Whether it’s a morning tea, cook together, a photo comp, or an online scavenger hunt, hosting an event is a great opportunity for local people to receive local support in a friendly way. Here are some fun Get Online Week event ideas to get you started:
Try using Pinterest to look at creative tea cosy knitting ideas, Try finding a creative, free tea cosy knitting pattern by searching online, then try downloading it and get started knitting – all with the help of a cuppa! BYO knitting needles!
Hold a sausage sizzle at your centre and invite your community to come along and ask any tech questions they may have.
Invite an expert to come to your event to give a talk on a topic of interest. It could be a local police officer talking about online safety, or a historian explaining how they looked up their family tree online. Ask attendees to look up the topic on their device and share a fun fact they find online.
Who can find the cheapest loaf of sourdough? Who can find the best reviewed vacuum cleaner in Australia? Make it a bingo/competition and give prizes for the best online shopper
Encourage participants to use ChatGPT to plan what to do in their city/area during the weekend.
Ask them to open ChatGPT and ask: What should I do on the weekend in (Perth, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Brisbane) if I have $20? They can all share their plans and then ask for more details if needed.
Teach your learners how to use free Google Translate to put their favourite website into another language. Ask someone at your event who speaks that language to test out how good it is.
Try planning your next holiday online! Download Google Earth and learn how to jump all around the world with the click of a mouse. Explore hotel and flight comparison websites.
You can also use ChatGPT so people can ask what to do in a specific area with a budget.
Try starting off a digital streaming movies club! Gather people to meet, show how to use streaming platforms and features like closed captions, then watch interesting movies online. Don’t forget to mention how the recommendation system works in streaming platforms to show them more things they may like to watch! Encourage attendees to share their top recommendations too.
Rotate through different digital skills ‘stations’ to learn essential tips and tricks. Stop 1: Update emergency contacts in your phone. Stop 2: Add appointments to digital calendars. Stop 3: Check contact details are up to date in government apps.
Can’t use a touchscreen very easily? Struggle to hear what is said in videos? Show event attendees how to use free settings to make their smartphone, tablet or computer easier to use. Hand out our free tip sheet on this topic. Every one who attends gets a free Get Online Week stylus pen from our event pack!
Order a free Get Online Week event pack to get your set of playing cards. Hand out one digital skills playing card per pair of learners. Give them 5 to 10 minutes to have a go at that activity, then swap with another pair of learners. activity to the rest of the session.
We think hosting an event in person is the most effective way to reach people with low digital skills. However, if you think your community would prefer to meet online we have some ideas for you too.
Keep in mind that online events usually take a bit more time and patience. Think about what you can send people in hard copy before the event to help them to get involved. You may need to include supporting your attendees to learn how to join video calls.
We have upskilling webinars, planning guides, grant funding and marketing resources to help you to plan and run a great digital skills event.
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