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...

Eating Out - in and around Edinburgh

I enjoy eating out but, like everyone else, I want it to be a great experience. There's nothing worse than paying for a meal you could have cooked better yourself (and I'm no cook).

So, I usually do a bit of research before booking a meal out. My favourite source of interesting restaurants in and around Edinburgh is The List Eating and Drinking Guide. This is an extensive guide to all kinds of restaurants in Edinburgh, Glasgow and further afield. 

You can start searching by working on categories such as Scottish, World, Pubs, Cafes....you get the idea....and I usually head straight to the Hitlist in each. These are the most highly recommended for the current year (The Guide is re-issued annually). All the information you could wish for is included in each entry, including opening hours, prices, dietary requirements and, more often than not, a link to the eatery's website. There are often reviews as well.

I have been using The List for years now and I can honestly say I have rarely been disappointed.

So what are my recommendations? Well, this is always tricky, isn't it? Everyone has different ideas about a good restaurant, but here are a couple of mine:

Creel Restaurant, Dunbar - an excellent day out....a walk in the John Muir Country Park then a meal in the Creel.

The Dogs - I am a little biased here as it's where I was taken for my 50th....but excellent home cooking in the heart of Edinburgh

Wedgwood - we had a lovely Christmas lunch here and, judging by their website, they're going from strength to strength.

Of course, it's always great to get a personal recommendation...so thanks to Iris for this one:

EH15 at The Jewel and Esk - this is the college training restaurant, so the food is excellent and the prices even better. And we can walk home afterwards.

So, any recommendations to add? Would love to hear from you...



Quest: a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something

I like the idea of internet searching as a quest....because that is often what it turns into. Here's what I mean...

I am currently teaching PowerPoint Presentation skills to Primary school children. While thinking about a suitable topic for a presentation, I decided to work with animated films. This was only partly because children like them: I think they are fantastic....and my favourite is Coraline.

To create a presentation, I wanted to find out more about the film, the story and, in particular, to find good images. So, I started googling. The first source of basic information came as no surprise: Coraline on Wikipedia. This is often a good way to set off on an internet quest. In this case, it included a plot outline and a cast of characters, which would be very useful for deciding what images I'd like to find.





The second result of my search was the wonderful The Internet Movie Database - an excellent starting point whenever you want to find out about films. Scrolling down the webpage, I was able to read about the film and, very excitingly, discover a link to one of the most entrancing and imaginative websites I've yet to find - Coraline - the official website.

Once you enter the site, the best way to navigate it is to click on MAP and then explore. Wherever you see a link, you will find information about the making of the film, or get the opportunity to be creative. For example, if you click on Coraline's bedside table in her Bedroom, you will see a video about the creation of the costumes for the characters. Go into The garden and you can create your own flower. And so on.....

There is really too much to tell you about here, but you can learn more about the author (Neil Gaimon), the actors, the director (Henry Selick).....it is a really fascinating site. Is it obvious that I really got hooked on this particular quest?

Finally, to find the images I wanted for my presentation, I went back to searching the internet. This time, I set my google search to Images instead of Web, from where I was able to create an album of internet images in Pictures.

As you can imagine, making a PowerPoint presentation has never been so much fun!

Mid-term Break...all booked online

Not to gloat, but we are taking a break next week and heading to Spain.

We booked the entire trip online and saved ourselves a huge amount of money. It all started with Ryanair (not my favourite airline, I admit, but they are cheap and they fly from Edinburgh!). We checked all the destinations available at this time of the year and found that we could fly to Alicante direct.

Although the Costa Blanca has negative connotations for many, we decided to see what there was inland. One of our favourite travel websites is Responsible Travel. It proved to be a good starting point as they feature environmentally sound holiday options all over the world. In fact, the accommodation in the Alicante area turned out to be unsuitable, but it helped to define the area we wanted to go to....and we started Googling.

Our luck was in and we struck gold with La Murta....and now we are off to spend a week in the mountains some kilometres inland from the coast.

Not only did we find well-priced and unusual self-catering accommodation, but through La Murta's informative website were also able to hire a car very reasonably too.

So, we're all set. Now all we have to do is find time to do our packing.....