Welcome to my online learning space – a place where older people can learn digital skills, and where no question is too basic or too silly.
You might find it useful if you:
- Want to connect with friends and family – but find yourself frustrated by tech like video calls
- Sometimes struggle to find things on your phone or computer
- Have a nagging feeling that there’s an easy way to do things and you are too out-of-date to find it
- Find yourself asking friends or family how to do something on your phone or computer (and hate asking for help)
- Fear that you will break something on your phone or computer
- Want to know more about “the Internet” – AI and social media in particular
- Want to be better at the things you already know how to do (be better at searching for things on the Internet, for instance)
- Are under the age of 50 and think you are falling behind!
A guide to what you’ll find on this page
This is a table of contents, of sorts. Click a link to find the information you are interested in and read that first, and then scroll backwards or forwards to anything else you need to know. Here’s the list:
- what my academy aims to do;
- what it costs;
- why you want me, Renee Moodie, as your trainer;
- how you’ll be learning things.
If you just want to sign up, here’s the link: Renee’s Digital Skills Academy

What is Renee’s Digital Skills Academy?
The aim is to help people over the age of 50 (who I call perennials) overcome their fears of all things digital.
That starts with adopting a learning mindset and then moves on to a variety of Internet, PC and phone skills.
Gradually expanding your skills means you’ll be able to take full advantage of the connections and advantages that the digital world offers.
The academy offers a variety of ways to learn, based on what people tell me works for them.
What it costs
Quite a lot of what’s on offer is free.
There are also paid online modules, priced in South African rands and based on what you might pay for an adult education module at your local high school: R150 per module.
What’s on offer as the academy gets up and running:
- An introductory module, looking at ways to speed up your typing skills – free
- A learning mindset module, to get you in the right frame of mind – also free
- How to find things even a teen can’t find – R150 (about US$8)
Paid modules might be shorter than an hour: the aim is to teach a skill, not have you sit at your computer for an allotted length of time.
Whether paid or free, learning units usually consist of a video (or videos) and a handout, teaching you a usable digital skill.
If you want to check out what’s on offer, two of the introductory videos are on YouTube (click here to see them).
I also offer one-on-one handholding and tech troubleshooting. That costs R250 per half hour (about US$14). Book an initial (and free) fact-finding half an hour with me here.
Why me?
- I am 62 years old.
- I have done lots of adult training, including being a co-trainer in a project which moved 100 very anxious people from one computer system to another.
- I have built several simple websites for people I know (like this one for my husband).
- I am the “techie person” in my circle of friends – the one you ask for help when you can’t find that one important email.
- When I don’t know something, I will say so. And I will try to find the answer for you.
- I have decades of experience as a journalist, editor and writer.
- I have a high school teaching diploma.
- I have a 21-year-old son, and a handy technical husband. We all love helping other people.
- I really do want my fellow perennials to live their best digital lives: to know enough about 21st century digital platforms so that they can use the ones that work for them to have fun and stay connected with their friends, families and the wider world.
A video about me, and why I am creating this Academy
I have two email newsletters:
The Sensible Woman’s Guide to AI and Content Creation (what is says on the tin: AI, simplified)
In Safe Hands (my personal take on life the universe and everything)
How you’ll learn
- The academy is reached through my website (the page you are on right now). But it lives on an online learning platform called Systeme.io. You’ll need to create a login, which is actually a login to Systeme.io. Their privacy policy is here. Also read my own privacy policy and terms of use for the course(s).
- My training is applicable to Windows computers and Android phones, though some of the content is applicable to everyone. I may be able to extend to the Apple universe if this takes off.
- Modules, whether free or paid, will usually be done via a video that you can watch on the Academy platform (and sometimes on YouTube). There will usually be an accompanying downloadable document with text and pictures explaining the content covered in the video. You will be able to print that out and use it to try the techniques for yourself, as slowly as you like.
- All learning is done at your own pace.
Interested? The two free modules are here – please learn and have fun!
If you have a specific PC or phone problem you need help with, I offer individual tutoring, troubleshooting and general handholding. That costs R250 (about US$14) per 30 minutes. Email me here if you’d like to find out about that, or book a fact-finding and free half hour of my time here (this will establish if I can help you, before you pay for something that doesn’t work for you).