Information technology for grandparents and grandchildren

Abstract

In a global and technology society, new technologies often represent an exclusion factor for the elderly population, unlike what happens with the digital natives. By contrast, young people today are fluent in the language of the new digital technologies. Information Technologies and Communication (ICT) can be key elements to bring different generations and promote the strengthening of family ties and sharing experiences. In this context, TINA project (Information Technology for Grandparents and Grandchildren) whose main aim is to promote family cohesion between grandchildren and grandparents through the ICT including through the Internet. It presents a pilot experiment involving two groups of grandparents and grandchildren in the district of Bragança, Portugal, in 2010. Apart from living promoted by the ICT, participants were trained in basic ICT skills and participated in workshops on the use of communication / interaction technologies between grandparents and grandchildren. The project culminated with the completion of a contest based on webquests before the Grandparents day.