19 May 2006

NATIONAL `SILVER SURFER’ WEEK -
Older computer users doing it for themselves in Dundee

Open Day - Tuesday May 23rd, 10 am to 4 pm,
User Centre, Queen Mother Building
University of Dundee

Over-50s with an interest in learning more about computers and new technology are being encouraged to learn from their peers at a successful Dundee community group about the benefits of joining the growing band of `Silver Surfers’.

Imagine the scene: A group is learning to search on the Internet -- someone asks "Was Clark Gable married more than once or was it just Carole Lombard?" In reply someone else says "Don’t worry, I’ll ‘google’ it". These days this may seem like a common occurrence, with ‘googling’ being a term known to most young people. However, in this room the average age is 78. Not only that, but 90% of the class are new to computers and the Internet.

This dialogue actually took place this month at the User Centre Group at the University of Dundee, a computer club for over-50s based in the Queen Mother Building, home to Applied Computing. The Applied Computing team, who last year moved into this innovative new building, feel so strongly about developing good quality software for older people that they made sure that there was a designated space within the new building to facilitate interaction between older people and the researchers.

The space called the User Centre provides a room filled with everything needed to get people engaged with new technology, thanks to support from the Mathew Trust and Dundee City Council’s OPEN fund.

In addition to the ground breaking research into how older people interact with new technologies that take place here, Applied Computing has encouraged the older volunteers involved in the research to set up their own club to make use of the User Centre as a community facility.

The User Centre Group is run and maintained by a group of older people with support as needed from staff members at Applied Computing. The Group meet twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for drop in sessions, where members come along to use the facilities, have a chat and a cup of coffee. In addition, on Thursday afternoons there are short, informal classes (generally led by staff at Applied Computing) helping members to build specific skills such as searching on the Internet.

The Group is looking to expand its members and will be hosting an Open Day as part of Age Concern’s National Silver Surfer Week. They hope to encourage as many people to come along as possible and meet the current members to see the success of this initiative. There are many different ways that people can get involved and the experience is always a positive one:

"I can’t believe after just 1 month, how much I can actually do"
(Raymond Anderson, current member)

"Taking part in the research has shown me that the problems I have experienced with computers are not my fault but that things need to be designed better. I am now more confident to learn new things on the computer."
(Joyce Gibson, current member)

The Open Day held on Tuesday 23rd May is the only event of its kind being held in the region for National Silver Surfers Week. If you are interested in this event, please contact Paula Forbes on 01382 388872 or come along to the Queen Mother Building, (just off Balfour Street) at Dundee University on Tuesday 23rd May. The doors are open from 10am to 4pm.

For further information contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: 01382 384910
email: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk