Free Online Classes For Montgomery County Seniors: Jan. 25-29

Alessia Grunberger
·3 min read

GERMANTOWN, MD — Montgomery County seniors can take free online classes to learn how to better navigate life at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Senior Planet Montgomery, the county's technology training program for residents 60 and older, typically offers lectures, hands-on workshops, and multi-week courses at libraries and senior centers. But during this public health crisis, Senior Planet Montgomery is moving all its programming online.

Many of the online sessions will focus on online user-friendly tools and resources for seniors.

"More Montgomery County seniors are online than ever before," said Montgomery County Chief Information Officer Gail M. Roper. "The Senior Planet Montgomery programs provide a means for them to get more out of their internet availability, and we hope, more out of life overall. We have programs that are geared specifically to support the way seniors learn best — which makes so many things easier to understand."

Classes change on a weekly basis. From Jan. 25-29, participants will learn how to use smart home technology and order food on third-party delivery apps.

Courses are also offered in Spanish.

Take a look:

Programmable and Smart Thermostats

  • When: Tuesday, Jan. 25, 3-4 p.m.

  • Description: Learn about the benefits of installing a programmable or smart thermostat as well as incentives like rebates through the Empower Maryland program. Additionally, learn how smart thermostats can be integrated into a smart home and controlled through apps and smart home hubs like Alexa and Google Home.

Food Delivery Apps

  • When: Thursday, Jan. 28, 4-5 p.m.

  • Description: Ordering food from home is now easier than ever thanks to the internet. Lecture provides an overview of the most popular food delivery apps, such as Seamless. Learn about the pros and cons, how to search for new restaurants, and how to leave a tip and rating.

Startup!

  • When: Friday, Jan. 29, 11 a.m.-noon.

  • Description: Lecture gives an overview of some important digital tools to help get an online business up and running. Learn about e-commerce sites, how social media can help promote a business and how to use video chat platforms for services. Lecture will also cover how to get paid using digital payment services.

Clases en Español:

Las Transmisiones en Vivo y Televisores Inteligentes (Streaming and Smart TVs)

  • Cuando: Lunes, 25 de Enero, 11a.m.-noon.

  • Descripción: Cada día, más y más personas están "cortando los cables" y cancelando sus suscripciones de cable. En vez de cable, más personas están usando servicios de "streaming" gratuitos o de bajo costo, como Youtube, Netflix, y Hulu, para ver sus programas y películas en línea. Aprenderá información general sobre "streaming:" qué es, cómo usarlo, y la variedad de contenido disponible. También aprenderá cómo ver programas en vivo por televisión, y cómo los televisores inteligentes y dispositivos que usan la transmisión en vivo o "streaming" le permite ver videos del internet con el televisor.

Todo Sobre Televisores Inteligentes

  • Cuando: Miércoles, 27 de Enero, 11 a.m.- noon.

  • Descripción: ¿Tienes curiosidad por saber más sobre el uso de los televisores inteligentes y "streaming?" Los servicios populares como Netflix, Youtube, y Hulu pueden hacer que sea conveniente ver programas y películas en su casa. ¡Únase a este programa para obtener respuestas a todas sus preguntas de televisores inteligentes y "streaming!"

Click here to learn more about Senior Planet Montgomery and its virtual program offerings. You can also call and email the group at 240-753-0676 and mocoinfo@seniorplanet.org.

This article originally appeared on the Germantown Patch