Thursdays 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Tech Café is an interactive workshop where you are encouraged to ask questions, share experiences, and bring your laptop, tablet, or phone to practise during the session. Because participants often face similar challenges, submitting questions in advance — by email, phone, or at a previous session — helps us group related topics so everyone benefits.
Each session is designed to stand on its own, so you can attend even if you’ve missed earlier classes. Enrolment is strongly encouraged, as knowing numbers helps us prepare suitable topics and materials. If space permits, occasional drop-in attendance is possible, but enrolling online or through the office is the best way to secure your place.
What We Teach — and Why
The range of devices participants bring is very diverse. iPhones alone come in two fundamentally different designs; Android runs across dozens of manufacturers — Samsung, Google, Oppo, Motorola and more — each with its own menu layouts, icon placements, and naming conventions. Add different OS versions, tablets, laptops, and browsers, and chances are that in a group of 14 participants no two have the same combination of device configurations. Step-by-step button-by-button instruction simply cannot keep pace with this variation, and instructions become outdated the moment an automatic update arrives.
For this reason, Tech Café focuses on transferable skills and concepts rather than specific button locations — recognising common interface patterns, knowing where to look when you’re stuck, how to search effectively for device-specific help, and understanding what things like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and software updates actually are. That understanding travels with you regardless of what device you’re using or what version it is running.
Participants are encouraged to explore their own devices between sessions. The class provides the framework; practice on your own device is what builds real confidence. You wouldn’t expect to learn to drive in one hour a week without sitting in a car between lessons — the same principle applies here.
Featured Page: Understanding the Online World
This page is a whirlwind introduction to how the Internet functions and the rules you need to follow to confidently and safely navigate the digital landscape.
Contact
📧 techcafe@u3aboxhill.com.au 📞 0421 289 267
One-on-One Tutoring & Problem Solving
Need help with a specific issue that isn’t easily addressed in class? We offer 30-minute one-on-one tutoring sessions at the U3A office (Strabane Avenue Hall) to assist with your queries. The exact time will need to be negotiated in each case.
Short Tutorials and Quizzes
Electronic Messaging Systems (eMail, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram)
Spot the Registered Domain URL Quiz
Downloading and Sharing Web Content
📸 Screenshots & Sharing Safely
Personal Safety Apps
There is a lot to consider if you are looking for a smartphone app to enhance your personal safety.
Personal Safety Apps for Mobile Phones
Tools
Want to see what your browser looks like from the point of view of a web-server?
Try our browser-mirror: https://u3aboxhill.com.au/mirror/
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Check out some of their tools, whitepapers and other content.
For a comprehensive browser fingerprint analysis use the EFF’s “Cover Your Tracks” tool.
U3A Box Hill’s Tech Café is not associated with other programmes of the same name.
Tech Café runs independently within the U3A Box Hill framework just like any other class.