• The phone is too small
• There are too many (useless) features
• How do I even make a call?
• How do I answer the damn thing?!
• I can’t see the screen
• My fingers are too big for the keys
• Where’s the phone gone? I can’t find it!

I’m interested to hear what people have to say about the best way to teach somebody who is new to mobile/ cell phones how to perform basic tasks, such as phoning a friend and answering it when it rings.

Any ideas?

Mobile phones can be very complicated for seniors (or anybody)!

http://www.seniorsguidetocomputers.com/

… is extremely useful! Have a look!

Be mindful of your download quota when watching these videos though!

Battle at Kruger

Perhaps the most amazing wildlife documentary ever made!

Funny Animal Videos

George Bush Bloopers

Of course you can search for anything you like on Youtube… just click here to be taken to the Youtube.com website where you can type in anything at all!

Try searching for your favourite old song, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Computers are not like washing machines or old cars… if you have a late model computer, it will be very difficult for you to make it malfunction.

Don’t stress about which button to press and when – in most cases, it is best to just have a go.

If you click on the wrong icon or button, or if you type the wrong thing somewhere, there are a few things you can do to get right back to where you want to be:

1. Hold down “Ctrl” on the keyboard, and press “Z” on the keyboard whilst still holding down Ctrl. This is the ‘undo’ function in many programs, and will undo whatever it is you’ve just done! This is particularly useful for word processing, when you accidentally make everything turn purple, or delete everything on the screen by accident.

2. If you have opened up a program that you no longer want, or was opened accidentally, just click the X in the top right of the screen. This will close the program. Don’t worry, if you have been writing something you wish to keep, you will be prompted to save the work first before the program actually closes completely.

3. If you’re on the Internet and you visit a site you do not want to be at, click the ‘Back’ button – the left-facing arrow usually in the top left of the screen. If you can’t go back this way, just close down the Internet program by clicking the X in the top right corner, re-open it in the normal fashion and try again!

4. Have patience! Sometimes websites and computers themselves take a long time to complete certain tasks. Don’t wait all day, but remain calm as the complicated functions are completed by your machine.

If you are using a Microsoft operating system (Windows XP, Vista etc…) then visit this page to find out more about how you can make things a whole lot easier to see and use!

>> Click here. <<

You can change the size of buttons, icons, writing… you can change colours and entire colour schemes and much, much more.

A little bit of work in sorting out these issues now will save you many hours in lost time in the future as you struggle to see what you’re looking for.

The principles in the articles are largely the same for other browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari etc), so it’s worth having a look!

Click on the underlined title below to open the article you wish to read…

Web Browsing Basics

•	Find and Return to Web Pages You’ve Recently Visited With the Internet Explorer 6 History list, you can find Web sites and pages that you’ve visited in the past so you can go back for more.

•	Preview a Web Page Before You Print It The Print Preview feature lets you see the Web page before you print it so you can avoid printing mistakes. Find out more about using Print Preview.

•	Use Favorites to Get Around the Web The Favorites list puts Web sites you visit often within easy reach. Learn about all the ways you can use the Favorites feature to browse like a pro.

•	Find Stuff Fast with Search Internet Explorer 6′s built-in search feature, Search Companion, can help you track down what you’re looking for online. Start searching now.

Today I bought a fast, reliable, authentic computer for only $399! It’s second hand, but it’s totally refurbished and you wouldn’t know the difference.

Companies that sell ex-government computers and ex-corporate computers are all over Australia, and you can find them by typing in ‘ex-government computers’ or ‘computer recyclers’ into a Google search. The most popular stores will be at the top of the search results.

The shop I visited today was Brisbane Computer Recyclers.

Computers can be very affordable!

But of course I already had a monitor (the screen), mouse, speakers & keyboard etc.

You should be able to pick these items up very cheaply also from the same store!

This is from BSOL’s home page:

Brisbane Seniors Online is a voluntary organisation set up to help the over 50′s in the Brisbane Area learn the basics of computers and the internet. Please browse around and discover how we can help you or a family member through our Mentor Program.

BSOL is a network of volunteer mentors willing to aid you in your use of computers. We arrange a time and place, a computer for you to learn on and a mentor to teach you on a one to one basis or within a group. Depending upon mentor availability group teaching might be the only option in some areas. All our mentors are volunteers and our costs are purely to cover administration and the all important public liability insurance. If you want to get started, the procedure is:

For Individuals

• You sign up as a BSOL member – $40 for 12 months
• We advise you of your mentor’s contact details
• The mentor will contact you and then reserve a computer on behalf of BSOL and yourself at a learning location
• After the first lesson the mentor will arrange a mutually convenient time for the next session
• Your mentor will periodically provide feedback to the Hub Coordinator on your progress.

Learning how to use a computer or the Internet can be extremely challenging, so having a mentor and/or a friends to help you through and learn with you is very useful.

You can visit BSOL’s website by clicking on their logo below!

Click here to visit BSOL

If you live in the Ipswich area, get in touch with SeniorNet Association Inc!

SeniorNet helps seniors in the Ipswich area

This is from GreenPC’s home page:

Green Peripherals and Components, otherwise known as GreenPC, has now developed as a successful social enterprise initiative of Infoxchange Australia that operates to service low income people on a national basis.

Green PCs are recycled personal computers that are refurbished and repackaged into usable, Internet-ready computers, and then made available to low-income communities, individuals and community organisations. The only qualification for an individual or family to have access to a Green PC computer is that they be holders of current Health Care Cards or are able to verify their low income status in some other way.

The objectives of GreenPC is to upgrade and Internet-enable outdated computers. Once a donated computer has been refurbished, it becomes available for distribution.

Click here to visit GreenPC!