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From elementary to advanced
For the first time last year, Keiro facilitated its multi-week Introduction to iPad course at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center (SFVJACC). Kay Yamada initially wanted to enroll her husband into the class, as she thought it would help him become familiar with this form of technology.
“I already knew how to use an iPad, so I thought I wouldn’t need to take this course,” she said.
However, the course facilitators invited her to stay and participate together with her husband. “He didn’t continue, but I stayed.”
Kay is the former president and current membership chair of the Meiji senior club at SFVJACC. The Meiji club, which is open to individuals aged 55 and above, provides various activities, classes, and outings for over 350 members. While Kay was the Meiji club’s president, she worked with Keiro to bring educational courses on aging topics for the club’s members. Although she is no longer in charge of planning these types of events, she remains active in participating and supporting the club through other roles.
Despite her previous iPad knowledge, Kay continued attending the six-week long course, and found it was a great refresher that helped her apply some of the iPad’s features to her daily life.
“I liked the session where you did the clocks, the stopwatch, and the timers,” she said. Her son often travels around the world for work and these features easily let her know which time zone he was in.
Today she also uses the iPad to search for recipes online, commenting that “They have some good banana bread recipes out there on the internet.”
She believes that the structure of the six-week course helped her retain and apply the information that was taught. At each session, attendees learn new functions and are given skill builders so they can practice at home, and during the next session, the course facilitators review the skill builders and answer questions.
“When you use an iPad, you have to use it all the time or you’ll forget how to do things. This course was very helpful, and I got to review everything I needed,” Kay said.
For Kay, new technology is something she is always conscious of, and feels is important to keep up with. She looks forward to learning new applications as well. “I have a Facebook, but I just look at what others write, so I want to learn [how to do] that next.”
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