WebJunction

Our training center has been opened since 1998 and our classes have been very popular in our city. Our most popular classes have been Basic Computer Skills, Keyboarding for Beginners, and Windows. Our Microsoft Office classes go over really well to. Our most recent class is Spyware, Plugins and Popups, how to eliminate spyware, adware and popups from your computer and how to download the free and assistive programs. Everyone that's taken this class really likes it. I am currently working on a class on How to Purchase and Care for your Computer. I also color code my handouts and the students really like this.

We are forging ahead with even more new classes and our new HOT classes at PPL include "Digital Camera Test Drive" and "Photo Editing Boot Camp".

We have purchased 2 digitial cameras for our lab and in the Digital Camera Test Drive we have a small class of 4 students come in and try them out. It is a simple class to run and people love it.

The first 20 minutes or so is spent discussing the different types of digital formats, pixels, and some of the technical aspects of the cameras (like what all the buttons do). We then send them out in to the library in two teams, each with a camera and they have ten minutes to take some pictures of our art work or the books (we ask them not to photograph people without permission, they often just take pictures of each other or staff).

Once they return to the lab we show them how to hook the camera up to a USB port, download the photos and open them up using photo software. It is so much fun... we have had several people bring in their own digital cameras and we help them out too. A lot of people have bought digital cameras and don't understand how to get the pictures off! One person came to class with 5 memory cards full of photos that they didn't what to do with... they were so happy to learn how to get them off the camera!

The Photo Editing Boot Camp uses Adobe Photoshop and we show how to crop, remove red eye, fix blemishes and remove wrinkles.. fun, fun, fun!

Here in Ohio we recently completed a pilot program using materials created for training patrons.

It's a four session series...each session about 2 hours long.

The sessions:

First: Basic Computers...turning on, hardware, using the mouse, etc.
Second: Basic Internet...using URL's, Links and search engines
Third: Email. Everyone gets a Yahoo email account.
Fourth: Selected online databases. We only do two...Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition (available remotely and via OPLIN...our public library network: www.oplin.org
and Netwellness...www.netwellness.org

Very popular and now the basis of a train-the-trainer series we provide to library staff in both live sessions and via our online "30 Minute eClassroom" www.winslo.state.oh.us/train/index.html -> 30 Minute eClassroom

I've attached the training materials we use. Obviously the database review handout is specific to Ohio but it might provide some ideas. You're welcome to use them however you'd like.

Later
Jay

Jay Burton
State Library of Ohio
jburton@sloma.state.oh.us

Attachments:

SLObasicinternet.doc (906.0k)    SLObasicomputer.doc (549.0k)    slodatareview.doc (101.5k)    SLOemail.doc (41.5k)