Welcome to Teacher Kathy's Computer Blog!

I teach ABE/ELL (Adult Basic Education for English Language Learners) through Black Hawk College outreach in Moline, IL. I have a separate blog for topics such as grammar, vocabulary, writing, etc.--the mechanics of English language learning. 

LINK: Teacher Kathy's Blog for ELL at Black Hawk College

On this computer blog, however, I post information to help you learn specifically about using computers: vocabulary, typing, lessons in various software programs, etc.

Click on one of the tabs above to explore the contents of this blog!

Computer Skills Lessons for Beginners

If you fear computers, or if you think you don't know how to do much with a computer, Northstar can help you learn computer skills! A page that guides you to learning resources is always available here:

LINK: Learning resources for meeting Northstar computer literacy standards

However, due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, Northstar is making its own online interactive learning platform available to the general public. Normally one must be at a subscribing testing location to have access to these lessons. But for a month or two, you can click on the link below and start learning basic computer skills, or skip ahead to more advanced skills.

LINK: Northstar Online Learning

You can also test your knowledge of basic computer terms and skills by clicking the next link below. Click on "Take An Assessment." In the box labeled "Essential Computer Skills," click on "Basic Computer Skills" to take the first quiz. All the quizzes are interactive—it’s fun!

LINK: Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment of Basic Computer Skills

(Remember, these quizzes do not work on the Mozilla Firefox browser, because it won't run Adobe Flash Player. Use Google Chrome or Microsoft Internet Explorer instead).

Link to Video on PowerPoint Slide Basics

Click on the first link below to watch the video on working with slides in PowerPoint (2016 version--the same that is on our computers at school).

Click on the second link below to watch a video on inserting pictures in PowerPoint 2016.

LINK: Video on Working with Slides in PowerPoint 2016

LINK: Video on Inserting Pictures in PowerPoint 2016

For lessons using older versions of PowerPoint, click on the link below and click on your version of Office (for example, Office 2010 or Office 2013). Then click on the PowerPoint symbol to go a series of lessons for that version of PowerPoint.

LINK: Choose Your Version of Office for Lessons

Lessons in All Four Programs in Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access

The gcflearnfree.org website has videos and lessons that train you in many different computer skills, including the four programs in MS Office. You can learn basic skills or more advanced skills in any of these programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access (the last program is for data entry and management and is used by many businesses).

My suggestions: Click on the first link below and then click on whatever version of Office (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, etc.) is on your computer. Click on the second link if you know you want to work on the 2016 version (which is on the classroom computers). I also suggest you click on the third link, which will take you to PowerPoint lessons. If you already know the basics, try lesson 5 (Slide Basics) and lesson 6 (Text Basics).

LINK 1: Choose your version of Office to go to the lessons

LINK 2: Click on one of the four programs in Office 2016

LINK 3: PowerPoint 2016 Lessons--beginning and advanced

Test your computer skills at Northstar Digital Literacy

For these quizzes, make sure you are NOT using the Firefox browser (the quizzes won't work on Firefox). After you click on the purple LINK below  the pictures, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on this picture (first picture on the left). Then click Basic Computer Skills:

                     

When the lesson loads, you will see this picture and you may hear sound:
 

                 

Use headphones or turn off your computer's sound while in the computer lab.

Click NEXT, then click SKIP ORIENTATION (unless you want to go through the orientation).

Then you will be at the Module 1: Basic Computer Skills page. Click Start Now to begin the quiz. Questions are at the top of each page--follow the instructions. The quizzes are interactive--you click, drag, or do whatever actions you would do on an actual computer screen.

LINK: Quiz on basic computer knowledge

To test yourself on your knowledge of Microsoft Word, click the link above and scroll to the bottom of the page, to the middle picture (copied below):
                           

Then click on the Microsoft Word button.

If you see a message that says "Right-click to allow Adobe Flash Player to run" (this is software that plays images and video), click the right-hand button on your mouse. Then left-click on the word "Allow" to go to the Microsoft Word quiz. After you click "Next" and "Skip Orientation, click the "Start Now" button.



Below is a screenshot of the first question on the MS Word quiz:

Practice Computer Mouse Skills

The links below takes you to a library website. You can practice a series of mouse skills that become progressively more challenging, even for experienced computer users (e.g., double-clicking, scrolling, highlighting, and dragging and dropping text). Don't let that mouse beat you!

My suggestion: Try both of these links to help you become more skilled with a mouse!

LINK: Start Mousercising!

LINK: Take a complete mouse tutorial

Identify Computer Parts and Practice Drag and Drop--at the Same Time!

We've learned some computer vocabulary, and we've practiced some mouse skills. Now try combining the two things!

My suggestion: Click on the link below to play a game in which you drag the correct name to the  picture of a computer part or accessory.

Link: Drag the Computer Words to Match the Pictures