Abstract:

The social transformations in today´s life have their answer, in part, in to the rapid and unplanned emergence and growth of technology regarding to information and communication. Derived from this, terms as information society, knowledge society and digital literacy appear as phenomena. There is a real and clear need to include the elderly in to this new social reality, statistics show that over the next twenty years, the elderly population will grow rapidly in our country and in the world. The current situation of the elderly about their need for social inclusion and the great possibility that digital literacy represent to achieve this goal, must be addressed and enhanced.

There are currently 10.8 million seniors (60 and older) in Mexico. They represent only the 9.66 percent of the actual population (INEGI, 2010). This percentage will probably be tripled in the next 40 years (CONAPO, 2010) as well as in other Latin American countries, Mexico is going through an unprecedented situation, for the first time in history, aging is an issue of debate and attention of governments, educational systems and society in general. And the topic of aging is a result of phenomena as reduced birth rates and a decrease in mortality, as well as an increased life expectancy in Mexico´s population.

The Course of Digital Literacy for Older Adults, UDES, aims to develop the hability in the use of digital tools in older adults as a means to social inclusion. It contemplates basic concepts in computer use, manipulation of computer tools for text production and the use of internet.
It has been implemented a digital literacy course in four groups of older adults from ESAM program at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the UABC. Some findings show that the elderly student need and want to feel part of society, as well as his interest in facing the rapid technological development that prevents them to understand exactly what happens at various times in their daily lives, as well as to comprehend the society in which they live, that are not the same characteristics as the society in which they grew up, were trained and used to work.

The study was delimited to the universe of 96 seniors who integrate four groups with whom worked on different course tracks. The electronic format applied has revealed and described the general characteristics of the four groups and the qualitative instrument applied at the beginning of each cycle, allowed us to know the older adults interests and needs related to digital literacy.

Achieving digitally literate had contributed to almost one hundred seniors in their social inclusion and is also a transformative experience for both, society and those who work directly with them, in the process of transformation, thus, strengthening the learning of students in Higher Education in a public school located in northwestern Mexico.

Interaction with a vulnerable social group invites to reflection in to cattle spaces and those deserving of continued intervention by the younger generation that generates social commitment.

Keywords:

Achieving digitally, social inclusion, lifelong education.