AARP Tek On Long Island

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AARP TEK Continues to Increase Digital Literacy in 2015 And Adds New “Beyond the Basics” Class to its Free, Tech Workshops on Long Island

AARP will continue to offer its free AARP TEK Workshops in 2015 to help close the technology gap among people 50-plus. These workshops will be hosted in several cities across the nation, including Long Island and at AARP’s Life@50+ National Event in Miami on May 14–16. The workshops will include the familiar “Intro to Smartphones/Tablets,” and “Staying Connected with Social Media,” along with the new “Beyond the Basics: Tablets/Smartphones.”

“High-tech devices are solving many of the issues that people 50-plus are facing, namely isolation, but it’s of no use if they don’t know how to use and operate those devices” Said AARP Executive Vice President and CIO Terry Bradwell. “The purpose of these interactive workshops is to open up the opportunities that technology offers to people 50-plus, allowing them to stay connected to the people and passions in their lives.”

Research supports that most people 50-plus already use personal technology in their everyday lives. According to the AARP Attitude, Trend, & Opinion Monitor, July 2014:

• Three quarters (76%) of adults 50-plus own some type of computing device (desktop, laptop, e-reader, or tablet).
• Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) adults 50-plus own some type of mobile device. While the majority still own a standard feature phone, 45% own a smartphone.
• Tablet ownership continues to eclipse e-reader ownership, something that we can expect to continue in the future as the tablet market grows.
• Social networking usage is used by about two-thirds of adults (65%), which is a large jump from 2013.

Even so, there are still millions of people over 50 who are not online. This includes 22 percent of boomers and 48 percent of seniors. Barriers include cost, lack of perceived relevance and concern that they have fallen behind others in the digital age and cannot catch up. AARP TEK Workshops and the AARP RealPad—a low-cost, easy to use tablet—are both aimed at empowering people 50-plus to overcome these barriers by teaching them the skills and giving them the confidence they need to use technology that is transforming the way information is found and people connect with one another.

Scheduled workshops on Long Island:

April 21, 2015

Intro to Smartphones – 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m.

Staying Connected with Social Media – 1:00p.m.-3:00p.m.

This event is FREE but you must register online.

St. John's Church Cold Spring Harbor

1670 N Hempstead Turnpike

Syosset, NY 11791