TechCamp Online

Techcamp Online

The Progressive Technology Project brings our popular TechCamp training right to your desktop. TechCamp is PTP’s three-day basic skills “boot camp” for community organizers that covers the basic tech skills that every organizer needs to know.

How does online TechCamp work?

TechCamp Online will use web conference tools to enable you to attend TechCamp sessions from your office. All you need (in addition to the software we’re training on) is a computer with high speed internet access, a browser like Firefox or Internet Explorer, and a phone. You’ll have an easier time if you’ve got a hands-free device like a headset or speaker phone, but it’s not necessary for your participation. You can make sure your computer meets the requirements to access the web conference here: http://test.readytalk.com/

Why is it online?

Travel is expensive, time consuming, and uses a lot of resources that could be better used elsewhere. Plus, basic skills training lends itself to this type of approach. Even better, by doing this training online, we can do it in stages, which means that you have more time to learn, practice, and retain the skills you’re learning. It also means that the sessions are better suited to teaching targeted sets of skills.

Detailed curriculum for all sessions will be available on the Power On Network site, so you’ll know exactly what we’ll be covering. The Power On Network site is a private web site for organizers who have been through a training at PTP. You will receive a log in information for that site before the class. We often repeat the cycle of sessions, so you’ll have more than one opportunity to take advantage of these sessions.

What can I expect from TechCamp Online?

PTP's TechCamp Online sessions all follow this general outline:

(3 minutes) Introduction to session, presenter, and group
(5 minutes) Review session objectives – what does this session cover
(37 minutes) Teach skills enumerated in session objectives. We will teach each skill as follows:
- The presenter explain the skill
- The presenter demonstrates the skill
- Participants have a few minutes to practice the skill and ask questions
- The presenter repeats demonstration
We will go down the list of skills, following this method. At the end of the skill instruction, we will have 15 minutes that are available for additional practice and questions for any interested participants. The extra practice and questions are completely optional.

Intermediate level sessions feature more flexibility and greater focus on questions from participants. If you have specific skills you are would like to see covered, please follow the instructions sent to you when you register. While we can’t accommodate all requests, we will do our best to address your questions.

NOTE: PTP’s TechCamp Online session on Microsoft Office utilizes Office 2003 for Windows. If you are not using Office 2003 on Windows, our TechCamp Online sessions may not be helpful, and certainly won't be an exact match to what you see on your screen.

TechCamp online sessions will cover the following topics:

Session:	Topics Covered:
Basic Word	Understanding menus Working with files (open, edit, rename, save, create multiple documents) Formatting text, paragraphs, and pages Using Find and Replace in text Using lists, tables, graphics (images and word art) Checking spelling and grammar
Intermediate Word	Using templates (custom and built-in) Customizing menus and toolbars in MS Word Using keyboard shortcuts Creating, saving and reusing styles Collaborating and tracking changes Other / Misc Exporting a PDF Exporting HTML
Basic Excel	Create a basic spreadsheet Utilizing basic formulas Linking spreadsheets Formatting for on and off screen
Intermediate Excel	Filtering and sorting Parsing addresses Creating charts and graphs Understanding and using pivot tables
Basic Publisher	Using publisher vocabulary and concepts Adding text Inserting images into the text Resizing images Making text flow around an image
Intermediate Publisher	Using Publisher’s personalization features Printing considerations Using and changing templates Using clipart – sources for good images
Basic PowerPoint	Using PowerPoint – what it’s for, how it’s useful Creating a new presentation Adding and modifying slide text Adding graphics to a slide Inserting, deleting and copying slides
Intermediate PowerPoint	Changing a presentation look (working with master slides) Rearranging slides in a presentation Adding sounds and movies to a slide Printing presentations, notes, and handouts Presenting a PowerPoint slideshow
Basic Paint.NET	Paint.NET is one of the best kept secrets in the graphics world. It’s a free graphics editor that mirrors many of Photoshop’s most used features – for FREE. For most of us, it’s has all the graphics editing power we need. This TechCamp online session will teach you the basics of editing photos using Paint.NET. Please note that Paint.NET is a Windows-only program. To participate in this session, please register and then download and install Paint.NET from http://www.getpaint.net. This session will cover: Opening your file in Paint.NET Changing the background color of your graphic Adding text Cropping and resizing Saving for the web or printing – formats and resolution considerations Where to get more help with Paint.NET
Mail Merge	Don’t know what mail merge is? Quite simply, it is the techie tool of your dreams. Have data in Excel that needs to get into a Word document? Need to print labels, create phone lists, or print walksheets? Mail merge can do all this and more. Pease sign up for this session only if you already have basic knowledge of Excel and Word. This session will cover: Preparing your Excel spreadsheet for mail merge – making sure you’ve got the right data in the right format Creating a merge document in Microsoft Word Inserting merge fields Previewing your merge Outputting your mail merge – to printer or email – considerations and tips Reusing your merge document – considerations and tips