What the Smartphones Made Simple course now covers, and who it suits

Autumn is when many of our learners pick up a new phone, or finally decide to use the one a relative handed down last year. The days get shorter, family photos pile up, and appointment reminders start arriving by text. So it seems a good moment to explain how Smartphones Made Simple is put together and what it asks of you.

I am Margaret Ellison, and although my own teaching background is in computer classes, I have followed this course closely alongside Daniel Okafor, who designed it. He builds each lesson around situations learners actually describe to him: a photo that will not send, a map that keeps speaking in the wrong voice, a message that went to the wrong person.

The course moves in the order most people need things. You begin with the basics of turning the phone on, unlocking it and finding your way around the home screen. Calls and text messages come next, because that is what most learners want first. Photos follow, then maps, then a small set of useful apps.

Each lesson is short, so you can finish one in a single sitting without feeling rushed. We keep the pace gentle on purpose. Every lesson ends with a small task to try on your own phone, and the next lesson begins by revisiting it. Repeating a skill a few times matters far more than hearing it explained once at length.

• Starting up, unlocking and finding your way around
• Calls and text messages
• Taking, finding and sharing photos
• Using maps to get somewhere new
• Choosing and trying a few useful apps

The course is not a lecture you watch from a distance. You follow along with your own phone in hand, so the settings, the buttons and the mistakes are all real. If your phone looks a little different from the one shown, the lesson explains what to look for rather than assuming a single model.

We ask you to make small, safe attempts: save a contact, send a photo to a family member, search for a street near your home. Nothing in the exercises requires you to share private details with anyone. If you get stuck, the written steps under each lesson let you pause and return later without losing your place.

Smartphones Made Simple is meant for adults who are new to smartphones or who use one nervously and avoid most of what it can do. You do not need any earlier course. If you already manage calls and photos comfortably, you may find the maps and app lessons the most useful part, and you can skip ahead.

Before you start, charge the phone and have it nearby. Know your own number and, if you can, have the passcode you chose written down somewhere safe. A steady Wi-Fi connection helps with the app lessons. A family member nearby is welcome but not necessary, since the steps are written to be followed alone.

• A charged smartphone of your own
• Your Wi-Fi network name and password
• A quiet half hour for each lesson
• A notepad for questions you want to revisit

We try to be honest about what a short course can do. By the end, most learners can make calls, send messages, take and find photos, and follow a map to a place they have not been before. Many also feel less afraid of touching the screen, which counts for a good deal.

You will not become an expert, and nobody is asking you to. Some features will still feel unfamiliar, and new phones change things from time to time. What the course gives you is a steady base and the habit of trying things calmly, so the next unfamiliar screen is easier to face.

If you are unsure whether the course fits your situation, write to us through the contact page and describe your phone and what you hope to do with it. We will answer plainly and tell you if another module would suit you better, such as the one on internet safety.

The full lesson list, duration and pricing in Canadian dollars are set out on the curriculum and prices pages, so you can see exactly what is included before you decide. There is no rush, and you can read through everything at your own pace.