Technology courses - people of all ages will benefit

Companies through to schools to individuals, from those with no computer or internet experience, through to the experts who designing courses for their colleagues or students need to learn how to use new tools, improving their personal and work lives.

Schools, teachers, parents, or anyone with an understanding of the service, hardware or website, can design a technology course that will be useful for students, children, parents, grandparents, and businesses. Participants are guided towards becoming lifelong learners, developing a self-directed learning approach which they can use in all aspects of their lives.

Such courses teach real-world skills, and help participants lose their fear of current and emerging technology.

Technology courses for companies

Online and mobile technologies are increasingly important for reaching, educating, enticing and retaining customers. How to use technology wisely is especially important for growing brand awareness more widely without mis-steps that alienate segments of your customer base.

A new technology course will encourage staff to think of creative solutions to problems, and to discover new or useful ways in which the company can connect with customers on a variety of platforms. Employees can explore new tools to improve productivity and solve problems.

A structured course can bring colleagues together, enhancing teams as they help to solve each others’ problems and teach each other about the available tools. Creative approaches to solving business problems can be explored during the course. Innovative solutions, if found, can save the company a lot of money, paying for the costs of tailoring and running a Learning 2.0 course and more.

Plus a course is an investment in your employees’ careers, an investment which contributes to employee happiness and staff retention, as well as improving the skills needed in your business.

Benefits for business and teams

• Bridge gaps between older and younger colleagues, and between teams in larger companies.
• Increase staff happiness and improve staff retention.
• Connect with existing and new customers.
• Provide flexible and/or targeted training to customers and staff, using e-learning platforms.
• Encourage staff to explore creative and technological solutions to business problems (telecommuting, paperless offices, distributed teams, collaborative project development).
• Utilize new technology and platforms, both internally within the office, and externally with customers.

Technology courses for educators

A large gap often exists between the older teachers and their young ‘digital native’ students.

Digital divides also commonly appear between student groups. For example, between those who have access to computers, the internet, AI tools, mobile devices, smart devices, and other technology at home, and those who only have access to it at school or through public libraries.

In today’s information rich society, children must be taught how to find information, quickly and safely. They need to know how to keep themselves safe on the internet and on social platforms. They must be able to evaluate information sources for bias and trustworthiness, and learn to avoid those which are untrustworthy or malicious. This is both extremely important, and nigh impossible in the age of AI and rampant misinformation on social media.

Distributed classrooms and distance education requires teachers and students to be familiar with current technology.

In brick-and-mortar schools, teachers are asked to provide a digital environment for students, and to allow parents to view the students’ work and progress.

A Learning 2.0 course allows both teachers and students need to get a firm grasp on the technology. It blends individual learning with group collaboration, in a way that traditional ‘flat’ classrooms often fail to achieve.

Benefits for teachers and students

• Bridge gaps between teachers and students, and between student groups.
• Encourage digital skills development necessary in the workplace.
• Teach and learn via distance education and e-learning platforms.
• Provide stimulating classes and encourage creativity.
• Design and complete digital assessment tasks.
• Develop good information finding and filtering skills.
• Automate and track assessment, and detect plagiarism.
• Provide a flexible learning environment meeting a wider variety of learning stylesand abilities.

An introduction to Learning 2.0 for rural parents and seniors, in Swan Hill, Australia, 2009

Technology courses for parents

I often heard parents lament how their children are born knowing how to use computers and the internet.

Without understanding the technology, they were frightened by the threats that their children face online. However, they were often unwilling to learn how to use computers and the internet themselves, saying they are too old, or have no time to learn.

A technology course for parents breaks through the fear of new technology, and helps them learn how to protect their children in an increasingly online world.

It can also bring parents closer to their children, allowing them to understand their children more, and forging connections within digital platforms, as well as outside technology.

Parental benefits

• Keep up with, and protect their children online.
• Learn to recognize digital risks, and teach their children to do the same.
• Develop real-world skills that can be used in many workplaces.
• Learn to use e-learning software used in many schools, and track their child’s progress through school more easily.
• Help their children with ‘digital’ assignments.
• Create a sense of family with technology, not just outside technology.

Seniors and technology

In recent decades, the pace of life and size of workloads have increased, family sizes have decreased, and family members have spread themselves around the globe. Seniors are more often left alone.

As companies shift their services online, with no computer experience, the elderly are increasingly isolated and disconnected.

A technology course can provide confidence enabling the elderly to use computers and the internet. This enables more isolated seniors to connect with friends and family, and join virtual communities where they can find information and support.

Such courses help to keep an active mind and improve health. By knowing how to find health information online, seniors may make fewer trips to the doctor, and be better informed about illnesses, medication risks and treatment options.

Technology courses for retirees may be provided by local chapters of the University of the Third Age, which offer a variety of courses.

Benefits for seniors

• Keep the mind active and healthy.
• Keep in touch with family and friends, especially when independent mobility is a problem.
• Belong to a supportive community.
• Take an active, informed role in understanding illnesses, reducing pressures on traditional health systems.