It may seem as though this generation of kids were born with cell phones in their hands.
Place any tech gadget in front of them, and within minutes — if not seconds — they have it figured out.
But not everyone is so savvy when it comes to learning how to use the latest iPhone, especially seniors trying to connect to the outside world. And with updated technology hitting the market at the speed of light, it may feel as though the constant learning process is as slow as dial-up for those who didn’t grow up with it.
To remedy some of that disconnect, locals at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center and middle- and high-school students meet twice a month for Tech Tutoring, a technology training program for those more familiar with Geritol than Google.
“It’s always one-on-one. I think that’s the beauty of the program,” said Cindy McGregor, organizer of the Tech Tutoring program. “I always suspected intuitively anything that’s multi-generational is going to be beneficial.”
“They grew up with it,” she added of the youth who are taking part. “It’s amazing they’re surprisingly good at realizing there’s a whole generation that wasn’t brought up using their thumbs.”
The program came to life in May 2014 after seniors from the center continued to ask for some type of tech training. After a collaboration of ideas and resources, the Bainbridge Island Rotary Healthy Youth Committee, Bainbridge Youth Services and senior center developed the Tech Tutoring program.
On early release days, students meet with seniors for an hour to answer any questions they may have about their laptops, smart phones or tablets.
Follow-up sessions allow seniors to practice the skills they’ve learned, or pick up new ways to do things.
“No one ever said there’s more than one way to skin a cat,” said Sada Ross, one of the seniors who attends tutoring. “For years and years I was so confused on what I was doing wrong.”
Ross finally figured out there may be multiple ways to get something done, especially on her purple Dell laptop.
After one training session with Bainbridge High sophomore Lia Vasilikiotis — who prefers Apple systems — the pair learned together how to best name, drag and drop photo files in a PC operating system.
Sometimes, the duos get so involved that they run well over the allotted time.
“Do you Skype?” she asked Vasilikiotis.
When the sophomore said she could never get it to work, Ross exclaimed, “Oh, you should!”
By the end of their nearly two-hour session, Ross was encouraging Vasilikiotis, an exchange student from Greece, to try Skyping with her at some time.
In addition to teaching, high school students receive volunteer hours for the National Honor Society.
Vasilikiotis recently decided to join the tech tutors and had her first experience with Ross in April. In her free time, she often helps her grandparents with technology questions, so assisting someone else was second nature, she said.
“I just really like my phone and my computer. I always spend three hours on my computer a day, and my phone is always with me,” she said. “I help my grandparents out all the time, so it’s nice to clear things up for someone (else).”
On the second and fourth Monday of every month, hushed murmurs fill the senior center’s Fireside Room. Pauses are generally filled with the sounds of clicking, buzzing or dinging as students sit back and watch their senior navigate a device.
Once comfortable with moving through downloading a photo or adding a contact, they may practice a few times before moving on to other questions.
Sal Morgan recently stopped in to get a quick lesson on her smart phone. Sitting next to a “delightful young woman” named Sophie Carson made the tutoring session easier, she said.
Morgan and Carson sat close to one another on a couch next to the center’s fireplace, while Carson gently offered instructions on properly using a smart phone.
“She was so clear,” Morgan said. “Everything she said was so clear.”
