TechCommons · Community Digital Education · Sydney, AU
TechCommons brings free digital literacy and beginner-friendly Python coding to everybody; from young people to seniors. Build real skills, stay conencted with family, solve problems, and have fun. Flexible formats, small groups, no prior experience needed.
TechCommons offers free, structured courses in digital literacy and Python coding for everybody across greater Sydney — with extra support for kids and underprivileged communities. Every session is designed to be genuinely useful — built around the things people actually want to do online.
Lessons cover real tasks — email, banking, video calls, scam awareness. Nothing theoretical for the sake of it.
Choose a small-group session or a dedicated one-on-one slot. Both formats run the same 10-week curriculum.
Every lesson includes a printed summary. Clear language, no assumed knowledge, easy to refer back to later.
Funded through grants and volunteer time. No fees, no hidden costs, no catch.
Both formats cover the same curriculum. Pick whichever suits your pace, availability, and preference.
Weekly two-hour sessions with a facilitator and a support volunteer. A good option if you enjoy learning alongside others and benefit from group discussion.
Most popularSessions run the same day and time each week across 10 weeks. Held at local libraries, community centres, and partner aged care facilities across greater Sydney.
StructuredEvery group session includes a dedicated support volunteer who moves around the room. You're never left waiting for help, and there's no pressure to keep up with anyone else.
SupportedWe run sessions across Parramatta, Hurstville, Penrith, Blacktown, and Liverpool. New locations added as volunteer capacity grows.
Sydney-wideOne-on-one sessions pair you with the same volunteer each week for the full 10 weeks. You set the pace — lessons move faster or slower depending on what's working for you.
FlexibleSessions can be held at your home, a local café, a library, or a partner aged care facility. We work around your situation.
Comes to youWhile the 10-week structure stays the same, your volunteer can spend more time on topics you find most useful and move quickly through things you pick up easily.
PersonalisedYour volunteer can arrange a short weekly phone call to answer questions that come up between sessions. Optional, but many participants find it helpful.
Extra supportA 10-week course covering everyday digital tasks. Sessions run two hours each, with printed reference cards to take home after every lesson.
Creating or accessing a Gmail or Outlook account. Writing, addressing, and sending your first email. Navigating your inbox, sent folder, and how to reply or forward.
CommunicationAttaching files and images to an email. Understanding file sizes. Downloading and saving attachments you receive. Finding photos on your phone or tablet to share.
CommunicationHow to read a web address. Secure (https) vs unsecured sites. What the padlock icon means. Telling a trustworthy site from a convincing fake.
Online SafetyInstalling and opening a video call app. Starting and joining a call. Muting, adjusting the camera, and ending a call. Troubleshooting audio and video issues.
CommunicationWhat makes a strong password. Using a password manager. Two-factor authentication explained simply. What to do when you're locked out of an account.
Online SafetyThe most common scams targeting Australians. Warning signs in emails and SMS. What to do if you've clicked something suspicious. How to report to Scamwatch.
Fraud PreventionOrdering groceries and goods online. Reading bank statements digitally. What payment information is safe to enter — and what should never be shared.
FinanceCreating and navigating a myGov account. Linking Medicare and the ATO. Accessing health records, booking services, and lodging a tax return online.
GovernmentSetting up Facebook or WhatsApp. Privacy settings. Joining local community groups. Sharing photos with family without oversharing publicly.
SocialHow to search your way out of a problem. Reading error messages without panicking. When to restart versus when to call for help. A checklist of everything you can now do independently.
CapstonePython is the most readable programming language around. The 10-week course takes you from first principles to a working game you've built yourself — using real skills that transfer beyond the course.
# Your first Python program print("Hello, world.") name = input("Your name: ") print("Good to meet you,", name) year = int(input("Year of birth: ")) age = 2025 - year print(f"That makes you around {age}.")
# Conditions — if / elif / else temp = int(input("Today's temperature (°C): ")) if temp >= 30: print("Hot day. Stay hydrated.") elif temp >= 18: print("Pleasant. A jacket is optional.") else: print("Cool. Worth bringing a layer.")
# Functions — reusable blocks of logic def bmi(weight_kg, height_m): result = weight_kg / (height_m ** 2) return round(result, 1) w = float(input("Weight (kg): ")) h = float(input("Height (m): ")) print(f"BMI: {bmi(w, h)}")
# Week 10 — Text adventure game # Built using everything from weeks 1–9 import random def start_game(): print("\n=== THE LOST KEY ===") print("You wake up. Your front door key is missing.") rooms = { "kitchen": "A counter, a drawer, and the fridge.", "lounge": "Sofa cushions and a coffee table.", "garden": "A flowerpot and a garden chair.", } key_room = random.choice(list(rooms.keys())) found = False while not found: choice = input("Search (kitchen/lounge/garden/quit): ").lower() if choice == "quit": print("Game over."); break elif choice in rooms: print(f"You check the {choice}. {rooms[choice]}") if choice == key_room: print("You found the key! You win.") found = True else: print("That's not a valid room.") start_game()
Each two-hour session includes a written summary to keep. Devices are available to borrow. Practice between sessions is encouraged but not mandatory.
What programming is and what it isn't. Installing Python and a code editor, or using the browser-based option. Writing and running your first script. Understanding "output" and "syntax".
Storing information in variables. Strings, integers, and floats. Using input() to make programs interactive. Build: a personalised greeting program and an age calculator.
Python as a calculator. Order of operations. Combining and formatting text with f-strings. Build: a tip calculator and a kilometres-to-miles converter.
Writing programs that respond differently based on input. Comparison and Boolean operators. Build: a weather advisor and a number-guessing game with live feedback.
Automating repetition. The difference between for and while loops and when to use each. Build: a multiplication table generator and a countdown timer.
Storing multiple values in a single variable. Adding, removing, and sorting items. Iterating with a loop. Build: an interactive shopping list with add and remove functionality.
Defining functions with def. Parameters and return values. Why functions make programs easier to maintain. Build: a BMI calculator and a currency conversion tool.
Key-value pairs — analogous to a spreadsheet row. Looking up, updating, and deleting entries. Build: a personal contacts book and a word frequency counter.
Opening, reading, writing, and appending to text files so data persists after the program closes. Handling errors gracefully. Build: a journal that saves timestamped entries to a file.
Using every skill from weeks 1–9, participants build a playable text adventure game: rooms, choices, randomness, win/lose conditions, and saving progress to a file. The game is demo'd to the group. Certificates awarded.
We bring TechCommons programs directly into residential and community aged care facilities — working with your staff and residents at no cost to the organisation.
Whether your residents are in independent living, assisted care, or memory support, we can adapt our programs to the setting. We work around your schedules, use devices you already have or bring our own, and coordinate directly with your activities team.
Sessions run on-site at your facility. No transport required for residents, no setup burden on your team.
We work around your activities calendar. Morning, afternoon, or weekend slots are all available depending on volunteer availability.
We can bring laptops and tablets for sessions, or work with devices your residents already own.
A TechCommons coordinator liaises directly with your activities team for session planning, feedback, and reporting.
The program is entirely free for partner organisations and their residents. We're funded through grants and corporate giving.
Use our quick form and a TechCommons coordinator will be in touch within three business days to discuss how we can work together.
Open Partnership Enquiry FormBy week three I was emailing my daughter photos from my phone without asking anyone for help. That felt genuinely significant to me.
I did the Python course out of curiosity. By week five I had written something that worked and I could explain exactly why. The game we built at the end was genuinely fun to show people.
The scam awareness session alone was worth it. I recognised a phone scam two weeks later and knew exactly what to do. That's a real, practical outcome.
TechCommons is entirely volunteer-operated. Whether you're a teacher, a developer, or just someone who knows their way around a computer — there's a role for you.
Lead weekly sessions for a group or work one-on-one with a participant. Full lesson plans provided. Ideal for those who have previous experience in Python or who are eager to learn more.
Support sessions with basic technical knowledge — troubleshooting devices, explaining concepts, and helping participants who need a bit more time on specific topics. Ideal for those who are well versed with common tech services, such as email, social media and messenging.
Write or improve lesson content. Valuable if you have a background in education, instructional design, or plain-language writing. Work is done remotely and at your own pace.
Bring TechCommons into your corporate community program, offer your venue for sessions, or donate devices. We work with organisations of all sizes.