Recently, we’ve witnessed an increasingly extensive and intrusive technological advance in our lives. Today, most communities are immersed in a variety of technologies, making it almost impossible to escape them. However, we often see the implementation of these technologies without considering the digital literacy levels of community members. As a result, modernising services without providing adequate training for community members, especially those with low digital literacy, can lead to the social exclusion of these individuals.
Alongside this phenomenon, we are also seeing a general improvement in living conditions and a corresponding increase in life expectancy, resulting in a significant increase in the percentage of the elderly population worldwide. Given that this age group often has limited digital skills, it is clear that investment in digital skills training for the elderly should be a priority in modern society.
In this study, guidelines were developed with the aim of facilitating the work of teachers and trainers in charge of teaching digital skills to older people, both in normal situations and in pandemic contexts that require online classes. In addition, the different characteristics and limitations associated with ageing were analysed, with the aim of ensuring the well-being of older people in the best possible way. The work also sought to understand the relationship between the elderly population and information and communication technology (ICT), as well as to combat existing prejudice towards this group.
It was observed that both trainers and older people have a preference for face-to-face teaching, with the main difficulty identified in online teaching being the occurrence of technical problems, both on the part of older people and their carers. However, due to the variable development of the pandemic, there is a greater inclination towards mixed teaching methods that combine the advantages of online and face-to-face teaching.
To summarise, we can conclude that there are several ways to increase success in teaching digital skills to the elderly, regardless of the teaching method used. It is essential to prioritise interaction between students and adapt the curriculum structure as much as possible to the target audience, ensuring their interest, well-being and motivation.
Source:https://sigarra.up.pt/faup/en/pub_geral.show_file?pi_doc_id=303557