Here adults learn from children: secondary school students help with questions about cell phones, laptops and the like.
Taufkirchen / Hohenpolding
- Michael Zollner boots up his laptop, puts on the headphones and waits for the video conference to start.
The 14-year-old Hohenpoldinger quickly chooses a colorful background for his video image, and then he is ready to go.
His elective course “IT for everyone” at the Realschule Taufkirchen will begin virtually.
Young technology experts like Michael help free of charge with questions about computers, tablets and mobile phones.
Michael Zollner is skilled at the computer, that is his field. He spends many hours in front of the screen every day. “Some say that's too much,” the ninth grader admits. But Michael doesn't just play games, he practices for later, learns the programming languages Java and C #. He is preparing for his dream job. He wants to become an application developer one day, that's his plan. The 14-year-old has already written one or the other program himself - favors for friends and family.
The junior high school student is happy to help.
Preferably with his computer skills.
This is also what he already likes in the second year of the “IT for Everyone” elective.
He remembers an elderly gentleman whom he helped scan and archive his stamp collection last year.
“He was very enthusiastic and beaming,” says Michael, “it was a nice feeling that I could help him”.
Like Michael, his colleagues, who have taken the elective with Herwig Solf, teacher of mathematics, physics and IT, are also doing.
“It's fun to help others when they don't know what to do,” says Filippo Manca (13).
He also says of himself that he is “quite interested in technology” and wants to become a computer scientist one day.
It gives the students a boost that adults appreciate the advice and help of the young people, says teacher Solf, who started the elective a good ten years ago.
This conveys an appreciation that strengthens the students in their development.
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In the computer room of the Realschule Taufkirchen the participants of the elective course “IT for everyone” (above) are in their element.
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They share their knowledge in free consultation hours.
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There are only boys in the team this year, but that was often different, says Solf. At the moment, the five young people have another hurdle to overcome because of the pandemic: How do I explain to someone who is not particularly skilled with new media, which keys they have to press when I can only have contact with them from a distance via video chat or telephone? "The procedure is much more difficult than if we could face the person," says Filippo. Some things don't work at all and have to be postponed until after Corona, says Solf. Gabriel Göpfrich (13), for example, is in contact with a customer who was given a new laptop and cannot even start it up. It doesn't help, she has to wait until Daniel is allowed to visit her in the retirement home. The students showed a lot of commitmentpraises her teacher Solf. Sometimes they also sacrificed their free time on weekends.
Most of the inquiries that the team receives via its cooperation partner, the multigenerational house, come from older people.
Often it is about the mobile phone, apps have to be installed or uninstalled, symbols suddenly no longer appear on the start page or something similar.
"Corona shows us where IT can be used and where it will probably be more and more," says teacher Solf.
Accordingly, offers such as this elective would gain in importance.
And the pandemic is also having an effect on customers.
"Right now it is important that people can connect with each other through technology," says Fillipo.
The connection to the outside world has become all the more important for the elderly.
