After 10 weeks at Holt Park and 12 weeks at OWLS, our Digital Inclusion Cafes for the year are coming to an end.
We have really enjoyed delivering these sessions to our learners and are so proud and amazed by their progress!
Unlike our previous Digital Cafes, sessions at OWLS and Holt Park have been more 1-2-1 style as opposed to group lessons as we found we had a wide range of abilities to teach. However, everyone has still collaborated with our experienced learners helping teach more basic skills to our less experienced learners. These sessions have also been different from the likes of our sessions at Daisyfield Grange as many of our learners already had their own devices such as tablets and phones so we have experimented with teaching for a range of different devices. We’ve even had learners bring in their laptops and computers to better develop their skills on these devices! Whatever it is people want to learn we are happy to help!
We have covered how to operate a device, send and receive emails and photos, download apps like scrabble and wordle, use Google Maps and First Bus, use Google, Youtube, Airdrop, Spotify, and Facebook, Stream TV using ITV Hub and BBC iPlayer, sign pdf documents, book a holiday, unsubscribe from spam emails, edit pictures, open audio files, access NHS Online Services, log energy readings on the British Gas app, use Instagram, Microsoft Office, setting reminders, organize apps and widgets and SO MUCH MORE!
Working at Holt Park, this was also our first time working with people with disabilities and we were happy to learn and adapt our teaching to our learners. We found setting the tablet to have larger font sizes and even audio descriptions and utilising the Enable Assist function proved helpful to our learners. As well as using the tablets flat on their laps or on a table made it easier to press the screen.
Our learners ranged from 31 to 88 years old so the biggest range we’ve ever taught!
Listen to some of our feedback!
Joan: Thank you so very much, Victoria! We are a group of geriatric technophobes Victoria is SO good and so patient-as indeed all her helpers have been! I have just learned how to make folders for all my apps, and how to send a link and photos to someone! Both these skills add greatly to my abilities as I started from a very low bar. I am amazed at their patience! Excellently well done 👍🏼 Many and grateful thanks!
Jane: I really enjoyed the sessions! I’ve learned how to send photographs through email, use the tablet more effectively, and download apps and games I want. My favourite part of the sessions has been learning about my new iPad. I now feel more confident using my tablet at home without help. I look forward to the sessions every week and seeing the lovely Victoria!
Aminah: I’ve enjoyed learning about my tablet. I’ve learned how to email from my tablet using the app and not a tab on my browser. I’ve also learned how to check the storage on my tablet and manage this, deleting things I don’t need. Victoria and her volunteers have been so kind and patient – we are grateful to have their help!
Sophie: I was quite confident on my tablet but Victoria has shown me how to use Spotify so I can play music from my tablet and make playlists of my favourite songs. I have also learned how to AirDrop photos and files from my device to another using Bluetooth. I’m really going to miss Victoria!
Overall, we’ve loved working at Holt Park and OWLS and are excited to take what we’ve learned to our new Digital cafes in South Leeds!
