Smartphone and Tablet Classes

In 2012, I started teaching one of the first Smartphone and Tablet classes in Oregon at Center 50+ in Salem.  The class soon gained in popularity and I expanded to McMinnville as well as other locations.  The content exploded forcing me to create a Beginner and an Intermediate class.  The class allows all smartphones and tablets regardless of operating system, Apple, Android, and Windows are welcome.  (The one exception is  that we do not accept Kindle Fires, because they are not like the others.)

The Beginner class focuses on orientating you to your device, helping you learn how to control your device, and showing you how to use the communication tools (phone, texting, emailing).  In the Intermediate class, we delve into all the other standard apps that come on your device, like the camera, maps, and internet.  I am in the process of developing a third course in the series that will focus on the kinds of apps and media you can put on your device.  This class will become available in 2017.

Many of my students were frustrated with the lack of useful manuals on the market.  Due to this, I wrote a textbook for the courses, called “Is Your Smartphone or Table Smarter Than You? The Manual that Should Have Come With Your Device.”  This textbook is a combination of theory and hands-on practice that teaches users how to use their devices regardless of versions and operating systems.  The book will be available for purchase in January 2017.

Beginner and Intermediate Smartphones and Tablets classes are 8-10 hours of instruction over 4-5 weeks.  These classes are offered at Salem, McMinnville, Silverton and Hillsboro Senior Centers.  Please contact your senior center to sign up.