Practicum 8 - Tom

As I finish my practicum project, I’m reflecting on some of the interesting experiences I’ve had this semester. While I’ve been browsing a ton of blogs, I made a new “friend” in Mille Garfield. We have been emailing and talking about seniors for a few weeks now. It is great to have someone so willing to interact with me. Each week, she blogs about what is happening in her life. I find her thoughts and opinions fascinating. I think that in a society that values having the newest, most advanced products, we sometimes forget the importance of experience. I guess I’m saying we don’t value seniors enough. Having lived most of their lives already, seniors have so much advice and life experience to share. They’ve been through decades of highs and lows so they can often relate to problems better than anyone. They have interesting stories and insights that one might not get from a younger friend.

While I didn’t find many communities that we strictly made up of seniors, I definitely found some seniors integrated into various online communities. I take the lack of senior communities to be indicative of the fact that seniors don’t feel the need to segregate themselves. Aside from sharing some “senior-related” interests, there really isn’t a need for them to be separated from the rest of the online community. They’re on message boards, news sites, Facebook, and writing blogs – seniors are definitely finding their place online. Since seniors did not grow up with the Internet, they definitely need to be taught the more complicated aspects of computing. I was reading an article about seniors in Illinois who are signing up for computer classes to help them learn more than the basics. I thought the following quote was really indicative of what’s happening with seniors online:

“Senior citizens and people with disabilities need adequate, affordable access to the technology tools of the 21st century,” said Larry Tarman, Grundy County Housing Authority chairman. “This project represents a powerful way to close the digital divide by increasing computer training and high-speed Internet availability in our Illinois communities.”(www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2010/12/01/51714876/index.xml)

Seniors are a growing demographic online, and they are really fighting to keep up with technology. Overall, I’m really pleased with my research. I definitely learned a lot, and the research has definitely made me value the wisdom seniors have to share.