Test Yourself Against Digital Literacy Standards

In class we worked through a couple of the assessments (quizzes) on the Northstar website. We did the first module, on Microsoft Word, and the last module, on Information Literacy. Here is an explanation from the website itself: 

The Northstar Digital Literacy Project defines basic skills needed to perform tasks on computers and online. The ability of adults to perform these tasks can be assessed through online, self-guided modules. Included are basic computer digital literacy standards and modules in ten main areas: Basic Computer Use, Internet, Windows Operating System, Mac OS, Email, Microsoft Word, Social Media, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Information Literacy.

My suggestion: Click on the link below and scroll down to where it says Jump in and launch  a module. Then click on one of the ten icons to take an assessment (your browser needs to have Adobe Flash enabled for you to take the assessments; Macintosh/iPad computers tend not to allow the Flash player, and Firefox has difficulty with it. The website recommends a browser other than Windows Explorer). 

Here is a picture of the icons (these are not links--the link is below, at the end of this post):

Note: Choose #3A if you use a Windows operating system on your desktop or laptop computer, or #3B if you have a Macintosh computer or iPad). 

LINK: Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment

Which Laptop Should I Buy?

We talked about using the Internet to research schools, jobs, and phone plans. If you're considering buying a computer, how can you use the Internet to help your research? You want your search to be as specific as possible, but you don't want it so specific that you want see results that might be helpful to you.

First you should decide if you want a desktop computer or a laptop. If the computer will be used by several people in the family, including children, a desktop computer is probably best. It's stationary, so children can't carry it around and throw or drop it. You can put it in a central location, such as a living room, so that you can supervise what your children do on it.

If you want a computer for your personal use, a laptop is probably best, and that's what I'm going to write about here. You can find many guides on the Internet to help you decide what features you want, but you'll have to decide how much money you want to spend. It's tempting to spend a lot of money for something fancy and powerful, but you may not need all the features it has. Many people do fine with an inexpensive, basic laptop. However, you don't want to buy something too cheap that won't last. If speed is important to you, spend the money to get a laptop with more RAM (random access memory).

My suggestion: Click on any of the links below for some guidelines that will help you decide what you want and need in a laptop.

LINK: What Kind of Laptop Are You--A detailed multiple choice "quiz" and suggestions 

LINK: Laptop Buying Guide: 8 Essential Tips from Laptop Magazine

LINK: Pick a Laptop (Notebook)--Click Show Me to answer questions and get recommendations based on your answers 

Researching Jobs on the Internet

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has a lot of information on what jobs are likely to need workers in the near future, what workers actually do in particular jobs, and what salary you can expect to earn in different parts of the country.

My suggestion: Click on the link below to research job possibilities in the work area of your choice.

LINK: Bureau of Labor Statistics--Occupational Outlook Handbook

Are you still confused about some Internet terms? Check this out!

Lifewire.com has a list of "The Top 30 Internet Terms for Beginners, 2017." It explains the meaning and use of words and abbreviations used in speaking of the Internet and the Web.

My suggestion: Click on the link below. Scroll through the 30 words and see how many of them you already know before reading the definitions. Then read the definitions and make sure you understand what things like an IP address, a plugin, phishing, and a blog are!

LINK: The Top 30 Internet Terms for Beginners, 2017

More on Computer Safety and Security

Yesterday we talked about keeping your computer and your personal and financial information safe from viruses, spyware, etc. For more information, click on the link below (from gcflearnfree.org):

LINK: Computer Tutorials for Beginners 

After clicking the link above, scroll down until you see the menu pictured below, and click on any of the tutorials listed:

Typing Lessons That Talk to You

Here's another choice for learning to type. The website gcflearnfree.org has a typing tutorial that talks you through each lesson and tells you how you're doing. You can click on "Learn" and watch videos that show you what to do and then have you practice it, or you can click on the the "Practice" button to choose the letters or keys you want to work on. Whichever you choose, you'll hear a voice giving you feedback--"Great!" "You got it right!"--but you can turn off the audio if you get tired of it. The lessons remind you that you will be frustrated and discouraged at first, but continuing to practice, even with mistakes, will produce the results you want.

My suggestion: Click on the link below and try this different approach to typing instruction and practice:

LINK: Typing Instruction with Audio Feedback

WHOA! Check Out the Google Fast Facts Cheat Sheet!

A great website for online learning is gcflearnfree.org. You can find grammar videos. You can find free lessons on using software like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. You can find basic computer skills lesson and typing lessons. You can find help with how to hunt for a job online, interviewing skills, and writing a resume.

Today on this website I found something I didn't know existed--a way to get fast answers to common questions by using the Google Fast Facts Cheat Sheet. For instance, if you want to know how much 500 euros is in U.S. dollars, use the Convert Currencies search pattern: type 500 euros to dollars in the Google search box. You quickly get an answer in the first result listed--$560.92. To know the current local time in Germany, use the Get the Time search pattern. Simply type time Germany, and you get the current time in Germany as your search result. Here's a link to the article at gcflearnfree.org, Search Better: Google Search Tips , where I found the cheat sheet:

 LINK: Search Better: Google Search Tips

And here's what the sheet looks like:

Free Step-by-Step Excel and MS Word Lessons Online

If you really want to learn Microsoft Excel, free step-by-step lessons are available online at a British website (lessons in using Windows, Microsoft Word, web design, and other computer skills are also available). Since this website (www.homeandlearn.co.uk) is based in the United Kingdom, keep in mind that spelling, currency symbols (pounds instead of dollars), etc., may be different from what we use in the U.S. There are NINE sections in the Excel course, and they take you from beginning to advanced user levels. Here are the topics in only the first two sections:

Later sections cover topics such as creating charts in different styles, more advanced formulas and functions, improving the "look" of your spreadsheet with color and formatting, etc.

My suggestion: Click the first  link below for free online lessons in Excel. Click the second link below for Microsoft Word lessons at the website.

LINK 1: Free Microsoft Excel lessons at homeandlearn.co.uk 

 

LINK 2: Free Microsoft Word lessons at homeandlearn.co.uk 

 

Notice the table on the left side of the webpage which lists other computer tutorials available on the website: