The humorous advice for older adults who can’t figure out the latest technology is to ask a kid. The roughly 50 Johns Creek senior citizens who recently put that advice to the test found it to be pretty accurate.
On a Saturday morning earlier this month, the seniors teamed with high schoolers from Student Leadership Johns Creek to learn the finer points of their devices, including phones, iPads and laptops. Their questions ran the gamut from basic (“How do I turn this off?”) to the more complex (“How do I link my phone to my iPad?”).
The event, cosponsored by the leadership group and AT&T, was held at Park Place at Newtown School, where the generations met across individual tables to tackle the intricacies of modern communication.
Explaining the workings of iPhones, Samsung’s, Androids and more fell to the students such as Yasmin Shalin from Northview High. “Knowledge is not meant to be kept to oneself but shared with others to better their lives,” she said.
And some already had experience with technology teaching. Sajan Parikh, a 15-year-old sophomore from Johns Creek High, said he’s gotten some practice working with his grandparents.
“They ask me lot of questions when they visit,” he said. “I’ve also done a couple of technology classes in the past, and I enjoy helping others and sharing my knowledge.”
Parikh added that his age gives him a bit of an edge.
“Growing up in the 21st century has made technology come easy to me,” he said. “A lot of the stuff on devices is new, and you live and learn with it. I’ve grown up with that, so it’s easier for me to work with it, but it’s harder from some seniors to adjust.”
So Parikh wasn’t flummoxed by questions thrown at him. “They didn’t stump me,” he said. “I use the Apple iOS (operating system), so those were easier for me. But most of the issues were pretty simple: The keyboard wasn’t appearing; the settings needed to be fixed. I also showed them how to back up their photos.”
On hand to step in if questions got too tough was Don Barbour, regional director of external affairs for AT&T Georgia. He showed up with 20 iPads students could use to show the seniors how they work. He was also reminding the crowd that his company, along with AARP and other partners, has a website, Digital You, that gives technology tips, from online safety to saving data.
“It provides resources for parents, youth or anybody who’s new to the digital world and needs a bit of extra help,” he said.
For senior Carl Obenland, working with students face-to-face was more enjoyable.
“They were a lifeline support,” he said. “This tech support program is such a benefit to the senior population, and above all, getting to meet the students makes me much happier.”
Information about Digital You is online at digitalyou.att.com. Details about Student Leadership Johns Creek can be found at studentleadershipjohnscreek.com.
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Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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