Free Online Classes For Montgomery County Seniors: Dec. 14-18

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 Dec. 14 to 18, participants will learn how to spot fake news, initiate a Zoom video conferencing call, and more.

Courses are also offered in Spanish.

Take a look:

Hello Montgomery County

• When: Thursday, Dec. 17, 2-3 p.m.
• Description: Join fellow MoCo residents for an hour of socializing.

Drones

• When: Thursday, Dec. 17, 4-5 p.m.
• Description: This lecture will cover the basics about drones: what they are, who uses them, and why. Learn about new ways drones are being used — from delivering Kindles and popcorn via Amazon Prime Air to delivering much-needed medicine to remote areas of Africa.

How to Spot Fake News

• When: Friday, Dec. 18, 11 a.m.-noon
• Description: In the digital age, anyone can publish anything on the Internet. This lecture will provide a helpful explanation for the increase in the use of the term fake news, as well as provide some tools to evaluate news sources, and review popular fact-checking sites.

Zoom Q&A

• When: Friday, Dec. 18, 2-3 p.m.
• Description: Lecture is designed for beginner Zoom users. For those who have attended other sessions on Zoom and could use a bit more help, this lecture on using Zoom videoconferencing will be a great fit. Zoom works with iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems. Zoom can be used in a browser, or through the app on a device. A Zoom account is not required to join this lecture.

Clase en Español:

Aplicaciones de comida a domicilio

• Cuando: Miércoles, 16 de Diciembre, 11 a.m.- noon
• Descripción: Pedir comida en casa ahora es más fácil que nunca gracias al Internet. Esta presentación le da un resumen de las aplicaciones de entrega de alimentos más populares, como Seamless. Aprenderá sobre los pros y contras, cómo encontrar restaurantes nuevos y cómo dejar una propina y una calificación.

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.