For many of my students, Computer Basics 1 is their first step on the bridge that crosses the digital divide. These students are scared, they're uncomfortable, and they expect to be frustrated and feel stupid. For other students, though--the ones who already know how to use the mouse and keyboard--the Basics 1 class is a test of endurance. Can they stay awake for two hours of mousing exercises?
As their teacher, my challenge is clear: Keep the interest high for the experienced users; keep the pace slow enough for the inexperienced. Oh, and be encouraging. And patient. And enthusiastic.
This week, I took on this challenge by completely revising the structure and presentation of the class. While I don't usually use PowerPoint (unless I'm teaching it), I thought the students would find the images helpful and more memorable. I also added slides just to remind us (meaning me) to pause for questions, and I scheduled a break about 50 minutes in so that some students could recover while others could ask me more advanced questions.
I didn't think I could ever have much fun in this class, but I had a blast. The students did, too, or so they told me.
Here's the presentation: Computer Basics 1
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