April 21, 2008

East Arkansas Community College-Press Release

East Arkansas Community College Summer Special Topics Courses
The variety of Special Topics courses being offered this summer at East Arkansas Community College should enable anyone to find a technology course that fits their needs.  Susan Ligon, will serve as instructor for the special topics courses.

Technology for Mature Adults 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (4 days) Room L112 May 19-22

Never touched a computer? Have computer anxiety? In a relaxed and supportive environment, mature adults are introduced to the keyboard, monitor and mouse. Microsoft Windows and basic elements of word processing are covered. The skills students learn will open an exciting new world to explore! In addition, students are taught how to send and receive e-mail to keep in touch with relatives and friends.

Organize Your Computer Files 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (4 days) Room L112 May 19-22
If you work with documents, presentations, graphics, and other files all day—chances are, you have a lot of them. Even if it's just a couple of minutes here, and a couple of minutes there, it all adds up. But there is a better way to stop the file clutter—by managing your files more effectively.

Digital files are no different than paper files, and if you don't have a good method of organization, things get lost. Whether you save your files on your computer's hard drive or a shared network location, this class will help you save the time and headache of searching for your files

Special Term Courses available on the Internet:
Internet Information Literacy Net Course (July 1 – August 5)

Would you like the ability to find, evaluate, and use digital information effectively, efficiently, and ethically? Would you like to have the skills to use the specialized tools for finding digital information?

Maybe you are asking, “What is information literacy?”  Information literacy is defined as a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." --Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

This course would be an excellent elective to learn practical skills related to the Internet and other electronic information. There will be hands-on training to learn how to effectively use online databases, search engines, and other Internet tools. Appropriate search strategies to locate reliable digital information will be taught. Some knowledge of computer skills would be helpful in this course.

Classroom Technology Tools NET Course (July 1 – August 5)

As technology becomes more available in classrooms, it is increasingly important that teachers be comfortable with new uses of that technology. If you are presently a classroom teacher or want to learn more about technology available for teachers, this is the class for you! It is online for five weeks and can be used for professional development hours.

Technology can be used in many ways as an integral part of the curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners. For example, it can introduce into the classroom exciting curricula based on real-world problems; provide scaffolds and tools to enhance learning; give students and teachers more opportunities for feedback, reflection, and revision; and build local and global communities where people gather and share information. Technology can help students recognize, organize, and represent knowledge. This course will explore many technology tools for the classroom, as well as investigate good educational websites and resources that can be incorporated easily into everyday teaching. 

St. Francis County public school employees and their dependents can qualify for a 50 percent reduction in tuition for credit classes when taken for credit. Tuition Waivers and Discounts are available for credit classes for qualified students aged 50+. For more information, please contact the Business/Technology Office (285) or contact Susan Ligon (Ext 292), or Dana Whittington (Ext. 288).