Senior Planet Montgomery Computer Classes

Since 2019, the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center (CCACC) has collaborated with Mitsuko Herrera, Director of Special Projects for Montgomery County and head of the Senior Planet Montgomery (SPM) program, to offer Chinese-language computer classes. SPM has long offered in-person courses in English and Spanish covering computer technology, health, and finance. After visiting CCACC's facilities and learning about its nearly 2,500 members, Montgomery County recognized the needs of the Chinese community and began planning Chinese-language computer technology courses to benefit Chinese seniors.

CCACC and SPM officially started weekly computer training courses at CCACC on Wednesdays. These courses help seniors continually improve their computer and smartphone skills, allowing them to maintain social connections with family and friends and stay physically and mentally healthy. SPM has funded the translation of existing English courses into Traditional Chinese, with over 400 members of CCACC's Evergreen Club benefiting first.

The courses began with Zoom training and expanded to include other topics such as messaging applications, video chat applications, smartphones, an introduction to iPhones, telehealth, YouTube applications, Google Maps applications, cloud storage, and other popular software and technology products.

Given the enthusiastic response from Chinese seniors, CCACC and SPM have launched a ten-session iPad course. This course systematically introduces the basic applications of the iPad, including hardware instructions, basic settings, account setup, and practical app introductions. The goal is to help seniors learn the basics of iPad operation and applications, make technology knowledge interesting, and experience the convenience of modern technology. This aligns with the spirit of lifelong learning and enriches their lives at home.

Many seniors have fulfilled their dream of online learning, using the internet and electronic devices to connect with family, learn English, exercise, sing, socialize, and attend various seminars.

For more information about these courses, please visit the Senior Planet website at https://seniorplanet.org/chinese/ or check the latest computer course information on the CCACC website. You can also call 301-620-1517 or email Doris.zhao@ccacc-dc.org for inquiries. For more online learning news, please visit ccacc-dc.org.