Tech Talk series starting Thursday
TURNERS FALLS — A three-week speaker series discussing digital legacy, podcasting and internet safety will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 10, with additional events slated for Sept. 17 and Sept. 24, at the Gill-Montague Senior Center, 65 Fifth St. All programs are scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
On Sept. 10, the first speaker will be Rich Vaden, who will discuss protecting access to someone’s digital legacy, which is the online data one leaves behind after death. He will discuss how to make sure someone’s digital assets, like family memories or important records, remain in control by their loved ones.
The second speaker on Sept. 17 will be Henry Balzarini, a producer of the “Backyard OASIS” (Older Adults Seeking, Inspiring & Serving) podcast produced at Greenfield Community College. He’ll discuss the basics and history of podcasting, and what advantages there are to listening to podcasts and finding what each person wants to listen to.
The final speaker on Sept. 24 will be Anne Wiley, retired GCC professor and local speaker on digital literacy. She’ll give a lecture on internet safety that she updates to keep track of scams that now use artificial intelligence.
Each of these free talks will end with a question-and-answer session. The series is funded by a grant that Gill received from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at the MassTech Collaborative under the Municipal Digital Equity Implementation Program.
Ornithologist to speak at Discovery Center
TURNERS FALLS — Ornithologist Chad Witko will discuss North America’s waterfowl and the role the Connecticut River Valley plays in bird migration during a Saturday, Sept. 12, program at the Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Guests will learn how to identify geese, ducks and swans, along with information about their migrations and how the Connecticut River acts as a stopover for winter migration. The event is free and open to all ages.
Sept. 14: Spanish learning with Laurie Davidson
ERVING — The Spanish learning program “Mucho Gusto Spanish with Laurie” will be at the Erving Public Library at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 14.
The program, led by Laurie Davidson, will teach children up to 5 years old Spanish through music and movement. The library is located at 2 Care Drive.