet’s CyberSecurity curriculum! And between now and the end of the year we’ll be working to open grant-funded learning centers in the underserved communities of Chula Vista, California and New Orleans, Louisiana, thanks to the generosity of the H.R.C. Foundation. Finally, I am truly appreciative of SeniorNet’s Headquarters Staff and Regional Consultants. People are constantly amazed to learn that we run a national nonprofit that has such a broad impact, with such a small but tight-knit staff, and it’s everyone’s dedication to the mission of the organization that makes it all happen. We just completed an office reconfiguration here at headquarters, and it was heartwarming to see spouses and children of staff members pitching in and donating their time to get the job done! So a heartfelt “Thank You” to everyone in the SeniorNet community for your invaluable contributions over the years. May you all enjoy a blessed and abundant Thanksgiving, filled with the warmth of friends and family... -Kristin

Executive Director's Blog

Written by

October - SeniorNet has received excellent press coverage in the October 23, 2007 issue of the New York Times! In the special ‘Retirement’ section (H5), the article entitled “Out of the Workforce and Into a Classroom” by Matt Villano discusses older adults enjoying the benefits of technology. SeniorNet is prominently profiled, as are SeniorNet students, Irma Morris, of San Jose California, and volunteer Don House, of the Almaden Learning Center in San Jose. Thank you Irma and Don for your willingness to be quoted in the article! You can read the article online . We at SeniorNet extend our sincere condolences to all who experienced losses in the Southern California fires, earlier this week. The worst in California’s history, it was incredibly sad to see devastation those fires wreaked on the lives and homes of so many fellow Californians, and our thoughts are with them. Earlier in the week, I attempted to call and check in on a site of a new Learning Center we’ll be opening in Chula Vista.  I was immediately reminded of how technology can be so helpful in disaster situations. On my first attempt to place the call, I received an “All circuits are busy” message, and immediately wondered “How would individuals in Southern California let their friends and family across the country know that they’re alright, if they can’t get through via phone?” The answer: E-mail. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I recalled stories of New Orleans residents who, when they could not get through via phone, went to libraries for free Internet access in order to communicate with family and friends, as well as to find essential emergency services and to apply for federal aid. The reverse also worked, with family and friends of individuals in New Orleans being able to search databases and locate relatives to know that they were safe. When I visited the downtown New Orleans Public Library just 8 months after Hurricane Katrina, it was still being used as a FEMA Center. At the time of my visit, all computer stations were occupied, with residents using technology as a tool in the process of rebuilding their lives. In both of these examples, technology know-how becomes more than a ‘nice to have’; it becomes a mission-critical tool for daily living.   According to the New York Times article, a September 2007 report from Jupiter Research estimates that 11.5 million older adults are using the Internet today, and that’s expected to climb to 20.1 million by 2010. SeniorNet, now commemorating it’s 21st Anniversary, is proud to have played a pioneering role in bringing the first 11.5 million older adults together with the empowering benefits of technology, and we’re looking forward to playing a key role in surpassing the 20 million milestone.

Executive Director's Blog

Written by

Greetings SeniorNet Members and Online Visitors!  By now we hope you like our new online community and are navigating the site with ease. We welcome your feedback, so please feel free to send us your thoughts and comments  related to this blog. To date, I’ve received a few initial comments and questions, ranging from ‘Where is your blog?’ (Answer: This is it; you’re reading it!) to ‘I’m glad to see SeniorNet moving into the future’. Thanks for those, and please keep them coming. This update comes to you from Washington, D.C. where I’m spending the week on business travel. In the several business trips I’ve made to D.C. this past year, I’ve seemed to have the good fortune of selecting the weeks with temperature extremes! Yesterday and today were record-setting temperatures of 102 and 103 respectively (with a heat index of 110!) and today, D.C. was the hottest place in the nation. Thanks to a Midwest upbringing, I actually enjoy humidity! I’m in town for an AT&T briefing of senior-focused organizations (held Monday), meetings Tuesday, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Neighborhood Networks Conference, this Wednesday – Friday. The AT&T briefing was most informative. Some key takeaways from the briefing that you might find interesting, include: According to research firm The Yankee Group, 49% of older adults 65+ have cell phones. The U.S. currently has 240 million wireless subscribers – according to AT&T Knowledge Ventures,? of these,? AT&T has 63.7 million, Verizon Wireless has 62.1 million, Sprint has 53.7 million, and T-Mobile has 26.0 million. As a result of the recent AT&T merger with BellSouth and Cingular, a condition of that merger being approved was that AT&T would have to offer affordable broadband packages at rates as low as $10/month. AT&T has recently announced VideoShare, a service that allows users with 3G wireless handsets to transmit live video to another user and to have real-time, simultaneous voice communication via speakerphone! Imagine filming your child or grandchild and transmitting it in real time (with commentary) to another cell phone! Amazing… Last but not least, AT&T Labs is working on some very exciting new technology developments and products that will make telemedicine a very real possibility in the very near future! Imagine remote monitoring and the transmission of your personal health information to your doctor, without having to leave the comfort of your own home! Fast forward to the HUD Neighborhood Networks National Training Conference, held today through Friday. A little background: HUD created Neighborhood Networks in 1995, in order to “…encourage property owners to establish multiservice community learning centers in HUD insured and assisted properties. Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal initiatives to promote self-sufficiency and help provide computer access to low-income housing communities.” The Conference boasts approximately 500 attendees from all over the country, many of which represent a number of Neighborhood Networks within their respective states. It’s really encouraging to see so many Neighborhood Networks centers across the country that are first and foremost, helping to improve computer access for people of all ages and income levels. Through technology access, they’re also providing access to healthcare information and social services, employment training and preparation, and community building! Because many of these Neighborhood Networks have senior populations, there has been interest in SeniorNet’s program and curriculum (I had to replenish our stock of brochures after the first 10 minutes)! To these Neighborhood Networks, SeniorNet can bring our 20 years of experience in educating older adults on computer technology and the Internet, bringing them into the ‘information age’ at the rate and pace at which they’re comfortable learning. And SeniorNet has its own form of nearly 200 ‘Neighborhood Networks’ across the country – Community Centers where like-minded, talented older adults come to learn, to teach, to volunteer, and to build community. That’s a pretty powerful movement, isn’t it? I hope this message finds each and every one of you enjoying your Summer, staying cool wherever you may be, and I look forward to ‘speaking’ with you again in a couple of weeks. Best, Kristin Read More of Kristin's Blogs...

Executive Director's Blog

Written by

Welcome to the new SeniorNet Online Community! SeniorNet is proud to unveil its new online community at www.seniornet.org, and we thank you for joining us here! Did you know that SeniorNet’s website was originally launched in 1996 and now receives over 1 million hits per month? Our goal in revamping this website for SeniorNet’s tech-savvy older adults was to create an online environment as dynamic as SeniorNet’s audience, based on an open-source platform that can support the new features and functionality that our online visitors are seeking, and one that also provides a new and improved user interface that is easy to navigate and adheres to many of the latest accessibility standards.   In addition to the new and aesthetically pleasing user interface, in the future, SeniorNet members will be able to post blogs, share photos online, access their SeniorNet e-mail accounts, read RSS newsfeeds, even create their own personalized landing page on www.seniornet.org!   And for those of you who subscribe to the “make new friends, but keep the old” philosophy, all of the features you’ve come to know and love on the SeniorNet site, like the hundreds of simultaneous discussion forums, the online Book Club, and the online Greek and Latin courses are still here, just organized a bit differently. Like all new things, it may take a bit of getting used to, but we hope you’ll find the new discussion forums easier to read and to post to!   I also thank you for reading the first Executive Director blog, a new feature on SeniorNet’s homepage that will be updated regularly with insights on issues on technology and aging as well as reports on the happenings at SeniorNet headquarters.   What is a blog, you ask? According to Matisse’s Glossary of Internet terms, “A blog is short for weblog, and is basically a journal available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is ‘blogging’ and someone who keeps a blog is a ‘blogger’… Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order, with the most recent additions featured most prominently.” Visit the site often for regular updates to this blog, and please join me in the blogging revolution and send your feedback !   Finally, I’d like to give special thanks to SeniorNet’s online volunteers and staff that provided their input and content during the development of this site, and especially to Tony Ellis, SeniorNet’s webmaster, who has spent months in the development of this new online community. He has patiently and carefully considered a list of over 165 new features proposed by SeniorNet’s online volunteers and staff. Like SeniorNet’s former site, this website will expand over time, as more and more of these new features are added.   Thank you again for joining us; we hope you truly enjoy SeniorNet’s new online community at www.seniornet.org!   Best,   Kristin