iPhone Life magazine

Never too old to learn

John Painter 4.28.10

Since getting my iPad I've been wanting to find out what my parents think about the device, so this past weekend I headed down to the coast with my son and iPad to relax and visit with my parents, and find out if they would like to try using an iPad.

My parents grew up during the Great Depression, my mother here in Maine and my father in the coal mining camps of West Virginia.  My father a WW II veteran, met my mother when his ship put to port in New York where my mother was working as a nutritionist, they've seen a lot in their days, but they hadn't seen an iPad up close.  Though well into their 80's now, I think at least my mother (who's always been interested in technology), picked right up on how to use the iPad. 

My mother is a writer, and true to her name a painter, so Pages ($9.99), ArtStudio (.99), and Adobe Ideas (free) were of most interest to her, though when she fired up iTunes and played a Johnny Cash tune, well my father came running to check it all out.

      

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John Painter
http://www.johnlpainter.com

I'm a behavioral health professional living and working in Maine specializing in psychiatric rehabilitation. For years I've utilized mobile technology to improve the delivery of community based mental health services, and embraced the iPhone when it came out in 2007.

I am also a doctoral candidate at Franklin Pierce University where I have been researching the role of the Liberal Arts in American higher education.

I write as a guest for iPhone Life periodically with a special interest in helping other professionals (healthcare, education and government in particular) incorporate iOS devices into their work, and several years ago introduced the first iPhone and eventually iPad classes at Lewiston Adult Education in Lewiston Maine http://laeipad.blogspot.com/ concentrating on helping other professionals interested in using and incorporating iPads into their work.

Old Comments

Never too old to learn

Submitted by Patty on 4/28/10 9:05pm

Well . . I loved it.

Did you notice how intensely

Submitted by John Painter on 4/29/10 6:33am
Did you notice how intensely she was working the iPad when looking at Safari? And I can't believe Dad heard that Johnny Cash song from the other side of the house.

I think that I am glad to

Submitted by walte e on 4/29/10 7:12am

I think that I am glad to know that my parents and parents-in-law are normal. Lately I've been wondering what future devices will cause me to react that way.

I doubt my parents will be

Submitted by John Painter on 4/29/10 7:33am
I doubt my parents will be ordering up an iPad, but it's clear now that they'll want to see photos of of us, what's going on in-between visits and the iPad is a good platform for showing them. If they like something, then we can always print some photos, etc. What my mother started to do was just browse photos when she gets up, since she's usually up around 4:30am then she has some questions about 'how did so and so go? I saw a picture of you guys fishing or over at the Schafer Theater.' etc, etc.

Never too old

Submitted by Cindy Downes on 4/29/10 11:27am

Loves this video and blog posting, John. I, too, think this tool will open technology up to the older generations. 

Thanks

Submitted by Jim Karpen on 4/29/10 2:27pm

Thanks, John, for sharing. It was fun to see their reaction.

jim 

I was surprised my mother got

Submitted by John Painter on 4/29/10 7:16pm
I was surprised my mother got into it, she actually got a bit possessive almost holding it like a baby! She had fun.

Jim it was really

Submitted by John Painter on 4/29/10 7:20pm
Jim it was really interesting, I did edit for time and so I cut the part where she was complaining about the New York Times... Not the app mind you but the paper I had no idea she hated it, she said the pictures were pretty but the writing was junk... What can I say, that's her opinion. My father just wanted me to keep playing Johnny Cash.