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NEW SECTION H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Say you saw it in the Beacon
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Technology &
Innovations Learning technology’s benefits hands-on By Carol Sorgen If you don’t know the difference between analog or digital, or a hash tag from a hard drive, AARP’s got you covered. The national membership organization based in Washington, D.C., recently rolled out AARP TEK (which stands for Technology, Education and Knowledge) to close the technology gap and help boomers and seniors learn how to use personal digital devices in a plain-language, user-friendly way. According to Terry Bradwell, AARP executive vice president and chief information officer, AARP TEK is a comprehensive technology education program specifically geared to the 50+ audience. Consisting of hands-on educational seminars, as well as written and video material online, AARP TEK is aimed at empowering people with technology by connecting them with friends, family, employment opportunities, health information, entertainment and much more. “While personal technology has been in our lives for a number of years now, it’s no longer just nice to have,” said Bradwell. “It’s imperative, as more and more services — from banks to movies to the Social Security Administration — are going tech-only. “AARP members didn’t grow up in a digital age,” said Bradwell, who said that his version of an iPad when he was young was an “etch-a-sketch.”
“A significant population of [AARP’s] demographic isn’t online, or not in a significant way. We need to be equipped to use this technology so we can live our best life.”
Educational workshops AARP TEK pilot education seminars are being rolled out in seven cities this year — Atlanta, Macon, Augusta, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Chicago and New York — with the intent to expand significantly in 2015, possibly to Baltimore. [At the Beacon’s 50+Expo on October 19 in Silver Spring, Maryland, AARP TEK will be offering some seminars as well. For more information, call (410) 248-9101.] “AARP TEK offers a high-touch approach to understanding technology, giving 50+ consumers the skills and confidence to use technology and stay connected to the people and passions in their lives,” said Bradwell. “Though we know that millions of older adults already use personal technology in their everyday lives, there are still many more who want to learn the ins and outs of how to use smartphones and tablets to enhance their lives and discover a world of new possibilities. These are the people we hope to reach with AARP TEK.” The response so far has been “off the charts,” said Bradwell, with attendees
waiting in line to learn just how much their lives can change through technology. AARP began testing concepts and curriculum offerings for AARP TEK in 2013, and found that the hands-on trainings were “discovery moments” for many attendees who learned what their personal gadgets could be used to do, see, and engage with. He tells the tale of a workshop attendant who took her first “selfie” (a photo of herself), posted it on Facebook, and had 1,200 “likes” from other Facebook users before the day was out. Then there was the World War II veteran who, through Google Earth, was able to “visit” Belgium and see a structure he had helped build while stationed there decades ago. “It brought tears to his eyes,” said Bradwell.
Online videos and information In addition to the seminars offered in select locations, a number of short video modules and articles are available on the AARP website. They cover topics such as touchscreen basics, social media, video chatting and online safety. Hands-on sessions being offered at TEK workshops include “Intro to Tablets & Smartphones” and “Staying Connected with Apps,” among others. As part of the programs, AARP TEK Ad-
PHOTO COURTESY OF AARP
Giving circles are a relatively new trend — within the past two or three decades or so — but are based on centuries-old traditions of mutual aid societies and other forms of giving within communities. According to the Giving Circle Network, there are currently 400 documented giving circles nationwide. A survey responded to by about 40 percent of those found that they alone have raised $88 million since their inception (most since the year 2000) and granted almost $65 million to fund community needs. Giving Circles are ethnically diverse and, though a majority of members are female, co-ed and even all-male circles exist
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CATONSVILLE WOMEN’S GIVING CIRCLE
Grants total in the millions
SEPTEMBER 2014
More than 125,000 readers throughout Greater Baltimore
Giving circles for greater good By Carol Sorgen When Penny Wald and her husband moved to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor eight years ago, she began looking for a way to become involved not only in her new city, but in the philanthropic community as well. A retired educational consultant and professor of education, Wald had become involved in a “giving circle” when she lived in Alexandria, Va., prior to moving to Baltimore. Such groups pool their charitable contributions and decide jointly where to give, and how to further their involvement in community and social causes. Wald, 67, investigated opportunities after moving here, and found the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle (BWGC), a project of the Baltimore Community Foundation. She joined five years ago and has found it an ideal opportunity “to meet interesting women by doing good work with them,” not to mention getting to know her adopted hometown. The mission that motivates BWGC members is, through collective giving and collaboration, to empower other women and their families in the greater Baltimore area to become self-sufficient. The BWGC was founded in 2001 by Shelley Goldseker and Pam Corckran. Their vision was to bring together Baltimore women from diverse backgrounds to engage in collective philanthropy focused on women and their families who were living in poverty in the Baltimore area. By the end of the first year, there were 52 members. Today there are 445.
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At AARP’s TEK workshops, participants learn the many useful things they can do with digital tablets and smartphones, such as taking and emailing photos. Courses also teach about apps, social media, online safety and more.
visors will welcome local high school and college students to assist with the trainings and work with attendees, providing an opportunity for the two generations to reach out, learn from each other, and discover new ways to connect. “In the first 45 minutes alone,” said Bradwell, “participants can learn things that will change their lives. They are feeling empowered. There is a hunger and demand for this type of education.” For more information on AARP TEK workshops and online tools and resources, log on at www.aarp.org/aarptek.
What shopping will look like in the future By Mae Anderson When it comes to shopping, more Americans are skipping the stores and pulling out their smartphones and tablets. Still, there’s more on the horizon for shopping than just point-and-clicking. No one thinks physical stores are going away permanently. But because of the frenetic pace of advances in technology and online shopping, the stores that remain will likely offer amenities and services that are more about experiences and less about selling a product. Think: Apple Inc.’s stores. Among the things industry watchers are envisioning are holograms in dressing rooms that will allow shoppers to try on clothes without getting undressed. Their homes will be equipped with smart technology that will order light bulbs before
they go dark. And they’ll be able to “print out” coffee cups and other products using 3-D technology in stores. “Physical shopping will become a lot more fun because it’s going to have to be,” retail futurist Doug Stephens said. Forrester analyst Sucharita Mulpuru said stores of the future will be more about services — like day care, veterinary services and beauty services. Services that connect online and offline shopping could increase as well, with more drive-thru pickup and order-online, pick-up-in-store services. Checkout also will be self-service, or with cashiers using computer tablets.
Self-service dress stores Some stores are taking self-service fur-
plays clothing not in piles or on racks but as one piece hanging at a time, like a gallery. Shoppers just touch their smartphones to a coded tag on the item and then select a color and size on their phone. Technology in the store keeps track of the items, and by the time a shopper is ready to try them on, they’re already at the dressing room. If the shopper doesn’t like an item, she tosses it down a chute, which automatically removes the item from the shopper’s online shopping cart. The shopper keeps the items that he or she wants, which are purchased automatically when leaving the store, no checkout involved. Nadia Shouraboura, Hointer’s CEO, said once shoppers get used to the process, t
Make it yourself at home Within 10 years, 3-D printing could make a major disruption in retail, Deloitte’s Lobaugh predicts. Take a simple item like a coffee cup. Instead of producing one in China, transporting it and distributing it to retail stores, you could just download the code for the coffee cup and 3-D print it at a retail outlet or in your own home. “That starts a dramatic change in terms of the structure of retail,” Lobaugh said. And while 3-D printing today is primarily of plastic items, Lobaugh said there are tests at places like MIT Media Lab and elsewhere with other materials, including fabric. Right now a few stores offer rudimentar
Learn to use tablets and smartphones; plus, how shopping is changing, useful links and more th
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At their annual summer garden party, members of the Catonsville Women’s Giving Circle mingle with others who are considering joining the group. Giving circles, which pool member contributions and make donations to community nonprofit organizations, are growing in popularity.
and are growing. Circles vary in size and formality, from those with a handful of neighbors hosting “parties with a purpose,” to some (like BWGC) with hundreds of members. Most focus their support on local needs, but needs throughout the world are also increasingly addressed. At BWGC, each member of the circle contributes $1,100 annually; $1,000 goes directly to the grants being awarded that year, and $100 to an administrative fund. According to Margaret (Peggy) Schapiro, who serves as BWGC co-chair with Wald, the circle has awarded more than $3.5 million in grants to more than 140 local organizations since its founding. This year, those contributions were re-
sponsible for awards totaling $425,000 to 22 programs serving women and families in Baltimore city and county. Those programs included Night of Peace, for a family shelter to assist homeless families with children; Rebuilding Together Baltimore, to provide home repair services to allow low-income elderly women to maintain their homes and their independence; and the YWCA, to provide supportive housing and services for women and their children. The circle’s work is done by committees involving any and all members who care to join one. “We encourage, but don’t require, members to join committees, but know that See GIVING CIRCLES, page 23
ARTS & STYLE
The Lyric Theatre celebrates 120 years; plus, an accountant returns to her creative roots, and the “Dick Van Dyke Show” returns on DVDs page 29 FITNESS & HEALTH 7 k Helping the body kill cancers k Ways we can slow down aging LAW & MONEY 18 k Keeping Social Security solvent k Avoid IRA withdrawal penalties LEISURE & TRAVEL k Breathtaking parks in Utah k Historic Sarajevo
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