Media Share 9/MEDIASHARE_09.ISO/mag&info/e_form11.zip/OVERBYTE.EXE/SENIOR.DOC

Text File | 1992-09-16 | 21KB | 333 lines

                SENIORS USING COMPUTERS: THEIR DISKS MAY BE FLOPPY
                          BUT THEIR OUTLOOK IS FIRM

                               By Les Marquand



                   Until last year, my friend Norman was scared to
          death of computers. It began in 1978, when the newspaper we
          were both working for switched overnight from old-fashioned
          upright Remington typewriters to sleek white boxes with
          green screens, on which our words flickered and sometimes
          disappeared forever. I stumbled around for a couple of weeks
          until I finally got the hang of it, but Norman never did.
          "They gave us a few hours of classes, but some of us older
          people just couldn't catch on," Norman says sadly. "After I
          lost a couple of stories that just disappeared into the
          computer, my editor suggested that I move over into the
          public relations department, where they still used
          typewriters." Norman moved, but three years later - when
          computers invaded his new domain - he opted for early
          retirement.
                   Norman is neither a coward nor a Luddite - someone
          who is against any form of new technology. "I know how
          important computers are: I see people using them every day,"
          he says. "I wanted to know how to use one. I signed up for a
          class called 'Beginning Computing' at the community college.
          But everyone else there was either 20 years old or just
          wanted to brush up the computing skills they already had.
          They threw those secret words around - modems, floppies,
          motherboards, DOS. I felt stupid and out-of-place, so I
          dropped out after two classes."
                   If Norman's fear of computing seems a bit extreme,
          consider the case of Zetha Washington. A year ago, the very
          idea of Zetha sitting down in front of a computer screen
          would have been as unlikely as her signing up for a bungee
          jump. "I never used one in my work," says the former retail
          saleswoman. "We had them in the store, but to me they were
          always mysterious objects - something I would never need to
          know about. I wouldn't say I was afraid of them, but I
          definitely had my doubts about their role in my own life."
                   Then, early last summer, both Norman and Zetha saw a
          notice at the Culver City Senior Center near their Los
          Angeles homes: an organization called SeniorNet had chosen
          the center to be the site of its first location in Southern
          California, and anyone interested in learning how to use a
          computer could sign up for a series of six two-hour lessons
          for a total fee of $15. "I thought about it for a day, then
          said to myself, 'Why not give it a try? If I hate it, I can
          always drop out.' By the time I signed up, the first classes
          were almost full," says Washington. Norman's indecision was
          more pronounced. "I didn't want to risk embarassment again,
          especially in front of people I knew," he says. "So I
          dithered around and missed the first set of classes.
          Luckily, I heard enough good things from friends in them to
          get in on the second set."
                   This is how effective the SeniorNet classes were:
          Late last year, Norman was having some trouble communicating
          with his grandchildren. The five youngsters - ranging in age
          from 14 down to 3, and scattered across three different
          states - sent thank-you notes for his gifts, but never more
          than a few scrawled words, with none of the details of their
          daily lives that he wanted to read about. And they were
          friendly enough when he called, but they always seemed to
          have something to do and sounded anxious to get off the
          phone.
                   So Norman decided to consult an expert named Mike
          Moldoven. He had come across Moldoven's name not in a
          newspaper ad or the Yellow Pages but while seated at his
          computer, connected by telephone to the America On-Line
          service and browsing through a list of forums offered by
          SeniorNet. "Member Mike Moldeven has written an excellent
          book and newsletter about how to stay close with
          grandchildren who are too far away," said the notice on his
          computer screen. Norman quickly composed a message, posted
          it to Moldoven's grandparenting forum, then sat back to wait
          for a reply. The next day, there it was, in his electronic
          mailbox.
                   "Many grandparents/older people desperately want to
          communicate with their grandchildren/younger people but they
          (1) don't know how to get started, (2) are too embarrassed
          to admit it, and/or (3) have family or other problems that
          keep them out of the loop," Moldoven wrote in his reply that
          appeared on Norman's computer screen. Then he went on to
          list several ways to overcome these problems.
                   One suggestion in particular caught Norman's
          attention. "Several months ago, I signed up my own grandkids
          to America On-Line and now we correspond regularly,"
          Moldoven wrote. "They draw pictures with a drawing program
          or write me what they've been doing, save them as files and
          then upload them to America On-Line and send them to me. The
          biggest thrill I get in turning on the computer is going to
          America On-Line and hearing that voice say, 'You have mail!'
          These particular grandchildren are two little boys, seven
          and eleven, and they've been on the computer for about three
          years. It has made an enormous difference in their learning
          and I encourage every grandparent I know to be sure the kids
          have computers." Last Christmas, Norman gave all his
          grandchildren America On-Line subscriptions...
                   And what about Zetha Washington? As a direct result
          of her SeniorNet classes, she has started a business from
          her home, collecting medical bills. "I haven't made enough
          to cover the cost of the computer yet," she says with a
          smile. "But things should pick up - and while I'm waiting
          I've got this terrific chess game going by modem with a lady
          in Chicago."  SeniorNet, the organization that started these
          and many other electronic balls rolling, is a non-profit
          group, based in San Francisco and funded primarily by the
          John and Mary R. Markle Foundation. At more than 30 sites
          across the country, including senior centers, hospitals,
          community colleges and a home for retired nuns in Oakwood,
          California, it teaches people over 55 how to overcome the
          completely natural anxiety that for a lot of us can make
          turning on a computer seem like a voyage to an alien world.
          Because of SeniorNet's efforts, thousands of people across
          the country have expanded their horizons, made new friends,
          found new ways to earn money. And most important of all,
          they have acquired, along with their new computing skills,
          the feeling of self-esteem that comes from meeting and
          overcoming a challenge.
                   Mary Furlong, SeniorNet's executive director, was an
          associate professor of education at the University of San
          Francisco, helping teachers learn how to use computers, when
          a colleague - Greg Kearsley - asked her to join him in
          researching and writing a book called Computers For Kids
          Over 60. They decided to set up a few classes to see how
          quickly older people could acquire computing skills from
          scratch. "I had a two-year-old at the time, and her
          babysitter was a 78-year-old woman who became our first
          member," Furlong says. "She and the six other seniors in our
          first class were the most enthusiastic students I've ever
          had in 15 years of teaching."
                   In those early years of SeniorNet's life, money was
          very scarce. "We bought cheap computers from toy stores and
          used second-hand television sets as monitors," Furlong
          recalls. "We piled the stuff in the back of my car and drove
          it around from site to site - to senior centers, nursing
          homes, church basements. Every class was over-subscribed,
          and the level of enthusiasm was very high. And that
          continues to this day. I was at our center in Maui recently,
          and the teacher there told me that most people take the
          course twice, since they have the time. That's a great
          equation: time plus enthusiasm plus desire to learn equals
          success."
                   But the obvious rightness of the idea and the
          popularity of the computer classes didn't translate into
          immediate funding. "I knocked on maybe 200 corporate doors,
          and people looked at me as though I was crazy," Furlong
          says. Then, in 1986, she connected with the Markle
          Foundation, a New York-based group which specializes in the
          use of technology to promote democracy. They agreed to
          underwrite SeniorNet's efforts to expand into a nationwide,
          even worldwide network of support and communication. "It's
          important to keep senior citizens in touch with the rest of
          society, and to do that they need modern forms of
          communication," says foundation president Lloyd N.
          Morrisett. "Computers allow them the chance to communicate
          broadly and to do it at their own pace."
                   Once the Markle support was announced, and as
          corporations began to realize how the greying of America
          could translate into green, other sizeable grants appeared.
          Apple Computer Corp. has donated over $200,000 worth of
          equipment; telephone companies like Pacific Telesis and Bell
          Atlantic have provided money and guidance; other corporate
          sponsors now include  American Express, MicroSoft and the
          Outpatient Opthalmic Surgery Society. "I've just spoken at a
          conference in Japan where over 500 corporations were
          represented," says Furlong. "With so many workers in the
          knowledge industry there retiring, something like SeniorNet
          becomes important - to the workers and to the people who run
          retirement communities. In Japan as in America, the old,
          hedonistic vision of retirement is being replaced by ideas
          of learning and community service."
                   But there can often be a gap as big as the Grand
          Canyon between learning how to use a computer and making a
          place for one in regular routine - as thousands of new
          computer owners across the country who watch the dust gather
          on their expensive equipment can testify. What does
          SeniorNet do to combat this syndrome? "We encourage people
          to think of a computer not as something strange or special
          but rather as just another part of their daily life, like a
          telephone or an electric toothbrush," says Furlong. "It
          should be a way to make life easier, not more complicated -
          to do things you've always thought about but never got
          around to, for any number of reasons. We have a member in
          Orlando, Florida who used his computer to put together a
          300-page book about his Irish roots, complete with pictures.
          Another man, a retired judge, now publishes a newsletter -
          whenever he feels like it. Three members in the San
          Francisco area did something really amazing with the new
          CD-ROM technology, which puts together still pictures, sound
          and video. They did an electronic scrapbook: you see a
          picture of the Golden Gate Bridge being built, then you see
          them walking across it 50 years later, talking about their
          lives."
                    Most of SeniorNet's 4,000-plus members don't have
          such grand projects in mind: they hope to use their new
          computing skills to improve the quality of their lives a
          little - earning a bit of extra money, starting a new hobby,
          meeting some new people. Frances Adler, 81, writes articles
          about the homeless; Rosemary Brandon, 62, used a computer to
          help a local community organization keep track of damage
          during the 1989 San Francisco earthquake; Fay Kramer, 78,
          makes diagrams of flower arrangements. For others, the most
          important part of the program is SeniorNet On-Line, now a
          special service of the America On-Line computer network and
          bulletin board. For a flat fee of $9.25 a month (as compared
          to its regular $6 an hour rate), America On-Line lets
          SeniorNet members across the country talk to each other
          electronically as long and as often as they want to, for the
          price of the local telephone call which connects your
          computer - via a device called a modem - to the service.
                   Here's a sampling of on-line messages from a typical
          day last winter, shortly after SeniorNet moved to America
          On-Line from another service.

                   - "Well, here I am, Wally, Inge, Kathi and anyone
          else who may be listening. So far I've had some interesting
          experiences... In the Lobby of People Connection, I've been
          sent two messages after showing up. I quote: 'Hi Babe, How
          old are you?' and 'Hi There, what a pretty name.' They sure
          sound friendly."

                   - "Watch out for those young men on America On-Line
          - they'll chase anyone with a female sounding name! Outside
          of SeniorNet the odds are very much skewed - mostly young
          males. Of course, SeniorNet men are another story...."

                   - "Hopefully, we now have a place where we can not
          only 'sound off' but can actually DO something constructive
          to improve the things we would like to sound off about. I am
          ready. Is SeniorNet?"

          IN REPLY TO A QUESTION: WHAT WERE YOU DOING 50 YEARS AGO?

                   - "Fifty years ago, I was 13 years old, and acutely
          aware that things were not going well internationally:
          cousins were going through the Battle of Britain, and an
          aunt was living in Manila and wondering whether or not to
          leave (she didn't and spent over three years in internment).
          I was to enter high school in another month, and remember
          being excited and somewhat apprehensive. We were beginning
          to 'see the light at the end of the tunnel' as far as the
          Depression was concerned, but things were still slow going
          financially. I remember that Spalding saddle shoes were the
          only brand one should buy, but we couldn't afford them for
          me - tragedy! We used big white dishtowels for headcovers,
          babushka style..."

                   "In 1941 I was going into third grade. It was not a
          good year for me. I had to go back to the boarding school.
          My father had died a couple of years before and my mother
          lived in a boarding house in the mission district in San
          Francisco. When I was out of school I and my sister stayed
          with an aunt in Hayward. Later, when mother remarried and
          lived in an apartment on the main floor of the same old
          building( had once been a grand house) I remember the
          blackouts, and the trouble I always got into when I peeked
          out the window..."

                   - "In the fall of '41 I was entering Southside High
          School in Elmira, New York.. I really was not who I later
          became! High School was a poignant time; I remember thinking
          these would probably be the best years of my life: I
          believed EVERYTHING the movies told me about life in America
          but was fearful of the Hitler movement and worried as a
          Jewish American..."

          IN REPLY TO A QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A SUPER
          COMPUTER AND A NETWORK OF YOUR OWN?

                   - "For years (more than I care to remember) I have
          worked with and marched with peace groups, from the days
          when I pushed a baby carriage, to the time I marched along
          with the Gray Panthers. All this in Chicago, where I had a
          large support group. Now I'm in San Francisco and can't walk
          more than a block or two and do not know many people in the
          Peace Movement here. However, like one of my idols, Martin
          Luther King, I have a dream. I would love to see a Peace
          Academy started in the Bay Area - perhaps in the buildings
          in the Presidio. Wouldn't that be wonderful...a place
          occupied formerly by war toys and soldiers turned into a
          Peace Academy? It's the perfect place for one... If I had
          access to unlimited computing time and power, I think I
          would be back at work, no longer marching, but trying to
          persuade the people and the government of this country that
          we CAN have peace... that we CAN live with each other and
          with the rest of the world in peace and harmony."

                   -"I am quite interested in providing ways and means
          for handicapped and terminal people to enjoy diversions. I
          think that handicapped people need more than anything else
          the feeling that they are still a part of the community.
          These is no better place for them to be than on-line. Here
          all are of equal ability to communicate. As long as they can
          work a keyboard or a mouse, they can be part of the outreach
          provided on-line. I am lucky because I have been freed by
          having two new knees, but when I was in a wheelchair being
          on-line was my principal contact with new people and it
          really meant a lot to me. The techincal stuff doesn't matter
          and you can get involved or not. It's the people contact
          that works miracles..."

                   - "I would like to be able to use my computer power
          to do research on world events. With the world turning
          upside down, with people's lives being so radically changed,
          it would be fascinating to be able to contact writers,
          political analysts,  students, etc. in countries overseas. I
          would like to hear their opinions on what is going on in
          their countries. It would be great to hear what the man in
          the street feels, sees, fears, and thinks of the dramatic
          changes occurring around them..."

                   Like other SeniorNet employees, Mary Furlong spends
          five or six hours a week on-line, listening and learning. "I
          think that when Children's Television Workshop created
          Sesame Street in the 1970s, it was very clear what
          pre-school children needed to learn and what television
          could deliver to them," she says. "With SeniorNet, we're not
          as clear about what are the pathway experiences of older
          adults - and the technology is changing very fast. So we're
          learning as much as our members.
                   "Our goal is to reposition older adults as
          resources, using the technology in almost an invisible way,"
          she continues. "When you empower an older person with a
          computer, you're drawing on decades of life experience -
          much more so than when you're teaching a child."

                               ENDS

Copyright (C) 1992 by OVERBYTE