MOULTRIE, GA. — Technology can be a big benefit — but only if you know how to use it.

With that in mind, AT&T has partnered with Georgia 4-H to teach Georgia’s seniors how to safely use computers and the internet, giving them access to online calendars to remind them of doctor’s appointments, to social media to stay in touch with friends and relatives and to the wealth of information stored on websites that can help them manage their health care, finances and other aspects of their lives.

A class held Thursday at the Moultrie Senior Center was the second such class the partnership has sponsored in the state.

“High-speed internet has quickly become a preferred way to access information and communicate,” stated Courtney Brinson, AT&T Georgia regional director of external and legislative affairs. “We believe that enabling dedicated students to engage and inform Georgia seniors on the many benefits of digital literacy will help boost internet adoption rates and further connect our state.”

Brinson was on-hand at Thursday’s class, but he wasn’t teaching it. That role fell to a half-dozen high school students, members of the Georgia 4-H. The lead trainers were a pair of 4-H’ers from Coffee County, and four Colquitt County 4-H’ers roved the room, providing one-on-one help to the 10 area seniors who participated.

State Rep. Sam Watson, R-Moultrie, attended the class to show his support. In speaking to the value of the internet, Watson mentioned his grandmother, who lives in Tifton.

“That’s how she keeps up with what my kids are doing, through Facebook,” he said.

Watson is vice chairman of the Georgia House Rural Development Council, which has held hearings on rural needs across the state this year. From its beginning, the council has been concerned about the lack of reliable internet service in some areas.

Brinson said the classes — which are scheduled for 20 locations through 2018 — are the next logical step for the communications company.

From 2014 to 2016, AT&T invested more than $5 billion in its wireless and wireline networks in Georgia, the company said in a media release. As private industry continues to invest to close the remaining connectivity gap in rural areas, a key focus of the new statewide technology initiative is on increasing internet adoption.

AT&T calls its outreach program #GACyberSeniors. It provides the curriculum, called Digital You, that the 4-H students use to teach the classes.

“Technology is no longer something seniors avoid,” said Peggy Duncan, director of the Moultrie Senior Center, “and #GACyberSeniors aims to help our seniors safely embrace the many benefits of digital literacy. Improving the digital skills of everyone is key to Georgia’s future, and I applaud AT&T and our Georgia 4-H students as they work to ensure the digital transition is effortless for seniors across Georgia.”

More information is available online at digitalyou.att.com.