SFCT.NET - Technology Help & Repair for Seniors in the SF/Bay Area. PC, Mac, iOS training.

Genealogy Research Tools and Resources This session focused on using various tools and resources for family history research, with particular emphasis on AI-assisted research , online databases, and physical archives. The instructor demonstrated practical approaches to genealogy research and shared personal examples of document discovery. AI Tools for Genealogy Research AI can serve as a research assistant or librarian, helping navigate genealogy research through natural conversation and follow-up questions Particularly useful for discovering resources and getting guidance on where to find specific types of records (e.g., Canadian naturalization documents ) AI can help interpret historical documents by explaining terminology and providing historical context (e.g., explaining what the Chinese Six Companies were) Important caveat : AI can generate incorrect information by linking unrelated facts together, so results must be verified Ancestry.com Offers both free and paid vers...

 Search Engine vs. AI Searching Class Class Overview This month's topic is research and information literacy, with a focus on developing critical thinking for the digital age Goals include learning effective search techniques and evaluating credibility of information from search engines and AI Family history/genealogy used as a practical example for demonstrating search techniques Next week's class will dive deep into genealogy-specific resources and research methods Changing Your Default Search Engine The default search engine is linked to the browser's address bar at the top To change: Go to Settings → Search Engine → Select preferred option (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc.) Can search directly from the address bar without visiting the search engine's website This setting can be changed on phones as well Google Search and AI Overview Feature Google now includes " AI Overview " results that summarize information from multiple sources AI Overv...

 Q & A Session Font Management on Mac Use Font Book (accessible via Spotlight Search ) to view all fonts available on the computer Microsoft Word and graphics programs show a cloud icon next to fonts that can be downloaded through the application When transferring to a new computer, copy the old font folder to preserve custom fonts and maintain proper formatting in existing documents Special Characters and Symbols Access symbols through Edit → Emojis and Symbols , which displays all available symbols and fonts For quick access, type the desired symbol into Google, copy it, and paste it into the document Use online translators to input entire paragraphs or sentences in other languages (like Chinese) and paste the results Changing Keyboard Input Sources Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources to add keyboards for different languages (Chinese, French, Spanish , Hebrew, etc.) Each language keyboard shows different characters and accents appropriate for tha...

iPhone File Management and Cloud Storage ​ Action Items [ ] Check local iPhone storage: Settings → General → iPhone Storage [ ] Check iCloud storage: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud iPhone Files App and Cloud Storage Files app (blue icon) provides access to iCloud Drive and local storage iCloud Drive syncs only two folders from computer: Desktop and Documents Can create custom folders in iCloud Drive for organization (e.g., "bills" folder) When saving email attachments , can rename files to something meaningful before saving Files are listed chronologically by default (newest first), but can change sorting via three dots menu Saving Email Attachments Download attachments from emails to avoid searching through inbox later Use downward arrow on attachment to choose save location Can save to Documents, Downloads, or custom iCloud Drive folders After saving attachment, can delete email to free up space Offline Access Use " Keep downloaded " option (l...

Computer Class: Cloud Storage & Calendars Action Items & Next Steps [ ] Check your computer's storage capacity for external backup needs [ ] Create a backup routine for your files [ ] Review your cloud storage settings ( iCloud , Google Drive , OneDrive , etc.) [ ] Check which calendar accounts are active on your devices [ ] Consolidate to using one primary calendar [ ] Turn off calendar accounts you don't need [ ] Set your default calendar in Calendar settings [ ] Review and merge duplicate calendars if needed [ ] Turn off duplicate holiday and birthday calendars Next Class Topics Consolidating multiple cloud storage accounts (Google, Yahoo, OneDrive, Dropbox ) Finding files that aren't where you think they should be Avoiding duplicate calendars iPhone and iPad calendar settings Agenda view on iPhone for better calendar visualization Calendar subscriptions for automatic event imports Notion AI Meeting Transcription Notion AI can tra...

Digital Storage and Backup Class 3.5.2026 Storage vs. Backup: Understanding the Difference Storage : Moving files from one place to another, typically one copy only Example: Moving photos to external hard drive to free up computer space Risk: If something happens to that single copy, files are lost Backup : Having multiple copies of files in case of emergency Essential for important files Real example: Resident's desktop files disappeared but were recovered from backup Modern devices have larger storage capacity, making backup more important than just storage Local Backup: Time Machine (Mac) and Windows Backup Time Machine (Mac) and Windows Backup (PC) are built-in backup solutions Both require an external hard drive Versioning feature : Keeps multiple versions of files over time Can recover files deleted months or even a year ago Can restore previous versions of documents that were accidentally modified Backs up entire computer including system files, app...

AI Tools & iPhone Features 2.26.2026   Class Website & Resources The class website is sfct.net ( SanFranciscoComputerTraining.net ), which contains notes from all classes in chronological order The site has been updated with more SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to improve searchability for terms like "computer help for seniors" AI-generated images are created for each class blog post using Gemini - the most recent image was generated based on class notes and accurately reflected topics covered (like pink dolphins and unicorns from the card-making activity) AI-generated images sometimes contain typos and errors (like "Penn's map" instead of what was intended), which can be used to identify AI-created content News organizations like Paris News 24 analyze social media for AI-generated images by looking for telltale signs like blurry text, misspellings, or objects that shift positions in videos AI Tools Overview AI assistants like Gem...