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System Maintenance and Apple Watch Overview Operating System Updates vs Upgrades Updates are changes to the current system, typically security enhancements or bug fixes Upgrades involve moving to a completely new operating system with potential design changes, new features, and functionality improvements Most updates and upgrades cannot be rolled back once installed The instructor's philosophy: "If it's not broken right now, why fix it" — be cautious about upgrading unless necessary Checking Your Operating System On Mac : Go to the Apple menu > About This Mac to see current OS version The instructor is currently on macOS Sequoia (15.7), one version behind the newest Tahoe release On Windows : Windows stopped supporting systems older than Windows 11 as of late last year Users with older systems must upgrade to Windows 11 or purchase new computers to receive security updates On iPhone/iPad : Go to Settings > General > Software Update How to...

  Technology Class Session Summary AI Tools and Recommendations Download AI engines directly ( Gemini , ChatGPT , Claude ) rather than third-party AI apps with subscriptions All major AI engines (Gemini, ChatGPT/OpenAI, Claude, DeepSeek ) offer free versions DeepSeek provides inline citations/references showing source websites, allowing users to verify information Safari Autofill Settings To change autofill address: Go to Safari Settings > Autofill Autofill can pull from " My Card " in Contacts or from manually entered information To set up "My Card": Create new contact with your information, then go to Card menu > "Make this my card" Important: Always separate first name and last name in contacts for proper alphabetical sorting Safari autofill also supports Google passwords, 1Password , and other password manager extensions Managing Contacts and Lists "My Card" appears at top of contacts with a unique circle/profile picture ico...

 Smartphone Search, Settings and AI Tools Class 4.16.2026 Class Resources and Schedule Class notes and AI-generated images available at sfct.net Class schedule shows April focus on searching topics Previous week covered family history research Today's Focus: Searching on Mobile Devices Session focused on searching using smartphones rather than computers, as most people spend more time on their phones Covered Google and AI searching capabilities on mobile devices Explored various apps and settings to improve mobile search experience Siri Search Capabilities and Settings Basic Siri Functions Siri can be activated by voice ("Hey Siri") or side button Good for quick facts, weather, conversions, and calculations Can perform tasks like adding calendar events, making calls, and sending texts Answers disappear quickly with no way to extend display time Key Siri Settings (accessed via Settings > Siri) Language selection available "Talk to Siri...

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...