[Baynet] Infopeople's "Using Theme-Based Training to Teach Computer Skills to the Public" workshop

[Linda Rodenspiel]

Since some people who may be interested in attending might not receive this 
notice directly, we would appreciate it if you would print and post or 
route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks!

Title:  Using Theme-Based Training to Teach Computer Skills to the Public

Dates and locations:

Wednesday, November 29, Los Angeles Public Library
Thursday, November 30, Rancho Cucamonga Public Library/Victoria Gardens
Tuesday, December 5, San Jose Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
Monday, December 11, San Francisco Public Library
Friday, December 15, California State Library

To register for this workshop:  Use the online registration form at
http://www.infopeople.org/workshop/301

Fee:  There is a $75.00 fee for this workshop.


What do selling on ebay, quilting, and skateboarding have in 
common?  They’re all high interest themes that will get your community 
excited about the library’s computer training classes.  Instead of teaching 
“click here” and “click there,” why not use a theme-based approach to help 
users acquire computer skills effortlessly while they learn about their 
favorite topics?

This course is suitable for both designated and occasional trainers.

--Are you called upon to offer computer training to the public even though 
you have no teaching experience?
--Do you stare blankly at the screen when you attempt to develop a lesson ­ 
even when it’s about a topic or skill you know well?
--Have you struggled to figure out how to make training more interactive?
--Could you use help getting students to follow along in your demonstrations?

Computer training has become a core library service.  So why not make it 
fun for users - and for staff!  Infopeople’s lead trainer will share her 
secrets for creating theme-based lessons that will make your classes 
exciting, effective, and memorable.


Workshop Description: By the end of this all-day, hands-on workshop, each 
student will have created a customized lesson plan for a public computer 
class on a theme of their choosing.  There will be templates for handouts, 
evaluation forms, bookmark files, and lesson plans in both paper and 
digital format.  Students will participate in individual as well as small 
group exercises and large group discussions.  In addition to creating a 
lesson plan, we will share important class management skills and techniques 
for teaching people on computers.  The instructor will provide practical, 
useful tips that can be applied immediately.  Students will be encouraged 
to share their completed lesson plans with each other, giving you access to 
as many as 20 different completed lesson plans.

(Optional) Pre-workshop assignment: Ideally, each student will come to this 
course with an idea for a theme for a public computer class.  It can be 
anything from pizza making to collecting antique glass, to learning about 
healthy bugs in the garden.  If you are already offering public classes, 
please bring examples of the handouts you use.

Preliminary Course Outline:

Objectives For Teaching Public Computer Classes
--Why use theme-based training
--Training staff versus training the public
--Which computer and Internet competencies to teach
--How to teach them

Create Theme-Based Training
--Creating clear objectives for your classes
--Using templates
--Creating handouts and bookmark files
--Important formatting tricks and shortcuts in MS Word
--Including other library resources in your training

Crucial Skills For Teaching People to Use Computers
--Vocabulary
--Narrating while demonstrating
--How and when to use exercises
--Teach one way or three
--Handling a variety of learners

Planning Training
--Checklist for planning training
--Day-of-training suggestions
--Promoting your public classes

Workshop Instructor: Cheryl Gould.  Cheryl has been a training consultant 
for Infopeople since 1996. She has delivered workshops on a wide range of 
topics. In her role as Training Consultant, she has worked with over 100 
different instructors to create workshops on more than 150 different topics 
of interest to California libraries. Her current role as Training 
Consultant for Infopeople keeps her involved in all of the Infopeople 
workshops and allows her to not only spread the gospel of strong training 
techniques, but to keep current on what's going on in libraries around the 
state.

Who Should Attend:  Public service staff, as well as anyone who offers or 
who is considering offering library computer training for the public.

Prerequisites: This course requires that students be comfortable with basic 
computer skills, including using a mouse, navigating the web, and basic 
keyboarding.  For help with these basic skills, we recommend the New 
Computer Users section of the Infopeople Resources Guides, at 
infopeople.org/resources.

Other Logistics:

*On-site check-in is from 8:30-9:00 AM;  instruction is from 9:00 AM-4:30 PM.

*Maps, directions, and parking information are available on the Infopeople 
website at http://infopeople.org/workshop/location  Infopeople does not 
validate or pay for parking.

*Infopeople does not provide refreshments or lunch.  Since some training 
locations do not have in-house or convenient food service, Infopeople 
recommends that participants bring a sack lunch.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information 
about Infopeople training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople 
Workshops page at http://www.infopeople.org/workshop

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, please 
contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at 
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.