2016 at our Tenderloin Tech Lab

Hello from the Tech Lab! We’ve had an exciting few months here. We wrapped up 2015 in style with our annual Tech Lab Holiday Party, where staff, volunteers, and more than 60 guests celebrated the season with desserts, bingo, a raffle, and gift bags. In late December, the lab closed for two weeks so Assistant Manager Omid Khazaie could install updates throughout the lab. Computers in two of our drop-in rooms now have privacy screens so guests can’t see the screens of their neighbors. All workstations have new large-print keyboards as well.

In the classroom, we’re in our second month of Basic and Intermediate Computer Skills courses. The next round will begin Monday, March 7. If one of your 2016 resolutions is to brush up on your computer skills, it isn’t too late to get started! These classes run for three weeks at a time, and we’re offering them every month. To sign up, call us at 415-592-2766 or email us at enroll@tenderlointechnologylab.org.

In the first week of February, we organized a series of workshops, which included Job Searching with Indeed.com and Google Drive. I also coordinated our first Smartphone Basics workshop to give guests an introduction to Android devices. Some people brought their own phones, and those who didn’t were able to practice on the lab’s Android phones. Our class was full that day and we continue to hear requests for smartphone workshops, so we’re hoping to offer more of these in the coming months.

Workshops returned this week! We offered a two-part social media day on Wednesday, March 2. From 10-11 am, we talked about the basics of using Facebook in a Facebook workshop. From 11-11:45 am, I talked about other forms of social media and answered questions in a Social Media Q&A. Intro to Skype is one of our most requested workshops, and that returned Thursday, March 3 from 2-4 pm. Contact the lab to find out more about any of our upcoming workshops. You can also check out our calendar page and click on individual events to see more details. 

We’re always looking for enthusiastic, knowledgeable volunteers to help out in our classes and assist guests one-on-one in our drop-in lab. To learn how to get involved as a teaching assistant or guest associate, check out St. Anthony’s skilled volunteer opportunities.

Finally, we’re relaunching our monthly email newsletter with updates of what’s going on in the lab, including schedules and upcoming events. To subscribe, go to our website’s calendar page, scroll to the bottom of the page, and enter your name and email address.

Look for more updates from us on our blog and website in the coming weeks!

Maria Cleary is St. Anthony’s Tenderloin Tech Lab Instructional Coordinator