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Joseph Vijay is wearing a grey suit, with a pale pink tie. He has short dark hair and is smiling at the camera

President’s Report September 2026

2026, eNews, From the President, September 2026 /

Welcome to the September edition of our ASCCA newsletter. 

As we move into spring, we reach a momentous milestone for ASCCA. Over the past nine months, we have focused on rebuilding our foundations, clarifying our strategic direction, and elevating our advocacy for digital inclusion across Australia. I am proud to share several major updates regarding our board leadership, strategic projects, growing team, and upcoming community events. 

Board Leadership Update: Appointing Our Next Chair 

Following a thorough search process, I am pleased to share that we have concluded our recruitment for ASCCA’s next Board Chair and extended an offer to an exceptionally experienced leader who is well-positioned to guide our organisation into its next chapter. 

Our plan is to integrate them into the board over the coming weeks, leading up to our Annual General Meeting (AGM), where they will be formally appointed by our members. 

With this appointment, I will step back into my role as Vice Chair and continue to serve ASCCA alongside our board and new Chair. 

A Personal Note of Thanks: I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to our board, our members, our community partners, and the broader seniors’ community. Thank you for working alongside me and supporting me over these past nine months. We have made important progress together. As we launch our new strategy, I have absolute confidence that we will not only restore ASCCA to its former level of strength and engagement but expand it to become the definitive voice for seniors as the world rushes towards AI and digitisation. 

Transformation 

New Website Launch 

We are reaching an exciting milestone with our digital presence. Our beta website will be launched and tested in close collaboration with The Hills Seniors Computer Club, using their real-world testing and feedback to refine the user experience. 

Our target date for the full public rollout is 1 October 2026. 

I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has provided feedback, ideas, suggestions, and constructive criticism over recent months. Your input has been invaluable in shaping the design, functionality, and features of a modern site built specifically for our community. A special thanks to the team at Lifespice.digital for inspiring our new design and our ASCCA team for converting a vision into reality. 

ASCCA Constitution 2026 

Alongside our digital updates, we have concluded our review and finalisation of ASCCA’s new constitution. 

Our legal partners, Baker McKenzie, have done an exceptional job of preserving the integrity of ASCCA’s foundation and purpose while integrating greater clarity, structure, and agility to help us steer ASCCA, its members, and its partners into the next era. 

We will soon draft a formal document outlining the proposed amendments and distribute it to all our members and affiliates, with a plan to formally adopt the new constitution during our 2026 AGM. 

Team Updates: Welcoming Hazel & Jack 

Our operational capabilities continue to grow, and I am delighted to welcome two key additions to the ASCCA team: 

Hazel Prosser joins our Communications Working Group. Hazel brings substantial expertise in publishing and graphic design, and she will be helping us elevate the visual design and delivery of our newsletter, social media channels, and broader communications. 

Jack Turner joins us as a skilled bid writer. Jack will be focusing on professionalising our grant applications and fundraising submissions, ensuring we secure the resources needed to expand our programs. 

Both Hazel and Jack join a capable, friendly, and purpose-driven team. We still have several volunteer positions open across our working groups, so if you would like to or know someone who would enjoy contributing their skills to a meaningful cause, our ASCCA team are only an email away – please email your interest to office@ascca.org.au. 

Grants & Advocacy in Action: Get Online Week in Western Sydney 

Thanks to Deborah Martin, we have secured a grant to host events during Get Online Week this October! 

For these events, we are prioritising the community across Greater Western Sydney, a region home to over 250,000 seniors, yet historically underserved by local computer clubs and digital drop-in hubs. Following on from our recent outreach, we have approached Fairfield City Council, Liverpool City Council, and community partners across the Cabramatta area to collaborate on these events and help us seed new, long-term support networks for local seniors. 

Get Involved: If you would like to volunteer or support our Get Online Week initiatives in Western Sydney, please contact Deborah Martin by emailing office@ascca.org.au. 

Help Us Amplify Our Voice 

Our ongoing effort to raise the profile of seniors and secure community-based technology support relies heavily on visibility. If you haven’t already, please follow and engage with our social channels. Liking, commenting, and sharing our updates helps amplify our message to local councils, potential funding partners, and families who need our support. 

Message for September: Leadership in Transition, Mission in Motion 

Closing Thought for September: 

“True organisational strength is never about a single person; it is about building a shared foundation strong enough to carry a vital mission forward. As we prepare to welcome new board leadership, update our constitution, launch our new digital tools, and bring digital support directly into Western Sydney, we are reminded that technology may evolve in leaps and bounds, but human connection remains our anchor. Thank you for your continued dedication to keeping our senior community connected, confident, and independent.” 

Warm regards, 

Joseph Vijay 

Interim President & Board Chair 

Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA)

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AI generated image showing Google Assistant on the left and Gemini on the right, text reads 'Starting September 4, Google replaces Google Assistant with Gemini AI on all Android devices'.

Tech Tips – Gemini replacing Google Assistant

2026, eNews, September 2026, Tech Updates /

What’s happening? 

Starting on 4th September, Google is progressively replacing Google Assistant with Gemini AI on all devices that run on the Android operating system. 

What is Google Assistant? 

On various Android devices (phones and tablets, smart speakers, smartwatches and headphones) saying ‘Hey Google’ or ‘Okay Google’ activates Google Assistant.  Your device listens for the trigger phrase, then converts your speech into text, interprets what you want and carries out your instruction. 

(This is not necessarily the same as tapping a microphone icon, which starts voice to text dictation, not full Google Assistant.) 

What is Gemini? 

Gemini is an artificial intelligence model that can handle voice, text, camera, images, documents and screen inputs.  Because it’s AI, Gemini allows you to give more complex and ambiguous instructions and have extended conversations. 

Switching from Google Assistant to Gemini 

You can switch from Google Assistant to Gemini yourself, rather than wait for the roll out. 

  1. Open Settings on your phone 
  1. Tap Google Services 
  1. Tap All Services 
  1. Tap Search, Assistant and Voice 
  1. Tap Google Assistant 
  1. Scroll down to Digital assistants from Google 
  1. Select Gemini, then tap on Switch to confirm. 

Settings for Gemini 

If you have the Gemini app on your device, you can go into Gemini Settings to give Gemini access to selected apps. 

  1. Open Gemini on your phone 
  1. Tap on your profile icon 
  1. Tap on Personal Intelligence 
  1. Tap on Connected apps 
  1. Toggle on or off the apps that you want to connect to Gemini (e.g. Photos, YouTube, Google Home). 

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Three seniors smiling as they look at a tablet, with a library as background

Tips for trainers:  How Adults Learn

2026, eNews, September 2026, Training /

Why This Matters 

Most of us who teach technology to older adults learn our craft through trial and error — we see what works, adjust when something doesn’t, and slowly build up a bag of tricks. That’s valuable experience. But underneath the tricks sits a body of research on how adults actually learn, and understanding it can save you a lot of trial and error. 

The most influential model of adult learning comes from educator Malcolm Knowles, who argued that adults learn differently from children — a field of study he called andragogy. His six principles apply directly to any adult learner and are also relevant when the learner is older and the subject is technology. 

The Six Principles of Adult Learning 

1. Adults need to know why before they’ll invest in how 

Children will often learn something simply because a teacher tells them to. Adults want to understand the point first. Before you demonstrate how to do something, spend thirty seconds on why it matters to them personally — not “this is how you attach a file” but “this means you can send your grandson the photos from Sunday without printing them.” 

2. Adults have a self-concept as capable, self-directing people 

This is the principle most often violated in tech teaching for seniors, usually with good intentions. Being over-corrected, spoken to slowly and loudly, or having a device taken out of someone’s hands “to save time” all undermine a person’s sense of themselves as capable. Wherever possible, let the learner’s hands stay on the device and let them drive, even if it’s slower. 

3. Adults bring a rich reservoir of experience 

A 75-year-old learner isn’t a blank slate. They may have used a typewriter, a rotary phone, a filing cabinet — and these experiences are useful anchors, not obstacles. “This is a bit like alphabetising a filing cabinet” can do more work than a purely technical explanation. It also means adults sometimes need to unlearn an old mental model before a new one fits, which can look like resistance but is really an adjustment period. 

4. Adults become ready to learn when it’s relevant to their life 

Motivation rises sharply when the skill connects to something already happening in someone’s life — a new grandchild overseas, a medical appointment moving online, a scam they’re worried about falling for. Where you can, sequence your teaching around real, current needs rather than a generic curriculum. 

5. Adults are task-oriented, not subject-oriented 

Adults generally want to solve a specific problem, not study a subject in the abstract. This is why “how to use a smartphone” as a course title works less well than “how to video call your family” or “how to check if a text message is a scam.” Frame lessons around tasks and outcomes, not features and menus. 

6. Adults are more often motivated internally than externally 

Grades and gold stars don’t move adult learners much. What does move them: confidence, independence, reduced fear, and the ability to help themselves or stay connected to people they love. Naming that motivation back to a learner (“you’ll be able to do this yourself now, without waiting for anyone”) reinforces it. 

What This Looks Like with Older Learners Specifically 

A few additional realities are worth layering on top of Knowles’ framework when your learners are seniors: 

  • Working memory and processing speed often decline gradually with age, even when long-term knowledge and reasoning stay strong. This doesn’t mean someone can’t learn — it means new information may need to be presented in smaller chunks, with more repetition, and less time pressure. 
  • Anxiety is a bigger barrier than ability. Many older learners have absorbed a cultural message that they’re “bad with technology” before they’ve even tried. That anxiety itself interferes with learning far more than any real cognitive limit does. A calm, unhurried, non-judgemental tone does more for learning outcomes than almost any technique. 
  • Physical factors matter more. Vision, hearing, dexterity, and arthritis all affect how someone interacts with a touchscreen or keyboard. Slower typing or difficulty with small icons is often physical, not cognitive — and treating it as the latter can be quietly humiliating for the learner. 
  • Learning in a social setting has its own value. For many seniors, a computer class is also a source of connection and routine. The learning and the social experience reinforce each other, which is worth remembering when you’re designing sessions, not just content. 

Bringing It Together as a Volunteer 

None of this requires new equipment or extra training time — it’s mostly a shift in posture: 

  • Start with why, not how. 
  • Let the learner’s hands do the work. 
  • Connect new skills to what they already know. 
  • Teach the task in front of them, not the whole subject. 
  • Assume competence, and treat confusion as information, not deficiency. 
  • Watch for anxiety and physical difficulty before assuming a cognitive gap. 

Adult learning theory isn’t a replacement for the practical tips most of us pick up on the job — it’s the reasoning that explains why those tips work. Once you can see the principle behind a technique, you can invent new techniques yourself when you hit a situation your usual toolkit doesn’t cover. 

 

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