Senior Planet Montgomery Free Online Classes for Seniors April 11-15 will include ‘Graphic Design Tools’ and ‘Messaging Apps'

For Immediate Release: Friday, April 8, 2022

Senior Planet Montgomery, a technology training program designed for County learners 50 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 for Seniors April 11-15 will include “Graphic Design Tools” and “Messaging Apps.”

In addition to classes in English, two classes will be taught in Spanish, and one class will be taught in Mandarin. A variety of exercise classes also will be offered.

During the fall and winter program quarters, more than 2,000 participants joined 201 virtual programs hosted by Senior Planet Montgomery. This spring, 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 week of April 11-15 will include:

• Graphics Design Tools: Tuesday, April 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m. In this presentation, explore the popular design platform, Canva, and demonstrate how to use basic tools like Google Slides.
• Messaging Apps: Thursday, April 14, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Lecture will go over the features of three widely used apps: iMessages, Hangouts, and WhatsApp.
• Hello Montgomery: Thursday, April 14, 2-3 p.m. Join fellow MoCo residents for an hour of socializing Twitter: Thursday, April 14, 4-5 p.m. Learn about Twitter’s important features as well as the social importance the service has gained over the last ten years and how to access breaking news and important information even without signing up for a Twitter account.
• Lighting and Smart Bulbs: Friday, April 15, noon-1 p.m. This lecture reviews common lighting terminology like watts and lumens and explains the differences between the many types of bulbs currently on the market.

Class in Mandarin:

• 雲端儲存空間  4/13, 12 - 1 p.m. 在這堂講座裡，您會學到雲端儲存空間的基礎摘要 ： 一款讓您以遠端方式存起檔案、圖片、和其他媒體的電腦科技，讓您以更方便、更可靠和更有保固性的方式收集您的重要資料。我們會一起討論雲端儲存空間是什麼、它為什麼是檔案收藏的未來趨勢、以及且示範一些近期給交費者最普遍的雲端儲存空間服務。

English Translation for Class in Mandarin:

• Cloud Storage: Wednesday, April 13, noon -1 p.m. In this lecture, you will learn the basics of cloud storage — a technology that lets you store documents, images, and other media files remotely while giving you greater accessibility, reliability, and protection for your important data. We will discuss what it is, why it is the future of data storage, and demonstrate a few of the most popular services currently available to consumers.

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: 22-220
Media Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-205-1915
Categories: Senior