Some still getting on information superhighway -- and that's OK

It's easy to forget there are folks who missed the age of the Internet.

Their lives were consumed with keeping food on the table during the Great Depression. Fighting maniacal dictators during World War II. Then it was raising families and establishing careers. By the time we launched the Web, they were looking at retirement.

But the folks at the Lake Villa District Library haven't forgotten. They offer a monthly "Internet for Beginners" class.

On a recently bitter-cold day, two people show up for the lesson.

Edwin Krueger is a former salesman in the printing business. The 79-year-old from Lindenhurst says he needs to understand how the Web works.

"It's about time," he says. "Technology is what fazed me out of my career. I need to figure how to use the Internet to search for a new job."

Colleen Behrens is here too. The 69-year-old Lake Villa woman said her grandson urged her to take the class.

"I feel helpless sometimes," she said. "Not knowing how to use the computer is like not being able to drive."

For many of us, using the Web is as natural as breathing. Our cursors blaze across the screen. We are uploading and downloading. Engaging in social networking. Google-ing. Twittering. Chatting. It's effortless. For others, it's not so easy.

"I'm assuming you have no background on surfing the Web," says teacher Lawrence Clayton. The reference librarian's voice exudes patience. "I'm assuming many functions on the computer are new to you, and that's OK."

Moving to the wipe-off board, Clayton writes, www.yahoo.com. "This is the address of what's called a search engine. It's one of the most popular sites. Another is www.google.com," he explained.

"Anytime you see the cursor turn into the shape of a hand, that means you can click on that item," Clayton says. "Fifty percent of all you do on the net is pointing and clicking. You'll get it."

Krueger and Behrens are making progress and say they'll be back for next month's class.

"The kids these days know a hundred times more than our generation does," Behrens said. "It's time for me to understand this."