This schedule lists Dan's planned topics for each weekly class this year.
There will also always be time for your questions
As each class is completed, we will add links to download that session's handouts
2018 Session Topics
Meeting the needs of our members
is paramount. Therefore, changes may be made along the way
to cover topics not included below.
Also, if there is intense interest in a subject I will not hesitate to
expand coverage. Sometimes I have a
tendency to want to cover too much material in a given meeting. Your questions help me focus, so by all means
ask them. Don't ever worry about what
you may think of as a silly question.
The only silly question is one that wasn't asked.
Dan Phelka - Instructor & President
(623-535-7791)
Date |
Session Name |
Topics Covered (Very General) |
Nov 13 2017 |
Welcome Scam
Discussion |
OPEN
MEETING (attend without joining). Welcome to PebbleCreek Computer Club. Introduction of officers and explanation of
plan for the year. Getting a feel for attendee
demographics. Some discussion of
computer basics, definitions, operating systems (Win 7, Win 8/8.1 and Win 10)
and computer applications. All further references to Window 8 also
include 8.1. Focus on Scams and some talk of
computer problems, including slowness. This discussion should be of interest
to all. Questions and Answers. Throughout the year I will have two
computers at the each meeting - one with Windows 10 and
one with Windows 7. A paper
handout will be available today and with each session. If you become a member, handouts will be
emailed to you before each meeting. |
Jan 8 2018 |
Getting
Started |
What
to consider when buying a computer. Continuing
with common terminology. More exposure
to Windows 10. General discussion for beginners. Handout consists of frequently asked
questions (FAQ) and their answers. Although I have only a Win 7 and Win 10
computer at the meetings, questions on Windows 8, Vista and XP are still
welcome. (Microsoft has stopped supporting Win XP and Vista, it is still
perfectly OK to keep either - as many do.
Win 7 will be supported through 2020) |
Jan 15 |
Windows
Settings and Features
|
How
to use the start menu and change its format. More coverage of Win 10. Taskbar menu. How to alter display properties to
personalize your computer. What’s in
the control panel with discussion of things you can change and things you
shouldn’t change. Working with Setting
area of Win 10. How to use Windows (File) Explorer, which is different from
Internet Explorer, to organize your files and folders. Where to find these
items in
Win 10. Keeping a computer efficient and safe. Virus checkers and Spyware checkers discussed. More compvvvvvv |
Jan 22 |
Internet
Session
1 Internet Browsers Virus Summary
|
General
discussion of ISPs. (Internet Service Providers) Choosing an ISP. Signing on.
Internet Explorer settings & menus. Introduction to the new
Microsoft Edge browser that comes with Win 10. Other browsers such as Chrome and Firefox. Deciding on a home page. Using a search engine such as Google. Search technique suggestions. Using an
encyclopedia and dictionary. Introduction to some very interesting
websites. How to get questions
answered online. Making you computer faster on the Internet. Web terminology. Internet
and Windows questions will ALWAYS be addressed. This is the heart of PC use. So never hesitate to ask anything! This session and the next two always
prove to be very interesting and popular. |
Jan 29 & Feb 5 |
Internet
Sessions
2 & 3 Big Web Site List 2018 Internet Speedup & Troubleshooting |
Focus
on other aspects of the Internet - e.g. Shopping and banking. Introduction to E-bay and Half.com. Using Amazon.com. Focus on Travel related capabilities,
Including Travelocity, Expedia and Tripadvisor. Introduction to "Tabbed Browsing". Using the Internet to reserve flights,
hotels, rental cars and dinner reservations.
How to track airplanes in flight.
How to use different corporate websites to get things done - e.g. bill
paying, Property Taxes, APS, Southwest Gas, American Express and other credit
cards. Always bring you questions.
Using the pebblecreekhoa.org website. |
Feb 12 and |
Discussion
of email. Using Mail handler in Win 10,
Windows Live (Win 7 and 8). How to get
on the PebbleCreek E-group. Working
with attachments, forwarding email and using the address book. Managing your email. Using the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature. Establishing
an account with Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo.
Common email errors. |
|
Feb 19 and |
Microsoft Word 1 (Word Processing in General) |
Basic
explanation of ribbons, settings and documents. How to work with fonts, margins, copy, cut
and paste. Changing things in a
document and cleaning up basic formatting problems. Print preview. I will briefly compare Word 2003 to Word
2007 (or 2010, 13 and 16). Office version 2007 and later will be stressed. I will also discuss some free office
productivity suites including MS Office 2010 Starter Edition (Win7 only), Apache
OpenOffice, WPS Office and King LibreOffice. As always, questions and answers. |
Mar 5
|
Word
2 |
Working
with spell check and auto correct.
Using some of the basic features.
Adding lines, boxes and WordArt to a document. Creating personal letterhead. Creating labels. Working with tables. Sorting and editing. Adding Clipart |
Mar 12
|
Word 3 |
Close
up loose ends in word processing. If
this session isn’t necessary, this will be an open week to talk more about
the Internet, Windows and address audience concerns. |
Mar 19
|
Excel
1 Excel Layout |
Basic
introduction to Excel and Spreadsheets. Title of this session should be
"Why You Should Know Something About Spreadsheets, Even If You Think You
Don't Need to Know Anything About Spreadsheets". Ribbons and settings will be addressed. Cell
formatting, rows and columns, borders, worksheets, workbooks, editing will be
covered. Some basic applications and
uses. What Excel is good for and what
it isn’t so good for. Comparison of
Excel 2003 and 2007. Emphasis will be
on Excel version 2007 and later. Review of Excel wannabes such as Works, OpenOffice, WPS Office and LibreOffice.
|
Mar 26
|
Excel
2 |
Basic
addition and subtraction applications within a spreadsheet. Creating a nice looking report. Defining a print area. Cross footing. Demo of my programs. (e.g. How Long Will
Your Money Last and Minimum Required withdrawal from a 401K) |
Mar 26 |
Excel
3 |
Advanced
Excel. Introduction to some basic
functions. Working with
functions. Hiding rows and
columns. Protecting cells. Linking worksheets. Doing graphs. |
April 2 |
Windows
Cont’d |
More explanation
on how to making Windows more efficient.
How to examine your computer for startup functions. System Tray. Review of in-depth explanation on how to
use Windows Explorer. Reference to
Microsoft Edge Browser. This sounds
like topics covered earlier, but questions often make this session relevant. If
it hasn't been dealt with yet, backing up a computer will be addressed.
Detailed Control Panel use. Working with networks. Sharing files and
printers. Moving data from old
computer to new one. Wireless router
setup. Hooking up a wireless printer
and dealing with related problems. Please
bring all your questions, as always. |
April 9 |
System
Cleanup, Photo Story 3 |
Last Meeting of the season. Snowbirds (including us) are
starting leave by now. General
Internet. Q & A on any topics. Downloading and using Microsoft’s free
download called PhotoStory3. Creating
a nice slide show with music and slide animation. This has always been a very fun and
well-received topic. Working with digital pictures. Will emphasize how to use Microsoft Office
Picture Manager for picture enhancement.
Learn how to get rid of red-eye and brighten up dark photos. Other digital picture handler programs
discussed (e.g. Picasa). How to make
your camera’s setting more efficient. Time usually permits having open
discussion on any topic you want such as more interesting Internet Sites and
maybe using Quicken. Have a safe summer and hope to see you in
the fall - if you are still interested. |