SF Partner Archives - Community Tech Network

Tackling Telehealth with UCSF

Josie Boyle — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 20:45:30 +0000

The pandemic has prompted a rapid increase in virtual healthcare. Telehealth, often touted as a solution to healthcare inequalities, can offer convenient, flexible, accessible, and more affordable care options to millions of Americans. However, those who lack access to and understanding of technology may be cut off from care. According to a study by UC San Francisco, more than a third of adults over age 65 face potential difficulties seeing their doctor via telemedicine. This could be due to a lack of technology at home, confusing patient portals, insufficient digital skills, and fear of sharing information online. In a recent article on the matter, CTN’s Kami Griffiths is quoted regarding the problems and potentials of telemedicine to help those who need it most. “Some cities and counties assume that if 15% to 20% of residents have low or no digital literacy skills, this may seem like a small percentage,” Griffiths said. “But that percentage gets larger in certain populations — those with low general literacy, older adults, rural areas, immigrants, those who lack high school diplomas.” Without digital literacy, these populations are unable to utilize the full benefits of virtual healthcare. Over the past year, CTN partnered with UCSF Mount […]

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Teaching Online Banking with Well Connected

Anna Beth Lane — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:05:42 +0000

Every year, CTN has the opportunity to volunteer with Covia, a Bay Area nonprofit recently affiliated with Front Porch. Covia and Front Porch offer senior living, extensive programming, affordable housing, and community services for more than 10,000 people. Their mission is to inspire and build community — cultivating meaningful relationships and experiences that respond creatively to changing needs. To support Covia’s older adults in their digital education, CTN provides an annual digital skills course through Covia’s Well Connected program. Well Connected is a virtual community that offers phone and online activities that build community through group conversations, games, and education. This year, CTN’s Carlos Sivira Falcon taught Covia clients how to navigate online banking. While online tools and services are designed to make life easier, we often take for granted that not everyone can access and use them. In the context of banking, a lack of digital skills can affect one’s ability to receive government aid, monitor personal finances, check credit scores, apply for loans, or receive unemployment benefits. Online banking may seem daunting to older adults, but it is an increasingly valuable resource as our world becomes more digital. Carlos’s course had 27 participants, all of whom were eager […]

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Partner Spotlight: City of Oakland

Carlos Sivira — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:25:27 +0000

Community Tech Network is excited to partner with the City of Oakland in a new partnership that will offer beyond-the-basics digital literacy courses. This skilled cohort has already learned how to navigate a tablet and use the basic tools of the internet. CTN’s courses will support their ongoing digital education while advancing and expanding their skill sets. For this partnership, we are using a new tablet, a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. One of the first lessons we tackled was how to use Google Docs. We covered how to collaborate on documents with others; offer permissions on who can view, edit, and comment; and share document links with others. We were extremely impressed with how quickly these learners took to the new tool. Even regular users of technology get confused with the tools and possibilities of Google apps, but our Oakland learners felt confident in no time. Another more advanced topic we discussed was the difference between the tablet’s photo gallery and the app Google Photos. Learners were especially fascinated with cloud storage. At first, they couldn’t quite grasp how they might be able to access all their photos and information when added to a cloud-based drive. Upon giving various examples […]

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CTN Advocates for Dignity Fund

Kami Griffiths — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 18:56:23 +0000

Community Tech Network’s goal is to eliminate the digital divide and increase digital literacy. As we pursue this mission, we recognize the importance of local, state, and federal funding sources to reach more people in need. In 2016, San Francisco’s voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition I, the Dignity Fund. The Dignity Fund was established to help the city plan for the current and future needs of a significant portion of SF residents. It guaranteed funding to expand supportive services to help older adults and adults with disabilities to age with dignity. In this current fiscal year, the $3 million contribution to the Dignity Fund at the Department of Disability and Aging was suspended — despite the ongoing difficulties brought on by the pandemic. The Dignity Fund is a valuable funding source for CTN. It has made it possible for us to expand our reach to more people, but many older adults in San Francisco still need our help. Recently, CTN presented a short video presentation for San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors to advocate for the renewal of the Dignity Fund. Here is what a few of our staff members had to say. “The pandemic has shown us how important it is […]

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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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Celebrating CEI’s iPad Training Graduates

Sabrina Tam — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 12:53:42 +0000

As a part of our partnership with the Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI), CTN instructors have spent the past year working with groups of isolated senior learners on their digital skills via CEI’s iPad training program. Last week, we had the special honor of celebrating the accomplishments of yet another cohort of learners graduating from their eight-week digital literacy course! The Zoom-style ceremony welcomed 29 guests, including CTN and CEI staff members and 16 new senior learners. Although the event was completely virtual, CEI truly pulled out all the stops. They delivered a package to each graduate containing a mortarboard, a gift box of goodies, a letter of accomplishment, and a “diploma” signed by CEI staff and CTN staff instructor Carlos. The learners will also be receiving their own iPad to keep after graduation and continue working on their digital skills. After some group discussion about the learner’s experiences with their iPad, CEI’s CEO Maria Zamora officially graduated the class of new learners as the traditional graduation tune Pomp and Circumstance played in the background. Navigating the internet for the first time is no small feat. We are grateful for the efforts CEI made to make these learners feel accomplished […]

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Partner Spotlight: Striving for Digital Equity with Calle 24 (Part 2 of 2)

Anna Beth Lane — Mon, 03 May 2021 16:58:39 +0000

The digital divide goes beyond broadband access; it is an issue of social infrastructure, a lack of digital literacy, and an uneven distribution of technology. But how does the digital divide manifest in daily life? Our partnership with Calle 24 exemplifies how a lack of internet access and understanding can perpetuate inequity and hinder community development. Calle 24 is a nonprofit advocacy organization for San Francisco’s Latino Cultural District. It is the first cultural district in the nation to operate as an independent nonprofit and serves as a citywide model for other cultural districts and advocacy groups. Several businesses in SF’s Latino Cultural District have been around for generations. One of the foundational businesses of the distinct, Roosevelt Tamale Parlor, has been a staple in the neighborhood since the 1920s. Today, many of these businesses are facing new hardships due to gentrification and displacement. As developers come in and drive prices up, thousands of Latino people have been displaced from their homes and communities. The usual patrons and employees of many small businesses can no longer afford to live in the area. As a result, small businesses are struggling to connect with a new generation of customers. Nearly 70 of […]

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Partner Spotlight: Striving for Digital Equity with Calle 24 (Part 1 of 2)

Anna Beth Lane — Mon, 03 May 2021 16:31:47 +0000

CTN is excited to start a new partnership with San Francisco–based nonprofit and advocacy group Calle 24. Calle 24’s mission is to advocate for the cultural continuity, vitality, and community of San Francisco’s Latino Cultural District and greater Mission neighborhood. Since 1999, Calle 24 has pursued this mission by highlighting cultural events and assets, fighting for affordable housing, supporting small businesses, promoting a high quality of life, and creating visibility for its community. After hearing about our Home Connect program, Calle 24’s business liaison Gabriella Lozano got in contact with Stephen Minor, senior program manager at CTN. The hope was that Home Connect could equip older business owners to use digital skills and feel confident online. The past decade has made it clear that small business owners must have a foundational understanding of internet basics and device navigation to keep up with the digital age. Thus, Calle 24 was established as a referral source for our Home Connect program. We have since had multiple Calle 24 learners start their Home Connect training sessions, conducted in English and Spanish. One learner, Leila, is especially grateful for the program and her digital coach’s patience in answering her tech questions. Together with her […]

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Partner Spotlight: Hamilton Families

Sabrina Tam — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 20:28:13 +0000

This month, CTN wrapped up the first round of classes with our new partner Hamilton Families. We are excited to kick off this partnership and look forward to working with them over the next couple of years. Hamilton Families provides programs to San Francisco families experiencing homelessness, with carefully designed programs to prevent homelessness, provide shelter and stability, return families to permanent housing, and support the well-being of children. As a grantee of the CPUC CASF adoption account, the organization contracted with CTN to train its adult clients on how to navigate the internet. Over the next two years, CTN will train a total of 210 participants. Our initial round of classes taught both basics and beyond-the-basics courses to 16 participants in English and Spanish. A few key skills we focused on were navigation, cyber safety, word processing, online banking, resume building, and job searching. While we hope to hold in-person classes when it’s safe, current participants were loaned a laptop or Chromebook to take the courses remotely. Upon completing eight hours of training, participants are able to keep their devices to continue accessing valuable digital resources. Here’s what Desiree Tejero from Hamilton Families has to say about our partnership: […]

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NETGEAR’s Donation of Hotspots Supports CTN’s Home Connect Learners

John Stock — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:00:37 +0000

Community Tech Network is pleased to announce a generous donation of 50 NETGEAR hotspots, along with reduced-cost internet access enabled by AT&T, to accelerate the expansion of our Home Connect program. These devices will help CTN staff decrease response time for internet access and training to isolated older adults impacted by COVID-19. When screening and enrolling Home Connect participants, CTN staff often encounter delays in securing a home internet account for them. The Home Connect learner usually needs assistance in navigating the service application process, which can be frustrating and intimidating for older learners to accomplish. Although Comcast offers the option of applying online, our digital learners without internet access capability obviously can’t use it. Once an older adult is accepted into the program, we ship them the hotspot along with a tablet and training materials. The learner can keep the hotspot for up to six weeks, which allows time for CTN staff to assist them in establishing their home internet account. This new hotspot capability reduces the wait time between the learner’s acceptance into the program and their first online training session, increasing our capacity to serve more vulnerable older adults. During COVID-19 virus shelter-in-place orders, the need to […]

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