Become a Tech-Active Senior: Defeat Your Fear, Get Connected, Expand Your World

by Marie Clapsaddle

Are you hesitant to use a smartphone, computer, tablet, or ebook reader even though you see other seniors enjoying them?

Do you feel confused about tech devices and unsure of how they might benefit you?

Do you feel overwhelmed when you think about purchasing a device and learning how to use it?

Is this what you've been telling yourself?

"I'm too old."
"I can't do it."
"It's too difficult."
"I don't like it. I don't want it. It's just not for me."
"I'm a klutz--I'd break it."
"I'm embarrassed to ask younger people for help."
"I can't type."
"I'm afraid."
"I can't afford it."
"I feel overwhelmed. I don't know where to start."

As a senior and a technology enthusiast with a background in education, I've found a way to help other seniors defeat the self-talk barriers, discover new ways of connecting with people and information, and experience for themselves how technology can enrich their lives.

Become a Tech-Active Senior is a short, easy-to-understand book that will:
* Show you how to defeat the mental and emotional barriers caused by negative self-talk
* Give you basic information about smartphones, computers, tablets, and e-readers while discussing their benefits
* Offer resources you need in order to purchase a tech device and learn how to use it.

Follow the advice in this book and you'll soon move from tech-timid, to tech-curious, to tech-smart.

What's stopping you from experiencing a rewarding, tech-active life?

Scroll up and choose the BUY button now to take the first step.

138 pages, Paperback

Published April 29, 2016

About the author

Thanks to a librarian aunt and parents who passed on their love of reading, Marie spent much of her childhood with her nose in a book. Her love of learning, and sharing what she learns, lead to a 16-year career teaching English in Japan.

Living in another country prompted Marie to learn about technologies that would keep her in touch with family and friends. She learned about email, IM, and Skype and in the process discovered the amazing wealth of information available on the Internet.

Now retired and living in New Hampshire, Marie still has a passion for learning and technology. She finds her life enriched by podcasts and audiobooks, ebooks, language learning resources, streaming video, online shopping, Facebook, Ravelry (an online community of knitters), and researching anything and everything.

Marie's current mission is to share the joys and benefits of technology with other seniors. In her book, Become a Tech-Active Senior, she helps seniors work through mental and emotional barriers standing in the way of embracing a tech-rich life, and presents basic information about useful tech devices that match the needs and interests of seniors.

Reviews

[Lisa Fleetwood]

This book needs to be in every seniors centre! Author mentions print version coming soon, but for the moment a great book to set up for a parent on an e-reader or go through with a senior. And for seniors who are dabbling in technology but need help deciphering terminology, technology and the different range of devices on the market.
I know so many seniors who just don't know where to start, especially if their former career did not involve technology. Watching my parents and parents in law master iPads, smart phones and e-readers has been great, although a hard task to learn and this book would have been of great help. Using these devices has opened up a whole new world for them and this book can show so many people the basics and how to get started.
Become A Tech Active Senior explains the basics in an easy to read well written manner - great book to share with a senior or for them to start reading their first book on their first e-reader!

[Sherry Stamand]

what a great read and very informative book thanks so much i have friends that i may send this too thanks

[Vivi Stutz]

I highly recommend Become a Tech-Active Senior as a valuable and necessary resource for seniors.

Seniors frequently suffer depression when their lifestyle becomes increasingly isolated after retirement. Loss of mobility, ailments and limited social contact are the most common factors, but the rapid digitalization adds a new element of exclusion from participation in community. Those who retired before receiving adequate training in the digital media are now left behind without a compass to navigate in a new, alienating world.

Booking a ticket for a flight can be an insurmountable problem after travel agencies went out of business. Buying a book may be a matter of a strenuous day trip after the majority of local book stores closed. Music is no longer accessible since there are no more record stores. Participating in most cultural events requires online booking. Those who missed the window of opportunity to learn digital skills are intimidated by the unfamiliar world around them. Attending basic computer classes may not be an option for seniors who depend on help for travelling, and owner's manuals are rarely user friendly.

Ms. Clapsaddle's book offers a compassionate, easy-to-follow guide to the digital world. It's a dearly needed resource for the tech-shy, sure to improve life quality.

[Miranda]

This needs to be on the shelf on every library in the country and every senior's community club. This is an excellent resource and overall view of the technology market and a big confidence booster to assist the non-technical person in purchasing decisions. Every beginner into the tech world will find some help in this book. It's such a relief to find someone who can write in a helpful and intelligent way instead of in a condescending way like so many "salesy" books do. The author really makes you feel ok about yourself that you don't know everything. The tech marketplace has a tendency to make us seniors feel stupid despite our years of life and work experience. I wish I would have had this book a year ago when I was trying to make a decision about an e-reader or two years ago when I first ventured into the scary world of smart phones. Its difficult to make purchasing decisions in this over-inundated tech world. The author has written this book in such a way that it will not be outdated anytime soon. The resources listed are American. However, I'm sure most countries have similar resources and utilizing the american information one could certainly do some research and find similar organizations or sites in their home countries. Thanks for writing this.

[Virginia Ritterbusch]

Author, Marie Clappsdale, has done a masterful job of organizing the vast amounts of electronic technology information into manageable bites. Her book achieves its goal of sparking interest and igniting potential fascination amongst a population that is reluctant to reach outside their comfort zones.

This is a great gift item for parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or those people who simply prefer to stay at home. Marie explains the many ways in which the devices and internet can open up a life to those who may be restricted by budget, health or locomotion issues to connect with life and people.

The book is organized into graduating levels of information starting with all the reasons why learning about Internet technology unwraps our avoidance to the idea. It then goes into the many uses of their different capabilities with various software and application time saving and organizing options and onto the various devices available and the different uses and characteristics of each one. Marie has a wonderful way of presenting the information in a manner that sparks an attitude of "maybe I should re-consider my position". Thanks, Marie.

[Brenda]

Feeling inundated by the new technology? Don't know which device is right for you, if any of them are? And how do you combine the new devices with what you already have? Or what can you replace completely with this new technology?

Marie answers all these questions and more. She shows us that just because we're "seniors" doesn't mean we can't be an educated, viable part of the world's new advances and use those to our advantage.

This is a great read for anyone out there who feels like they need help getting past the overwhelm of cell phones, computers, etc.

[Lyn]

Most of the information provided in this book is pretty basic, so it wouldn't be helpful to you if you already use really any kind of technology. But, if you don't, this would be a good introduction to technology, whether you're a senior or not. I enjoyed reading most of it, as it went by very quickly, and is written in a friendly way.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.