Fiona

This year, why not give Mum something a bit different?   If she has access to a computer but could do with a bit of help, how about an introduction to  the internet or email or maybe Skype?  It’ll be a longer lasting present than a bunch of flowers, lovely though they are, and the whole family stands to benefit from easier communication.

Most of our excellent tutors offer gift vouchers, particularly at these special times of year, so have a look at our Tutor pages to see if there’s one in the right area and if so, use the Contact Us page to get in touch.

Fiona

Did you see this on ITV1 last night at 7.30? It was a rather nice half hour film on the Tonight programme, showing what a great difference being online can make to peoples’ lives. Rick Crust, our new Silver Surfers’ Day Events Manager, had a starring role as part of the programme was filmed at Hackney Silver Surfers, where he runs computer classes.

If you missed it, you can see it on ITVplayer  here until the beginning of April.

In debates about the “digital divide”,  older people are often portrayed as ‘clueless’, ‘scared’ and ‘needy’.  The language used is often ageist and underestimates the diversity within the older population. Yes, only 7 in 10 over 65s uses the internet.  But at the same time, the growth in the percentage of older people using social networks is significant.

On 1^st February 2010 the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK) published ‘The Fictions, Facts and Future of Older People and Technology, the first in a series of think pieces by Simon Roberts, design anthropologist with Intel’s Digital Health Group.  According to the author: “To put excitement and purpose into our technologies for ageing populations we need to talk differently about ourselves, ageing and older people. We need to find ways of continuing to include older people in the process of design and delivery”.

The think piece sets out a number of recommendations to reach this goal: being aware of how language influences the way in which we think about older people and technology, recognising that older people are an increasingly heterogeneous group and therefore have different needs, designing technologies focused on ‘us as we age’, including ourselves as users, and trying to make technology that connects people with their own aspirations and identity.

The full piece is available here

They’re trying to draw attention to the important role that grandparents play both providing financially, and forming children’s attitudes to money.

They’ve got lots of information on ways to save money,from fun free activities to money-saving vouchers, as well as articles on wider issues, like whether grandparents should pay pocket money, and how important it is to learn to say ‘no’ to your grandchildren…

Listen out for them on local radio today too – they’re hoping to get lots of coverage. And do have a look at the site – all the research and information is here.

We wish them all the best in their campaign!