The primary goal of a Community Networking course is to not only teach computer and technology to the people of the community, but to show them how to apply what they've learned in real world situations, and how to find important information by using the Internet and other available resources. The following list displays the benefits of taking one of these courses:
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They're FREE - You can pay hundreds of dollars for computer courses somewhere else.
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Classes go at the student's pace - If you're afraid that you'll slow down the rest of the class, don't worry, the instructors/mentors will always display patience, and will not advance until you understand the material.
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The classes are available at many places in the community - Instructors are sent out to teach at libraries, housing authority sites, and other locations nearby, so you don't have to drive far and deal with traffic.
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Students / Participants will receive certificates upon successful completion of the courses.
Our courses use the course curriculums provided by GCF Global Learning, which can be found at www.gcflearnfree.org. GCF Global Learning is a web site developed by the Goodwill, and offers various, free online courses. Students will learn how to sign up and log in to the web site. The El Paso Area Libraries consortium is a partner under the GCF Global Learning community.
Community Networking classes are continual and require that the participants (students) attend the classes on a regular basis to earn their certificates. participants cannot join a class in the middle of the semester unless there are available computers, and if the mentor (instructor) has time (outside of class) to teach the participant so that he or she can be caught up with the rest of the class. Please read below about the available courses and their descriptions.
Basic/Beginner Computer
Course
These basic computer courses are geared towards students who have absolutely no
computer knowledge or experience. The basic computer course curriculum
consists of an introduction to computers, introduction to the Internet, and
introduction to email. By the time the students complete this course, they
should be able to be more confident in using the mouse to work their way
around a Windows environment, know how to search the Internet, and
communicate with others by electronic mail even if they never had an email
account before. There are plans to continue the basic computer courses again
in the summer. Check the Training Schedule to find out when and where.
More Courses
Many students who have finished the basic computer courses in April have
requested more computer courses. Students are referred to the
GCF Global Learning
web site where they can read, learn, and practice the most popular computer
applications at their own pace.