Being seniors in the digital age:
I belong to the generation which has begun its life in the fifties of the 20th century and thus electronic gadgets, digital invasion of every space of our personal life in the present century is overwhelming. I sometimes used to wonder whether it is only me  in such a plight. I get a little assurance when I see grandmothers like me fumbling with the smart phone. Many of my friends used to say that they do not know much about the working of these gadgets and their sons/daughters only help them.
Then there are quite a few of my friends whose sons and daughters are living abroad. Vasantha happily chats with her grandchildren through Skype every week; Partha Mama(uncle) has to manage his son's (who lives in Canberra) bank accounts and transactions online. Many others pay their bills, book train tickets online.
But can I remain aloof and unaffected by the New age changes and information explosion?
With determination, I took on the task of dealing with all the buzz words - RAM, CPU, Monitor, cursor, Ctrl+c and many more - and slowly found my way into the digital age.
It is not a smooth process but nor is it an insurmountable problem. The learning still continues with occasional setbacks.
Relevance and value:
Most people of our generation do not have experience with the use of computer technology and without previous experience cannot think of the relevance of computers. The new learning will make sense only when we relate it to the life of learners. Like my globe trotting friends, we need to find a value/meaning to this learning. Ask yourself these questions: How is it going to be useful for me? Will my life be easier and less lonely? Can I do my shopping without stepping out of the house? With every aspect of our life going digital, it is necessary for all of us. Those who were in banking sector or in certain government offices when  a large scale digital transformation was introduced, had no other choice but to undergo computer training. 
As far as I was concerned, besides the obvious necessities, I felt a compelling desire to learn more about using technology in teaching. If I teach the value of curiosity, thirst for knowledge to my students, it is only fair that I follow these myself.
Initially I felt a little awkward being on the other side of the table as a student learning from a 'twenty something young woman'. (Hey! Where is an open mind seeking knowledge from any corner?)
Most of the times, the young people treat us with respect and are ready to patiently teach us. 

Motivation and conviction: 
What happens now that we know that computers are very much essential in our daily dealings? Still we may lose steam half way through. It is worth taking those friends who are tech savvy as our role model. Within our mind we can even compete with them to attain certain self sufficiency. But, remember at all times that each of us come with different abilities and aptitudes.
When we can use computers in many of our tasks, we certainly become confident and it improves our memory.
We need to be patient with ourselves no matter what others may think about it. but the key to success is tirelessly working at learning the skill. 
How do we learn?
I think, we may learn efficiently by writing down instructions or any other concepts. If you have a patient listener, you can describe  all that happened in class to that person and demonstrate as well.
Reinforcement and encouragement:
If I do not use/apply the theory regularly, how would it become part of my knowledge and skill? A great opportunity came my way - assisting in compilation of research materials, books and other sources about the Indian Ocean region.
In the early stages, I would begin my session before the system with trepidation - some days it would be the mouse in an unresponsive mood, at other times the cursor would refuse to budge! I had difficulty in putting together the ideas in a neat lay out and present a word document. But the person with whom I was working, was ready to guide me in a manner that I understood my mistakes. My daughter , wherever she was ( in the midst of her work even!) obliged me in providing distance instruction. Slowly, I have moved to that point from where I am able to work online related to teaching and text books.
Challenges:
But I get stressed when the gadget behaves unexpectedly or abnormally. Just imagine sitting alone in front of the system and working on an assignment. Suddenly things go haywire. I do a mental check. "No, I didn't press any key by mistake. I was in the midst of work. " Will you tend to run to an young person who is helpful at such times or not? You can but before that we can try to ask help from  the web itself. There are many videos giving step by step instruction. I do this random search at least weekly once to see whether I am able to follow the instructions successfully. (Many times, I am not able to follow the instructions is another story. But it is exciting to try again.).
If I am not ready to jump into the water, how will I learn swimming? Challenges sharpen the mind and we get to analyse the problem ourselves. I know, I will surmount the challenges but in my own time. I think of the things that I figured out myself (when no one is there to help) and see some of my friends who have worked out every principle themselves. Sure, I can also learn to do things on my own, can't I?
Let's break the barriers!
Age certainly has brought certain disadvantages like failing eyesight and hearing ability, lack of coordination of muscles and slow loss of memory. One need not feel ashamed or depressed about these things. We can demand user friendly fonts, colours, content-layouts and simple uncluttered menu bars and tool bars.
Let us come out of our comfort zone, broaden our horizon, enlarge our social circle and reach out to others in need.    

Road trips

Travel, wander, explore, move, journey, trip - how many ways I can refer to my move from Thiruvannamalai to Chennai and back!
Whatever be the name I like all the activities leading finally to the actual travel - plan the grocery, vegetables, milk and other supplies in such a way to finish them all just before travel, completing other tasks, packing and to be ready on time early in the morning!
I have been doing this road trip between these two places four to five times roughly every month for the last 3 months.
The early morning air is always refreshing. Every creature wakes up slowly to the gentle and warm touch of the Sun, welcomes the new morning with pure joy. I look out of the window with the speeding wind against my face - all things initially were like a haze or one dark lump but slowly becoming distinct like the firm strokes of the artist's brush.
The small villages still manage to retain their quaint charm - heap of hay, smell of cattle, occasional smell of the wet farming lands and places - Pennathur, Melpappampadi, Chenji, Pakkam.... we go past these beautiful little places waking up to another new morning.
Looking at those remains of the ramparts of the great fort of Chenji is a great experience in itself. The silent spectators of kingdoms gone, how would they have been during some glorious past!
What utter lack of imagination and inability to appreciate the history - that would have driven the government to break these walls (with much difficulty, I heard) and build road connecting Chenji to to places further north and northeast like Chennai! (There are so many such half formed thoughts - some related and some others disconnected - filling my mind which would help me later in my classes)
In and trough all these flashes of ideas, I feel I am part of everything around me, like the fort walls, the tall Palmyra trees, the chirpy birds, the milk man, the ladies cleaning their front yard and the distant azure mountains. I am in complete harmony there and a rare feeling of affinity shatters all barriers and in that moment of merging with all, I feel blessed and elated.