The final class of term will take place on Wednesday 27th June and will include our previously-successful lunch at Bar Crue for those members who want to take part – full details and cost will be announced nearer the time.

During the last few weeks, we have asked members of the group to suggest topics they would like us to cover and as a result, we have drawn up the following programme for the rest of this term – dates will be given a few weeks in advance, depending on the progress made on previous topics :

Subject                                                                                                  Date to be  covered

Browser add-ons (Java, Adobe, Flashplayer etc.)                                  4/4

Transferring emails, contacts etc. between PCs and providers                27/3

Facebook (also Twitter and other social media)                                     8/2

Computer housekeeping (defragmenting, backing up                          15/2 +

(including ‘cloud), restore points, etc

Routers (configuring, sharing, security)                                                     27/3

Catastral – how to access the Spanish land registry online                   8/3 (combined with beginners)

Hardware – part of the ongoing ‘build a PC from scratch’ project

Digital photography                                                                               2 & 9/5

Burning CDs/DVDs                                                                                11/4

Scanners                                                                                                   15/5

Networking                                                                                              11/4

A new beginners class started on 25th January and we were pleased to welcome lots of new members keen to learn from Ken and Chris, who are running a course this term, which starts with taking thecomputer out of its box and switching it on – is that basic enough for you?

Meanwhile, Roy has received encouraging support for an advanced class that will look at computer hardware and his ambition is to build a PC from scratch! There will also be other advanced sessions covering  subjects suggested by members and each week there will be the regular ‘PC doctor’s surgery’, where the course leaders try to answer individual members’ problems.

We have just added a link entitled Tips for PC Users to a website which promises to give “Simple straightforward technology advice and tips” and run by a guy in the UK who calls himself Resident Conehead! Don’t be put off by the name, as the advice is written in easy to understand terms and includes subjects such as “Is your computer running slow?”, “What office suite should I use?” and so on.

There is a new link in the ‘Links’ section on the right-hand side of our website’s screen to a list compiled by Alien Technologies, who are based in Senija, of free programs that will help you in everything from word processing to photo editing.

The group has now increased its supply of IT equipment to include 3 Notebooks and a router, the intention being that project data can be entered during the sessions onto one of the Notebooks acting as server.

We hope to be able to allow members to connect to the server using their own laptops or Notebooks but are currently struggling with the differing methods used to set up networks used by Microsoft Windows XP, 7 and Vista!

We are also trying to provide internet access at our meeting venue in the Social Centre, either by obtaining permission to use the broadband connection provided for the pensionistas or by mobile access using a ‘dongle’, although reception within the building is proving to be a problem.

We now encourage members who would like help in resolving an IT issue to bring their laptops or Notebooks to the session and this is already proving to be a quicker and easier way.

As from Wednesday 2nd February, the group will meet at the Social Centre in Carrer de Valent, Alcalali behind  Bar Creu.

The new location will provide two main meeting rooms, along with an informal area in the foyer, so that seperate training sessions and lectures can be held without interference. We now have four facilitators and so we will be able to give more individual attention to members with varying degrees of IT skills.

Following a discussion as to what group members wanted to see included in the course this year, it was suggested that a project would be a practical way of utilising the IT skills being learned.

The group will therefore attempt over the next 6 months to produce a booklet and slideshow, aimed at ex-pats, describing the facilities and places of interest available in the town of Alcalali.

The content to be researched will include shops, restaurants, bars, places of interest, etc. with their opening days and times, names of contacts, telephone numbers and website addresses.  Other useful information will include the town hall, sports clubs, doctors’ surgeries and other organisations, together with telephone, broadband and TV providers.

What has this to do with the IT group? Well, it is not the end result which is important here but rather the way in which it is performed, using lots of IT tools and giving the participants more practical experience than just weekly talks. The group will use spreadsheets for project planning and control, lists of data to be collected and financial control of project,  word processing software for typing up the content of the booklet,  digital cameras to take photos of the town to illustrate the booklet and software for manipulating  those photos, scanning in maps, publicity leaflets, etc. Research will be carried out by some members of the group using the internet and there will be communication by email with people who can assist in providing the information we need. Finally, a desktop publishing software (DTP) will be used to prepare the final booklet and Powerpoint for producing the slide show.

The participants will be split up into groups, according to ability and interest, and there will be a role for everyone; some will be researching, some typing- up the collected data, together with a project manager from within the group. Team members may rotate in order to give everyone a chance to experience the full range of the project.

The Project Manager is Elaine and she and her committee are already drawing up a project plan and an action list. If you would like to help in any way, no matter how small, contact her at the next meeting.

If you want to send an email to the Project Team with offers of help or with any information you have collected or typed up, the address is project@switchedonsurfers.com