Simplified. Trimmed down. Easier than before, here is the no nonesense information for all of the classes that I will be teaching in the forthcoming Academic Year 2011-2012. For enrollment details please click to email Barry Adult Education Centre or phone up on 01446 738054. Full Course outlines will be available shortly, and will be released in the Blog.
Course Title: eBay - An Introduction to Online Auctions
Course Code: ACE1T209E Duration: 10 Weeks
Level: Beginners
Where: Barry Comprehensive School Date: 26th September 2011
Description: You're familiar with the name. You've seen it in stories on the evening news. You've heard co-workers talking about it around the water cooler. Your niece says she even did her back-to-school shopping there. So what is this eBay phenomenon, anyway?You're familiar with the name. You've seen it in stories on the evening news. You've heard co-workers talking about it around the water cooler. Your niece says she even did her back-to-school shopping there. So what is this eBay phenomenon, anyway?
Simply put, eBay is: A place to buy. Get nearly anything you need or want at prices better than you can find in traditional brick-and-mortar or even online stores. Though there are lots of rotten deals on eBay, too, the careful consumer can always come out ahead.
A place to sell. Whether you're a bix-box retailer or just an average Joe (or Jane) cleaning out your garage, nearly anything you list on eBay will sell if you're flexible enough about the price. eBay's global reach can even move unusual items that aren't in demand in your own neighborhood, turning paperweights into cash.
A place to shop. Because of the immense variety of things that can be found for sale on eBay, many members have discovered that eBay is one of the best places in the world to window or comparison shop. The millions of item listings created by sellers often include photos, detailed descriptions, and owner experiences. Because you can see lots of the same item side-by-side in various conditions and know what each one sold or is selling for, eBay gives you insight into the real market value or "street value" of most types of goods around the world.
However, like the real world in many ways. Just as you'll encounter both honest and dishonest people in the real world, you'll find both honest people and crooks on eBay. Thankfully, eBay's site includes a selection of tools like the feedback system that are designed to help you to remain safe as an eBay member.
In short, since eBay's founding in 1995 it has become the world's largest place to buy and sell, a community of hundreds of millions of regular people, small businesses, and even big businesses from all of the seven continents. Millions of items of every kind imaginable, in every condition imaginable, change hands every day on eBay for prices ranging from one cent to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars (or pounds, or other forms of currency).
So come along, join the class, and learn everything there is to get the most out of the world's biggest online auction site!
Course Title: Digital Photography Class
Course Code: ACE1T209E Duration: 10 Weeks
Level: Beginners / Intermediate
Where: Barry Comprehensive School Date: 27th September 2011
Description: Do you enjoy taking pictures with your Digital Camera? Are you perhaps thinking of buying one and want to learn more before doing so? Do you want to learn how to enhance your photographs on the computer? Do want to learn a bit more about taking better pictures? Then this is the course for you!
This is a mixed ability class that caters for everyone’s needs. We have several class members who’ve come along for a few sessions, and we get people who have never used a digital camera before. The advantage of a mixed ability group is that there is a lot more advice and information that can be shared with everyone, from people’s personal experiences. The software that we use on the computers in school is Paint Shop Pro. It isn’t the very latest edition, but that is not a problem as all versions are backwards compatible, so in terms of notes the basics that we cover are the same from version 7 right up to version 13!
The class is taught in a very relaxed, and easy-going manner, which puts people at ease from the beginning, and from past experience, the class has been always been a firm favourite.
One of the complaints people have about using their camera’s is that sometimes they do not get the opportunity to find the time to actually put into practice the things they have learnt, so an important part of these sessions is plenty of hand’s on experience. Depending on the time of year, tends to dictate the type of practical photography that we can do in class time. The Autumn Term gives us the opportunity to put into practice night-time photography, particularly closer to the season a session visiting such places as the Cardiff Winter Wonderland. Spring and Summer time gives us a bit more time to visit local places of interest such as the Welsh Hawking Centre, and the many wonderful beaches we have along the Vale of Glamorgan coastline.
Course Title: PC Maintenance Class
Course Code: ACE1T209E Duration: 10 Weeks
Level: Intermediate
Where: Barry Comprehensive School Date: 28th September 2011
Description: Something that isnt taught these days, is the proper use of a computer, with a good understanding of the Windows Operating System. This forms the foundation of our PC Maintenance course. Learning your version of the Windows Operating System is the key to unlocking the simplicity of maintaining and looking after your computer. We cover all used versions of Windows ranging from, if required Windows 98, to Windows XP through to Vista and Windows 7. We cover every aspect of using the computer from turning it on to turning it off. A good solid foundation of using Windows is examined, with a comprehensive look at all the built-in tools and a concise guide to the interface in general, demonstrating allsorts of shortcuts and handy hints and tips to get the most out of your Windows experience. The more and more you get familiar with Windows, the easier you will find everything on your computer. So often is the case that many users, particularly those in the workplace, only use their computer for tasks such as using Word, and know nothing more than simply doubling clicking the Word icon, well with this course we can broaden your horizons beyond the limitations of general day to day use.
The class offers comprehensive hands-on sessions on computer hardware, after all it is a PC Maintenance Class. You can’t teach proper PC Maintenance if we don’t delve inside the computer case, and dismantle, upgrade and rebuild the machines! We explore this side of the subject to fully understand the computer. Sometimes, taking a screwdriver to a computer can be a daunting thing to the novice but in the company of many others in the same situation, and a friendly light-hearted atmosphere, you’ll learn that it’s no where near as complicated as you might have thought! If anything you’ll learn not be taken advantage of by those that provide support at expensive rates, even if you’re not brave enough to take your own computer apart! However with the basic understanding of how everything fits together, you’ll have the confidence to install things like new soundcards, DVDs or Harddisks. Some have even come away from the course having built their own computers. This course has been running for a few years now, and absolute beginners have taken computers apart and reassembled them to their amazement about how easy it can be with the right guidance!
Dealing with Computer Viruses and other such Internet bugs is one of the most common issues we come across these days, and learning best practices in choosing the right products and how to configure and use them is very important. This combined with a thorough look at using the Internet correctly and safely, is probably one of the most valued and important part of the course.
Many people have more than one computer at home these days, and this is where networking plays an important part. Networking, be it wired or wireless in the home allows us to share resources such as disk space, perhaps on another computer or various portable devices, and to share common peripherals such as printers, so we don’t need to have one physically attached to every machine. A fair bit of money can be saved when it comes to networking your technology. We examine the hardware required in the home to join two or more computers together, and where wireless is concerned, we also examine the security factors that have to be followed to protect you from the outside world.
Mixed in with all of this, you’ll learn about the latest technologies and so much more along the way. So, what are you waiting for, start making technology work for you, rather than the other way around! Come along and join in, bring a friend too, and have some fun along the way, in what has become quite a popular course!
Where is Barry Comprehensive School? Click on the photo of the school below, and use the Bing Website interface to see the exact location.
