Free Online Classes For Montgomery County Seniors: March 15-19

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 March 15 to 19, participants will learn how to initiate a Zoom video conferencing call, lower their energy usage and costs, and more.

Courses are also offered in Spanish.

Take a look:

Make Energy Cents

• When: Tuesday, March 16, 3-4 p.m.
• Description: Lecture brings together trusted information and helpful solutions for managing and lowering energy usage and costs. Learn how to use the site for finding energy-saving programs, exploring energy-efficient technology, and getting help understanding a utility bill.

Hello Montgomery

• When: Thursday, March 18, 2-3 p.m.
• Description: Join fellow Montgomery County residents for an hour of socializing.

Introduction to Social Media

• When: Thursday, March 18, 4-5 p.m.
• Description: Social media sites make it easy to share content and connect with other people online. In this presentation get a general introduction to social media and learn about some of the more popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

How to Choose a New Computer

• When: Friday, March 19, 11 a.m.-noon.
• Description: Session addresses some of the most common questions surrounding how to choose a new computer: Where to start? What's a reliable brand? How much should you budget? Also addresses technical specifications.

All Things Zoom

• When: Friday, March 19, 2-3 p.m.
• Description: Lecture will go over how to use Zoom to chat with friends and family, and how to take virtual classes with Senior Planet. Learn useful Zoom features on an iOS, Android, or Windows devices and important security considerations.

Clases en Español:

Facebook

• Cuando: Lunes, 15 de Marzo, 11 a.m.-noon.
• Descripción: ¿Curioso sobre cómo funcione Facebook pero preocupada por su privacidad? ¿Interesado en cómo establecer un perfil o cómo crear una página? ¿Quiere aprender más sobre Facebook Live? Esta presentación le ofrece un resumen sobre la evolución de Facebook, sus funciones más populares, y consejos de cómo empezar a usarlas.

Todo sobre Facebook

• Cuando: Miércoles, 17 de Marzo, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
• Descripción: ¿Tiene curiosidad de cómo funciona Facebook pero le preocupa su privacidad? ¿Interesado en cómo establecer un perfil o cómo crear una página? ¡Únase a este programa para que pueda preguntar sobre Facebook!

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.