TALOYOAK/SPENCE BAY
Elder Rhoda Nanook didn't know much about computers before she started learning basic skills at Netsilik School. Now that she has e-mail address and a Facebook account, she can't get away from her computer.
Netsilik School Computer Sciences teacher Claude Pike, back left, teaches basic computer skills to elders Lucassie Nakoolak, Rhoda Nanook and Sarah Takolik. - photo courtesy of Gina Pizzo
|
Nanook and two fellow elders, Lucassie Nakoolak and Sarah Takolik, are learning basic computing skills for one hour every Wednesday at the school in Taloyoak.
Nanook said she's enjoying the course.
"It's been great. I love it. I like learning new things. It's my first time to have an e-mail so I think about it all day," she said. "Once I start opening my e-mail page, I think I'll be hooked to it. I think there is a lot of stuff I'm going to be absorbing from there."
Nanook added she has an Apple computer at home but had never gone beyond the Facebook page her daughter had set up for her. She joined the course to learn more about computers.
"You're never too old to learn," she said. "I'm learning new stuff every day. All my life, I've been learning, just learning things, new things every day. This is one of them."
Teaching the trio basic computer skills is Claude Pike, who said he started the course after seeing a need for it.
Pike, a math/science and computer science teacher at the school, said he taught the elders how to use a mouse, keyboarding skills, social media, how to use and research on the Internet and basic troubleshooting techniques. Why not have elders join Facebook and organize photos of their grandkids, he added.
"We have people there who don't know how to turn the computer on. We're going from that," said Pike. "We set up a Facebook account for each person. We set up an e-mail account for each person. Everything that goes in between that. So they're learning skills about filling in an online form, how to navigate from one website to the next, word processing, (Microsoft) Excel. The range is wide."
Everyone is having a great time, he said.
More and more communication is taking place over the Internet, said Pike.
"They're focused and the pace is much faster with them. The only challenge you'll have is them acquiring the skill. Once they acquire the skill, then the rest is history," said Pike. "You're never too old to learn. I'm hoping more seniors will get involved. I really hope this will continue."
