Free Online Classes For Montgomery County Seniors: Feb. 22-26

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 Feb. 22 to 26, participants will learn how to initiate a Zoom video conferencing call, contact lawmakers online, and signing up for home internet service.

Courses are also offered in Spanish.

Take a look:

Make Your Home Comfortable

• When: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 3-4 p.m.
• Description: Montgomery Energy Connection invites you to join Rebecca Frese from Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland for a discussion on the Weatherization Program. This program, which is available to income-eligible residents, is designed to improve the energy efficiency, overall indoor air quality, and comfort of your home. Rebecca will provide quick tips to help make your home comfortable even without participating in the program.

Digital Storytelling

• When: Friday, Feb. 26, 11 a.m.-noon
• Description: Lecture covers digital tools to bring out your creativity. Explore ways to use social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to write and share stories. Learn about popular platforms like Enwoven and StoryCorps.

Clases en Español:

Podcasts

• Cuando: Lunes, 22 de Febrero, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
• Descripción: Los podcasts son una forma cada vez más popular de entretenimiento y una gran fuente de información sobre todo tipo de temas. En esta inteligentes, aprenderá más sobre estos programas de audio disponibles en Internet: por qué la gente los escucha, dónde puedes encontrarlos y cuáles son los más populares.

Todo Sobre Podcasts

• Cuando: Miércoles, 24 de Febrero, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
• Descripción: ¿Tienes preguntas sobre programas de audio conocidos como Podcasts? ¿Interesado en por qué la gente los escucha, dónde puedes encontrarlos y cuáles son los más populares? ¡Únase a este programa para que todas sus preguntas sobre Podcasts sean respondidas!

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.