Senior Planet Montgomery Classes Offered This Week For Residents 50+

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Senior Planet Montgomery, a technology training program designed for county learners age 50 and older, is offering free online classes that focus on how to thrive at home. Classes, which are offered live via video conference, are designed to enhance a wide variety of life skills.

During the winter and spring program quarters, more than 2,000 participants joined 235 virtual programs hosted by Senior Planet Montgomery. This summer, classes will cover how to use and host on Zoom, online basics, popular social media sites, lowering one’s utility bill, financial security, and civic engagement.

Sessions concentrate on user-friendly tools and resources and are designed to enable older adults to learn to utilize technologies to improve their daily lives. Senior Planet Montgomery utilizes curricula created by OATS, which also provides training staff and works with numerous county departments to identify topics of interest for Montgomery residents

Classes to be offered this week will include:

• Wearables: Thursday, July 21, 4-5 p.m. Come to this lecture to learn about the health, wellness, and personal safety benefits of wearable technology.
• Lighting and Smart bulbs: Friday, July 22, noon-1 p.m. Learn which bulb offers the most in terms of energy efficiency that can help lower a utility bill. Explore the benefits of smart bulbs and smart lighting and how they can be controlled through apps and smart home hubs like Alexa and Google Home.

Class in Mandarin:

• 在線保護您的個人信息7/20, 12 - 1 p.m. 本次講座將詳細說明如何在網路上保護個人信息。我們將介紹在電子世界中保持安全的技巧，例如添加高強度密碼、處理垃圾訊息、識別網路詐騙以及何時可以（或不可以）在線上分享您的個人資訊。

English Translation for Class in Mandarin:

• Protecting Your Personal Information Online: Wednesday, July 20, noon-1 p.m. This presentation will cover the ins and outs of how to protect your personal information online. We’ll cover tips for staying safe in cyberspace, like creating strong passwords, managing spam, how to recognize email and text scams, and when it is OK — or not — to share your personal information online.

For more information about Senior Planet Montgomery and to view its virtual program offerings, visit www.seniorplanet.org.