Seniors get tech lessons from District 93 students

With the help of several laptops, Carol Stream Elementary District 93 is working to bridge the technological divide between students and senior citizens.

Through the district's new partnership with Carol Stream's Windsor Park retirement community, young students are teaching older residents how to better use technology.

The district has donated 25 laptop computers to the retirement community for the partnership and twice a month district staff members and students visit the senior living center to hold workshops.

By providing tips on everything from computer basics to Skyping, the district hopes to help seniors become better digital citizens, Superintendent Bill Shields said.

The district tries to personalize the lessons and respond to the residents' individual technological needs.

"There are some of them that still need some of the basics of how the computer works," Shields said. "But some of them have the confidence level so we're showing them more Internet, we're showing them more email, we want to show them how to set up a blog so they can communicate with their families."

Shields said the new relationship benefits students as well.

"It's also helping our students to have a greater respect, kind of a greater bonding with an older generation," he said.

Shields said the district hopes to bring the seniors to the schools to help with things such as tutoring or telling youngsters what life was like during certain moments in history.

During a recent district tech workshop at Windsor Park, several seniors sat in a room, closely peering at the laptops on the table in front of them.

A district staff member led the workshop, but the residents were paired with younger mentors who helped them navigate the online world.

Windsor Park Executive Director Karen Larson said the one-on-one help is key.

"The residents really like the one-on-one attention," Larson said. "Every senior gets the individual attention and then they don't have to feel like they're behind."

Larson said she thinks the lessons are less intimidating and more fun with the youngsters in the room.

During one of the sessions, 10-year-old Justin Munoz, a student at Heritage Lakes Elementary School, helped resident Fran Anderson.

Munoz said teaching is "really fun," and Anderson already knew a thing or two about technology.

"She knows a lot already, (I'm like) this is the address bar and then she knew what to type," Munoz said. "She's amazing at it."

Anderson, who is in her 80s, said it is more fun getting taught by a kid.

"It's evident he knows what he's doing, he knows computers and he's just guiding me as we go along," she said.

Windsor Park resident Mel Johnson said he came to the tech workshop in part because he does not know enough to use a computer.

He said his student mentor is a patient teacher.

"He's answering my questions," Johnson said. "He doesn't think it's foolish that I don't know how."