ELLA 2010 - Information Technologies Demystified with Michael Gravel

We had a bit of a rough day – no internet access – but fumbled through nicely. We had a look at a course overview, and we covered some basics of the web browser. We looked at some of the differences between Internet Explorer and Firefox; talked about browser tabs and clicking links.

Material

• Day One Slides – Course Overview
• You can download Firefox HERE

Posted May 3, 2010

On Day 2 we had the internet! Awesome! We started out with some review of Day 1 and went into some cool browser tips and tricks:

• Ctrl + click opens a link in a new TAB
• Shift + click opens a link in a new WINDOW

We also covered copy-paste in the browser:

• You can right-click your mouse to get copy / paste options
• Text material from a website can be copied, then pasted to another place (i.e. a Word document)
• Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl + c for COPY
• Ctrl + v for paste
• Ctrl + x for cut

We also defined the internet (well, kinda, it’s really hard to define, so we painted in broad strokes).

We ended the session with an explanation of common internet slang like LOL, ROFLMAO, and the like.

Material

• Day 2 Slides
• Here’s the place for Firefox ADDONS. You can find the famous adblocker extension there, and in fact here’s the link for the Adblock extension. If you visit that page in Firefox, all you have to do is click the big green “add to Firefox” button and it will do the rest. Enjoy ad-free browsing!
• On Line Internet Slang Dictionary and Translator this can help you translate some of the crazy slang that gets tossed around the net.

Posted May 4, 2010

Great session today! We didn’t get quite as far as I had hoped, but the group had a ton of questions, which was awesome! We covered the basics of how to make sure that a computer is protected by security software (usually called “Anti Virus” software). We talked about anti virus software as something akin to a flu shot for your computer. We talked a little bit about what this type of software protects against, as well as how it works. For the most part, this type of software comes on all new computers. It typically operates automatically – you don’t have to think about it. There are free anti virus software packages out there, but I have never had good results from them.

It should be stressed that you should only have ONE anti-virus software package installed on your computer at any time. Anti virus software operates deep in the guts of your computer and having multiple programs running could cause some serious problems.

A couple questions answered:

1. Does / can a computer do a virus scan in “sleep” mode? No. Sleep mode is a low-power state where all activities are halted. If a virus scan is running, and you enter sleep mode (i.e. close the lid on your laptop), the scan will resume when you “wake up” the computer.
2. What is the difference between “sleep” mode and “hibernate” mode? Sleep mode puts your computer in a low power state and allows you to “wake it up” and return to what you were doing. When you enter sleep mode, everything you have running will still be there – in the state you left it – when you “wake up” your computer. In sleep mode, the machine is still drawing power and if that power is cut off, your machine will have to be restarted. Hibernate mode is similar to sleep, but it shuts the power off completely and allows you to restart in the same place you were when you entered hibernate mode. In hibernate mode, the computer draws no power.

Material

• Day 3 Slides
• Wikipedia Article on Malware. A good read (if somewhat technical) about the different types of malware that can attack your computer. You’ll see how broad this topic really is!

Here are a few links to different security software websites:

• Norton Internet Security
• McAffee Internet Security
• Eset Smart Security (Mike’s top choice, but it may be a bit advanced for basic users)

Posted May 5, 2010

Today we talked about everyone’s favorite time wasting web service, Facebook! We took a “Facebook Lite” approach, because a comprehensive Facebook course would likely bore the heck out of you. The basic things you need to know about Facbook are:

1. It’s a good tool for connecting with family (especially the young … grandchildren) and friends, especially if they live in far-flung places.
2. It can be a fun way to kill some time
3. Facebook allows you to become “friends” with people. My recommendation is to be friends only with people you have met face to face.
4. You can also become friends with organizations and keep up with their news and happenings.

Now, we didn’t quite this far, but one of the first things you’ll want to do after signing up for Facebook is review the privacy settings. You have control over who sees what.

Material

• Day 4 Slides
• Link to Facebook.
• Here is Facebook’s privacy policy.
• Mike Gravel on Facebook. You can send me a friend request, if you want (you have to have an account to access all the information)!

Posted May 6, 2010

Today we talked about buying a computer. It can be a complex and confusing experience, but I tried to simplify things as much as I could. The main point is this: Don’t get hung up on the specs. Gigahertz, gigabytes, blah, blah. That stuff is marginally important. As long as you buy from a reputable retailer, like the Apple store or Best Buy, you’re going to get a decent computer for your money. The hardware that’s out there now is so powerful and current that you can get a good laptop for $700.00 and a good desktop (with monitor) for that or less.

We talked about the differences between Windows and Mac platforms. The Mac platform is definitely worth considering, if you’ve got the budget for it. It’s a premium product and it shows in user experience test results and customer satisfaction. If you’ve got the money, consider an Apple computer (also called a Mac).

We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of laptops. They’re super portable, but that comes at the expense of stability and longevity (in general, that is). Laptps and computers are just like everything else – if you take care of them, they’ll last longer.

You can expect to get at least five years out of a computer. A laptop should last you that long, but it all depends. I’ve never had one last more than a few years. But with basic use, you should be able to squeeze half a decade out of it.

Material

• Day 5 Slides
• Dell.ca – An excellent place to buy a laptop or a desktop
• Apple.ca – Apple’s AWESOME website! Take a look and commence drooling!

Posted May 7, 2010

Today we covered the basics of Email! We got into Windows Mail and highlighted the basics with that program. We looked at the difference between using an email program versus using a web-based service like Gmail. Services like Gmail and Hotmail allow you to manage your email in a web browser like Firefox or Internet Explorer. An email program (installed on your computer) is not a bad way to manage your email, but web-based systems like Gmail or Hotmail allow for a bit more “portability”, i.e. all of your contact info is wherever you are, and you can access the same information, in the same way, everywhere. Web mail services are especially handy when you’re traveling. You don’t have to worry about not having access to your contacts because they’re all there on Gmail or Hotmail.

Best part about web mail is that it is 100% FREE. You don’t have to install anything, you just have to visit a website! If you don’t have an email address and want one, I suggest trying Gmail (best!) or hotmail (pretty good). Links to these services are below.

Material

• Day 6 slides
• Click here to check out Gmail
• Click here to check out Hotmail
• Wikipedia Article on Email

Posted May 10, 2010

Today we talked about the new problem of getting photos from your camera or memory card to your computer, and then doing something with them from there. Your camera likely came with a cable that allows you to hook it into your computer. That’s one way of getting your photos to your computer. The other way, the way that I demonstrated in-class, was to use what is called a “card reader”. Now, there are a few different kinds of memory cards out there, so if you’re using a card reader, you have to make sure that your card reader has a slot for your type of memory card. Here are the steps for using a card reader:

1. Remove the memory card from your camera.
2. Insert the memory card into the card slot on the card reader
3. Plug the card reader into an available USB port on your computer

From there, you can move your photos to a folder or import them into your photo library with a program like iPhoto (for Mac) or Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Once you’ve got your photos on your computer, the fun begins! You can organize your photos into galleries or events, and most photo organizers these days can even recognize faces – making your organization task much easier.

Most programs like iPhoto or Windows Photo Gallery also allow you to do basic edits to photos, like touch up the lighting or the contrast. These controls are very basic, but they can give you a bit more control over how your photos look. Another good choice for photo management is Google Picasa. It’s a good program and a lot of people use it (link below).

We also talked about getting your photos online to a photo-sharing site like Flickr. This is a good was to share photos without having to email a bunch of big photos to people. You can just send them an email with a web link and they can view your photos online!

As far as output goes, you have a few options. You can buy a photo printer for pretty cheap these days, but they don’t really work all that well. In my opinion, the best way to get good quality photos is to do it the old fashioned way: take your memory card down to London Drugs (or any place that offers in-house photo development) and have them do it for you.

Material

• Day 7 Slides (There aren’t many, so they’re likely not much help)
• Windows Live Photo Gallery
• Google Picasa (excellent photo management software)
• Flickr (the best photo sharing website)
• Adobe Photoshop Elements (if you want something a bit more powerful for editing photos this is your best choice, but be warned it’s more for advanced users)

Posted May 11, 2010

Fun day today! We talked about using Google to search the web. We found out very fast that Google can do so much more than help you find a cheap flight or a new pair of shoes. Google can solve mathematical equations, convert currency, do metric to imperial conversions, and much more.

We took a look at Google Translate, which can be a useful tool for translating small blocks of text from one language into another. Be careful with this – translation is an artform, and Google’s translator won’t give you a bang-on translation. It will give you a rough idea about what a certain block of text is about.

We looked at Google Alerts as a way to stay up to date with a certain subject. You can ask Google to send you an email with search engine updates as they happen. This can be a good way to keep up with a developing news story, as you’ll be informed as soon as something changes.

We looked at Whitepages.ca as a way to find phone numbers and even do a reverse lookup. No more hardcopy white pages!

And finally we looked at Google Maps, one of the most incredible web applications out there. We looked at the interface and how it works and discovered that it does have its limitations – i.e. it doesn’t show walking paths. But, we were able to zoom in on the classroom in Street View. Pretty cool! Maybe the best part is when we asked for walking directions from Edmonton to Denver. Forget the car, let’s hike!

Material

• Google Search Features An in-depth list of all the features that are cooked into Google’s search engine. Try some of them out!
• Google Alerts Get up to the minute web search results emailed to your inbox.
• Google Translate Be careful! You won’t get an exact translation.
• Google Maps There are a ton of features that we didn’t quite get to, so check them out!
• White Pages Here’s the link to Whitepages.ca

Posted May 12, 2010

OK, so today we pushed ourselves a little bit and covered a potentially abstract concept: the idea of “subscribing” to websites. We also had a look at Google News and the Edmonton Journal’s website. We then took a brief tour of Twitter, and had a few laughs with The Onion.com.

Many websites make their content available via a type of “internet subscription” called a “feed” (also referred to as a “RSS Feed”). This allows you to aggregate content from several sources into one place, kind of like an inbox for web content. Google Reader is likely the best such “aggregator” out there. It’s based on the web, so you don’t have to worry about firing up software from your computer – you just go to their website and all of your stuff is there, from wherever you happen to access it from. It can be a useful tool even if you don’t have a ton of websites you follow. You’ll need a Google account to access this, so if you don’t have one you’ll be prompted to create an account.

How do you know that you can subscribe to a website? Look for the little orange icon in the address bar of your browser (that’s the place where the web address is shown, i.e. http://www.example.com). If you see that little orange icon there, you can subscribe to that site. Just click on the icon and your browser will guide you through the rest of the process of adding it to your Google reader account.

We had some fun with Twitter and, hopefully, demystified it a bit. Twitter started off as a kind of messaging system but has since grown to be a widely-used communication tool. We took a look at Ed Stelmach’s Twitter stream and had a good laugh. Twitter is essentially a steady stream of status updates, kinda like what you’d see on Facebook, except that Twitter updates are limited to 140 characters.

And finally we took a look at The Onion.com. It’s a site that produces fake news stories. The site is a brilliant (and sometimes scathing) satire of the daily news we concern ourselves with. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if an Onion headline is a joke.

Material

• Google Reader · Go here to sign up for Google reader. Like I said, it may not be of use to you, but I know some of you may want this kind of tool. In any case, you’re aware of it now.
• The Edmonton Journal · The place for local news.
• The Edmonton Sun · Edmonton’s other news source.
• Twitter · You may not have any use for it whatsoever, but now you know at least a little bit about what it does.
• The Onion.com · It could be the most brilliantly satirical website out there. Be warned – you may read some foul language.

Posted May 13, 2010

Today we had a guest speaker – Martina King from the Edmonton Public Library. Thanks for being with us, Martina! She walked us through all sorts of cool things that the library does online. Everything from browsing for books to reading newspapers, to “signing out” digital editions of books. It was a cool day!

You can browse the catalog online, as well as “view the shelf”, a neat little feature that allows you to view books close to the one you’re looking at. A great little touch! And don’t forget you can browse newspapers online, manage your account (pay fines, etc), and even comment on books.

Keep in mind that you have to have a library card to access any of these features, and that requires that you go down to your nearest library branch and get one. It’s only $12.00 per year, and it’s money well spent.

Material

• Martina’s Slides
• Edmonton Public Library Website

Posted May 14, 2010

Today we talked about online security and online scams. We talked about protecting your personal information, and how you should be very careful about what information you give to websites and online vendors.

We talked about passwords and managing them. How do you manage so many passwords? How do you keep track of them? Well, there are numerous ways, and sometimes the best ways are the simplest. One method that I used for years was to keep a Word file with a list of passwords on my desktop. It’s a nice, simple solution. Unfortunately, it’s not that portable. If you use multiple computers or devices, this method doesn’t work. These days, I use a website called Passpack to keep track of all my passwords. Best part is, Passpack is 100% online, so you can access your passwords anywhere. And it’s got great features like a password generator. Give it a try!

We talked about “email phishing”. Phishing scams are emails that look like they come from legitimate sources but direct you bogus websites and ask for personal information. Be VERY CAREFUL about these types of things. Some of them can look pretty convincing. We ended the day talking about the old Nigerian Email scam, and how it has kind of faded into the past but people – smart, intelligent people like us – still fall for it all the time.

Materials

• Day 11 Slides
• Passpack.com · Probably the best password manager out there
• KeePass.info · KeePass is a neat little program that you can install on your computer, OR keep it on a little USB drive for portability.
• Microsoft Article on Email Phishing · a Good little article on scams and things to be wary of.

Posted May 17, 2010

Ok, so today we rolled two web things into a single class. We started with blogging, and we discovered that blogs aren’t just for people who want to share their eating habits with the world (i.e. “Today I had a tuna sandwich…it was good!”). Blogs are a serious tool for organizations, clubs, sports teams, and other groups of people. Blogs can help people keep up with an organization and nurture a community.

First of all, blogs are websites. They are websites that are updated regularly. They are accessible by anyone from anywhere. They can also be made private, if you want them to be.

Blogs can also be a way to keep in touch with family from distant places and to keep people informed when you are traveling the world. Blogs can also be used in a purely whimsical way – to share your thoughts, stories, or writings with the world.

We looked at Wordpress.com and Tumblr.com as two blogging options for you. Wordpress is a fully-featured blogging tool, and Tumblr is like “Wordpress Lite”, it allows you to keep a blog with a nice, clean administrative control panel.

We ended the day on a fun note and talked about online dating. For a fee, an online dating site will help match your interests and personality with someone who may share the same traits. It can be a scary thing, but it’s worth trying if you’re looking for someone to spend some time with. It’s not quite as crass as “wife shopping” or “husband shopping”. There are people on these websites that are just looking for companionship.

Material

• Day 12 Slides
• Wordpress.com · The Big Daddy of blog tools. It’s probably the most robust blog engine out there. It can be complicated, though.
• Tumblr.com · Tumblr is Wordpress Lite. A bit easier to use, but not as fully featured. A great, easy-to-use little blogging service.
• Dating for Seniors.com
• Senior Singles Canada
• Senior Friend Finder.com
• E Harmony.ca · We didn’t look at this one in class, but I’ve heard good things about it. Would be worth checking out.

Posted May 18, 2010

Well, today we became stars on Youtube! Not exactly, but we did manage to shoot a video in-class, add some rudimentary effects and titles and post it to You Tube. Here’s the video we shot in class:

Yes, that’s me acting like a goof.

Some important points to remember about video and YouTube:

1. Video files take up a lot more room that picture files. Hard drives are pretty large these days so it’s not much of an issue, but if you do get a bunch of video happening, it can have an impact.
2. To shoot video, you can use a full-blown video camera, a plain-old point and shoot camera, and even a cell phone (and the new iPod Nano shoots video too!).
3. You can use software such as Windows Movie Maker for Windows or iMovie for a Mac. These software packages allow you to edit your video, make title and credit screens, etc. They’re also FREE, which is always nice.

We took a tour of Youtube and discovered that it’s not just all funny, silly stuff, although there’s plenty of that. You can find instructional videos, how-to videos, and archival video footage from almost any recent historical event.

We also had a look at Vimeo and what’s there. Vimeo is more geared towards people who create video. There’s a lot of great stuff on Vimeo.

Material

• Youtube.com
• Vimeo.com
• My Class Intro Video on Youtube
• The Video we made in class on Youtube

Posted May 19, 2010

Today we took a look at online banking and discovered that you can manage your entire financial portfolio online. Everything from paying bills to transferring funds, to applying for a load and managing your mortgage.

One of the best features of online banking is the ability to get your bills delivered right to your bank account. You can pay them right in your banks website, and you’ll never get a paper bill again! You can also request electronic copies of your bank statements, which can save a lot of paper.

We took a brief tour of RBC’s online offering, and we discovered some cool featured like email money orders (really awesome!), international transfers, and account upgrades.

We then took a brief tour of Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. We discovered that they’re not the same thing. Some items on Amazon.com are simply not available in Canada, or cannot be shipped to Canada. Be aware that you may get stung with steep duties on items ordered from Amazon.com.

We finished the class with a brief look at Kijiji.ca, an online classified ad website. We didn’t get too far here…unfortunately.

Material

• Day 14 Slides
• Amazon.ca
• Amazon.com
• Kijiji.ca (online classifieds)

Posted May 20, 2010