Beginner Computer Classes for Adults

Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL) is pleased to welcome Elizabeth Ortiz of Lanier Technical College to teach an 8-week series of computer literacy classes for adults. Beginner Computer Classes for Adults will begin on January 9 and meet each Friday from 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. through February 27. All classes will be held in the computer lab in the FCPL Administration Building, adjacent to the Cumming Library. The classes are sponsored by the FCPL Friends and Advocates.

“The first session will focus on helping students become more comfortable handling each component of the computer and learning about the different software they can use to do the things they want to do on their computer and the Internet,” says Ortiz.

The second and third sessions will be devoted to the Internet. Students will learn how to access the Internet with a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox, how to use search engines like Google or Bing, how to navigate web pages, and how to bookmark the sites they need to visit most frequently. Students will also learn the basics of using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, using web-based communication software like Gmail and Skype, as well as online shopping and couponing sites.

“Students get really excited about the Internet sessions,” says Ortiz. “For people that aren’t familiar with computers, these sessions offer a completely new way to communicate with their friends and families, to shop, and to research any questions they might have about technology, education, health, and so much more.”

The fourth and fifth sessions will focus on word processing and using Microsoft Word. Students will learn to create and save documents, format special documents such as a business letter or professional resume, insert images, and format text and lists.

Weeks six and seven will be devoted to studying Microsoft Excel, a popular spreadsheet software. Skills learned in these two sessions will help students create a personal or family budget by inserting data, formatting numbers, and applying formulas. Students will also learn to create charts from the data in their spreadsheets.

The final session will focus on the use of Microsoft PowerPoint to create business presentations and photo slideshows. Students will insert and move slides, add images and text, format slide designs, as well as set slide transitions and animations.

Each session is limited to 12 participants and advance registration is required. Participants may choose to register for as few or as many classes as they like, but when a topic is covered over multiple sessions, students should register for all sessions covering that topic.

For more information, or to register for a class, please visit www.forsythpl.org.