Technology has brought great change into our lives. New information & experiences await us in cyberspace.
The "global village" predicted by Canadian communication scholar Marshall McLuhan in 1968 has arrived. Worldwide, instantaneous communication has become commonplace thanks to modem technology. Friends, relatives & colleagues around the globe are an e-mail away. Information of all types is available at the click of a mouse button...
Computer users, like everyone else, are aging. As educational facilitator for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging (the Agency), I hold no stereotypes and know that there is no "typical" older adult. Educating older people on consumer & computer issues has taught me that with age comes experience, attitudes, philosophy, & unique needs.
My graduate work at California University of Pennsylvania (CUP) led to the Agency's development of "Seniors in CyberSpace," a computer literacy effort aimed at older adults residing in Washington, Fayette and Greene Counties in rural southwestern PA. Four computer learning labs were established at the following senior center locations:
Washington
Senior Citizens Center Cheri
Randall (724) 222-8566
Uniontown
Senior Center Faye
Augustine (724) 437-6050
Waynesburg
Senior Center Carolyn
Morris (724) 627-6366
Bentleyville
Senior Center Kathy
Watkins (724) 239-5887
Since July, 1995, more than 450 adults aged 55 & over have taken basic courses covering computer parts & terminology, keyboard & mouse manipulation techniques, introductory word-processing, modem communication, and desktop design skills.
Support for this unique educational effort is provided by the Agency, the Telecommunications Education Fund (TEF), the Pittsburgh division of the IBM Corporation, Elmo's Computers on Water Street in Brownsville, Hollick Press in Belle Vernon, & Bell Atlantic of Pennsylvania.
It seems each new day brings challenges from the computer industry. Each new day also brings with it the challenge of aging, & we grow older by the day. Older adults represent the fastest growing portion of the population, evidenced by statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
This web page was designed to provide a starting point for gathering information on the issues of aging. It is also my hope to promote personal growth through an introduction to Internet resources.
...Online
Starting Point for Aging Resources...AARP Online (http://www.aarp.org/)
National Institute on Aging (http://www.nih.gov/nia/)
Portals (http://www.portals.pdx.edu/~isidore/aging.html#top)
Retired Senior Volunteer Program (http://www.cns.gov/rsvp.html)
SeniorNet (http://www.seniornet.org/)
SeniorNet C@fe (http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/matsuda/seniornetcafe/SeniorNetC@fe.html)
Social Security Administration Online (http://www.ssa.gov/)
Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging (http://www.swpa-aaa.org)
...Learn
about the World Wide Web...
SPECTRUM Virtual University (http://www.horizons.org/campus.html) describes itself as the world's first "community college" on the Internet, providing workshops and links to Web software. (http://www.horizons.org/userhelp.html)
Virtual Internet Guide (http://www.dreamscape.com/frankvad/internet.html)
Inter-Links (http://www.nova.edu/Inter-Links/) Internet navigator, resource locator & tutorial
The Internet Tourbus (http://www.worldvillage.com/tourbus.htm)
World Wide Web Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.boutell.com/faq/)
...Want
to Find "IT" on the Web? Start here...
WebPlaces Internet Search Guide (http://www.webplaces.com/index.htm) Search the 'Net for newsgroups, discusssion groups, stock market quotes, software, indexes & more...
The Virtual Library (http://www.w3.org/pub/DataSources/bySubject/Overview.html) offers information on literally thousands of subjects & interests.
A Business Researcher's Jumpstation Starting Points for Information Search & Retrieval (http://www.brint.com/Sites.htm)
The World Lecture Hall (http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/)
Guide to Internet Resources at the University of Michigan's Clearinghouse (http://www.clearinghouse.net/) provides information of all sorts for all interests...
City.Net (http://www.city.net/) Information on cities around the world instantly, including travel & tourist information, climate & conditions, road maps and more...
Senior Travel (http://www.1travel.com/senior.htm)
...Personal
Enrichment Experiences Online...
Broaden your cultural horizons at Art galleries around the globe (http://biowww.clemson.edu/Ento/internetresources/museum-art.html)
The Computer Mediated Communication Welcome Center (http://www.december.com/cmc/study/center.html) offers courses, programs, people, activities, & resources online.
Get up-to-the-minute news reports at CNN Online (http://www.cnn.com/)
Discover what's happening at the Discovery Channel Online (http://www.discovery.com)
Take the grandkids to Disney Channel Online (http://www.disney.com/)
HandsNet (http://handsnet.org/handsnet/) "Linking the Human Services Community Online," a national nonprofit organization that promotes information sharing, collaborations, & advocacy regarding public interest issues.
Tour the Metropolitan Museum of Art (http://www.metmuseum.org/)
Explore science at NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)
Browse the Smithsonian's Calendar of Events (http://www.si.edu/activity/events/)
Adventure through U.S. National Parks (http://www.nps.gov/parks.html)
Visit the World Art Treasures WWW Server (http://sgwww.epfl.ch/BERGER/)
Send
comments to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging, Inc.
