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Computer Course Details

 

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Course CM8    A Beginner’s Guide to

 

Colourful Computing

 

 

 

 

12 meetings starting Monday September 29th 2008

 

OIR Meeting Room              10 am – 12 noon                               Cost £30

 

This course is for those who want to add interest and colour to the everyday use of computers.  It is designed to help not only with basic operations and routine organisational problems, but also with becoming familiar with tools that can make letter-writing, emails, and  ‘surfing’ easier and more appealing. In general, the aim is to explore the many advantages and opportunities for creative enjoyment that owning a computer can bring.

 

  It offers informal help with:

 
  • Text manipulation.  Making what is written more readable and attractive by changing the size of text, the style (fonts), colours, WordArt, positioning, etc.
  • Adding pictures or photographs to email.
  • Troubleshooting – how to rectify mistakes.
  • Making greeting cards, invitations, etc.
  • Using the Spellchecker, Dictionary and Thesaurus on or offline for more colourful writing.
  • Accessibility options – changing the monitor’s screen to make text more readable, for example.
  • Exploring the Internet, downloading free clipart, photos, etc. to enhance any work done during each session.
  • Keeping the computer tidy, organising files and folders.
  • Making posters, handouts, etc.
  • ‘Paint’ programmes, some uses and applications.
  • Addressing individual difficulties and answering questions.

 

 

 

 

Please feel free to bring your own laptops.

 

 

 

 

Places will be confirmed on submission of an application form plus payment of the course fee in the OIR Office

 

Cisley Moss                                       25th June 2008

Telephone: 01475 673835

Email: cemos@talktalk.net

 

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Course UFS1 - Using Free (or cheap) Computer Software – a new course for OIR members

  
12 meetings starting Monday September 29th 2008

  
OIR Meeting Room 2 – 4pm Cost £30

 
This is a brand new course. It is centred on software that has become freely available in recent years on the Internet. Course members will be shown how to install this type of software and use it with confidence after taking some necessary steps to avoid problems. More generally, the course will demonstrate the various measures that should be taken to keep one’s computer running smoothly once it is connected to the Internet. The course will start from scratch, but will cover relatively quickly the areas explored in a beginners’ course.

 

The course is intended for OIR members who:
 
  • Currently have a computer, preferably connected to the Internet; and
  • Have some experience of using computers, perhaps having previously attended an introductory course; and
  • Are willing to spend some time each week practising between lessons.
The course will make use of OIR’s new cluster of laptop computers bought with the aid of a new Lottery grant. Course members will be encouraged to bring along their own laptops, if they so wish. OIR’s new machines will run the Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium operating system, although some course members may prefer to use Microsoft Windows XP.

 

Each course member will be given a CD containing the installation files for the free software, so that a high-speed connection to the Internet is not an absolute necessity. As an additional aid, a web page will be set up containing links to the download sites for the various pieces of software referred to in the course, in order to help attendees to download to their own machines the very latest versions of the software.

 
The course will include:
 
  • A short recap of some basic computer skills such as, for example, the use of the mouse (or other pointing device) and familiarity with the keyboard. Those in need will be encouraged to improve their typing skills through the use of free typing tutor software.
  • The use of System Restore Points
  • File structure
  • Installing free software from the CDs given to course members, and then practising how to uninstall it
  • Sources of information - browsing the Internet
  • Webmail
  • Installing free software from the Internet, and then practising how to uninstall it
  • Backing up one’s work – hardware options and software options
  • Security and system maintenance – general considerations, and the use of free software
  • Simple word-processing, using free software
  • Simple photo editing, using free software
  • Downloading and playing free MP3 music and audio files
  • Downloading and using written and audio versions of books
  • Skype – free video telephone calls to computers all over the world
The course will be run using the OIR Meeting Room and the Office. Members who regularly use a laptop will be encouraged to bring it to our meetings.

 
Bill Patrick (674350) John Turcan (687364)
25th June 2008

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Course DP8  Introduction to Digital Photography       

 

12 meetings starting Tuesday September 30th 2008
 

 OIR Meeting Room   2 – 4 pm    Cost £30
 

This introductory course/workshop is aimed at those who are in the early stages of using a digital camera.    The first 3 or 4 meetings will be aimed at beginners by spending time on the basics of taking pictures with a digital camera, and dealing with the various ways of copying them to a computer for editing, printing and storage.  This might be a useful review period for the more experienced user – and their presence in helping beginners would certainly be very useful. 

 

Most ordinary digital cameras can take video as well as still pictures, though most people will find that a dedicated video camera produces much better results.  This workshop will concentrate on still photography. 

 

Participants need to have access to a modern computer for use between meetings.  No special computer expertise is required – an interest in photography is more important than a long experience with computers.  Demonstrations and exercises will cover the basic computer operations involved in transferring pictures from camera to computer and the subsequent processing of the pictures prior to presentation. 

 

Topics discussed during the course will include
  • Obtaining digital photos – features of a digital camera
  • Understanding the camera manual
  • Choice of software for editing individual pictures and the management of a photo collection
  • Software  used will include:   Adobe Photoshop Elements  for the enthusiast (expensive)
                                                             Picasa 2  - free from Google
                                                             Gimp –  free photo-editing software
                                                             Tesco PhotoRestyle (about £10) for some editing
  • Printing photos - discussion of settings, paper types, etc…
  • Preparation of a slide show
  • Use of a scanner for batch scanning of 35mm slides
  • Sending photos by e-mail
  • Management of a large photo collection
  • Backup options

 

The OIR Meeting Room is well suited as a computer workshop.  Our new Vista laptop computers are much more powerful than the laptops bought in 2001 and now over-the-hill despite upgrading in 2004.  We will also have the use of a photo quality printer (Epson PM240), two dedicated slide scanners, and a number of memory card readers.  A multimedia projector will be available as required.

 

Places will be confirmed on submission of an application form plus payment of the course fee in the OIR Office.

 

 John Turcan            687364                                                                        June 25th 2008

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