Residents enjoy free tech workshop in St. Pete

More than 120 Tampa Bay residents enjoyed a free mobile technology workshop in St. Petersburg on Dec. 11 and 12, offered through AARP’s TEK Program with the support of AT&T.

The AARP TEK workshop in St. Petersburg was aimed at empowering local residents, who are 50-plus, to increase their digital literacy by teaching them the skills and giving them the confidence they need to use technology. Mobile technology is transforming the way information is found, business is conducted and people connect with one another.

“With AT&T’s support, we are increasing the number of people benefitting on a professional and personal level from these hands-on workshops and are going to several new locations we previously weren’t able to include in this valuable training.” said AARP Vice President Jesse Salinas.

“These workshops offer a wonderful opportunity for us to support the mutual goals of AARP TEK and AT&T’s Digital You program to help increase digital literacy and online safety,” said Joe York, president of AT&T Florida. “Through its support of the AARP TEK workshops, AT&T is building on our rich history of technology and Internet education for thousands of older adults. We want to provide older adults with the tools to use mobile technology to improve their quality of life and connect better than ever with their family and friends. When you watch a grandparent text a selfie to a grandchild, you see how mobile technology can transform lives.”

AARP TEK features free, live workshops aimed at helping close the technology gap among people 50-plus. Presented with the support of AT&T, these face to face workshops enable people to leverage personal technology to enrich their lives.

AARP TEK (which stands for Technology Education and Knowledge) launched last year. It includes hands-on workshops in select cities as well as the AARP TEK Academy which is a free, easy-to-use online classroom. Both are open to anyone, including but not limited to AARP members, and are designed to allow Americans to connect with people and passions in their lives using technology.

The 2015 AT&T-sponsored AARP TEK workshops include the following locations:

· Aurora, IL

· Charlotte, NC

· Columbus, OH

· Des Moines, IA

· Los Angeles, CA

· Mobile, AL

· Phoenix, AZ

· Santa Rosa, CA

· San Diego, CA

· St. Petersburg, FL

· The Villages, FL (early 2016)

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 owns a standard feature phone, 45% own a smartphone.

· Social networking is used by about two-thirds of adults (65%), which is a large jump from 2013.

· AARP TEK workshops are aimed at empowering people 50-plus to increase their digital literacy by teaching them the skills and giving them the confidence they need to use technology that is transforming the way information is found, business is conducted and people connect with one another.

Launched in August, AARP TEK Academy is a free, easy-to-use online classroom designed to help 50-plus Americans get the most out of technology to connect with family and friends, explore employment opportunities, access health information, enjoy entertainment and more.

These new AARP TEK workshops join a roster of existing sessions in more than 30 cities across the United States. For more information on AARP TEK or for more details on scheduled workshops, visit the Events tab on aarpTEK.org.