What Should a Community Computer Lab Offer? 383
Ballresin asks: "A local computer company is expanding and including a computer lab in their setup, and they want me to come in as its Administrator. I am supposed to be giving them input on what to teach/host. What does Slashdot think a medium sized tourist town (Okoboji, Spirit Lake, Arnolds Park, Iowa) should have to offer to the locals? I was thinking something along the lines of 'How to Use Windows 101' and 'How to Use Office 101'. My compatriots want to offer some off-the-wall classes such as 'Hacker Ethics: Why and How' and a few other odd classes. I have polled people in the area, which resulted the discovery that 80% of them are from out of town, so don't really care. What you guys think; What kind of classes or what games/LAN party setups should a new, small business offer? Any ideas/input is greatly appreciated."
How to find pr0n 101 (Score:3, Funny)
Re:How to find pr0n 101 (Score:5, Insightful)
How to conduct meaningful web searches period.
People often waste too much time trying to track down useful/pertinent information on the web.
Re:How to find pr0n 101 (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How to find pr0n 101 (Score:3, Funny)
Re:How to find pr0n 101 (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:How to find pr0n 101 (Score:2)
Re:How to find pr0n 101 (Score:3, Funny)
Re:How to find pr0n 101 (Score:3, Funny)
well for starters (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:well for starters (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:well for starters (Score:5, Insightful)
You could tie it together in a series and work them up to bookkeeping/inventory control packages. You could even partner with an accounting firm to teach bookkeeping on a different night. Customers could run the apps on a dirt-cheap used computer & improve their businesses - you would be helping to support local industry.
Series of classes for Women (Score:3, Informative)
Another class would be technical skills for younger girls- Networking and the like. You could probably get money from Cisco for this, they are forever trying to attract women into the field with their Cisco Academy program- just look at the frontpage of cisco.netacad.net.
Even better if you can get
Policy (Score:2, Insightful)
Prerequisites. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prerequisites. (Score:3, Funny)
applied v. theoretical (Score:5, Insightful)
Give them meaningful titles though. Don't title it "Excel 101". Title it "Using spreadsheets to make your life easier". People will come to classes in order to do things better, not to learn a specific app (well, most people at least). In the description, say "this uses iMovie, and we'll touch on moviemaker", but for the title, something like "making home movies that last forever".
good luck with your project!
Re:applied v. theoretical (Score:2)
Web and EMail is where it's at (Score:5, Informative)
Email
WWW
Email do's and don'ts would be good - including handling of spam and crap (the junk your father-in-law sends you that is either urban legend, or ancient, or both).
Web browsing, security (don't tell folks your passwords), and virii are all important things to know about.
WEPOS (Score:4, Funny)
WEPOS is the Warcraft, E-Mail, Porn Operating System.
I think that an off-the-shelf WEPOS system should facilitate all needs of the locals.
Re:WEPOS (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Web and EMail is where it's at (Score:4, Funny)
I'd include more, but the LAMENESS FILTER piped up.
Is this company public? (Score:2, Insightful)
How to get and use Free Software. (Score:4, Insightful)
Don't let users install software (Score:4, Informative)
101 (Score:4, Informative)
I'd suggest.. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I'd suggest.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Knowing how to drive a browser is not sufficient. A course teaching meaningful search construction, search-result filtering (on relevance and reliability), and the often-successful art of 'guessing-a-URL', could be of value, and of interest.
Of course, I guess these are the study/research skills we're all supposed to learn at school...right?
Re:I'd suggest.. (Score:4, Informative)
Seriously though, a course about how to find information could start out quite simple and end up being quite advanced. You could start out with something as basic as different search engines and what techniques they use to return results and go all the way through how to organize information effectively. It sounds like it could really be a good class.
I'ld also consider doing some publicity stunts for your lab. You know, to try to get people excited. The easiest one might be a LAN party with prizes.
Whatever you do, I'ld suggest concentrating on locals though, not tourists. Very few vacationers want to sit in front of a computer, even if it is to play a video game.
Alternatively, if your town is in a really nice place (you said it was a tourist town), you could offer some (relatively) advanced workshops and try to bundle them with a local hotel/Bed & Breakfast and cater to corporate executives.
Wrong mod (Score:2)
A vast number of questions asked both online and offline can be answered with what I call "5SOG": "5 Seconds On Google".
Our community lab... (Score:5, Informative)
Building a Webpage
Intro. to Windows
Intro to Macs
Office 101
Using E-Mail
Finances and Bills with Your Computer
An Introduction to Digital Photography
And depending on your community...We have a lot of immigrants in ours and we offer a lot of computer-based ESL programs/courses
Good Luck!
Re:Our community lab... (Score:2)
>>Intro to Macs
Of course there should also be Intro to LINUX or intro to Lindows.
wbs.
Re:Our community lab... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Our community lab... (Score:4, Funny)
Just my $0.02.
Not just courses (Score:4, Insightful)
Get some of the local kids onto LAN gaming and encourage it in your lab. In addition to weekly classes (in the evenings or whatever), make it clear that it is a place where people can come to check their email, type up something in word, or whatever. The most important part though is to always have someone friendly and knowledgable staffing the place so that people know if they come in at a slow time they can get personal help with whatever they're working on. This help shouldn't cost them above and beyond what the computer time is costing them, nor should it be the only reason they come there. They should come there to get stuff done, knowing that if they get stuck someone will be there to help them out.
Hate to reply to a question with a question. (Score:4, Insightful)
If it's to be an uber-cyber-cafe and hope that business picks up based on your civic contribution, then teach Using The Internet For Research and Homework Help, or maybe How To Install Filtering Software To Keep The Kids From Porn.
Whatever it is, it's got to jive with your employer's reason for doin' it!
--
How to use the internet? (Score:2, Redundant)
They don't need to know how to configure a DNS server, but understanding basic concepts like cookies, HTTPS (and when it is safe to use your credit card), SPAM, etc. could be very useful for Joe User.
Also, creating some kind of list of common acronyms & buzzwords would be helpful to the same folks. When I say that to 'connect you Win2K box to the ISP with a CAT-5 cable w/PCMCIA NIC', I might as wel
Re:How to use the internet? (Score:2)
Its PC Card to most industry people. Which I personally find confusing as hell. I call them, "those little tiny PC Cards" (TM).
Offer basic Self-defense (Score:2, Interesting)
some suggestions (Score:5, Insightful)
A more advanced class on WWW usage would be good - teach people how to use search engines effectively, etc. That would be a short one-day thing that a lot of people could get a great deal of benefit from.
Another good idea would be 'Privacy & Security 101'. Teach people about software firewalls and hardware NAT routers, how to keep their privacy on the internet, and how to avoid spam, etc. Definitely a lot of value there.
Perhaps something about how to use digital cameras with photoshop to do photo editing / printing. And maybe another one for an intro to video editing. Lots of people take pictures & home movies. It'd be good to show them how to get that stuff off their cameras and onto CD-Rs and DVD+/-R(/W)s.
Basic home repair & upgrades, though that may cut into your business.
How to set up a (wireless?) home network, perhaps?
Connecting your TiVo to your home network.
Intro to Linux & the BSDs.
Wireless internet (Score:3, Interesting)
This of course, presupposes courses on Microsoft 101 and the Internet 101.
Don't forget Linux 101 for those who like a challenge!
-6d
Re:Wireless internet (Score:2)
Get somebody to donate a server (read old PC) and make a project course to do a wireless local community network. Apache, Linux, sendmail (OK qmail) etc.
By far the most useful (Score:2)
The interesting thing is: once you have everything set up and want to do something, where to begin? So teach them about Google, how to effectively use it. Tell them about keeping an additional yahoo/hotmail-account to avoid a lot of spam in their per
Tourists, Photos, Libraries (Score:3, Interesting)
Tourist town, you say? You will make them happy by providing every digital media reader known to man, and the means to burn and e-mail the photos back home. They can burn a CD full of photos and empty their camera, and they can e-mail a few photos home to family/friends. This, in addition to "the usual" public kiosks that aren't annoyingly locked down, printing services, internet access for people with laptops, etc.
Also, get in touch with your local public library/libraries. See if they have a computer lab. See what they offer. Look into working together, if only from the standpoint of "oh, we don't offer that service, but they do". If you can refer people to each other, you will both benefit.
Linux Terminal Server Project (Score:3, Interesting)
Jonah Hex
OpenOffice (Score:5, Insightful)
Free. Gratis. Libre.
Software y Libertad!
La computadora es de quien la trabaja!
Not the right place to ask (Score:5, Interesting)
We are going to have no idea whatsoever what Joe Average will want from a set of computer classes. Hey, we don't even know if you're dealing with residents, which won't want the same classes every year, or transients, which will want brief and to the point classes.
I suggest you take all the ideas that SlashDot comes up with, cull at least half of them, put them in a list, and put that list up in the business. Print it on flyers with five or so entries. Ask people to check which ones they would be interested in - maybe let them say sorta interested or very interested - and allow them to write in suggestions. Given that they'll be looking at other things of scale, they'll be able to input what's germane to them.
When you're writing down what you'd present, don't just come up with a topic and go. Think about it: what would Office 101 be? It's not going to be enough time to cover the whole suite. Some people will want document layout and setup in Word, like it was a publisher; some will want Excel and Access, for their small business (maybe tax stuff too.) Some will want to learn how to use Outlook, or Exchange, so that they can function in their corporate environment. Some will want to learn to make PowerPoint presentations.
You've got to remember that most people do not learn computer topics at the rate of a slashdotter. This isn't because they're dumb, or clueless, or any other such geek slander; it's because they have less context to bind to. I'm not stupid, but a mechanic is gonna pick up the specifics of fixing a foreign car way, way faster than I will, even though I likely have a better grasp of the underlying physics. You're going to need to allow a lot of time for basic cluestickery.
Maybe, here's a thought. Every month or so, offer a 101 course on one Office suite app. See how it goes, and have a second one prepared. If it goes well, do your second one while you prepare a sequel to the first.
Above all, don't get stuck in plans. The people that show up won't always be the same ones and they won't always want the same things. Some things (word) you'll be able to repeat. Prepare occasional side-tracks into the weird for geeks if you find them; if you don't, get ready to explain MS Project.
Basically, it's all about your audience, and we aren't your audience. What you get here is nothing better than a starting point.
Re:Not the right place to ask (Score:2, Offtopic)
what do you know? (Score:4, Interesting)
Part of that is advocy. That involves teaching and listening. There are plenty of people here with a clue.
I've been teaching a newbies class for the last four or five months. I've worked in large and small companies and have some idea of what people want and what software can reasonably offer them.
Set up multiple OS for demonstration. This is the hardest thing for a newbie to do, so it's the best service to offer. Windows 101? Sure, teach it on KDE and give them a reasonable notion of why there's a log on, what it protects them from and what it gives them. Games, OK, windoze wins there for now. For everything else, free software is easier to use and maintain. "Sheilding" newbies from the "complexity" of different OS and desktop environments does them a disservice. They quickly master basic concepts of files and GUI. Giving them more makes them happier and lets them make up their own mind down the road.
Visit the, admittedly windoze heavy, Cajun Clickers Computer Club [clickers.org] for an idea of what a community, all volunteer computer club teaches and people want to know.
Re:Not the right place to ask (Score:3, Interesting)
Cater to the travelers (Score:2)
Advertise at the local hotels. At least once per month, drop off fliers with a listing of the services your lab offers and the class schedule. Most small town hotels have truly horrible business centers with one or two outdated PC's with no dialup access. Travelers love finding places to surf.
Have traveler-starter classes, such as how to check your home email account from anywhere, how to research
Crazy Ideas (Score:2, Insightful)
Second - assess local business needs: spreadsheets and document writing. Basic desktop publishing. Also, give out certificates so people can take classes and have something to add to resumes.
Third - student and school needs. More than likely you have student classes needing access to computers. These range from low to high, but I'd start out w/ computer basic and
Gates Foundation Classes (Score:3, Interesting)
At least that's part of what we offer at the local library (grant from Gates Learning Foundation)
For our demographic, we keep things simple. You figure people who frequent a computer lab don't have a machine at home with internet access...so we gear towards the basic stuff.
I'd have loved to do more OSS stuff like maybe some Linux or OpenOffice.org (again, the demographic...let them know they don't have to shell serious $$ to get decent apps) -- and if at all possible (unlike here) show them Mozilla and compare it to IE.
Any chance to let people know of the "alternatives" should be taken.
"how to use this, how to use that" (Score:4, Insightful)
I suppose that's really placing too much of a demand on the students rather than too much on the teachers, though. Sigh...
(Worked in computer labs for 2 years...has stories)
Photography (Score:3, Insightful)
How to get Paid writing Viruses for the RIAA? (Score:2)
preferably with Working for the MCA by Lynard Skynard playing in the background
USB flash drives (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyway, if you're gonna restrict people from installing a new device on your windows machine, go ahead and install the USB flash drive ahead a time for everyone...i'm betting it'll pay off eventually.
puck
Some (Score:2)
medium sized tourist town
Basics, of course (clicking the mouse, dragging and dropping, word, email, web browsing).
Advanced: Creating a web page, running a spreadsheet, maybe even setting up a simple database for logging hotel guests, etc.
Megahertz and megabytes (Score:5, Interesting)
Perhaps a class called "How Your Computer Works" would be in order. The class would have gentle, simplified explanations of all the tech "mumbo-jumbo". And how it all fits together.
People aren't stupid (well most aren't). Sometimes they're just overwhelmed by information and lingo. A guiding hand could make all the difference in the world and actually help make them computer literate.
wbs.
What computer to buy (Score:3, Informative)
call them "certifications" (Score:5, Funny)
A class in nomenclature (Score:2)
Thank you, that will be all,
-- RLJ
Wireless 101 (Score:3, Interesting)
First part of the class is how to put in the card and attach the router to the modem. Then to get to the internet with the wireless setup. Then how to run a peer to peer local network using the DHCP sever on a wireless router.
WEP and security are good topics for later. If you had people that wanted to share but were a little distance away from each other, you could even do Yagi 101, but that's a little much.
Have everyone bring a can of Pringles. You could have snacks for the class and materials for an antenna.
build onnthe tourists. (Score:3, Interesting)
But you also need to allow tourist a place to get email. You might be able to offer thema temp email account and call them if it gets an email from a specific person(for a fee, naturally)
If ypour a sking town, you could offer the tourist a place to go to check the price and availability of things inside the town. make it a free service, then get your money from the merchants, either paying to be listed, or a finders fee.
Offer a WiFI account.
Not a lot of people go on vacation so they can learn Word. yes, some do and I know of geek cruises, but I'm talking about MOST people.
You could offer to send an email at a latter date, so a person boss thinks they are working, when they're on the slopes!
Open Source Software Classes (Score:2)
- Intro to Linux
- Word processing with OpenOffice.org
- Graphics with the GIMP
- Programming with Python
You can charge them a $5 materials fee that includes a CD-ROM of the software!
Duh? (Score:3, Insightful)
Some useful ideas. (Score:3, Interesting)
I've been tempted to get back into teaching classes such as this. One of my previous employers, an ISP, held such sessions for its customers to teach all sorts of interesting things, and they were generally well attended and well received.
To get people to show up, however, you have to teach them stuff they're not going to just be able to fumble their way through on their own (or with their neighbours kids help :) ). So, some of the ideas I can think up off the top of my head include:
Some thoughts, FWIW.
Yaz.
Open Source (Score:2)
If teaching generic 'word procesor' and 'spreadsheet' courses, consider at least one session on gnumeric and abiword. Both are quite usable. Their user interfaces are close enough to excel and word that the session won't be a huge culture shock, but at the same time different enough to make students have to understand what they are doing, rather than just clicking 'the third butto
Theach them choice above all (Score:2)
1. Show them in MS Office how easy it is to type a letter or to do home budget spreadsheet. Then show them how to do it with OpenOffice or KOffice. Then tell them the price of each, including what happens if they have more than one PC in the house.
2. Show them how easy it is to install Windows XP or SuSe (or Drake). Or let's push this one a bit farther:
Offer them something new (Score:2)
how about (Score:2)
Easy... (Score:2)
Modern Compiler Construction...theory and practice (Score:2)
I runned a cybercafe myself (Score:2, Interesting)
I runned a cybercafe myself for 2 years and quitted because it took too much of my time. It was in Europe so maybe the data will not be accurate in the US. It may go beyond the scope of your question but many issues in the success of such a place comes from marketing and such.
I suggest that you advertise some around the schools/universities (schools will give you more casual customers because they will not have probably already a computer)
I will divide the games market in 3 categories:
Action games: they
A few things I can suggest (Score:3, Insightful)
1. CD Burning. We teach using Nero, since it comes with the drives we buy, but the major topics are the different kinds of CDs (audio vs. data, CD-R vs. CD-RW). We just added ripping and burning DVDs (using DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink). VERY few people actually understand the filesystem; a substantial portion of the class is explaining that, say, "My Shared Folder" lives under the Program Files Folder on the C: drive. In real life, I've found most home users just don't do very much with files. Maybe that's another class?
2. Internet Security. The "anti-Spam class". We demonstrate pop-up blocking, programs like adaware, manipulating the hosts file, antivirus software, anti-spam techniques. All this is predicated on reasonably advanced internet users.
3. Troubleshooting. Break a bunch of computers in a thematically appropriate and easily fixable way (sound issues, network problems whatever). Let folks pound their heads against the display for awhile. A decent tech can have a lot of fun with this.
4. Internet Searching. Hard as it is to believe, many people click the search button in IE, that takes them to MSN search, which may very well be the worst search site on the internet. Teach google, refining searches, choosing keywords etc.
5. Shopping Online. Goes over magically in oh, October or November. Teach safety habits, finding product reviews and lowest prices (simpler now that there's froogle, but show differences between say mysimon and dealtime).
6. Digital photography. Many, many people buy a camera and never change the settings from the defaults. Showing things like color and white balance controls, basic photography (when to use a flash, whatever), and how to make things look good when you print 'em out.
Those are things that get decent numbers of sign-ups every time we offer them. Maybe you can do something similar.
#1 subject should be (Score:5, Insightful)
Things like DO NOT INSTALL COMET CURSOR, YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE A URGENT MESSAGE even though that popup says you do, Broadcasting an IP address is NOT A BAD THING even though the OTHER popup says it is, How NOT TO respond to spam, what a GOOD password is, and the survival tools needed, such as a popup blocker, purging histories and the implications of using a SHARED computer. In a similar situation in Yuma, AZ, the snowbirds like email, you could not get an ID until you passed their very basic course, and the heightened awareness gets things reported.
data management (Score:2)
On the other hand if you're not willing to touch the command line could we possibly recommend you never touch a computer again?
Internet access (Score:3, Interesting)
Just a thought...
Foreign Language Labs (Score:2, Informative)
For more information email me or visit www.esl.net
PDA's (Score:2)
Often overlooked topic (Score:5, Insightful)
Effectively using a search engine (or how to use Google
A few suggestions (Score:4, Insightful)
2) How to combat spam (don't sign up for stuff using your real info; use filters)
3) How to avoid spyware (don't click on banner ads; use ad-filtering software; don't install file sharing or useless stuff like cursor/theme changers)
You could offer stuff like "How to pirate software and not get caught" but hopefully people would have enough of a clue to not sign up for a class about that...
Kallahar
More research. (Score:4, Insightful)
you could make a cybercafe style setup. But with a few perks such as: card readers, scanners, web, e-mail, etc. Allowing users e-mail photos to loved ones where ever they may be. Games are never bad either for the kids who dont want to go see some sites with mom and dad all day or go shopping all day let them game all day until mom and dad get back.
If you absoulty must do technical classes do more research to find out what people will want or use. What about appealing to other local businesses to train their people to use word, outlook, excel, acces etc?
Practice, practice, and more practice (Score:5, Interesting)
I work in Chicago's housing projects and have taught lots of little and big courses on computer skills.
What I've learned is that teaching a class in any given application is 1% of the work of teaching people how to use computers. What's most important, in my experience, is providing space and time for motivated people to just keeping banging away and learning new things. The great fallacy of many computer technology centers is that they are closed to the possibility of letting people goof around for a couple hours, when that's exactly what teaches folks.
When I started working on resume writing with some folks in the projects I work at, I was really disappointed that they couldn't remember anything I'd told them, etc. Now, three years later, a couple of those folks have home computers, write lots of email, are good typists, know how to use spreadsheets, etc. Persistence, time, and self-exploration and discovery are what teach lasting technology skills.
Lastly, it's important to remember that you should be trying to teach computing principles. One of my aforementioned buddies has been able to quickly pick up all sorts of other computing skills because he digs on the principles of how computers work, networking works, etc. I think that should be a goal.
What's it good for? (Score:3, Insightful)
For the Internet part, cover things like:
Read the local newspaper
Check the weather report
Use Google to find the complaint address for the company that made your shoes
and so on
Computer Design/Assembly/Repair (Score:4, Insightful)
I think it would help a lot of beginners to lose their fear of computers and give them a better idea of what the different components do and why they do them.
Not only that, but part of the curriculum might invole leaving with your own PC that you built yourself. And then once you have it, knowing what to do when a fan fails, or if you wish to add more memory.
As my dad always told me, everyone who drives a car should know how to change a tire, change the oil, and get a jumpstart. In my opinion, computers should be looked at the same way.
Internet Awareness for Parents (Score:4, Informative)
Download all the popular chat clients, some irc clients, and install all the common browsers.
Offer clases teaching parents how to find browser history, change their security and ratings settings. Show them how to review chat history and url history for IM clients. How to check file sharing folders and search their computer for images, movies, etc.
You'll find that (80%) disinterest or not, you'll draw quite a few attendees, especially if you repeat the course and offer a basic and advanced course.
You need to run two shops... (Score:3, Insightful)
First, you need your tourist side. Very simple stuff. Web browsing, email, a scanner for photos, a color printer for stuff they get from home. This can be on any OS, and might as well be on something robust (*nix) if you can get the right drivers. If you can afford credit-card reader setups, do that... if people can walk in, stick in a card, do their thing, get their total, and click ok and walk out without ever talking to you, they'll be very happy. (Just make sure there's someone easily available to talk to if something comes up... don't *rely* on the no-interaction setup.)
But your locals need something very different. I've done a lot of support and teaching in some pretty wacky environments, and I have a pretty different idea of how it should be done. So these are the kinds of classes I'd offer:
- What is the Internet? This is not a class on how to use Outlook to check your email. This class, if someone's paying attention and taking notes, will after several hours allow someone to get on the phone with their ISP and actually get their internet connection fixed. Learn the general topography of the Internet, insofar as data turns into packets and hops from server to server. Learn how to do and read a traceroute. What a DNS server does. Why email and web are not the same thing. Why they might be able to get to one website, but not another. People use the internet hours and hours a day without having the slightest idea what's going on... and when there's inevitably a problem, they are completely at the mercy of a $9/hr tech in Texas who has a script, but no brain. (Not a comment on Texas... that just seems to be where companies go for cheap tech labor. We have the same brainless idiots here in Los Angeles, but they cost $11/hr.)
- Computer structure. Open up the case. Here's your memory... this is what it does. This is the hard drive, and this is how it's different from memory. That over there is your processor, and it performs this function. People won't necessarily come out knowing how to build a computer, but they'll be able to buy one without being dizzied by the gigahertz and gigabytes. The difference between RAM and drive space is crucial, and very difficult, mostly because it's measured in the same units. Actually showing them the parts may help to make the distinction. It will also help with a surprising number of error messages... I can't tell you how many people I've talked to who were very dissapointed that the "low memory, close programs" message didn't go away after they deleted a bunch of documents.
- Databases. Sure, teach SQL, Filemaker Pro, or even *retch* MS Access. But offer a class on what a database *is* and how it works. One-to-many relationships. Fields and records. Just try to get across the three-dimensional nature of database information. That way, once they learn a database program, whether it's Postgre SQL with PHP or MS Access with VBA, they'll actually be able to *use* it as more than a glorified spreadsheet.
- Microsoft Word productivity. Lots of people have been using Word for years, but they will spend hours and hours trying to make a somewhat complex document print out correctly because they don't really know how to use tabs, tab leaders, tables, etc. A couple hours of the "tips and tricks" can save people cumulative days on typing up their simple-seeming menus, brochures, flyers, and resumes.
Teach them what they ask you to. Listen to the questions they have. Maybe offer "office hours" where people can just come in with their questions and others can sit in and (hopefully) learn from them. Make it a community thing. You've got a heck of an opportunity to empower people (yes, I used that word... but it's appropriate here) with technology, and you can do a lot with it. Make it your goal to put yourself half out of business, because when people know the fundamentals of computers, they won't need your expertise nearly so much anymore.
Community Computer Courses... (Score:3, Informative)
Software, hardware, networking...... (Score:3, Interesting)
We also do two other popular courses;
-How to buy a computer, which is a vendor neutral description of the latest hardware technology and what people should look for to suite thier particular needs when they are box shopping, and
-Using the Internet, where we talk about all things internet, including browsers and searching, firewalls and viruses, file sharing, messaging, online gaming, home LANs, and ISPs as well as many other things.
I'd like to convince the commitee to add an Intro to Linux course in the future, but I doubt the administrators will consent to partitioning all the labs HDDs and installing Linux, so I'm hoping I can use something like Knoppix or Suse Live for starters.
Minimum Requirements (Score:3, Funny)
Class: Computing ground rules (Score:3, Insightful)
How about a ground rules class?
Brief overview of computing today. Platforms, types of computers, and the very general reasons people use them. Perhaps a bit about where we came from, where we are today, and where we could be going.
Then a bit of positioning for them. The sort of thing that helps them place themselves in charge of their experience. Let them know they have choices and how those choices can potentially affect their computing future.
Then expand by area.
The computer itself. What does save really mean? Does it mean "keep this for later?" or does it mean to "toss what I had in exchange for what I have now?" Continue with that sort of general sort of knowledge that will help them to make sense of what they are doing no matter what the application.
The Internet. Putting new people on the Internet without some basic cultural guidence is like walking around in the worst part of town with no clue. Use scenarios to illustrate how things like e-mail, IM, web forums and such work. Let them know what others expect. Let them learn by interactive example. Make sure they can e-mail you and others in the class. Be sure they have a forum to use both in class and away from it. Privacy on the Internet. (Read: what privacy?) USENET in the form of google groups would be nice as would be the rules.
One thing about e-mail in particular to illustrate and allow them to work with is the fact that things can easily come across far differently than intended. Tell them why and help them with creative and funny examples they can remember. Same goes with forums. Tell them what a troll is...
Their Data vs other peoples data. What are backups and how best to perform them. What needs to be archived for later and why?
Software and data. Let them know the difference between Open Standards and Closed ones.
Getting help. If you have framed the discussion right and managed their expectations, they should be able to make use of USENET, web-forums (Your own in particular with volunteer help from the smarter ones helping along), friends, and books.
Lay out the rules for technical support. Let them know exactly what they can expect for a few common situations. They should know enough to decide what is worth the money and what is not.
All of these suggestions are directed toward empowering these people to help themselves as much as possible.
Computing today is really easy if one has the right expectations. It all can be done one simple question at a time. Everyone getting started should somehow know that.
A lot of things would be a lot better if they did.
Good luck with your project.
"Demystifying the Digital Divide" (Score:3, Informative)
The article lists several more sources for information:
They don't need to know (Score:4, Insightful)
Apple gets this. Microsoft gets it but has a business-model problem with it. The Linux community doesn't get it at all.
80% Cash Cow (Score:3, Insightful)
Set up a membership scheme that gives locals cheap access to the whole works, but charges visitors more for cybercafe facilities. Then get your business customers to give you free advertising pitched at visitors.
Paul.
basic training... (Score:3, Insightful)
* What directories are and how to use them. Again, the number of people who just save to a default directory and then can't find the file later is surprising * How to use Office or similar - word processing using your favourite package, etc. By default this tends to be MS Office because that's what they'll face when they hit the real world. You can push OO or similar which may be ethically nice but it's less useful.
*Use of the internet. This includes web searching, email and *usenet*! There are kids today who think "Google Groups" is news!
*Run options in things you think they'll be interested in: DTP, graphics, etc etc
*Anyone who runs a "hacking 101" will be rebuilding their community PCs every few hours and fending off enquiries from their ISP. Why give yourself the hassle?
Re:Suggestions (Score:2)
Anyway, I think you'll run into various levels of experience just because there's nothing else out there for the interested computer user, short of college courses. You need to get the novices up to speed on buzzwords, like what is an "Operating System" but also give the somewhat experienced people something interesting to learn, l
Re:Suggestions (Score:2)
Of course, the easy way to keep people from messing up the underlying computer would be to install GNU/LINUX and delete everything out of the user accounts at, say 4am (automated using crontab).
Re:Suggestions (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Suggestions (Score:3, Interesting)
And guess who's going to have to help them? There's more to running a publicly-accessible computer lab than administration.
And no, RTFM is not an adequate response to user questions.
Moron... (Score:3, Interesting)