The Tech Café at U3A Box Hill has now run three sessions, and what a journey it has been! Like any great adventure, it has had its unexpected twists, surprising discoveries, and a touch of good-natured chaos. We set off with just three participants, and we’re now up to eight — proof that word is spreading, and so far, no one has run for the hills.
Enter Dean, the Hero We Needed
Our second session saw Dean Sanelli step up as an additional tutor and mentor. His presence was an extremely welcome addition, greatly improving our ability to guide participants through their tech challenges. With more hands on deck, we could juggle the various issues members were encountering—though ‘juggle’ may be an understatement when describing what actually unfolded.
A Link Too Far
That session became an exercise in problem-solving (and patience) when we discovered that we did not have the correct link for the skills checker. After much collective effort, we found a link that worked, and our diligent participants completed the check—only to later realize we had used the wrong link. If that wasn’t enough, the official link changed afterward! Fortunately, this time, we caught it before repeating history. Lesson learned: in the digital world, links are as unpredictable as Melbourne’s weather.
Time Flies When You’re Fixing Tech
With only an hour per session, we quickly realized that we couldn’t give every participant’s issue individual attention. However, we also discovered that many people were struggling with similar problems. So, we’ve started encouraging participants to submit their tech woes in advance, allowing us to group them and address them efficiently.
Some of the common issues we tackled included:
- The overwhelming flood of computer updates after months of neglect (we feel your pain!).
- How to download photos from iCloud to both Mac and Windows PCs (because memories shouldn’t be trapped in the cloud!).
- Moving files and using a USB stick with Windows File Manager (which should be simple—but isn’t always).
- Connecting to WiFi (a true test of patience and persistence).
The Best Session Yet (and a Few Laughs, Too!)
By the third session, things were really starting to click. We found a format that worked for everyone, and the discussions became livelier. There was even time for a bit of fun—participants were curious about AI, so we had an impromptu demo of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools.
In the spirit of discovery (and entertainment), we asked ChatGPT to tell us a joke about U3A. Here’s what it came up with:
Q: How do you get U3A members to climb a mountain? A: Put a café at the summit and schedule a morning tea break there!
At least AI knows its audience!
Looking ahead, we’ll continue refining the Tech Café experience, tackling tech troubles with patience, humor, and — if all else fails — another cup of tea or coffee. If you have tech questions, bring them along. If you don’t, come anyway — you never know what you might learn (or laugh about) along the way!
Tech Café Blog and Resources
You can always find the Tech Café Blog and Resources from the Main menu bar at the top. Select Courses then click on Tech Café.
Here is a direct link.
About the image
ChatGPT’s idea of what our Tech Café looks like …