The Legacy of Elderly Teachers
Contributes to Social Harmony
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Browsing the websites and writing blogs are not restricted to teenagers. The elderly can also break the digital gap by learning more about the computers and the Internet. The Elderly Computer Tutor Training Programme, also known as the "Net Net Teachers", won the Best Digital Inclusion Grand Award in the Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology Award 2008 for helping the elderly to break the digital gap and to build a harmonious community.
To encourage the elderly
people to use the computers and to equip themselves with computer knowledge,
the Cyber Senior Network Development Association (the Association) has
launched the Elderly Computer Tutor Training Programme in 2007. The programme
aims at training the elderly people to become computer tutors, who in
turn pass their computer knowledge and skills to their peers.
According to Ms. Cindy
HO, the Executive Secretary of the Association, in the past, the association
recruited young people or adults to teach computer knowledge to the elderly.
"The elderly people require longer time to learn new things, and so the
tutors had to explain many times for the elderly to understand the theories
and applications. The "Net Net Teachers" programme would like to make
use of the common language among the elderly people to pass on the computer
knowledge more effectively", said HO.
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| The "Net Net Teachers" programme allows more elderly people to use the computers and narrowed the digital gap through passing and sharing of the computer knowledge. |
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Learn to Teach and Teach
to Learn in a Joyful Environment
The training programme contains 10 classes, with volunteers teaching the elderly people on computer knowledge. To date, there are 147 students being trained. HO claimed that the "Net Net Teachers" had well-demonostrated the elderly's strong motivation and activeness in teaching ICT and designing tailor-made curricula for the other elderly people. The concept of "Teaching is Learning" had been put into practice successfully and had contributed to the sustainability of the programme.
In the future, the graduates of the "Net Net Teachers" programme would not only promote computer knowledge in different housing estates, but also at the homes of the physically underprivileged senior citizens. HO was happy to see that apart from proving the ability of the elderly people, the programme also allowed more of them to learn and use the computers. They can apply what they have learnt and share their computer knowledge with the others. This gives the elderly purpose in life, makes them keep on learning, and narrows the digital gap in the society.
