NWLLA Blog

Knowledge is Power

The concept of IT and computers is forever changing. At least every 6 weeks we see something new or an “upgrade” of some description coming on the market. Out staff are always asked – “How do you know that?” “Who told you?”

It is true to say that the staff at Northwest Lifelong Learning immerse ourselves in the world of IT. Reading anything from qualification updates, to technology blogs, websites and maybe the odd magazine. We also discuss things in the routine of our daily work. This is sometimes the best way to learn.

Colleagues and friends can quickly become your study group, sharing ideas concepts and life experiences. Each member of our staff have their particular speciality when it comes to IT and training, project management or public relations work in SME’s and “new start” enterprises.

It is definitely true to say that all knowledge is backed by experience and this helps with decision making in a business context at Northwest Lifelong Learning, but for someone starting out in IT, or learning to use a PC for the first time, the thirst for knowledge can sometimes outweigh the understanding of the concepts. This is when magazines and websites for the novice PC user come into their own.

One magazine I would like to draw reader’s attention to is Computer Active, since getting a subscription as a Christmas present I have been presently surprised.. A fortnightly magazine, which includes product reviews, hints & tips, problem pages and workshops. Computer Active describes itself as “Simple Clear Advice in Plain English”. This statement is definitely true. It is the UK’s best selling computer magazine.

So the next time you are in the shop, or newsagents, why not pick one up and have a read. You may be presently surprised.

Daniel Henry Estate Agency based in Market Street Limavady, are the first company to see the benefits by investing in their staff, giving them the chance to update their skills and take advantage of this great offer. Laim O’Kane, Director at Daniel Henry says “We at Daniel Henry Estate Agency are delighted to be the first company in Northern Ireland to avail of this excellent offer and to have the chance to work alongside Northwest Lifelong Learning Ltd. Investment in staff and the skills they possess is vital to maintain a competitive edge.”

Mel O’Hara, the Microsoft Master Instructor with Northwest Lifelong Learning Ltd says “ within the last 5 years, Northwest Lifelong Learning Ltd have helped over 500 people in all areas of business gain certification in the various Microsoft Office applications”.

You’ve bought the PC, Software, and got your ISP working now; are you shopping online this Christmas? Just make sure you don’t give away more than you bargained for. You could argue that, in the age of Google and Facebook, privacy is an outdated concept. Millions of us readily share almost everything about our lives. We map out our social circle, upload scores of photos and update our Facebook statues minute by minute.

Every website we visit, more often than not, is shared with Google. And as we trawl through the wider web, we’re leaving footprints allowing our personal data to be collected by companies with which we’ve never agreed to share our life.
It is possible to reclaim your privacy, however, although it’s not always obvious here’s how:

If you’re not a Google account holder:

Visit Google.com/dashnoard.

Sign in using the details of a Google account you have (such as iGoogle, Gmail or YouTube).

Dashboard lists all the Google services that store your information, from e-mails to search queries. Select the service you wish to view.

Scroll down to “Web history” and click “Remove items or clear web history” (in a blue box).

You can delete individual entries by checking the box next to the entry and then click the “Remove” button at the top of the screen, if you wish to delete your entire history, click on “Clear entire web history” at the top of the screen.

To stop Google collecting any more data and placing it into your account, you must first complete step 4 and then click the “Pause” link on the left of the page.

If you’re not a Google account holder but want to delete information about searches you’ve made, follow these steps.

Search for anything on Google.co.uk.

On the top right of the results page you’ll see a “Web History” link. Click this.

Click “Disable customizations based on search activity”

More safety information next week.

A social enterprise is not just a small business – it is a business which trades for a social purpose. They contribute over £25bn to the UK economy and employ almost 100,000 people. Profits do not go back to owners or shareholders, but are defined as a trading surplus which goes back into the community to enrich it. Social enterprises operate in almost every industry, from health and social care to renewable energy, from retail to recycling, from employment to sport, from housing to education. Whatever they do, they do it differently from typical businesses, because they are driven by a social mission, and are focused on the community they serve. North West Lifelong Learning was set up in March 2003 in Limavady by Betty McNerlin to enrich the local community by bringing accessible computer training to all who wanted to increase their knowledge and skills. Why not consider donating some money to help a social enterprise this Christmas?

Over the last few weeks I have talked about possible needs and wants for purchasing a laptop PC. More recently last week we discussed software and what to look for when acquiring software.

Having the PC and software in place the next question is Internet access, What is the best Internet Service Provider (ISP) to use?

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides connectivity for your computer(s) to the Internet. The service that the ISP provides affects everything that you do online, from surfing the web to the performance of your website, so choosing the right one is an important part of choosing the right ISP.

Understanding the range of services offered and the right questions to ask will play an important part in ensuring that the choice of ISP meets your needs.

All ISPs essentially offer the same basic facilities, such as a choice of connection speeds to the Internet, access to the world wide web, email and newsgroups, and web space for hosting your own website. Most tend to offer a range of packages aimed at different levels of users, based usually upon factors such as the speed of connection, the number of email addresses you require or the amount of free web space. The costs and quality of the services you require may well be the deciding factors in making your selection.

Ensure that you understand your requirements from the outset, perhaps by doing a brief analysis of your anticipated internet usage. You should consider:

Were you live as this could affect your connection speed
Special offers for phone and Broadband bundles
Support Available
Whether or not the service you select is capped (This means there will be a limit per month on the amount of data you can download)

Last week I discussed what to look out for when purchasing a laptop PC in terms of hardware. This week the question is what are the best types of software to use? The operating system (OS), allows the computer to function. Examples of operating systems include windows XP or the new Windows 7 or Apple Snow Leopard. Typically all newly purchased PC’s will come with Windows 7, which is fine for the home or hobby user.

Once the OS has been identified then additional software can be installed which will allow the computer to complete more detailed tasks. Three distinct types of software exist: Licensed, Shareware & Freeware. Licensed software requires the purchaser to pay a licence fee for usage. Shareware allows the user to use the software, sometimes with restrictions for a trial period (normally 30 Days) with an option to purchase a licence at an additional cost at the end of that trial period. Freeware does exactly what it says on the tin and is free.

With access to the Internet and broadband becoming “more the norm” for people in most areas of the Limavady Borough; a good tip, if you are thinking of purchasing software is to look on the Internet and see if a free version exists which will meet your needs instead of spending money on a licence. A good example is “Open Office” which is free to download and install, and contains many of the same features as Microsoft Office. It is ideal for the novice user who doesn’t have a massive budget.

Anti-virus software is a must when accessing the Internet! Free versions exist such as AVG, which can be downloaded from the Internet and installed on your computer. It will help keep your computer protected whilst online, or from any other harmful files which could access your computer.

Many people now have a digital camera, which they use to record memories of that special event. Many cameras’ come with free photo editing software. Excellent software also exists online why not have a look at Google’s own Picasa, which is an excellent programme for the beginner photographer.

Next week in this series I will be talking about what to think about when sourcing broadband for your new PC.

At this time of year we always get asked by parents and people wanting to purchase a laptop PC for Christmas “What should I look out for?” Here are our recommendations.

While the specs of laptops are continually evolving, the basics all remain the same – battery life, storage space, peripherals and processing power needed.

There has been a surge in popularity for the small 8 to 10-inch screens, but, ideally, if you are using it on a day to day basis, We would recommend a minimum 15-inch screen size to reduce the need for squinting.

For use indoors, and to reduce the risk of RSI (re-petitive strain injury). We could not recommend the use of an external mouse highly enough as constant use of a touch pad becomes cumbersome.

There are 3 main types of batteries sold with laptops. Lithium-ion is recommended.

A hard drive is where the laptops hold all your data and programs installed. The more space, the more things you can do. We would recommend 250GB minimum which has become the standard. If your children are going to be using this, storing large video and audio files, then it would be a good investment to make the jump to 500GB as you will be surprised as to how quickly this will fill up.

RAM is the most common three-letter world you will see on all laptop and PC specifications. It refers to how quickly you are able to access files and request information from the laptop. The more applications you intend on running on your laptop, the more RAM you will need. We recommend anything that says over 2048MB RAM.

When it comes to peripherals you will want as many USB ports as possible. USB is the standard connection used for interfacing with printers, disk drives and multimedia devices. We would recommend at least three USB ports.

Having been armed with the basics, your only consideration remaining is the price. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the technical numbers, the better the laptop, and the more money it costs. We would suggest a budget of around £500 to £600 for anyone starting. Tor this you could expect a 15inch screen, 2.2GHz processor, 2048MB RAM, DVD rewriter, 250GB Hard drive, decent battery, built in webcam, and wireless with enough peripherals.

Keep an eye in the coming weeks for tips on how to save money when searching for software for your new laptop.

The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Master Instructor certification is for individuals who are, or aspire to be teachers or trainers of the most pervasive and produceive destop applications in the world-the Microsoft Office desktop program. As a MOS Master Instructor you can be recoginsed for your skill and hands-on ability with Office desktop programs such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Access and Microsoft OUtlook.

Requirements to qualify for the MOS Master Instructor Certificate are.

Microsoft Word Expert (MOS)
Microsoft Excel Expert (MOS)
Microsoft Access (MOS)
Microsoft PowerPoint (MOS)
Microsoft Outlook (MOS)

Instructional Experince/Cerdential Requirement

Any of the following will satisfy the instructional experince/credential requirement for the MOS Master Instructor certificate.

A diploma or transcript indication that you have satisifed the requirements for a college degree in one or more fields of educational study:

Written verification from your current and/or past employer on the employer’s letterhead that you have a total of two or more years of employment experience delivering compentant training on Microsoft Office destop programs;

A certificate indicating that you have successfully completed a Microsoft approved presentation skills or Train-the-Trainer course from a recognised college.

The course is a five day instructional program following the principles of teaching theory, practical teaching sessions and a final exam video of teaching session delivery.

It is true to say that education is here to stay, but methods of course delivery and training techniques are changing all the time. The team at Northwest Lifelong Learning in Limavady realise that, although the more traditional method of classroom “Chalk & Talk” teaching where a teacher stands in front of a class, should not be replaced; developments in technology underpinned by the use of the Word Wide Web have become the catalyst for a “Blended Learning” Approach to education.

Blended Learning is the term used to describe the combination of e-learning using the World Wide Web along side the more traditional classroom approach to education where a teacher delivers a lesson plan to students. A good example of Blended Learning in its simplest form is the new YouTube channel setup by our application tutors’ within Northwest Lifelong Learning. The channel can be accessed by clicking here. Another example is our range of eNVQ qualifications which are blended, by students attending training days whilst all assessments are carried out on our online platform.

Blended learning has many advantages including:

It underpins knowledge gained in the classroom

Contact time is reduced between student and educator in some cases reducing costs

Employee downtime can be reduced

It appeals to a much larger range of learning styles compared with the more traditional methods of teaching.

Higher levels of student engagement thus improving retention.

Numbers of achievers increase showing better results.

The ability to integrate with existing packages and websites such as “Second Life” makes it a more exciting complete experience for the learner.

A report published in 2009 by Learning Light stated that in 2007 the total value of the e-learning market in the UK was over £160m