Technology in plain language for seniors

Erica Kaplan, M.Ed., has been teaching technology to older adults for a decade.  Her experience as a middle school science teacher and a successful computer technician help her teach only what is necessary from the beginning to the end of a project. Appreciated by all who have the opportunity to work with her, she works and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The core value that brings me to this place of sharing my tech expertise comes from this fact: in society, community, small groups, and even one-on-one, many people feel left behind. It is an awful feeling to think that you do not belong. When I feel helpless and hopeless, I know I need help. I know I cannot carry this burden myself or figure it out on my own.

Sometimes, this feeling of overwhelm regarding technology becomes so uncomfortable that we adapt to it. This can feel like apathy, or downright refusal to engage with technology at all. This book is written to bring you to a place of comfort with technology. It gives you the knowledge that you need to work with technology. When you approach a task with a single focus, staying in one narrow lane at a time regarding what it is that you want technology to do for you, your comfort increases—and your desire to throw your digital device out the actual window decreases.

As a teacher who holds a master’s degree in education and a California K-8 teaching credential, my motto is, “Meet my students where they are.” I seek to inspire, not to impress. If I bring you one step closer to where you want to be in your life, I am one step closer to fulfilling my goal of not leaving anyone behind. Not only do you need to learn from someone who can explain, slow down when necessary, and answer all of your questions, you may also need to repeat questions and their answers, over and over. Repetition is the key to learning.