by Tom Lassiter, Membership Secretary
If you are feeling smart (but not smart-alecky), become an instructor of HAL-PC classes.
If you are feeling stupid but are smart enough to have identified a need for more computing knowledge, sign up for one of our excellent classes. Either way you will meet new friends, and feel good about training others or boosting your personal computing skill levels. A truly win-win situation.
A primary focus of any PC user group is the continuing education of its members. That is one of the best reasons for joining our happy band of nice nerds. People should really join HAL-PC even before they own a computer. It is a great place to gain an understanding of what they are all about in order to make a better informed purchasing decision.
Classes are offered from DOS (Disk Operating System), Basic Introduction to Windows, Windows 95, WordPerfect, and the Microsoft office suite products (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint) all the way through BBS, Internet 101, and Web Page Design with HTML markup. These classes are in high demand (no hype, just pure truth) so identify your needs and sign up well in advance. Classes fill quickly.
See the Learning Resources section of HAL-PC Magazine each month for more class details.
Some are formal classes with hands-on exercises and a reasonable fee to cover materials. Registration for these is a must as there is a finite limit on PC seats in the classroom/lab. Others are more of a group lecture and discussion format, without direct hands-on work. Both are designed and conducted in a manner to impart increased skills on your PC.
HAL-PC has an eleven-station hands-on computer lab in Lab I. The recently completed headquarters renovations and expansion offer additional computer lab space. Classes are also held at the Clear Lake Satellite Center in Webster. These facilities, along with a cadre of dedicated volunteer instructors, and a room full of eager-to-learn members creates an exciting dynamic that is a bountiful joy to behold.
To see young people turn on to computers for the first time; to see grandparents learn to use e-mail to communicate with their families across the country and around the world - these are sights that make a volunteer’s heart almost burst. That is what it is all about. There are few joys that will compare to the sharing of knowledge.
We always need new instructors to meet the growing demand for classes. If you have a sound knowledge of a computing area, even without formal teaching experience, and are willing to share your skills with others – then step forward and volunteer to meet the needs of our thirsty-for-knowledge members. They’ll be glad you did – and you’ll be glad you did. I’ll double-dog guarantee you that it will provide you a soul satisfying experience that is hard to beat. “Each one teach one” – and the beat goes on, from generation to generation.
Tom Lassiter may be reached at jamesl@hal-pc.org .
E-mail me at webmaster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.