NETGEAR’s Donation of Hotspots Supports CTN’s Home Connect Learners
Community Tech Network is pleased to announce a generous donation... Read more →
Transforming lives through digital literacy.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Tech Network created Home Connect to address the needs of isolated seniors sheltering in place. Through this program we are providing devices, internet and virtual training to older adults in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin.
For 12 years, Community Tech Network has been a leading nonprofit focused on helping older adults live comfortably and safely in a digital world by providing digital devices and digital literacy training. Now that our daily lives have been disrupted by the impact of COVID-19, it is more important than ever for isolated seniors to have home internet and the skills to access it safely. The mandate to shelter in place impacts each of us differently. A younger person at home for an extended time can keep in touch with colleagues at work and interact with family and friends via email and many other platforms. They can order groceries and meals online and can follow the news about the health crisis through a variety of media, visit health-related websites, and contact their doctor electronically if they feel ill.
Our impact numbers since the program launched in April 2020:
Community Tech Network is pleased to announce a generous donation... Read more →
Photo: Some of 2020’s Home Connect older adult learners, volunteer... Read more →
CTN’s digital literacy training programs over the past 12 years... Read more →
Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of writing a... Read more →
Together with our local partners, we have identified older adults who live alone, have little to no internet access and have a great desire to get online. The individual personalized training pathway for each older adult will vary based on their experience. Home-bound adults with internet access and prior exposure to a digital device may be connected directly to a volunteer Digital Coach for weekly virtual training sessions. If they need internet access, they may receive support applying for service. For those who are new to using the internet, they may receive a preconfigured tablet and begin virtual training with a CTN staff trainer to learn the basic, fundamental skills and to become familiar and comfortable with their device. They are then matched with a Digital Coach Volunteer for more advanced specific training that they have selected. We are currently offering training in English, Spanish and Cantonese.
Here is a current list of seniors who have completed the program since it began in April 2020:
January 2021 (12 learners as of 1/18/2021)
A total of 147 learners completed the program in 2020
December 2020 (17 learners as of 12/31/2020)
November 2020 (16 learners as of 11/30/2020)
October 2020 (18 learners)
September 2020 (21 learners)
August 2020 (28 learners)
July 2020 (30 learners)
June 2020 (13 learners)
May 2020 (4 learners)
Baofei Miao arrived in the Bay Area 30 years ago... Read more →
Photo: CTN learner David Turner and his wife Susan on... Read more →
Guandong Lu and his family moved to the U.S. from... Read more →
Zhi Zhen has lived in San Francisco’s Sunset District since... Read more →
Many organizations have the staff capacity to offer training themselves, but they lack the curriculum and training on how to work with adult learners. If this describes your organization, here is a possible solution. Complete this online form for more information.
Up to 2 hours of support calls and unlimited email support to assist in Program Manager with administrative tasks such as:
License Home Connect Android tablet curriculum: $600 per language (unlimited use)