By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer
Student Frances Palmer (r) helps Ann Wilson (l) with her iPad. (Picture/Sue Wambolt)
Northborough/Southborough – Under the direction of math teacher Eileen Palmer and guidance counselor Jason Lessard, Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) Community Action Program (CAP) students have spent the last month holding technology seminars for seniors at both the Southborough Senior Center and the Northborough Senior Center. The tech-savvy teens have made great strides in closing any technology generation gaps, showing seniors easy ways to mute their phones, text, change ring tones, take pictures or download a book on a Kindle.
Student Eileen Moynihan, CAP participant, said that the seniors are excited to learn about the technology and look at it as a way to stay connected to their family and friends.
“I have really had a great time helping the seniors,” Moynihan said. “For the most part, many of them know what they’re doing – they just need help on the little things. They have asked us to come back multiple times for more technology sessions, which is really exciting.”
Palmer has seen the seniors make great strides in their technology knowledge over the past month. The seniors look forward to seeing and working with the students and, with each subsequent visit, are becoming more adept at using portable devices, she said.
“The students provide hands-on one-to-one assistance. They have proven to be friendly, patient and extremely informative,” Palmer said.
While ARHS students continue to bring local seniors into the social media sphere, making them more adaptive to their environment, their investment in the “silver surfers” has proven to be a bonding experience for both generations.
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