Two of three well-used pool tables at the Durango/La Plata Senior Center had to go when the room was sectioned in 2006 to accommodate a computer laboratory.
“The demand for computers by our senior citizens was growing even before we remodeled,” Sheila Casey, the center’s director, said. “They don’t want to be left behind.”
The seniors’ interest in computer literacy covers a range of goals, Casey said. But staying in touch with family members, especially grandchildren, is very important.
“They want to send photos,” Casey said. “They also want to Skype, which gives them face time. They can hear and see the grandchildren grow.”
Now, seven years later, a computer lab with about eight stations hosts a range of classes taught by Jon Cordalis, who does business as The Computer Tutor.
Cordalis taught his craft at Durango High School and Fort Lewis College before his active retirement at the senior center. There he introduces rank beginners to the Internet, provides brush-up help for intermediate-skilled surfers and offers a class called E Commerce for seniors who want to buy or sell online.
Cyndi Lilliard, 61, a retired teacher from Durango School District 9-R, is familiar with desktops, tablets and laptops. And she isn’t interested in online social contacts. She wants to clear the accumulation of bike parts from her garage to make room for the automobiles. So she enrolled in a three-hour E Commerce class with Cordalis recently.
“I wanted to fill in some gaps and learn if there is anything new in security features,” Lilliard said. “We have a lot of bike parts that we sell on Craigslist or eBay, but my husband usually handles the online business.”
It’s not only seniors who are looking for computer literacy.
Sandy Irwin, assistant director of Durango Public Library, offers one-on-one tutoring by the library tech staff for anyone on request.
“If people, not necessarily seniors, have a device – a laptop, an iPad or eReader – they can call our staff to schedule an appointment and come to find out how to use it.”
Library employees Deb Denious and Dan Goldman are available for one-hour appointments, Irwin said.
“So far this year, through October, we’ve given 203 one-on-one sessions,” Irwin said.
The library started the high-tech help two years ago.
Don Bewley, a carpenter all his life who got his introduction to computers at Durango Education Center earlier this year, plans to pick up more classes starting in December.
“Use of the computer is inevitable,” Bewley, 63, said. “You can’t apply for a job without going online.”
Bewley lived on California’s Central Coast for 24 years then moved to Sacramento County until, he said, “the houses got too close together.”
Bewley works for Habitat for Humanity in Durango, but is looking to the future. Even a warehouse job is going to require some knowledge of the computer, he said.
Marty Schank, 59, also a retired 9-R teacher, is computer literate. But she was intrigued by the E Commerce class because her brother-in-law buys and sells online.
“What was really valuable, though, were the security tips,” Schank said. “The tips were the most beneficial because everything is changing today.”
Diane Legner, 75, a former physical therapist, teaches Pilates at the senior center in Bayfield. She found Cordalis while looking for a tutor a couple of years ago.
“I was not very good with computers,” Legner said. “If there were glitches, I’d get frustrated.
“I could trade emails, but since then, I’ve developed more skills so frustration has decreased, and knowledge has increased.”
Cordalis says all ages experience frustration with technology. He tells his students they can’t play the “senior card.”
Jim Bryson, 79, takes the advice to heart.
He applies the same philosophy to learning computer skills as to his work as maintenance man at the Crossroads Building in downtown Durango.
“If you don’t learn, life will go right by you,” Bryson said. “I don’t intend to quit until they come get me.”
“Old folks are afraid of computers,” said Bryson, who has taken classes with Cordalis. “But he (Jon) takes you by the hand and walks you through it.”
Bryson has learned email communication and can pay bills and shop online. His current goal is learning to send video.
He’s had enough training to offer advice.
“Don’t be afraid of computers,” Bryson said. “It’s great exercise for an old mind.”
