By the year 2030, 1 out of every 5 Americans will be 65 or older.

-U.S. Census Bureau

And Here They Come….!!!of U.S. Population

Teaching Technology skills to older adults:

Meet the Baby Boomers!

• First “protest generation”

• First to changes sexual mores

• First generation born under threat of nuclear war

• Women more likely to work outside the home

• Unprecedented divorce rates

• Likely to have encountered computers in the workplace or at home prior to retirement

Life ExperiencesMassive Social, Political and Technological Change

Typical Characteristics of the Baby Boomers

• Tend to be better educated

• Articulate

• Opinionated

• Well-organized

• Socially/Politically minded

• Environmentally conscious

Current Life Challenges• Relatively affluent, but hit hard by the

recession

• Likely to be working past the usual retirement age

• First generation to see their parents live to frail old age (84+)

• More likely than previous generations to be raising their own grandchildren

• Higher % are single through divorce or death of a spouse.

How Do Boomers Relate to Technology?

• Likely to have worked with computers in their jobs

•Have likely had experience with it in their personal lives

• Tend to view themselves as adept with computers and other technology

Why Should Librarians Care?

Boomers use the library- actually, quite a lot

They Want and Need to Stay Current with Technology

And when leaving the main workforce, or moving to part-time work, they will be losing a major source of their technology information;

formal job training and the informal information they got from coworkers

• Visual• Auditory• Motor Skills

Physical Changes

Visual• Nearsightedness

• Changes in lens of the eye

• Changes in color perception

Physical Changes

Nearsightedness Adjust monitor distances Larger screen monitors Adjust font size, browser bar buttons, cursor size Use sans-serif fonts for digital and print materials

Screen Glare Tilt the monitor screen Keep screens clean & fingerprint-free Avoid bright overhead lights Keep away from windows, or close the blinds Use glare screens if needed

Color Perception High contrast colors on web sites used for training Same for chalkboards or dry erase boards

Overcoming Visual Barriers

Pick up the new iPad and suddenly, it’s clear. You’re actually touching your photos, reading a book, playing the piano. Nothing comes between you and what you love. To make that hands-on experience even better, we made the fundamental elements of iPad better — the display, the camera, the wireless connection. All of which makes the new, third-generation iPad capable of so much more than you ever imagined.

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

--Marilyn Monroe'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this lifeTrying to make ends meetYou're a slave to money then you dieI'll take you down the only road I've ever been downYou know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah

-The Verve

Auditory• Can’t hear higher

pitches well (female voices worst)

• Decreased ability to suppress external noise

Physical Changes

• Slower, distinct speech

• Somewhat louder, but don’t shout!

• Be aware that female voices are harder to hear

• Avoid turning your back while speaking

• Use visual aids to reinforce what you say

• Set the room up so you can be seen by everyone

Overcoming Auditory Barriers

Physical Changes

Motor Skills

• Central nervous system degradation

• Arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid

Overcoming Motor Skills Barriers

Adaptive equipment available- only if really necessary

ergonomic mice

trackballs

expanded keyboards

keyguards

Change mouseclick speed on the computer

Teach two-handed methods for mouse clicks

Cognitive Changes

* attentional processing* memory* cognitive slowing* spatial visualization

* attentional processing* memory* cognitive slowing* spatial visualization

* attentional processing* memory* cognitive slowing* spatial visualization

* attentional processing* memory* cognitive slowing* spatial visualization

•Attentional Processing

•Memory

•Cognitive Slowing

•Spatial Visualization

Attentional Processing

• Difficulty focusing on tasks

• Make incorrect inference about new data

• The more complex the information, and the greater the quantity of information presented at once, the more difficult it is to focus attention

Cognitive Changes

Memory• No real decrease in

memory, just more selective about what they choose to remember

• Store details better than general information

• Information must be perceived as relevant and useful to them

Cognitive Changes

Cognitive Slowing• “Automatic Attention

Responses” (AARs) will develop in older adults, but more slowly than in younger people, and tend to be less strong

• Problems with text comprehension due to prior associations (inhibition) ex. drag and drop

Cognitive Changes

Means that you don’t have to be paying conscious attention to a task in order to perform it. The

actions are automatic.

Implications for Older Adults:- Longer learning curves- More difficulty doing two tasks at

once

Example: keyboarding

Automatic Attention Responses

Cognitive Slowing• “Automatic Attention

Responses” (AARs) will develop in older adults, but more slowly than in younger people, and tend to be less strong

• Problems with text comprehension due to prior associations (inhibition)

Cognitive Changes

Inhibition

The ability to suppress prior associations in

order to incorporate new meanings to

words and phrases.

Example: “drag and drop”

Spatial Visualization

•Associating what the

hand is doing (mousing)

with what is happening on

the screen takes longer to

become automatic

Cognitive Changes

Overcoming Cognitive BarriersAttentional Processing

Minimize distractions Allow practice time Present discrete, logical packages

of informationMemory

Use multiple learning modalities Use captions with illustrations Make classes (and what they’re

named) practical and relevant Schedule morning classes (better

retention)

Overcoming Cognitive BarriersCognitive Slowing

Simple, clear instructions. Minimize technical explanations.

Demonstrations on a large screen to reinforce your words

Practice time!Spatial Visualization

Practice exercises to help master a new function

Keep directions simple

Post -Instructional Assessment

A scenario would be introduced for assessment, and the participants would be asked to critique the instructors environmental setup, sensitivity to possible problems the learners may be experiencing as they work, and interpersonal interactions with the learners.

Ideally, this would be in the form of a brief video clip, followed by discussion.

http://teachingolderadults.pbworks.com