Trying to navigate today’s technology, just like Grandma

My grandmother turned 101 in August. She is amazed with all the changes in technology. Three years ago we took a few selfies and I posted them on Facebook. Immediately cousins in Cincinnati, Denver and Portland posted likes on the photos or commented. I remember showing her the responses. She just shook her head.

She has a cell phone and has had one for ten years or so. We got it for her in case she needed it when she was driving in the Iowa country several years ago. It certainly couldn’t take photos and had no data plan to speak of. It was for emergency purposes only. She gave up the cell phone about two years ago when she moved from her own home to a resident home. There was no need for her to have a phone when she was no longer driving.

In the past few years she’s been limited to the technology that the grand and great grandchildren bring with them to her new home. With a few clicks they get on the Internet and download videos. She occasionally just shakes her head. Everything seems so new to her.

This year for her birthday I thought it was time for her to have her own device. Every centurion needs a Kindle, right? So I showed her what the device could do. It is hooked up to my Prime account so she can listen to playlists. (We have different listening tastes. She listens to more Gospel, I prefer Rock and Roll.) I showed her how to download magazines and books. The technology makes it easier for her to read. She can listen to audiobooks or even make the print larger so she can read. And the best part is that she can play logic games and play puzzles online.

The second time I visited her she was stoked. A neighbor had a Kindle as well and showed her how to turn it on. I admit, my plans for her were lofty. I had thoughts of grandeur and convinced myself that by the end of the week, she’d be downloading pictures, creating her own playlist and Googling quilting podcasts. Instead she was able to power the Kindle on and off. My hopes were a bit off.

I needed to remind myself that she had seen a lot of change. And technology is speeding and changing at a blazing pace. This year your student(s) may be using Google Classroom for the first time. We are learning the programs and trying to navigate, just like Grandma.

Jill Showman is an English teacher at Wasilla High School. She has taught in Alaska for 20 years.