GRAND Spring 2021 Vol. IV Ed. I
Victoria Vancouver Island Grandparenting Magazine Spring 2021 10 Ways to Be a Fabulous Grandparent Rock the Podcast: How to create—and launch—an engaging and entertaining podcast Running Your First 10k Close to Home: Comox Valley
Victoria Vancouver Island Grandparenting Magazine Spring 2021
10 Ways to Be a Fabulous Grandparent
Rock the Podcast: How to create—and launch—an engaging and entertaining podcast
Running Your First 10k
Close to Home: Comox Valley
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A national literacy organization is<br />
hoping to change this by improving<br />
the digital literacy skills of adult Canadians.<br />
Through ABC Life Literacy<br />
Canada’s Youth Teaching Adults<br />
program, seniors can access free<br />
downloadable resources on tools that<br />
help people virtually connect with<br />
friends and family. These “lesson<br />
plans” are written in clear language<br />
and formatted as step-by-step guides<br />
for at-home learning, showing adults<br />
how to use Skype, Zoom, Google Duo<br />
and FaceTime in a way that’s easy to<br />
understand.<br />
These lesson plans come at a<br />
much-needed time as many adults,<br />
particularly those in disadvantaged<br />
communities, face isolation.<br />
Video calling platforms can help<br />
support the development of a stronger<br />
sense of connection and maintain<br />
already existing relationships. In one<br />
study, older adults who used video<br />
chat technology such as Skype had<br />
significantly lower risks of depression<br />
than those who did not video chat.<br />
“We know that digital literacy is an<br />
important skill that Canadians need,<br />
especially with 84 per cent of jobs<br />
currently requiring computer and<br />
technical skills,” says Mack Rogers,<br />
executive director of ABC Life Literacy<br />
Canada. “We are pleased to offer<br />
programming to help our Canadian<br />
seniors, who need these skills now<br />
more than ever. Digital literacy plays<br />
a huge role in maintaining social relationships,<br />
and our hope is that seniors<br />
will access these free lesson plans on<br />
our website and equip themselves<br />
with the know-how to use these important<br />
tools.”<br />
While accessing technology can<br />
seem overwhelming, Rogers advises<br />
seniors start out with a small goal to<br />
set themselves up for success.<br />
“Don’t set yourself up for failure<br />
and frustration by wanting to do it<br />
all at once. If you’re just starting out,<br />
set yourself a small achievable goal,<br />
like sending your kids or grandkids<br />
an email,” he says. “If you’re more advanced,<br />
aim to master a new software<br />
program or platform, like InDesign or<br />
WordPress. Depending on your goal<br />
and level of expertise, you can find<br />
resources online or among friends and<br />
family.”<br />
For more advanced users, he cautions<br />
them to not skip over learning<br />
the basics, as it’s important to make<br />
sure you have a solid foundation on<br />
which to build. For example, learning<br />
best practices for staying safe online,<br />
such as never opening an email from<br />
an unknown sender and looking for<br />
secure “https” sites when entering<br />
personal or financial information,<br />
are important for those who will be<br />
spending a lot of time online.<br />
grandmag.ca<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>. <strong>IV</strong>, <strong>Ed</strong>. I 23