Mike Neal
Linda Shannon-Hills
The pandemic has forced the world to adapt to new ways of doing things we enjoy. Holding classes and workshops in the Technology Room was not recommended due to the possible spread of the coronavirus. Face to face interactions required face masks and a limited number of people in the room. With these new challenges, the SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) Technology Club found new ways to offer workshops, classes, and SIG groups in a different way, as well as to provide tech support during our open lab times.
Once again, technology has provided ways to bridge our challenges. You may have heard of Zoom but are not sure what it really does. A short description of Zoom is an online audio and web conferencing platform. People use it to make phone calls or to participate in video conference meetings, as well as offer webinars and classes. We have found that Zoom can give the Tech Club the ability to hold online sessions for members of the club on various topics led by volunteer members of the SBR Technology Club.
Classes and workshops will be posted on the events calendar on our website. You will need to register to attend a class or workshop on Zoom. If you don’t know how to use Zoom, make an appointment with a monitor during the open lab sessions to assist you on how to download the app and log into a session on Zoom. Register at sbrtechnology.club.
Needing technical assistance on your smart phone or computers? Sign up for an appointment with a monitor on duty during the open lab sessions. Go to sbrtechnology.club, sign in with your password. Click on the events calendar to see what specific skills training is available to assist our members. Click on a time you want to schedule, then register to come.
The Tech Club is excited to add a new service for our members. After receiving a grant from the Pinal County Board of Supervisors Partner/External Agency Funding program, the club purchased equipment to establish a Personal Digital Archiving System for the use by our club members. This system will allow the scanning and storing of family documents and photographs tied with family history projects.
Many of us have collected and acquired during our lives, boxes of photographs, slides, film, and other media that are deteriorating in storage. By digitizing this material, we can both preserve an archive for future generations, as well as upgrade these memories into a form that is more easily shared across all our families through the use of personal websites, social media, and digital albums.
Monitors have been trained to provide training/assistance in this process. You can make reservations on the club website, sbrtechnology.club, for a time when monitors trained on this service are available.
This process can save you many dollars compared to sending them to an outside company. Their service costs can run between 25 and 50 cents per image. Using the Technology Club system also can save money as well as enjoying working with these old memories.
If you are not a member of the Technology Club of SaddleBrooke Ranch, now is a good time to join. You can come into the Technology Room, where we are limiting the number of people in the room and keeping six feet of distance as well as wearing masks.