Senior Planet Montgomery Free Online Classes for Seniors March 15-19 will Include Make Energy Cents and How to Choose a New Computer

For Immediate Release: Friday, March 12, 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 Energy Cents & How to Choose a New Computer

In addition to classes in English, two classes during March 15-19 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 March 15-19 will include:

• Make Energy Cents: Tuesday, March 16, 3-4 p.m. Lecture brings together trusted information and helpful solutions for managing and lowering energy usage and costs. Learn how to use the site for finding energy-saving programs, exploring energy-efficient technology and getting help understanding a utility bill.
• Hello Montgomery: Thursday, March 18, 2-3 p.m. Join fellow Montgomery County residents for an hour of socializing.
• Introduction to Social Media: Thursday, March 18, 4-5 p.m. Social media sites make it easy to share content and connect with other people online. In this presentation get a general introduction to social media and learn about some of the more popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
• How to Choose a New Computer: Friday, March 19, 11 a.m.-noon. Session addresses some of the most common questions surrounding how to choose a new computer: Where to start? What’s a reliable brand? How much should you budget? Also addresses technical specifications.
• All Things Zoom: Friday, March 19, 2-3 p.m. Lecture will go over how to use Zoom to chat with friends and family, and how to take virtual classes with Senior Planet. Learn useful Zoom features on an iOS, Android or Windows devices and important security considerations.

Clases en Español:

• Facebook: Lunes, 15 de Marzo 11 a.m.-noon. ¿Curioso sobre cómo funcione Facebook pero preocupada por su privacidad? ¿Interesado en cómo establecer un perfil o cómo crear una página? ¿Quiere aprender más sobre Facebook Live? Esta presentación le ofrece un resumen sobre la evolución de Facebook, sus funciones más populares, y consejos de cómo empezar a usarlas.
• Todo sobre Facebook: Miércoles, 17 de 11 a.m.- 12 p.m. ¿Tiene curiosidad de cómo funciona Facebook pero le preocupa su privacidad? ¿Interesado en cómo establecer un perfil o cómo crear una página? ¡Únase a este programa para que pueda preguntar sobre Facebook!

Class in Mandarin:

• Youtube(三), 3/17, 12:00pm-1:00pm EST. 說不定想到 YouTube 會讓您聯想到貓咪的影片。不過，它本身還有比那更多樣化的內容。每天，全球超過十億小時的影片有包括經典電影、教學影片、新聞報導的內容等等。這次的演講會給您概述在 YouTube 上的免費內容以及會教您如何在它的網站上輕易的遊覽。您也會收到如何觀看和分享別人的影片和學習如何上傳自己創造的內容。

English Translation for Class in Mandarin:

• Youtube: 3/17, Noon-1 p.m. EST. You may associate YouTube with silly videos of cats, but it’s much more than that. Every day, people around the world watch more than 1 billion hours of video, including classic movies, how-to videos, news clips, and more. This presentation will give an overview of the free content available on YouTube and show you how to navigate the site with ease. You’ll also get tips for viewing and sharing others’ videos and learn about uploading your own.

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: 21-175
Media Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-205-1915
Categories: Senior