Technology has something for everyone

Technology is no longer directed toward the young, but also the young at heart.

The only daunting thing about that is those that are young get stuck teaching the ways of technology to the young at heart.

I grew up with computers, using a computer typing program for the first time in early elementary school, soon followed by educational games like the "Oregon Trail."

After some serious begging, I got my first cell phone at 15-years-old. It was just an old Tracfone, and I was only allowed to use it to call my parents after basketball games and practice.

Since then technology has taken off, leaving much of the older generations in its dust. Cell phones have changed from analog to digital signals, and upgraded from physical buttons to touch screens.

My siblings, cousin and I have no problem figuring out a new device in a few days, or sometimes in just a few hours.

My latest technological teaching endeavor started on Christmas Day, after my uncle got grandma and grandpa a new iPad.

My cousin did all the downloading, thankfully, but I got to show them step-by-step how to use the iPad.

My grandma is definitely one that most would consider young at heart. She still hangs out with her friends, and despite her better judgment lets the grandkids pick the radio station in the car.

I spent some time showing them the ins-and-outs of the iPad, and showed off some of the neat features. The whole family got a laugh out of me taking warped pictures of myself on the Photobooth app.

Grandpa wants me to show him how to borrow books from the library, which will be a learning experience for me as well. (Google will be my sidekick in this learning experience.)

The funny part is I think my grandparents caught on quicker than my mom usually does. Mom needs step-by-step instructions on more than one occasion, whereas I think grandma understood the concept of iBooks in one setting.

As a matter of fact, grandma had already been searching the Internet for scrapbooking ideas with only needing to be taught how to access the Internet.

It will be a real feat to try to teach my mom how to use her Nook Color in January, so it's a good thing I love her. I have mentally set aside hours to work with her on it.

I am no technological genius, but I understand the general concept of learning how gadgets work. It's fun to sit down with a new device and figure it out on my own.

My boss told me recently the reason why I can figure the stuff out is because I am not afraid to push buttons, which is true.

You'll never know what something does until you try it, or read the directions. But honestly, who really wants to sit down and read directions? You can always reset to the default settings.

Cell phones are going to continue to advance, computers are going to continue to be smaller and do more.

Technology has something for everyone, no matter your age.

Sabrina is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached by email at swestfall@gcdailyworld.com or by telephone at 847-4487.