Whilst we have not had face to face contact, a few members have phoned Jenny Sawyer and me with computer and phone related questions. That is fine. We are only too happy to help.

During the past few days we have been told that Be Connected has some new courses available in its Topic Library. One of these courses is related to setting up a myGov account. This account is extremely handy if you need to claim on Medicare, contact Centrelink or the Australian Tax Office, find out about My Aged Care or use My Health Record.

To access myGov you need an Email address and a mobile phone number. The myGov course takes you through registration, the benefits that are available through registration and how to access the various Government departments.

In your browser put www.beconnected.esafety.gov.au Then Sign In on the top right hand side. Go to the Topic Library where you will see All Topics and New Topics. Tap on New topics and then the myGov section. If you cannot sign in for any reason, you can still access the myGov part of the Topic Library.

It is a useful tool. Hope you find it useful too.

Margaret Jenkins

The value of our Be Connected Drop In sessions has been really emphasised with the need for us all to use our computers and devices so extensively during this COVID-19 lockdown.

Now we are starting to regain normality, but only slowly at the moment. We are going to have to wait until the Benalla Rural City Council opens the Seniors Building before we get back to face to face classes.

It has been suggested that two Be Connected groups might be worthwhile when we return. The first group are our U3A Benalla members who have developed basic skills in using their device, but want to expand their knowledge and be able to do more things on them. They have seen the benefit of using Skype, WhatsApp and Face Time and perhaps have started using Zoom for communicating with family.

The second group are those U3A members and others in the Community who have yet to acquire digital skills.  Some of these people have heard about U3A digital classes for beginners run by Jenny Sawyer and have indicated that want to join them when face to face groups recommence. 

So at the moment, look after yourselves and we hope we can resume U3A Be Connected again soon.
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Margaret Jenkins

The value of being able to use our tablet, iPad and computer during this time of isolation is very important.  We hope you are using Email to keep in contact with friends and relatives.

There are also programs such as Skype and Face Time which we have covered as part of the Be Connected program previously. The value of using these programs now is enormous.

Refresh your involvement with these programs by looking up www.beconnected.esafety.gov.au   and then going to the Topic Library and scrolling down to find the Learning Module you are looking for. Connecting to Others is the Module which takes you through Skype, WhatsApp and how to use Face Time.

We look forward to continuing our online journey when U3A resumes face to face classes.
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Margaret Jenkins

​​During the first Be Connected session for March we introduced our members to the Be Connected website at www.beconnected.esafety.gov.au In particular we went to the Topic Library where all the various modules of the Be Connected program are outlined.

As there had recently been an eSafety Day for Be Connected we concentrated on the Safety First Module which included Safe Passwords and Paying Safely on line.

The benefit of this Drop-In session is that members who come to this session often get one on one support for whatever problem they are having with their device.

In the second session Dorothy Webber showed participants how to use Online shopping as well as helping with keeping contact lists for phone contacts.

From 21 March 2020 due to COVID-19 U3A Benalla groups will not be meeting until the second Semester. You will all receive Email notification when groups can recommence.
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Margaret Jenkins & Bill Parris

Over 40 members and friends of U3A attended our Pizza night held on Wednesday 26th February in the U3A room. We all enjoyed pizza and the delicious salads as well as the chocolate cake which followed. The evening was sponsored by the Be Connected program which is run for the Federal Government.

During the evening we took the opportunity to tell our members about the Be Connected Drop In program which commenced in February 2020 with sessions on the first and third Monday mornings at 10am. The members who have attended these sessions are interested in expanding their computer skills to keep pace with the many communications that are available on the internet. People who have few computer skills are also encouraged to come along. U3A Benalla has a small number of mobile devices which are available to lend to members to get them started if they do not have a tablet or iPad of their own.

We are using the Be Connected modules as a guide to help our learners. Following the Pizza night we had a session on Safety first which included safe passwords and paying safely on line. Everyone seemed to appreciate the excellent words of advice that the module provided. The module is available under the Topic Library on www.beconnected.esafety.gov.au for those who would like to look it up. 
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The next session of Be Connected will be on Monday 16th March 2020 at 10am. All welcome.

Margaret Jenkins

Three sessions of were held in January as part of U3A Benalla's Summer School.

Our first session was about the Vic Emergency App. This was in response to the emergency situations facing many Victorians as bushfires raged in the North East and surrounds. Participants downloaded the app and created a watch zone to receive warnings and notifications.

In the second session we expanded our knowledge about Apps learning how to install Apps, move their icons about on our devices and how to delete them.

In our last session we had a lot of fun looking at games on the Be Connected Topic library. These included crosswords, easy threesy, great minds, memory game and spot the difference. Whilst these games are designed for a laptop or desk computer Be Connected are also bringing them to mobile devices in the near future. In this session we also looked at downloading the Words with Friends App and learning how to move the letters around. All these games are great to while away some time and keep our brains active when it is too hot to be outside in the heat.
Overall the Be Connected Summer School was enjoyed by the participants.

Members are reminded of the Tech Savvy Apple Devices Courses for Beginners and Intermediates and also of the Be Connected-Drop In Course all of which commence in February
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Convenors:   Jenny Sawyer and Margaret Jenkins

The U3A room (with NBN Wi Fi) and rostered 'Be Connected' mentors will be available to assist U3A members who would like some help with their device. There will usually be a 'theme' for the session; members will be encouraged to use Be Connected* modules and the course will evolve according to needs.

​Days:  1st & 3rd Monday
​Time:  10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Place:  U3A Meeting Room
Contact:  Margaret Jenkins 57627944 and Bill Parris 0417 329 278

*Be Connected is an Australian Government initiative targeting people over 55 years comprising online learning modules which help to make the most out of being online.

The highlight of October 2019 was the Get Online Week lunch held in the U3A room on Wednesday 16 October. About 50 U3A members and others attended and enjoyed the BBQ cooked by the Benalla Lions Club in the U3A entrance area. We were pleased that the numbers attending this BBQ were substantially up on the first BBQ held in July, so obviously the sausages and hamburgers together with coleslaw and bread provided was enjoyed by all.

During the lunch we had vocal entertainment provided by David Palmer with Neville Gibb accompanying him on the piano.  Later we used the overhead projector to outline several aspects of what can be looked up on line. These included finding out about the NBN, any health aspects that interest us and managing money. We also had a discussion on the breadth of the Be Connected Program and a demonstration of two of the modules which showed the various buttons on a tablet and their uses and setting up PIN and fingerprint identification on our device. 

Full sessions of Be Connected have continued during each Wednesday of October. This month we have looked at On Line Hobbies such as Researching family history, exploring Google Earth and using on line journals or Blogs. We have also navigated looking up the train timetable from Benalla to Melbourne as well as taking photos with our devices. 

This series of Be Connected is finishing at the end of October. It has been pleasing that so many of the participants have come each week and we have seen their skills develop during the four months that we have run Be Connected. I would like to sincerely thank the Mentors who have come each week to help participants – without them the participants would not have made as much progress as they have. Thank you Jenny Sawyer, Lin Ryan, Pat Treleaven, Dorothy Webber and Geraldine McCorkell. 

​A Summer Series of Be Connected is planned for Tuesday 7th, 14th and 21st January 2020 at 10am. Any U3A member is welcome to attend. We will be catering for both iPad and Android users.

Margaret Jenkins