1.1 Activities of Senior Supporter.
Senior Net Club started in the spring of 1998. Presently, we have about 100 seniors with core members being those who have completed the class, "Enjoying Internet from 60 years old", funded by Northeast Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication and NTT. There are two goals for the club. One is for seniors to be able to use Internet and not get left behind in information gatherings. The second goal is to have the seniors who have gained the skills and knowledge of a computer to use it for volunteer activities.

We call PC teachers "Senior Supporter" and at this moment, there are 22 senior supporters. Our main activities since we started the club was starting PC classes at Nishiyama, Masue, Nishitaga Elementary schools during summer vacation and teaching the citizens of Oshima and to the 5th graders in Sept. of 1998 at Kesennuma City Oshima Elementary School. We also have taught 4th graders at Sendai City Moniwadai Elementary School in Nov. and Dec. of 19998. We used postcard software to guide the elementary students to become familiar with the computer. We spent about 4-6 hours with the students. Also, on Nov. 1999, at Yamagata Prefecture Tsuruoka City�fs public hall and on Dec. 1998, at Sendai City Post office, we held a "Helping Out With New Year�fs Day Card" lecture for the citizens of the city.

Introduction Of Senior Supporters At Moniwadai Elementary School.

1.2 What PC Classes Teach.
In PC classes, senior supporters teach the basics of a computer, like handling of the mouse, to students who have never touched a computer and other beginners in short time by using the following methods.

We use "Hagaki Studio" which was donated to us by Microsoft to teach the basic knowledge and skills of a computer. Students learn the knowledge and skills by making both sides of a postcard.

In a classroom, students are divided into smaller groups and sub-teachers make sure that every student is following the teachings of the main teacher. When sub-teachers see that a student is stuck, they help the student so that everyone is acquiring the basic knowledge and skills of a computer.

1.3 PC Classes For Elementary Students.
Internet classes are for seniors by seniors. Helping classes are mostly for seniors and housewives. However, classes at schools are for our grandchildren�fs age. We were forced to change our teaching style according to the ages, and we felt very nervous about teaching elementary school children.

At first we were only planning to teach computers to older citizens of Oshima with the 30 computers that were donated to Oshima Elementary School by PC store in Sendai City. But the school requested that we teach to its student as well. We met with Oshima Elementary School�fs teacher Hatakeyama and decided that we will teach the students the same way we have been teaching the older students.

We were not fully prepared to teach the children for we never taught them before, but we started anyway. We used "Making Postcard" with 5 supporters to teach 24 5th graders who already had the knowledge of entering Japanese characters and the usage of the mouse. It was like "Grandfather teaching a grandson how to make straw sandals" but in the end both parties were very satisfied.