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Class Descriptions

Each class is a one-time workshop lasting two to three hours.  For purposes of skill development, we highly recommend that the classes be taken in the order in which they are listed above, i.e., PC Basics, Word I, Word II, etc.  Customers are also encouraged to repeat the basic classes before moving on to the intermediate classes.  The intermediate classes are FAST-PACED!

MAVIS BEACON TEACHES TYPING

Practice tutorials and custom lessons for improving typing and keyboarding skills.

Required Skills 
The ability to read and comprehend English well.

Length: 2 hours

Class Objectives
You will be able to:

  • Practice home-row key typing in self-paced exercises
  • Test your typing skills at various levels of proficiency and speed
  • Customize practice lessons to enhance your typing skill abilities
  • Practice constructing your own résumé using MB's Print Shop Résumé Pro Deluxe program

PC BASICS

Learn the basics of personal computing.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well.

Length: 2 hours

Class Objectives 
You will be able to:

  • Identify basic computer components and operating system features
  • Execute basic mouse techniques
  • Perform basic keyboard strokes and functions
  • Identify and navigate the features of the Desktop
  • Open and exit software programs
  • Identify and navigate the various toolbars of the Windows environment
  • Create and save a document to a disk
  • PC Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

WORD I BASICS

Learn the basics of Microsoft Office Word.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well and the skills acquired in the PC Basics class.

Length: 2 Hours

Class Objectives 
You will be able to:

  • Identify and navigate the basic features and elements of the MS Word window
  • Execute multiple text selection techniques
  • Apply basic formatting features
  • Perform the Copy/Cut and Paste function
  • Execute the Find and Replace, and Go To features
  • Create documents using templates
  • Activate and navigate the Drawing Tool
  • Word I Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

WORD II INTERMEDIATE

Learn more Microsoft Word features.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics and Word I Basics.

Length: 2 hours - FAST-PACED!

Class Objectives
You will be able to:

  • Navigate and adjust default settings in the Page Setup feature of the File menu
  • Create headers and footers, footnotes and endnotes, table of contents and indexes 
  • Insert, move and resize graphics
  • Engage and apply the Bullets and Numbering feature of the Format menu
  • Insert special symbols and diacritical (accented) letters
  • Insert captions, page numbers and page breaks
  • Create, modify, enhance a table
  • Word II Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

EXCEL I BASICS

Learn the basics of Microsoft Excel.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics and Word I Basics.

Length: 2 hours

Class Objectives
You will be able to:

  • Identify and navigate the basic features and elements of the MS Excel window
  • Build a simple budget spreadsheet, using data entry and cell navigation skills
  • Format and edit spreadsheet data, using common and unique formatting features
  • Create simple formulas
  • Use the AutoSum feature
  • Explore the Paste Function feature for all other mathematical operations available in Excel
  • Engage the Chart Wizard to create a chart, based on the simple budget database created in class
  • Excel I Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

EXCEL II INTERMEDIATE 

Learn more Microsoft Excel features.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics, Word I Basics, Word II Intermediate and Excel I Basics.

Length: 2 hours - FAST-PACED!

Class Objectives
You will be able to:

  • Create and navigate multiple worksheets in a workbook
  • Construct 3-D formulas, using the Consolidate feature, and execute the Paste Special function
  • Engage and perform the Auto Outline, Data Validation and AutoFilter features
  • Apply the Conditional Formatting feature to spreadsheet data
  • Protect worksheet/workbook environment
  • Excel II Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

POWERPOINT BASICS

Learn the basics of Microsoft PowerPoint.

Required Skills 
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics, Word I Basics and Word II Intermediate.

Length: 2 hours - FAST-PACED!

Class Objectives
You will be able to:

  • Identify and navigate the basic features and elements of the Microsoft PowerPoint window 
  • Create a simple slide presentation using the AutoContent Wizard or design templates
  • Identify and engage the three working panes of the PowerPoint environment, i.e., outline pane, slide pane, notes pane
  • Edit and customize each slide, by engaging PowerPoint's "bells and whistles," e.g. custom animations, transition effects, sound, and insertion of graphics and links
  • Insert additional slides
  • Delete unwanted slides
  • Activate the slide show presentation
  • Save the presentation as a slide show (.pps) and as a presentation (.ppt)
  • Send both files to your e-mail account in order to tweak as an after-class activity
  • PowerPoint Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

WEB I BASICS

Learn the basics of the World Wide Web.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics and Word I basics

Length: 2 hours

Class Objectives 
You will be able to:

  • Distinguish between the Internet and the World Wide Web (www.)
  • Identify and navigate the basic elements and features of the Internet Explorer browser environment
  • Navigate the Web using hyperlinks
  • Explore the features and advantages of various search engines and directories
  • Perform simple Web searches and interpret results
  • Copy and paste Web text and graphics to a Word document
  • Web I Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

WEB II INTERMEDIATE

Learn more about the World Wide Web.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics, Word I Basics, Word II Intermediate and Web I Basics.

Length:  2 hours - FAST-PACED!

Class Objectives 
You will be able to:

  • Perform advanced searches, using the Advanced Search feature of several search engines and directories
  • Interpret the differences in the results of each advanced search strategy performed by different search engines
  • Conduct natural language searches, using Ask.com and others
  • Identify and interpret error messages produced by broken links
  • Explore high-interest Websites, e.g. genealogy, employment, health, foreign languages, business and finance, online tutorials, personal profiles, etc.
  • Engage the Source Mode of the View menu to examine the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) that supports the Web environment
  • Web II Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

E-MAIL BASICS

Learn the basics of Web-based e-mail.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics, Word I Basics and Web I Basics.

Length: 2 hours

Class Objectives
You will be able to:

  • Identify and navigate the basic feature and elements of a Web-based e-mail environment
  • Read, send, forward and reply to e-mail messages
  • Apply formatting features to e-mail transmissions
  • Attach documents and graphics to an e-mail transmission
  • Activate e-mail options, e.g. signature, vacation responses, etc.
  • Create folders
  • Insert e-mail addresses into an address book
  • Search online e-mail address resources
  • Use appropriate e-mail etiquette
  • Identify e-mail abuse
  • E-mail Basics Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

HTML BASICS

Learn the basics of simple Web page design.

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics, WORD I Basics, Word II Intermediate, Web I Basics, Web II Intermediate and E-mail Basics.  A significant amount of typing is required!

Length: 2 hours - FAST-PACED!

Class Objectives 
You will be able to:

  • Use four basic HyperText Markup Language tags
  • Create a simple Web page using a text editor
  • Apply the appropriate enhancement tags for formatting text, inserting images  and creating hyperlinks
  • Apply attributes to existing tags, e.g. background color to the background tag
  • Save your .html document with its imported graphics to a disk (a free disk will be provided)
  • HTML Basics Extra! - a three-hour presentation of the above, when advertised

HEALTH LITERACY

Learn how to find quality online health information. 

This class is sponsored by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the DC Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Administration (DCDH/HAA), and is presented by the Project for Intermediate Advocates (PIA).

Required Skills
The ability to read and comprehend English well, and the skills acquired in PC Basics, Word I Basics and Web I Basics.

Length: 2 hours

Class Objectives 
You will be able to:

  • Navigate medical Websites
  • Evaluate medical Websites for updates and active links
  • Research personal health issues
  • Make informed health decisions based on information retrieved from creditable health Websites

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