Senior Planet Montgomery Free Online Life Learning Classes for Seniors June 15-19 Will Include How to Contact Lawmakers, Zoom Video Conferencing and Home Internet Access

For Immediate Release: Friday, June 12, 2020

Senior Planet Montgomery, a technology training program designed for County learners 60 and older, is offering free online classes that focus on how to thrive at home. Classes, which are offered live via video conference, enhance a wide variety of life skills. Classes June 15-19 will focus on How to Contact Lawmakers, Zoom video conferencing and Home Internet Access.

In addition to classes in English, two classes during June 15-19 will be delivered in Spanish. A variety of exercise classes also will be offered.

Since April, more than 4,200 participants have joined virtual programs hosted by Senior Planet Montgomery. Future classes will feature topics such as the Internet of Things in Healthcare and Wearables.

The program is supported by the County’s Department of Technology Services’ ultraMontgomery program in partnership with nonprofit OATS (Older Adults Technology Services). The County’s Department of Recreation and Montgomery County Public Libraries also are partners in helping provide the classes at no charge to participants.

Sessions concentrate on user-friendly tools and resources and are designed to enable older adults to learn to utilize technologies to improve their daily lives. Senior Planet Montgomery utilizes curricula created by OATS, which also provides training staff and works with numerous County departments to identify topics of interest for Montgomery residents. OATS sponsors similar Senior Planet programming in six states. The County’s Department of Environmental Protection contributes to the program’s course offerings by producing sessions on how to lower energy costs.

Classes change on a weekly basis. A home internet connection and a device (such as a smartphone, tablet or computer) are all that is required to participate.

Classes to be offered June 15-19 will include:

• Person2Person Payments: Monday, June 15, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Learn about some of today’s most popular P2P payment services, including PayPal, Venmo and Zelle. Class will cover some of the basic functions of these services, how they compare and tips for using them safely.
• All Things Zoom: Tuesday, June 16, 2-3 p.m. Learn how to use Zoom video conferencing software to chat with friends and family and to take virtual classes with Senior Planet. Zoom works with iOS, Android and Windows operating systems. Zoom can be used in browsers or users can download the app on their devices. A Zoom account is not needed to join a call or chat.
• Home Internet Access: Wednesday, June 17, 2-3 p.m. Lecture goes over basic information needed when signing up for home Internet service. Learn about discount programs that allow eligible seniors to get home internet at lower prices.
• Lighting and Smartbulbs: Thursday, June 18, 11-noon. Lecture reviews common lighting terminology like watts and lumens and explains the differences between the types of bulbs currently on the market. Learn which bulb offers the most in terms of energy efficiency so utility bills can be lowered.
• Contacting Lawmakers Online: Thursday, June 18, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Presentation will introduce “Countable” and show how to use it to identify Congressional representatives and Senators. Class will also detail how to send them messages about issues.
• How to Initiate a Zoom Meeting: Thursday, June 18, 2-3 p.m. Program will go over the features of having and using a Zoom account: how to create an account, create a meeting, share meeting details and invite participants.

Clases en Español:

• El Dinero Importa (Money Matters): Martes, 16 de Junio. 11 a.m.-noon. El internet puede abrir un mundo nuevo de ahorrando dinero y manejando sus finanzas. Esta presentación le dará un resumen del curso de Senior Planet, El Dinero Importa. Usted obtendrá una introducción a algunos de los temas que incluye en el curso, como banca en línea, manteniendo su información financiera segura y compras en línea. Aprenderá cómo usar el internet para ahorrar dinero en entretenimiento, en medicamentos bajo receta, y en productos cotidianos.
• Cómo Detectar Noticias Falsas (How to Spot Fake News): Viernes 19 de Junio. 10:30-11:30 a.m. ¿Preocupado por las noticias falsas? En la era digital, cualquiera puede publicar cualquier cosa en Internet. Esta presentación le ofrece una explicación útil para el aumento en el uso del término noticias falsas, además de brindarle algunas herramientas para evaluar fuentes de noticias. También revisaremos sitios populares de verificación de hechos.

For more information about Senior Planet Montgomery and to view its virtual program offerings, visit https://seniorplanet.org/Montgomery. The team can be contacted at 240-753-0676 or via email at mocoinfo@seniorplanet.org.

To sign up for the Senior Planet Montgomery newsletter, which includes detailed information about upcoming classes, go to https://seniorplanet.org/get-involved/newsletters/.

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Release ID: 20-316
Media Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-205-1915