Home Connect Archives - Community Tech Network

Xiurong Li: Gaining Confidence & Self-Sufficiency through Digital Literacy

jess — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 13:58:43 +0000

Xiurong Li learned digital skills by participating in Community Tech Network’s Home Connect program and says the program has positively impacted her life. Prior to learning with CTN, Xiurong often turned to her children for help with technology. However, she now feels much more confident and self-sufficient with her digital literacy skills. “I didn’t know much about the features on electronic devices, but the instructor taught me a lot,” Xiurong said. “For example, I learned what software is, how to take screenshots, how to download applications, and how to set up an email account.” Xiurong also discovered that technology could simplify her life. Living in a busy city like San Francisco, she especially appreciates the app Nextbus, which she uses to check bus schedules. Although she is growing more comfortable with technology, Xiurong says that she is still eager to learn more. “I have questions about accessing my hospital’s web page, and I am going to ask that during my next session.” While her 1:1 classes were extremely helpful, Xiurong also enjoys attending the group Q&A sessions that CTN hosts. She says that she likes the social aspect because she can make friends who are also learning more about technology, […]

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Chinese Immigrant Learns English Online After Digital Skills Classes with Community Tech Network

jess — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:53:46 +0000

Qing Li Yang is from Taishan, China. As an older adult and immigrant, Qing Li has faced many language and cultural barriers while living in the United States. Fortunately, after learning digital skills through Community Tech Network’s Home Connect program, she discovered the positive impact that technology could have on her life. “I am really grateful for CTN. I feel confident going online now, and I help other seniors use their devices,” she says. WeChat and YouTube are the two platforms that Qing Li uses the most. She connects with her family and friends through WeChat and is learning English through YouTube videos. “I find these videos really helpful. I really enjoy learning this way. Before, I could only say ‘Hello’ when I went out on the streets, but now I can have basic conversations in English with people,” Qing Li says happily. She adds, “I live in senior housing, and the front desk staff do not speak Chinese. I really wanted to thank them for their service to us, but I couldn’t find ways to do that. Now that I’ve learned some English from YouTube, I can chat with them, and I feel closer to these nice people.” With […]

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Learning Digital Skills with CTN to Better Serve Her Community: Theresa Wallace’s Story

jess — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 13:41:03 +0000

Theresa Wallace decided to learn digital skills with Community Tech Network (CTN) in order “to more efficiently and effectively serve [her] community.” “During the pandemic, I wanted to be able to communicate, but I couldn’t do it in person. I realized that I needed digital literacy to learn to do things like navigate Zoom and send emails,” she says. As an activist, Theresa is in the process of creating her own nonprofit, which will provide mental and behavioral health services to families after they suffer the tragic loss of a loved one. Theresa is in talks with San Francisco General Hospital to ensure that families receive the initial help that they need within 72 hours. Theresa is also working with her local church, which will offer further integrative medicines, such as massages, acupuncture, chiropractic, music, and color therapies to families. “As the chief operations officer of my own organization, I need to oversee the work of others. In order to do so, I need to understand technology so that I understand what my employees are doing. I also want to be able to use tools like Microsoft Word and spreadsheets to maintain records and perform other tasks. Learning with CTN […]

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Learner Spotlight: John Thompson

Anna Beth Lane — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 14:00:27 +0000

One of the great pleasures of working with older adults is that they always have a tale to tell — and Home Connect learner John Thompson did not disappoint. Originally from Texas, John grew up in the era of Kennedy and the Beatles. His father was a tennis champion turned army colonel turned professor of insurance and real estate. (John, though, would rather watch paint dry than teach insurance.) In his mid-20s, John moved up to Connecticut to test the railroads with the Sperry Rail Service. Working from sunup to sundown, he enjoyed the trade but grew tired of the demanding labor. John soon made his way back to Texas to begin his studies in library science. It was at this point that John began to see the dawning of a digital world. In school, he spent much of his time transferring information to computerized formats. Realizing that everything would change, John decided to go all in. “I kind of saw which companies were going to build the internet,” he reflects. “I saw investment opportunities, took what money I made from the railroad, and started buying Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, and everything else I could throw money at.” Soon enough, John […]

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Multilingual Q&A Sessions Support New Tech Users

Sabrina Tam — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 15:19:28 +0000

How can I uninstall apps from my tablet? Where do I check to ensure my email was sent? How can I add a background photo to my home screen? How do I update my device’s systems? These are just a few of the many questions CTN learners asked in our recent Q&A sessions. While every learner in the Home Connect program receives one-on-one digital literacy training, many reach out after completing their lessons with app-specific or technical questions. Noticing that many learners were asking similar questions, we launched virtual Q&A sessions to solve problems and answer questions in a group setting. This allows us to streamline the process of responding to learners’ needs while providing the learners another avenue for connection. In the beginning, we offered sessions to English- and Spanish-speaking groups. Now, we offer monthly Cantonese Q&As as well. Led by CTN staff instructors or volunteer digital coaches, each session welcomes Home Connect learners past and present. For October’s sessions, we had 22 English-speaking learners, 5 Spanish-speaking learners, and 18 Cantonese-speaking learners join. These were some of the most popular topics discussed: Uploading videos to YouTube Assistance in joining Zoom, sharing screens, and changing Zoom backgrounds ATT TV Stream […]

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CTN Volunteers

CTN — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 18:12:53 +0000

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Learner Spotlight: Leonard Cruz

Anna Beth Lane — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:52:41 +0000

“I would say technology is the thing of the future, but the future is here today,” says Home Connect learner Leonard Cruz. “In order to operate in this world, you have to learn this technology.” When Home Connect learner Leonard Cruz entered his golden years of retirement, he felt it was time to learn something new. Raised in a generation without much technology use, he had limited experience with the internet. After hearing about CTN’s Home Connect program through the YMCA, Leonard thought it could be the perfect class for him. “I didn’t really know all this terminology,” he reflects. “I’d heard it, but I didn’t understand what it meant by definition. So I knew that I needed to truly learn the right way.” Soon enough, Leonard’s Home Connect sessions were underway. With the help of his digital literacy Instructor, Jannette Estrada, he quickly got the hang of online tools. Today, Leonard embraces his tablet as an outlet for entertainment and creativity. On Google, he explores his love of history and reads about ancient empires. On YouTube, Leonard enjoys finding new music. “I’m a big music guy,” he says. “I have developed several playlists, and I like searching for new […]

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Home Connect

CTN — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 19:41:15 +0000

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Partner Spotlight: Glide

Anna Beth Lane — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:35:13 +0000

“I am confident that our partnership will improve the quality of life for our seniors, both physically and mentally, in this challenging time,” reflects Tina Huang, client advocate at Glide. “I feel honored to be part of this amazing team to help our seniors and expand this opportunity to the community.” Glide is a nationally recognized center for social justice, dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis and transforming lives. It has a rich, near century-long history of serving marginalized communities across the city. Through its comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community, Glide empowers individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and thrive. We at CTN have long admired the work Glide does to improve the lives of countless San Francisco residents. One of our senior program managers, Stephen Minor, has volunteered with the organization for years and hoped to collaborate with Glide to get its clients connected online. A longtime dream now made a reality, this partnership came to fruition when Stephen got connected with Glide’s client advocate, Tina Huang. Together the two established Glide as a bountiful referral source for Home Connect. As Tina interviews and recruits Glide clients who might make […]

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Home Connect Reaching Russian-Speaking Learners

Josie Boyle — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 13:08:44 +0000

CTN recently started working with a new group of Russian-speaking residents at San Francisco’s Eastern Parks Apartments. Although the group has been attending Home Connect classes from home, we recently gathered all the learners for a photo shoot. It was wonderful to see a virtual community come together in person, and we are hopeful that we can return to in-person instruction in the coming months. The majority of these learners immigrated to the U.S. around 30 years ago — hailing from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Odesa, Ukraine. Before joining the Home Connect program, they had little experience using technology. Most of them were new to any form of touch-screen technology and have never used a smartphone. Those who had access to the internet had been limited to using YouTube to watch programs and news in Russian. Today, the learners are using their tablets in all sorts of ways. For many, the priority has been finding ways to connect with friends and family around the world, mainly via Skype and Facebook. Others have started using email to send and receive pictures from family members. I also introduced a couple of them to Duolingo to work on improving their English. All of […]

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