Community members are encouraged to bring their digital questions, concerns, and even devices to the next Community Tech Nights, hosted by Boothbay Region Adult & Community Education. 

The team of adult education staff and staff and students of Boothbay Region High School that helped community members at the first tech night in November will be back on Thursday, Jan. 25, at Edgecomb Eddy School, and Thursday, Feb. 29, at Boothbay Region High School. Both events take place from 5 to 7 p.m. 

Tech Night invites community members to bring their technology devices and questions to the for on-the-spot help from staff and student “experts.” Support will be offered for Apple and Android smartphones, laptops, tablets, Macs and PCs, common hardware and software, Zoom and other online meeting platforms, Google Workspace and Microsoft Office products, accessibility features, and other bells and whistles. 

Five community members attended the first tech night, according to Boothbay Region Adult & Community Education Director Raye Leonard.  

“Our ‘experts’ helped one person transfer an Android phone to an iPhone, another needed support sorting out contacts on her iPad, and yet another brought in an old scanner to try to get it hooked up to a brand-new laptop,” Leonard said. “We look forward to helping people with the issues they bring to the next tech nights.” 

Participants are asked to sign up in advance by visiting boothbayae.maineadulted.org. Upon registering, participants will be asked to sum up their tech trouble so the team can be prepared. 

At the event, participants will be greeted by a Tech Night concierge, and directed to a Tech Station, where a staff or student host will offer their support. Hosts are experts only to the extent of their own knowledge and experience, so some issues may be beyond their scope of understanding. Light refreshments will be served and additional resources offered. 

Additional classes

Two additional tech classes are planned for the winter and spring. Betty Cheff, program assistant for Midcoast Adult & Community Education will teach Staying Safe on Social Media from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, and Web Browser Safety & Security from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13. 

“We hope the Boothbay community will take advantage of tech nights and other classes to further develop their IT knowledge,” said Brandon Look, a digital planner with CMRB. 

Coastal Maine Regional Broadband, a regional broadband partner of the Maine Connectivity Authority, is working to expand public access and digital equity and inclusion to the Midcoast area. Funding for Boothbay Region Adult & Community Education to expand its offerings in information technology education and training is one of CMRB’s first steps towards accomplishing this goal. For more information, visit CMRB.me. 

Boothbay Region Adult & Community Education offers high school completion, career and college advising, workforce preparation, and enrichment courses to adults in the AOS 98 school district, including Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb, Georgetown, and Southport. For more information, visit boothbayae.maineadulted.org, or email program assistant Kate Winslow at kwinslow@aos98schools.org.