Senior Planet Montgomery Free Online Classes for Seniors Feb. 22-26 will Include Make Your Home Comfortable and Digital Storytelling

For Immediate Release: Friday, February 19, 2021

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 will include Make Your Home Comfortable and Digital Storytelling.

In addition to classes in English, two classes during Feb. 22-26 will be delivered in Spanish and one class will be delivered in Mandarin. A variety of exercise classes also will be offered.

During the summer and fall program quarters, more than 4,000 participants joined 213 virtual programs hosted by Senior Planet Montgomery. This winter, classes will cover how to use and host on Zoom, online basics, popular social media sites, lowering one’s utility bill, financial security and civic engagement.

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 Feb. 22-26 will include:

• Make Your Home Comfortable: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 3-4 p.m. Montgomery Energy Connection invites you to join Rebecca Frese from Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland for a discussion on the Weatherization Program. This program, which is available to income-eligible residents, is designed to improve the energy efficiency, overall indoor air quality and comfort of your home. Rebecca will provide quick tips to help make your home comfortable even without participating in the program.
• Digital Storytelling: Friday, 26, 11 a.m.-noon Lecture covers digital tools to bring out your creativity. Explore ways to use social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to write and share stories. Learn about popular platforms like Enwoven and StoryCorps.

Clases en Español:

• Podcasts: Lunes, 22 de Febrero. 11 a.m.- 12 p.m. Los podcasts son una forma cada vez más popular de entretenimiento y una gran fuente de información sobre todo tipo de temas. En esta inteligentes, aprenderá más sobre estos programas de audio disponibles en Internet: por qué la gente los escucha, dónde puedes encontrarlos y cuáles son los más populares..
• Todo Sobre Podcasts: Miércoles, 24 de 11 a.m.- 12 p.m. ¿Tienes preguntas sobre programas de audio conocidos como Podcasts? ¿Interesado en por qué la gente los escucha, dónde puedes encontrarlos y cuáles son los más populares? ¡Únase a este programa para que todas sus preguntas sobre Podcasts sean respondidas!

Class in Mandarin:

• Smartphones 智慧型手機(三), 2/23, 12:00pm- 1:00pm EST. 如果您想了解智慧型手機的功能和普及性，來看聆聽這堂講座！您會學到市場上的有名智慧型手機和他們的好處和短處。我們也會相比和對比兩個最有名的操作系統：安卓和蘋果的 iOS。

English Translation for Class in Mandarin:

• Smartphones: If you are curious about what smartphones can do and why they have grown so popular, come to this lecture. Learn about popular smartphones on the market and some of their pros and cons. We will compare and contrast two of the most popular operating systems: Android and Apple’s iOS.

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: 21-125
Media Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-205-1915
Categories: Senior