ICT intro

Welcome to the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) class - where anyone can learn how to use their computer better! This page, and the links above, give general information about the various ICT classes.

Please note that my classes are self-paced to a large extent. This means that grades depend on how many assignments are completed as well as the points scored for each assignment. For example, a student who scored 9 for every one of the 5 assignments that (s)he completed would probably score less overall that a student who scored 8 for every one of the 6 assignments that (s)he completed.

Expectations for all ICT classes

  • Save your work often! Saving every 5 or 10 minutes means you can never lose more than 5 or 10 minutes' work even if your computer crashes.
  • Follow my instructions carefully regarding saving your files.
  • No food or drink in the computer rooms.
  • No admission to the computer rooms without adult supervision.
  • Do not install software on the computers without permission.
  • Never let anyone else know your password. Always log on with your own password.
  • Do not touch the monitor screen.
  • Do not play games, send messages or use the Internet during class time without my permission.
  • No listening to music in my classes - keep the MP3 player in your bag please.
  • If I ask you to turn off your monitor then please do so immediately.
  • Don't talk when I am addressing the class, though it may be OK to ask a neighbor for help at other times.
  • When helping a neighbor, you can give verbal advice but please refrain from using your neighbor's keyboard or mouse.

This website contains a number of animations. Here are some hints to get maximum value from them:

  • Most of the animations are about three minutes long. I suggest you watch them from beginning to end without interruption and then watch them again, pausing frequently, and work through the exercises at the same time.
  • It's very convenient to have the animation running in a corner of the screen while you work in another window - the problem is that the animation window will not normally be on top if another window is active. Here is the solution to keep any window always on top (works only in Windows): find on the internet the file AlwaysOnTopMaker.exe. Run this file and it will give you the following options:
    • Press Ctrl-Alt-T to make the active window 'always on top'.
    • Press Ctrl-Alt-T again to turn off this feature so that the active window is no longer always on top (the active window will be sent behind all the other windows at this point.
    • Press Ctrl-Alt-Q to close Always On Top Maker.

If you have questions about these classes, please email me at nward2008-at-gmail.com.