The Lucknow Sentinel, 2013-12-04, Page 7Wednesday, December 4, 2013 • Lucknow Sentinel 7
Senior enjoying family interactions since joining online world
Troy Patterson
Kincardine News
For the past year Margaret Fergu-
son has been discovering a world
she had never known, through the
internet, at the age of 89.
A retired teacher and life-long
Huron -Kinloss resident living at
RVilla Retirement Living, Ferguson
jumped from a Blackberry Playbook
she received as a gift from her son
last Christmas, to a Mac iPad, help-
ing her to better see and learn the
various applications and technolo-
gies contained in the device.
"The capability of a little Playbook
that size... it's amazing what it can
do," she said. "I'm seeing things I'd
never think of, if I had to have put a
stamp on. I never thought of doing
what they can do now with them."
Growing up enjoying piano, read-
ing, gardening over the years, when
she retired in 1985 computers were
only entering the mainstream and
she had only used one for typing.
The internet had yet to be estab-
lished and she couldn't be bothered
to try to pick up the technology at
that point.
Fast forward almost 30 years, Fer-
guson credited RVilla co-op student
Meagan MacDonald and staff
member Christine Franklin for
helping to send her on her voyage
across the World Wide Web, by set-
ting up an e-mail, user names, pass-
words and other gateways to start
her off.
"One of our biggest challenges is
trying to explain to residents just
how huge the internet is and all-
encompassing," said Franklin, who
works to introduce more residents
to the internet and its benefits,
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through streamlined technologies
like tablets. "We try to encourage
residents or at least one of their
family members to get on Facebook
to keep in touch with families, so
they can understand what we're
doing. We're getting a great
response from residents who are
able to see more of their families
(through Facebook)."
Franklin said RVilla is playing
more of an active role on Facebook
by posting photos of events in an
effort to keep families involves with
their loved ones through their page.
She said it's fun to see residents
gather around to catch up of their
family's happenings as they learn
more about how it works and
become more comfortable. When
she first started, about two or three
residents were interested and now
the number has climbed closer to
10.
"In the future, people will move
into RVilla with those skills," Frank-
lin said. "But it's good to see there's
a lot more residents who are open
to it and there are some that
wouldn't be without now:'
Ferguson's biggest challenges
and frustrations come when she
runs into an issue with her wireless
router and she is unable to access
the internet, learning the various
acronyms and short forms that are
widely adopted in online lingo.
"It took me a while before I real-
ized what LOL (Laugh Out Loud)
meant," Ferguson said. "But if you
have a good helper, it make a big
difference."
In the coming weeks she plans on
experimenting with Google
searches and is excited from what
she has heard. She also stays busy
TROY PATTERSON KINCARDINE NEWS
RViIIa resident Margaret Ferguson shows off her iPad, which she upgraded to
from a Blackberry Playbook she received as a gift last Christmas. Ferguson
has since been taking the time to learn how to use the computer tablets,
Facebook and e-mail.
corresponding with a friend in
Africa who shares chain e-mails
and other personal messages on
happenings across the ocean.
"She grew up in Ripley and now
we can correspond so easily," she
said. "I think she's a bit lonesome
for Canada"
Skype, essentially an online video
telephone, is another program Fer-
guson was "quite amazed" by when
her daughter from Sarnia set it up
for her to talk online instead of
making the drive on icy winter
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roads. She was also interested in
both spellcheck and autotype func-
tions, that aid her in completing
words while she types.
"I think I'd be lost without it, but
it is a challenge to keep up with it
all," she said. "I'm on it nearly every
day checking out what my grand-
children and family are up to."
Although there's a wide selection
of games, they don't interest Fergu-
son. But she is excited to sort
through the "wonderful" selection
of music available online, as well as
the ease in which the weather
reports can be accessed.
"There are just oceans of things to
see," Ferguson said, but added a lit-
tle old-fashioned help couldn't hurt
as a back-up at times. "But I do wish
they had printed instructions,
because in the beginning I didn't
know anything and it was hard to
change from one thing to another?'
Thinking about the future, she
now understands the implications
for the devices as she sees the
youngest in her family growing up
with the technology. She recently
heard of Huron County toying with
the idea of putting an iPad in the
hands of each student, and possibly
replacing textbooks as well.
"You may not need blackboards
soon because it'll revolutionize
teaching for students," she said.
Asked why she thinks more sen-
iors don't try to adopt computer
technology or the internet, Fergu-
son said she thinks younger people
who grew up with it aren't afraid of
making mistakes and trying again.
"I think some older people are
afraid of gumming something up
on them," she said.
Computers do consume a lot of
time, she said, as time flies by she
tries to "keep in tune" with the
younger people in her life and the
activities they're up to. But Fergu-
son said she was also surprised at
some of the personal things that are
posted on peoples' Facebook
'walls:
"It keeps you kind of in the world
a bit more I think," she said. "Some
people keep it a bit lighter, and oth-
ers are more serious. You do get a
good sense of a person's character
that way it seems."
9th Annual
Lucknow Regional Juvenile jg
Silver Stick Tournament
Thursday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Dec. 8
Lucknow Sports Complex
• Opening Ceremonies Friday, Dec. 6, 7:45 p.m.
Followed by Lucknow vs Wingham
B Category Teams: Walkerton, Belmont, Plattsville & Schomberg
C Category Teams: Lucknow, Milverton, Drayton, Ripley,
South Bruce, Wingham, Douro, Arthur,
West Grey, BCH, Honeywood, Loyalist
Attending - Paul and Eleanor Henderson
MVP- Paul Henderson Awards for each game
Eleanor Henderson Most Sportsmanship Team Award
Tournament Admission: $5 per day or $10 for the weekend
Children 12 & under free