$30

Extra 5 Lessons

$10

XP Fun takes a more detailed look at the Windows XP Operating System. You learn how to store information efficiently on your computer, how to get help and support and finally you are introduced to a more sophisticated word processor, Microsoft Word. Again there is an emphasis on the “hands-on” approach to training with numerous exercises provided throughout the course.

Vista Fun is basically a combination of PC Fun and XP Fun all in the one course but without the introduction to Microsoft Word.

Having completed PC Fun and XP Fun or Vista Fun you are well qualified to enrol and succeed in any of the Optional courses offered by the Club.

$20

Course Coordinator : Margaret Whiley

The term “word-processing” covers any sort of written and formatted document which can be produced on a computer.  It includes everything from short messages of a couple of sentences, through things like leaflets and newsletters to complete books.  Microsoft Word, probably the best known component of the Microsoft Office suite of programs, has a huge range of tools for dealing with just about anything you might want to write on a piece of paper (for example, our Club manuals are created in Word), and the Word-processing course introduces you to just some of these. 

As word-processing is more about formatting the text than the actual typing of it, all the lesson material is provided on your class CD.  During the course you will open this material, edit it and then save it to your Flash Drive.  In Word, as with most other programs, there is always more than one way of doing things, and in the course you will explore the use of the Menu Bar, the Icons and the Short-cut keys.

This first part of the Word course is divided into 5 lessons of 2½ hours and costs $20. Homework is set after each lesson and there are also Revision tasks.  The course covers:  

• The Word Screen and Getting Help from the Office Assistant
• Creating, Saving, Closing and Opening Files
• Moving Around using the Mouse and Keyboard
• Viewing a Document and Using Zoom
• Editing Text – deleting, inserting, adding blank lines
• Undo and Redo
• Formatting Characters and Format Painter
• Inserting Symbols
• Formatting Paragraphs
• Bullets and Numbering
• Setting Tabs
• Print Preview and Print
• Moving and Copying Text
• Page Formatting, Page Numbering
• Find and replace
• Spelling and Grammar check
• Checking as you go
• Keyboard Shortcuts

The course is written for MS Word 2003, but also applies to Word 2002. 

Students using MS Works Word Processor or Open Office are welcome to sign up for the course if they wish – but - there are no conversion course notes available for them to use at home.

$20

Course Coordinator : Margaret Whiley

This course assumes an understanding of Microsoft Word with the skills and knowledge gained in Word Level 1 course. It is also important for learners to have a general understanding of personal computers and the Windows operating system as participants will be required to start applications, work with and copy files, and locate file and folders.

This course extends the learners basic skills and knowledge of Microsoft Word 2003 and helps them create more intricate and varied documents. Existing skills and knowledge are enhanced by covering more advanced aspects of key topics such as formatting, templates, tables, etc.

As the course is spread over five lessons, there is ample opportunity for revision and extra exercises are provided so participants may gain a better understanding of Microsoft’s Word capabilities.

Learning Outcomes  

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Use advanced formatting techniques

• Use timesaving features such as styles and templates

• Use Autocorrect

• Create headers and footers in documents

• Create tables

$20

Course Coordinator : Bruno Fiorentino

This is a one-on-one course run on Monday mornings over 4 to 7 sessions of 55 minutes each.

Microsoft Excel is probably the most used and recognized spreadsheet program in use today. Although it is mainly used in business applications, it can be used for a variety of social or personal tasks such as keeping membership records, doing the club’s books, creating rosters, preparing household budgets, keeping track of your investments and many more. 

The course provides a basic introduction to Excel and teaches you how to:

• Create a worksheet, enter text and numbers, edit cell contents, enter a formula, save and print a worksheet.

• Format and sort data in a variety of ways.

• Create charts using statistical data.

• Track the performance of a basic Share Portfolio

It is recommended that you bring a “flash drive” to the course so that you can save and work on the exercises on your home computer.

$30

Course Coordinator : Eleanor Ball

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful tool for creating the effective visual presentation of information or creative ideas, usually in the form of a slide show on a computer monitor or projected on to a large screen. Such slide shows are used professionally in business and education for many purposes: to inform, demonstrate, advertise, motivate and as a teaching aid – such as the way we at Computer Pals use them for providing instruction in our various computer courses. On a more personal note you can create a family history, a greeting attachment to an email, and event poster or a little digital mischief to impress the grandchildren. With PowerPoint the possibilities are endless.

Aim: The aim of this course is to teach you the basic elements of the PowerPoint program to enable you to put together a professional PowerPoint presentation using text and graphics with animation and sound. This is achieved by having you create six different projects, one on each day of the 6 day course. These are:
Project 1: “The Kelly Gang”. A basic presentation of historical facts; text and photos;
Project 2: “My Family”. Using bulleted text and simple animation of pictures and text;
Project 3: “Flying Saucer”. A 1-slide comic story, using animation and sound effects;
Project 4: “Computer Pals”. A short promotional show with text animation and music;
Project 5: “Tudor Monarchs”. Jazzing up a presentation with sound effects and music;
Project 6: “Germany 2006”. Creating a poster using PowerPoint as a graphics program.

Join us and have a lot of fun learning how to use PowerPoint for maximum effect. Create computer slide shows from your digital photographs, complete with sound effects and background music.

Requirements:
(a) Any version of PowerPoint on your computer at home;
(b) You must have completed the Graphics course;
(c) Bring 3 floppy disks or (preferably) a USB Flash Drive on course Day 1.

$30

Course Coordinator : Gerda Deryk

The Publisher Application Program allows you to create high-quality publications that integrate words and pictures by using powerful formatting features to change the appearance of text and graphics.

Publisher's built-in word processing and drawing tools let you create publications from scratch or by using Templates and Wizards, to automatically create documents such as newsletters, brochures, flyers, greeting cards, business forms and advertisements.

Publisher can also convert text and graphics files from a variety of other popular application programs, so works in Word or Graphics Programs can be inserted directly into a Publisher document using the Clipboard facility and Copy and Paste.

In this course we will commence by carrying out a number of simple exercises that will familiarise you with the Publisher Interface and the various Publisher Tools that can be used to enhance documents. This will be followed by the creation of a Flyer, then a Brochure and then a Newsletter, progressing from the easiest to the most complex and in doing so building on skills as the exercises proceed. And finally, exercises involving the creation of a Calendar, a Card and an Advertisement with you determining the options.

$25

Course Coordinator : Eleanor Ball

Microsoft Office - what is it?
Microsoft Office is a suite of programs which is available in a number of assorted “packages”.  The younger generations of your family will probably be familiar with the major programs in the suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher) and use them either in the workplace, school or uni.  This means that when they pass on their old computers to us Seniors, the programs are often already just sitting there waiting to be used.  Alternatively, if you buy a new computer package, you can often get MS Office at a reduce price as part of the “deal” (which is well worth doing).  It is because these Office programs are so readily available to us that the Club has chosen to use them for its introductory Graphics course.

Graphics
This course, which has been called Graphics in Word for the last few years, has just been renamed “Graphics”.  This is because only the first three weeks of the course actually use Word – the other two cover Microsoft Office Picture Manager (part of the Office suite since 2002) and PowerPoint.  Although Word is known mainly for its very powerful word processing capabilities, it also has a set of very flexible tools for handling digital pictures (ClipArt, photographs, WordArt and geometric shapes), collectively known as Graphics.

The course starts from the basic skills learned in the Fundamentals courses and introduces the new graphics-handling skills during 5 light-hearted 2 hour lessons – usually on Wednesday afternoons. Because the course is a prerequisite for all the other graphics courses at the Club, it is in great demand and runs every 6 weeks throughout the year.

The notes supplied are written for Office 2002/3 – the versions loaded on the club computers, but the class CD provides conversion notes for users of Office 97, 2000 and 2007, in case you have one of those versions on your home computer. 

The first 3 weeks of the course use Word exclusively.

Week 1 illustrates how ClipArt and photographs can be inserted into a Word document, and then introduces Word’s own WordArt options. 

Week 2 introduces the Drawing toolbar, and its wide range of options for using AutoShapes, text boxes, 3D, shadow, fill and line colour. 

Week 3 introduces the Picture toolbar, and the insertion of photographs into a text document. It also explores the wide range of enhancements Word’s tools provide, and demonstrates the grouping of photos to form a panorama.

Week 4 gives a break from Word, and introduces some of the technical terms used in handling digital imaging both on screen an on the printer. Microsoft Office Picture Manager (part of Microsoft Office 2002 and later) is then used to re-size images. T-shirt printing, laminating, and burning CDs are also covered.

Week 5 introduces PowerPoint, the extremely popular slide show creation and presentation program which, like Word, forms part of the Microsoft Office suite of programs. (As this is the final week of the course there is no homework, so you do not need to have PowerPoint at home.)

$10

Course Coordinator : Gilbert Cowlishaw

The aim of the Workshops is to produce cards with the same quality as purchased cards; the 3-hour workshop requires competence in the use of textboxes, Wordart, inserting pictures and text wrapping styles. The Graphics course is a prerequisite for this workshop. 

Two cards are made during the workshop, the first is a child’s card for the age of 1 to 4, while the other is an adult card, the layout is suitable for a birthday, Christmas or an anniversary. 

$20

Course Coordinator : Ella Ross

This is a one-on-one course run over 4 to 6 weeks of 55 minutes each. The course provides a practical introduction to the Internet using Microsoft Internet Explorer and to Email using Microsoft Outlook Express. 

Students are given an understanding of how the Internet works with an emphasis on browsing the Net with safety, confidence and enjoyment. They are shown how to find web pages to suit their interests limited only by their imagination and the time they want to spend on-line. 

Students learn to create, send and receive Email messages and attach photographs and documents. They are shown how to organize their mail into Folders and establish an Address Book.

$20

Course Coordinator : Eleanor Ball

Internet & Email is a comprehensive group course taught over 4 sessions of 3 hours including a break. There are 23 course exercises in the 37 page Course Manual. Students will cover the following topics over the 4 sessions: 

• History and understanding the Internet
• Internet Service Providers and Internet Plans
• Access methods including hardware and security
• Email systems, setup and use of Web and POP Mail
• Briefly discuss Instant Messaging (MSN) and Voice Over Internet (Skype)
• Understanding the World Wide Web (WWW) and Browsers (IE & Firefox)
• Searching the Internet for information using Search Engines (Google & Yahoo!)
• WWW applications including Banking, Buying Online, Blogging, Sharing Photos, Mailing Lists and Downloading Software

Completion of XP or Vista Fundamentals is a pre-requisite for this course. Maximum course size will be 12 students and there will be Trainers on hand to help with the exercises.

If you would like to do this Course email the Course Coordinator Eleanor Ball by clicking on the link leightel@aapt.net.au. You will then be notified by email when enrolments to the next Course open.

$20

Course Coordinator : Kate Belfield

The object of this course is to demonstrate how to prepare and carry out Text Instant Messaging using both the free Microsoft MSN Messaging and Windows Messaging programs, and Voice and Video conversations using the free Skype Software.

The manual supplied will detail the step by step procedure to be used for each application and in-class demonstrations and the class Exercises will involve hands-on experience in setting up the attendee's Hotmail IDs (e-mail addresses and Password), Text Instant Messaging, the downloading of Skype Software and the setting up and testing of Headset and Web camera for use with the Voice and Video conversations.

Some time will be spent discussing the procedures involved in Instant Messaging, Voice and Video and the free programs available, together with the questions of Dial-up and Broadband connections and their limitations and advantages, as well as the advantages in using Skype for Voice and Video. As the Club's computers all have the XP Operating System installed, the Instant Messaging Exercises will be carried out in class using the Windows Messenger system for XP. However, the Manual shows detailed step by step Instant Messaging procedure for those with W98 SE, Me and 2000 Operating Systems.

A Power Point Presentation will be used to demonstrate the steps involved in each procedure followed by Exercise conducted in small groups under the guidance of Senior Trainers and following the detailed steps laid out in the manual. Instant Messaging Exercises and Voice and Video Conversations will take place between student groups using different computers but located in the one room.

For the group Exercises in class, the Club's Headsets with microphone and Web cameras will be used. Students who have yet to purchase this equipment, should wait until these items are discussed during Day 1 as prices vary greatly and class discussion will provide guidance about product quality and prices.

$20

Course Coordinator : TBA

In this course we will be looking at all types of Scanners and Printers but the emphasis will be on the home desktop Flatbed Scanner and Ink Jet Printer.

Time will be spent examining the operating principals of both the Printer and Scanner and dismissing some popular myths about these units. Today's scanners are capable of scanning the finest details, in many cases well be beyond the capability of the printer to print the detail. Understanding the limitations of each unit is important in arriving at the best result. Unfortunately, marketing information advertised for both scanners and printers is - to say the least - confusing and often misleading. We look closely at this aspect and relate it to what to look for when buying and what to ignore to ensure you buy to suit your requirements.

Prices of scanners and printers vary widely. We closely examine why and discuss the importance of using scanner settings - where available - before scanning, in preference to using the Image Editing Programs after scanning. We also investigate the enigma of scanning RGB and printing CMYK so as to appreciate the printer's limitations. Guideline settings are provided to ensure the optimum results are made available from the scanner and printer being used.

All class members will be involved in hands-on exercises using several different makes of both scanners and printers. Also, a Flatbed Scanner will be dismantled to demonstrate the workings of the unit and to show the significance of the manufacturer's method of achieving the optical magnification so important to a quality end result. Likewise, an Ink Jet Printer will be dismantled to demonstrate the inner workings and the significance of the two types of cartridges and their control plates and the reason for the difference in cartridge prices between makes.

The 'PC User' magazine's test results of many types of Scanners, Ink Jet Printers, Papers and a comparison between individual units and All-in-one units provides some unexpected findings. These findings will be displayed and highlighted, to help members choose the best ink and / or cartridge, refill and paper, and what approach and equipment is best for producing photos and the handling of 35mm slides and small negatives.

$10

Course Coordinator : Frank O'Gallagher

Computer technology now makes it easy to restore your old records and convert them to CDs or MP3 files. You don't require an expensive studio to do it, just your PC and suitable software.

In this short course you will be shown how to transfer music from a vinyl record, save it in your computer, clean up any unwanted clicks, scratches and other unwanted record surface noise, arrange the tracks in the order of your choice, compile an album of your favourite music and then "burn" the digital music to a recordable CD.

Restoring and recording Audio Files is a complicated and time consuming task, but with patience excellent results can be achieved. This short course does not explore the full spectrum of sound recording because the free programs used do not have all the features required. However, all of the basic steps needed to carry out the transfer are available with the free programs used in the course. We will be showing you in this course :

• How to connect the turntable to the amplifier and computer, to enable transfer of the music from the record to the computer Sound Card.
• How to clean the signal to obtain the best possible playback.
• How to install and use Steinberg Clean.
• How to use Wave Lab Lite.
• How to compile and "Burn" the audio tracks using Windows Media Player 11.

$25

Course Coordinator : David Hurt

This group course is an introduction to Digital Cameras and is designed for people that have acquired a digital camera but have no idea how to use it or transfer the pictures to a computer for editing and viewing.

• The first day covers the technology of the digital camera, camera types, understanding your digital camera controls and settings and camera accessories.
• The second day is about understanding digital images and how to connect your digital camera to a PC for the purpose of downloading the image files for editing and viewing.
• The third day covers digital image management and image editing using the free software package called Picasa.
• The fourth day looks at printing digital images and the advanced digital camera features and controls.

You will be required to bring your digital camera to the course for use in the various exercises. The course content is more about understanding and using your digital camera correctly than it is about making you a better photographer.

$25

Course Coordinator : Lionel Smith

This three day course is designed to give an introduction to the absolutely basic techniques involved in non-linear video editing.  Its purpose is to help students to make an informed decision regarding the extent to which they want to become involved with video editing, in light of the commitments in time and, should they decide to continue further, probably money, which are likely to be involved.

The course will be based on Windows Movie Maker 2 which comes at no extra cost as part of Windows XP and Vista (Vista incorporates Movie Maker 6 which is only very little different).

At the conclusion of the course students should be able to use Windows Movie Maker to capture, edit, and save to hard drive and CD, video from most digital cameras.  They will also have been introduced to the requirements for capturing analog (VHS) video.  Demonstrations will be given of the resources available in Pinnacle Studio and Adobe Premiere Elements to show the extent to which the resources of such programs differ from Windows Movie Maker and each other.

$20

Course Coordinator : Eleanor Ball

This group course is all about getting to know your PC better, understanding the importance of installing defensive software against viruses and spyware, making sure that you are generating regular backups and performing monthly housekeeping activities to safeguard your valuable documents and pictures. Areas that are covered include:

• Windows XP Control Panel configurations
• Hardware & Software audits of your PC
• Dynamic PC performance monitoring
• Backup strategies for your PC and documents
• Defensive software such as virus and adware scanners
• Importance of Internet firewalls and detection software
• Windows XP setup and configuration
• Monthly maintenance activities

As this course is all about configuring and maintaining your PC there will be no exercises to be carried on the Club machines during the course.

This is an advanced course and if you have just started using a computer you might find it hard going. Consideration is being given to constructing a simplified version of this course for those new to the PC environment.

$15

Course Coordinator : Lionel Smith

What is inside that Mini Tower that does all those marvellous things?

Well, here is your chance to see all the bits and pieces laid out on the kitchen table and then assembled into that wonder of wonders - the computer.

With the individual pieces laid out, a discussion will be held explaining what each piece is and what part it plays in making the whole assembly work. The techniques of assembling will be explained and the critical aspects of the assembling task will be emphasised. In short, the order in which the assembly must be carried out - equally important - what not to do along the way.

For those who do not attend such a workshop, the computer will always remain a mystery. For those who do attend, all is revealed and it will be appreciated that under the guidance of our specialist members, the assembling process is not difficult but you do need to know what to do and how to do it. This is the purpose of the workshop.

To build your own computer, choosing the parts to suit your requirements will become part of  later workshops. The many options will then be discussed - as will be the case should you wish to consider the possible upgrading of your own computer.

$15

Course Coordinator : Connie Vallis

This course will be conducted over three weeks in three hour sessions with a tea or coffee break at around halfway through the session. 

The course will include creative writing exercises,  advice on the  do’s and don’ts of Short Fiction, Article,  Autobiography and Memoir writing, encouragement and guidance on entering the recently announced ASSCA Writing competition, plus advice on getting your work published, Copyright and research via the internet.

Students will be using some computer word processing options to create their work and will be expected to bring with them a removable disk on which to save their creations.

$10

Course Coordinator : Marea Parsons

This short course is based on the Westlakes Computer Club manual with appropriate additions and changes by Marea Parsons.

$30

Course Coordinator : Barbara Browne

The Photoshop Elements course is based on version 6 of the software which was released in Australia towards the end of last year. The appearance of the programme is very different to that of earlier versions although the internal structure of the programme is not so much changed and it would probably be possible for somebody who already has version 5 to follow the course with some adaptation.

• Photoshop Update No.1

$20

Course Coordinator : Bill Butts

Linux is a multitasking, multiuser operating system for a variety of hardware platforms from large network servers to mobile phones and now, increasingly, personal computers, both desktop and notebook. Unlike Microsoft Windows operating systems, it is free and open source software so that not only do you not have to pay for it but you can access its coding and modify it if you want to (and are capable of doing so).

If you would like to do this Course email the Course Coordinator Bill Butts by clicking on the link bbutts@virginbroadband.com.au. You will then be notified by email when enrolments to the next Course open.

Last Updated 21 January 2010

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