Kids Photography Competition - the Prizegiving

It seems quite a long time ago now, but in September we took a stand at the Portobello Village show on a glorious sunny day. There we launched our Kids Photography competition with the theme Pictures of Porty. The two age groups were 11 and under and 12 - 16.

The entries we received showed us our favourite place, Portobello, through the eyes of children. What a treat! It was very difficult to judge who should win the top 2 prizes - a digital camera and digital photo frame in each age group. To help us we asked three local artists: Lindsay McCrea, of the McCrea Gallery, Allan Pendreigh, the architect and artist, and his wife the textile artist, Morag Pendreigh. Eventually we came to a decision.

So, here is a collage telling the story of our Prizewinning.

The school filled with kids and proud mums (and one dad!) who made a beeline for the handmade PCS-colours cupcakes. Once everyone had had their fill, we all trooped upstairs and Jonathan made his speech to congratulate Jacob and Mia's highly commended photos, Katriona and Amy for winning the second prizes and, finally, Emma and Amelie for coming first in the two age groups.

Well done to everyone and thanks for all your hard work. Looking forward to the next competition. Watch this space!

We are now a Branded Learning Centre...but what does it mean?

As we approach the three-year mark at The Potten Computer School, we are delighted to have been awarded the status of Branded Learning Centre by learndirect scotland.





This accreditation recognises the quality of our learning centre. It is not easy to win the approval of learndirect scotland, but in the words of their website, this means that...

...if it’s a learndirect scotland learning centre, you can rely on the centre and its staff to help you learn at a time, place and pace that suits you.

Being a Branded Learning Centre means that we offer different ways of learning that are often more informal and flexible than traditional settings. Support for learners is crucial to our success, the heart of which is the Pledge to Learners.

Success can be measured in so many ways, whether it be learning how to shop on-line for the first time, create a personal letterhead or design a T-shirt. In this way, all our students have achieved what they set out to do...and in most cases, considerably more.

We would like to extend particular congratulations to our ECDL exam candidates who have done us proud this year with excellent results....including the elusive 100%, achieved by Sylvia (pictured above with Jonathan).

Well done, everyone.

Silver Surfers

To coincide with Silvers Surfers' Day on May 20th, I thought it would be interesting to have a look at just who Silver Surfers are and what is available to them to improve their skills.

 

According to Netlingo.com...

...a silver surfer is "An adult, generally 50 years of age or older, who frequently surfs the Web and spends time online ("silver" refers to the color of their hair)."

So, there are plenty of us around. With a huge range of ages, skills and interests. One thing that is true for most of us is that we didn't learn about computers at school, or while engaged in further studies or for perhaps the first ten years of our working lives.

What is not true though, is that we are therefore at a disadvantage when it comes to computers. Younger people may feel no fear (although I'm not even convinced of that) but their knowledge of computers and what they are capable of can still be quite narrow.

But fear is a key word. In order to overcome this, there is no doubt that some form of hands-on computer training is invaluable. Having someone to talk to and help explain what is happening helps instill confidence. And, as with any other skill, going to class is just the beginning of the learning process. You need practice.

Luckily, there is a plethora of useful websites which provide just that. 

Digital Unite is a site designed to help older people realise the potential of computers. The best place to start is their Learning Zone. By browsing the guides (see the left-hand panel), you can start right from the beginning and progress to skills such as Shopping, Listening to Music, Working with Photos and so on.

Age UK have an excellent A to Z of Computing with loads of relevant links to click on and save as favourites.

Once you've got the idea of how to use the internet, the question of how to find relevant websites to surf still remains. One of the best sources for websites I've come across is Silver Surfers Net. They have a huge directory, covering every possible interest and taking you directly to pertinent websites. 

So really, the best way to become a proficient Silver Surfer is to put a toe in the water and make use of all the resources out there to help you.

A word of warning though....before you start surfing, make sure you've got no pressing engagements coming up. You could be busy for a while! 

Word Processing for Pleasure

There seems to be something about the phrase "creating a document" that makes people think of something serious, difficult and most likely boring....which is why there is often resistance to the idea of learning about word processing.

Typically, word processing is used in business for creating all things official: legal and reference documents, letters and memos. In education, it is used (amongst other things) to present essays, papers and work for publication.

As such, it may appear that word processing has few practical applications for the average leisure user of computers. However, Microsoft Office Word (2007/10) is one of the most versatile and creative packages available to PC users.

Our Word Courses combine text with graphics in imaginative ways. Students of all ages learn how to create a variety of stationery and publicity material:

• customised recipe cards

• greetings cards
• posters using their own photos
• scrap-books
• personalised invitations
• leaflets
• tickets and labels
• calendars

In this way, they tap into their creative side...even those who are convinced they don't have one! By learning elements of design through working with colour, graphics, fonts and shapes, they express their individuality and make something unique to them. 

  

 

And, of course, if goes without saying, that using a computer to give a professional sheen to any creative work will not only prove to be satisfying, exciting and fun but will also save money. And that has to be a good thing!

There's nothing better than a good book....

So, here we are at the beginning of a New Year but the weather is still cold and the nights are still long. So how do you fill the long evenings?

Personally, I am never without a good book...and there are so many ways to get hold of great reads. Charity shops are an obvious place to go for cheap books, but if you don't feel like going out into the cold, then you can go online and order direct.

One such website is: Oxfam Secondhand Books

Another great source of books, new and used, is Amazon - Books.

What I like about Amazon is that it has readers' reviews, which can be very helpful when there is so much choice. Once you have an account with Amazon and start buying books from them, you can find out what they recommend, what other people who like similar books have bought and, of course, Bestseller lists and so on.


My final suggestion for online help about what to read is Lovereading, a website entirely dedicated to books and reading. Here you can even read Opening Extracts of books, get Like-for-Like recommendations based on writers you already enjoy reading and, best of all, you can compare prices at various online stores.

So, there's no reason not to stay snug and warm in your armchair and get all the good books come to you. At least until all this weather blows over...