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Draft project: "Opening of the Internet to Seniors"
U3A University Komenskeho in Bratislava
Target groups: Old people's home residents, associations, senior clubs,
internet coffee bars and older volunteers in Slovakia.
Arrangement: Project coordinator - draws up a data base concerning old people's
homes, rest homes, associations and seniors clubs (with their coordination ), or
older volunteers except for the ones mentioned in the above groups. After
analysing the database he suggests those people who are able and ready to work
as "assistants for Internet teaching". The volunteers in the framework of the
"Peer Group Learning". He interviews the candidates for the "assistants"
- lecturers, prepares their professional training. He is in charge of their
data processing. He prepares the contracts with the old people's homes, rest
homes, associations and senior clubs management and coordinates the activities
reflecting the local specifics. The coordinator unifies the teaching programs,
the common training of the "assistants-lecturers", arranges the ways of getting
the equipment, the legal consultancy on matters connected with teaching and
Internet operating, provides professional consultancy (on Internet operation,
news in information network, news in the sphere of services, help desk).
This part of the project is being gradually realized in our country
(See info of Dr.Hrabkova).
Remark:
Our model project is based on the fact that senior population in Slovakia is
the one who has not been in touch with computers, and if then only to a very
little extent, what is fortunately not the case of the young people nowadays.
It does not mean the seniors do not or cannot abstract thinking and logic
manage this program. The professional level of education at primary, secondary
schools and universities in the former Czechoslovakia was high having a
long-lasting tradition (The tradition of Jan Amos Comenius - the world famous
pedagogue). Slovakia was a part of the former Czechoslovakia. And so we do
start from this premise. Moreover many seniors are motivated to "study"
Internet. Their children and grandchildren study, work or live all around the
world and the Internet e-mail post is one of the means of communication between
them. After that they wish to use the other services of Internet too. For
example they wish to read newspapers from Internet, they wish to chat with other
people about their hobbies, etc. Internet enables them to increase the quality
of their lives.
The Programme of the the Internet Course
Starting from the premise that:
a) the seniors want to get new knowledge,
b) the seniors have already managed difficult life situations,
c) the computer is in its principle a simple device and there are
"user friendly" programs nowadays and in certain way it is easy to use a
computer (using icons in Windows for example, icons generally in other program
systems). After the experience we have got working with the full time university
students and with U3A students of the University of seniors in Slovakia and
with our retired colleagues / seniors in Slovakia we have suggested for the
Internet courses for seniors the following methods:
1) The methods of pointing out the targets and motives - suitable applications
for seniors. It changes with the composition of group of the Internet
course.
2) The method of the graduation from the simple towards the more complicated.
For example learning electronic -mail (simple and essential services of
e-mail, gradually other suitable possibilities are shown) - after a certain
period of time.
3) Objective approach and principles - it seems suitable to use not only
practical illustrations on the computer (e-mail, www pages) but during
lectures we use the theory to enable better understanding. Many seniors
manage the Internet much better after understanding the principles of the
computers and the Internet.
4) Method of attracting attention of the course attendants. We get ahead in a
way between a comics and a serious university lecture. During the lecture
we illustrate the examples of Internet (newspaper and magazine pages , but
the comic illustrations of the lectured situations - cartoons too) - look
at the illustrations in lectures - in some head ideas.
Remark:
Now we demonstrate table of contents of course (training lecture). Everything
is provided in blocks. There are obligatory parts and optional one. The
optional parts are or are not included in the study programme in dependence
on the group members of the Internet course, in dependence of their interests
and their professional and education level. The sequence of their including or
not including is decided by the lecturer or the attendant.
The Content of the Course - The Thesis and Work Illustrations:
1) Lecturer and course attendants.
Illustration of the Internet use for www pages, samples of daily press,
of magazines (Slovak and of other countries ), usage of the portals
Zoznam.Sk, Markiza.Sk. Samples and comparison with the printed newspaper
- comparing the advantages of the Internet newspaper (Recent news).
Lecturer and the course attendants from computer switch on till work
finished. The course attendants do all the steps themselves.
(Picture illustration).
2) Lecturer gets ahead from the simple to the more complicated.
Lecturer and course attendants.
A computer as a typewriter, a text editor, typing as on typewriter, error
correction, spelling control (Slovak language,, English, German language).
Illustrations and the ways of text editing - types of writing, to even the
right and left side. Changes in the text. Sequencing of the text,
displacement in the text. Text editing including graphics. Lecturer and the
course attendants from computer switch on till work finished. The course
attendants do all the steps themselves. (Picture illustration)..
3) Lecturer and course attendants.
Electronic mail. The principles, mail box, preparing mail, sending mail,
post copies, replies. Enclosures to the e-mail (attachments).
Lecturer and the course attendants from computer switch on till work
finished. The course attendants do all the steps themselves.
(Picture illustration).
4) Lecturer - lecture on: The computer is in fact a simple device.
Lecturer and course attendants learning how the computer works. Hardware
and software. Input - keyboard, floppy disc, mouse, scanner, CD, another
computer. Output - display, printer, CD, floppy discs, another computer.
Internal memory. Processor. Program. Computer configuration, price
dependence on the computer, functions, what can it do (picture).
5) Lecturer
Other activities and computer using OFFICE programmes, about EXCEL,
computers on the Net, Internet.
Remark:
There is a problem of the lack of computers and the inaccessibility of them
(the laptops as well) for the seniors. The reason is the one of price of
computers, the high price of Internet connection to Net, the high price of
Internet operation per minute in Slovakia. (Was spoken about in the last
handout of Telekom)
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