PLATTSBURGH — Seniors can jump the digital divide with the Clinton County Senior Computer Club.

For the last dozen years, seniors have received instruction in computer basics at the Senior Center in Plattsburgh.

"The purpose of the club is to continue to teach and inspire and to keep seniors up to date on what's going on in the computer world," said Jean Schiffler, who instructs seniors with her husband/club president, Ed Schiffler.

Monthly meetings are held at 1:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month. After a short business meeting, a computer topic is presented by a club member or guest speaker. Previous topics have included fraud and e-book readers.

Monday, Jean introduced seniors to OpenOffice, a free downloadable program.

"When you buy a new computer, unless you pay for an office program that includes Microsoft, Excel and a database program, they usually put one on the computer with a 30- or 60-day trial," Jean said. "They will offer you a chance to buy it. The least expensive are between $100 and $150, depending on where you get it."

A friend has nagged the Schifflers for years to look at www.OpenOffice.org.

"It's absolutely, positively free," Jean said. "It's online. You download it. OpenOffice is very much like Microsoft 2003. It's easier. It's what we have been using right along. It takes 10 minutes at the most to download. It contains a word processor, spreadsheet, what we used to know as PowerPoint and several other programs (graphics and databases)."

Peruvians Mary Dilzer and her husband, Charles "Chuck" Dilzer, were among the 30 people who also learned about Ubuntu, a free computer-operating system. Mary joined the Computer Club to keep in touch with family.

"I had four sisters at the time," she said. "We were spread from Alaska to New Mexico. It was an easy way to keep in contact. We wanted to email each other; it was nice."

Dennis Scott of Keeseville joined the club a year and a half ago.

"To go along with my wife to become more familiar with computers," he said of his reasons for participating. "She's into the church thrift shop and historical society. Anything she could pick up with a computer was a bonus to her. I've been working with computers for a while. Even I am picking up some good information. I learn something each time I come."

The Schifflers breached the digital age with their daughter's old computer 15 years ago.

"We got so frustrated with that," Jean said. "It was old DOS (Disk Operating System). It was very old. We got so frustrated, we went out and bought one. We had one built by a fellow here in Plattsburgh. We learned by trial and error."

Ed was more adventurous than she. There were a few stormy discussions. They learned they cannot stand to work on the same computer. She has an old HP she cannot part with and a Dell equipped with Windows 7. Ed has a Sony and an Apple.

"That doesn't get used as much," Jean said. "We have at least one laptop. We're nutty. We have everything. Ed has five email addresses. He has the newsletter he puts out for the Computer Club. He puts that out every month and really enjoys it."

Though Jean is the club's program chair, she and Ed share programming. He teaches an introductory 16-week class from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; Jean teaches the advanced level at the same time.

"What's new, and who's doing what?" she said. "We try to drag people in. We have a lot of fun with it."

The club has 80 members. Dues are $10 a year.

"Every penny has gone into equipment," Jean said. "We have 20 computers. What we started out with. Anybody getting rid of a computer said, 'Here, would you like it?' Ed would work on them. We have a friend, Jean Schneider. He's sort of our go-to when we have a problem. He's the one telling us for years to go after this OpenOffice. He's helped us with the club for a long time."

Slowly, the club has replaced the secondhand computers with new ones.

"We started to buy a few laptops," she said. "That's what people are buying. People got their first computer and have a laptop. It's easier for them to work on them in class and get the bugs out."

Ed teaches in the computer room. Jean teaches using a projector and screen in the center. Seniors come from as far as Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Some seniors had taken classes at community colleges.

"The kids are in there," Jean said. "They were born with computers in their hands. The teachers said, 'Do this, and do that,' and we're lost. Ed sets up for 16 classes for the beginner's course. Half the class can't cut and paste to save their life. You do an extra class. It's slow and easy."

The first two classes, seniors don't touch the computer.

"Ed takes them apart," Jean said. "What's the mother board, and what is this and that? The third class, they turn the computer on, and they turn the computer off."

Email Robin Caudell at: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com