STEPPING UP & DORA

DORA the Digital Bus has been working with public libraries on a 12 month tour funded by Lotteries NZ and Kiwibank. DORA’S tour was put on hold during lockdown but is set to start back up in July. The tour started in July 2019 and will complete the tour in June 2021. DORA has toured the regions of: Northland, Whanganui, Coromandel, West Coast, Nelson and Tasman. When the tour starts back up DORA will visit: Eastern BOP, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Taupo, King Country, Southland and Canterbury.

Helen caught up with Michelle Bryant who worked with DORA in Nelson and Tasman back in February. Nelson Public Libraries partnered with Kiwibank and Stepping Up to hold free digital classes on online banking, and how to avoid internet scams. These classes were held in DORA the digital bus, which was parked outside each of their libraries for one week. The bus is fitted with 10 workstations, each with a refurbished laptop computer so there is no need for participants to bring their own device.

QKIA ORA MICHELLE, I GUESS IT SEEMS A LONG TIME AGO AND A DIFFERENT WORLD SINCE YOU RAN YOUR CLASSES ON DORA BACK IN FEBRUARY?

AYes, it is a different world, but in some ways, not. We have still been working from home during the lockdown giving support for customers over the phone, helping with ebook downloads for example.

CAN YOU TELL OUR READERS A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE CLASSES YOU HELD?

We have been providing adult learning classes for years now. We started back in 1998 helping people set up email accounts, in 2005 we built a learning centre with dedicated computers and screens. APNK has really changed the way we teach now, participants usually bring their own devices. We run 8-10 classes a term, mostly for people over 50 (depending on the subject). We run classes on using ebooks, audio books, tablets and social media privacy sessions. We also teach how to research and find trustworthy information.

The classes we ran on board DORA were about internet banking. The participants sat on either side of the aisle with provided laptops and we had a large screen at the front for demonstration. We found that many of the participants were distrustful of internet banking. Often with couples only one of them used internet banking, they would rather go to a physical bank and get cash.

GOSH, THAT REALLY BECAME A PROBLEM DURING LOCKDOWN DIDN’T IT?

Yes, that’s right. We had stayed away from teaching classes about internet banking previously for lack of a neutral platform. For these classes we used the Banqer app, which is used to teach digital banking to school children. It’s a dummy banking app that lets you practice moving money around and paying bills. We adapted it for our older clients and that format, along with some role playing, worked really well on the bus. It opened up discussions about financial scams and romance scams as well. DIAA provided us with a good Powerpoint presentation and links, we are really grateful to DIAA for organising it.

WHAT ABOUT SENIORNET, DON’T THEY FILL THIS NEED?

There is crossover with some of the classes that Seniornet offers. However, you must be a paid-up member of Seniornet to register for a course. Our classes are free and you don’t need to bring your own device. They are collaborative and supportive and often tie in well with library sources such as elending. They are fun and you get to meet different people.

THANKS SO MUCH MICHELLE, BEST OF LUCK WITH ALL YOUR FUTURE CLASSES!