People, over the age of 65, those on low incomes, and disabled people make up a large segment of the population who remain digitally excluded. These groups are unable to fully benefit from the vast opportunities that the internet and technology manifest.
Today, I am particularly interested in the ‘people over 65’ above, and to bring my focus to light, I revisit investigations conducted by Good Things Foundation, BT, and Talk Talk.
The investigation in context involved 23 Online Centres that were tasked with new activities to reach people who are the most digitally excluded in the UK. They found that: “47% of people who have never used the internet in the UK are over 75, despite over 75s making up just 7.78% of the total UK population”
Tutor-Learner Relationship for Older People
1. Competence.
A competent educator is empathetic, and he/she seizes every opportunity to encourage learning, believing that no one is above learning. Competent educators are lifelong learners and they take every opportunity to improve their own professional practice, to provide quality learning.
2. Space & Trust.
Digital inclusion with older people should focus as much on a tutor’s relationship with the individual as on hard technical skills. Take time to build trust with a learner. This is likely to take a significant amount of smiling, empathy and one-to-one interaction, so if you are working in a classroom setting, try to enlist some volunteers in other to facilitate personalization and encourage individual interaction.
3. Patience.
Ensure that you explain every step clearly and double-check and confirm that the learner understands before moving on to the next step. Be empathetic and patient, and be prepared to repeat messages and information, over and over again.
John Adewole 