27/10/2026
❤️❤️ Moy-Yan People; stories from our team ❤️❤️
Meet our Computer and Digital Device Tutor, Linda Howie, who also loves steampunk design! Thanks for the photo Linda.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became interested in computers and technology?
I was surrounded by it from an early age. Dad was very progressive and into science and science fiction.
Dad started programming computers at work in 1967, and I remember drawing on punch cards. Then I discovered science fiction books before I finished primary school and have never stopped reading the genre and about the science that comes from and with it.
What brought you to Moy-Yan Neighbourhood House, and what appealed to you about becoming our computer tutor?
I wanted to be part of the Garfield community now that I have retired and am not so involved with my partner’s care.
Since I retired from being a computer tutor in community houses, Moy-Yan was where I went to join classes. I offered to be a tutor when I found out the previous computer tutor had left.
What work or life experiences have helped shape the way you teach and support people?
I have always worked in a service position helping people, except for engineering. I have always tutored secondary students too. When I couldn’t get engineering work after completing my engineering degree, teaching was my next choice. Being an adult student through VCE, a degree and postgraduate study has given me insight and skills in how adults can learn.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work, and how do you like to spend your spare time?
I enjoy playing games on my Samsung tablet! I am bossed around by my two cats while I read books and science and technology articles. I sew, crochet and am learning to paint. I do a variety of other crafts sometimes.
I spend time each week with each of my children and my partner. As I am deaf, I don’t watch or listen to anything, although I do look at Reddit and Instagram weekly.
What kinds of computer, phone or tablet problems do people most often ask you to help with?
Photos, emails and filling in online forms.
How do you help someone who feels nervous or overwhelmed by technology?
I reassure them that they can learn it and that they cannot break the device. I explain that the reason younger people get impatient with them is that the younger person is reacting to visual cues and doing things they don’t know they are doing.
I remind people about learning to drive and how overwhelming that was, until some of it became muscle memory.
Can you share a memorable moment when someone learned a new skill or gained confidence during a session, without identifying them?
My oldest student was 94. He said he didn’t know what good the computer would be. He wasn’t interested in anything I suggested online, emails, music or photos and videos. I did a lesson about Excel.
The next week, he was full of questions about Excel “for a little project he had going”. It was lovely seeing his enthusiasm for the computer as a whole after that.
How can learning digital skills make a difference to someone’s everyday life and connection with others?
So many things in life are accessed online or through apps now. Learning digital skills gives people the freedom to do anything and everything. Shopping, banking, making appointments, finding the cheapest fuel, learning anything, listening to books or music, or talking with family can all conveniently be done on a phone, tablet or computer.
Being able to do things yourself instead of relying on someone else opens the world up. Understanding what can be done and what is available means being able to engage in conversations with others and find people or new things.
What is one simple tip you wish everyone knew about using their devices or staying safe online?
Bad people want to steal from you—go to Scamwatch Australia at [scamwatch.gov.au](https://www.scamwatch.gov.au) for a quiz and information. Protecting your devices and data with your brain is as important as using a security program.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about coming along for tutoring but feels unsure or worries their questions are too basic?
No question is too basic, and sharing how to do things and providing information is what the tutoring is all about. Computers, phones and programs are no longer the toys of “techie” people—they’re for everyone.
