Giving Compass' Take:

• Senior citizens and middle schoolers are participating in a program that helps the older population become more knowledgeable about technology. 

• How will this type of engagement and new knowledge improve senior citizens' quality of life?

• Read about whether or not rural aging is the next public health issue. 

For today’s teenagers, fiddling with virtual reality goggles and navigating every possible aspect of a smartphone is second nature. But for senior citizens, it can be another world. So recently, two groups of students brought their technological knowledge beyond their own domains, guiding seniors into a new world of shared learning.

Connie Bauer, a resident of United Presbyterian Home in Washington, Iowa, who had once visited the Great Wall of China, was able to make a return trip with the assistance of eighth-graders who brought virtual reality goggles from their classroom at Washington Middle School.

“It’s just really fun to share it with them and see what their reactions are to everything, and since they might know more about it than we do, yeah, it’s pretty cool,” eighth-grader Greta Rothe told KCRG.

Teacher Connie Svenby, who uses the virtual reality goggles in her social studies classes, joined with Superintendent Jeff Dicks for the trip as a way to get both the students and the seniors thinking a little differently.

The Washington Middle School students plan to make this a monthly event so seniors can virtually visit Ireland, the Grand Canyon — a nearly limitless list of locales.

Meanwhile, in Rustburg, Virginia, high school students from the Campbell County Youth Advisory Council and Campbell County 4-H became teachers, helping seniors learn to text, save photos, and more.

Read the full article about teens engaging with seniors with VR and selfies by Tim Newcomb at The 74.