Teaching Computer Skills to Adults

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Teaching Computer Skills to Adults

• Angela Benson
• Assistant Professor
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Agenda

• E-mail Addresses
• Philosophy
• Resources
• Strategies
• Intro to Computers
• Intro to MS Word
• Intro to MS Excel
• Intro to the Internet
• General Process
• Process Requirements
• Questions and Wrap-Up

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Philosophy

• Contextualize your courses/workshops
• Not learn MS Excel, but make your money go
  farther
• Not Internet, but using the Internet to find free
  resources
• Not learn MS Word, but writing business letters
  when you have problems
• Ask your clients about their needs and interests
• Build on lesson plans of others

4
Resources Hardware

• Mobile or Fixed PC Labs
• Desktop or Laptop PCs
• Not high-end for these basic functions, minimums
• Pentium III
• Windows 98

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Resources - Software

• Office Suite, e.g., Microsoft or Corel
• Word Processing, e.g., MS Word
• Spreadsheet, e.g., MS Excel
• Database, e.g., MS Access
• Presentation, e.g., MS Powerpoint
• Web Browser, e.g., MS Internet Explorer, Netscape
  Navigator
• Web Development, e.g., MS Frontpage, Netscape
  Composer
• Common interface across suite products

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Introduction to Computers

• Basic computer literacy
• http//aalrc.org/cl/welcome.html
• http//ctc.aspira.org/PDF20files/Intro20to20Win
  dows201.pdf
• http//ctc.aspira.org/PDF20files/Intro20to20Win
  dows202.pdf
• http//www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lessonintro.htm
• http//www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/win/index.html
• Types of Problems
• Buying a computer
• Strategies
• Prior to topic workshops (separate workshop)
• Introduction to topic workshops (same workshop)
• Integrated with topic workshops (same workshop)

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Microsoft Word

• Word processing software
• http//ctc.aspira.org/PDF20files/Intro20to20Wor
  d201.pdf
• http//ctc.aspira.org/PDF20files/Intro20to20Wor
  d202.pdf
• http//www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/words/index.html
• Types of problems
• Business letters, e.g., complaint to landlords
• Resumes for jobs
• Brochures for small business, local event
• Community newsletter
• Strategies
• Blank document
• Template

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Microsoft Excel

• Spreadsheet program
• A piece of paper, or program, with rows and
  columns for recording and manipulating financial
  data.
• http//ctc.aspira.org/PDF20files/excel.pdf
• http//www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/numbers/index.htm
  l
• Types of Problems
• Household budget
• Balance checkbook
• Loan calculator
• Strategies
• Blank worksheet
• Templates

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Intro to the Internet

• An information network
• Web, e-mail access methods
• http//ctc.aspira.org/PDF20files/InternetBasics.p
  df
• http//www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/web/index.html
• Types of Problems
• Plan a vacation
• Find a job
• Research companies and occupations
• Strategies
• WebQuests
• Search and Evaluation exercises

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General Process

• Identify client problem/need
• Plan for competing interests (e.g., child care,
  meals)
• Study related topic
• Identify computer/Internet tools
• Create applicable tutorials
• Download applicable templates
• Prepare student pre-workshop package
• List data to collect
• Marked form showing where to input data
• Blank form to enter data

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General Process

• Workshop
• Discuss the general topic, e.g., budgeting
• Students input data using computer template
• Review results
• Change data and review results against
• Review basic commands in template and in blank
  form
• Build template-like functionality from blank
  document

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Process Requirements

• You learn the topic area
• You learn to use the appropriate tool
• You develop the tutorial
• You complete the pre-workshop assignment
• You work through the workshop activities with the
  students during the workshop

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Helpful URLs

• MS Template Gallery
• http//search.officeupdate.microsoft.com/TemplateG
  allery/default.asp
• WebQuests
• http//webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html
• http//www.edhelper.com/cat311.htm
• ASPIRA Workshops
• http//ctc.aspira.org/Toolkits.html
• Jans Lessons
• http//www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/
• Land Grant Training Alliance Tutorials
• http//www.lgta.org/
• Lesson Plans
• http//www.lessonplanspage.com/CI.htm
• http//www.askeric.org/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/Compute
  r_Science
• http//www.teachers.net/cgi-bin/lessons/sort.cgi?s
  earchtermComputer
• http//www.edhelper.com/cat28.htm

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Additional Information

• National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)
  for Students, Teachers and Administrators
• http//nets.iste.org/
• Student Technology Skills Assessment
• http//cnets.iste.org/ (technology standards)
• http//www.wested.org/tie/techplan/studasse.shtml
  (Self-assessments)