Renaissance Center offers new workshops for home computer users

The classes are affordable at just $25 per workshop and are designed for busy people with little time to spare

Release Date: 2/3/2005. Expired: 3/3/2005

The Renaissance Center is launching a new series of computer workshops designed specifically for the everyday home computer user. These affordable workshops, offered in convenient evening and weekend sessions, will cover subjects from surfing the Internet and computer security to creating slide shows and managing digital photos.

“Computer technology is not just for the workplace,” said Brad Beaubien, senior director of Information Technology at The Renaissance Center. “Whether you want to learn the basics of a personal computer, e-mail your family and friends, work with digital photos, keep your computer safe from viruses or just learn more about the Internet, we have a class for you.”

Beginning in March, several new classes will be available in a workshop environment. The new classes are affordable at just $25 per workshop and are designed for busy people with little time to spare.

“While The Renaissance Center has become a training center for people wanting to find careers in the information technology field, we also want to offer fun and informative programs to help people who just want to get the most out of their home computers,” Beaubien said. “A computer is a big investment and we want to help you make the most of it by offering affordable and convenient workshops on subjects that are of interest to every computer user.”

The first series of workshops for March through May includes the options of one session on weekends and weekdays or classes divided over two evening sessions. Additional workshop topics will be offered beginning this summer.

“If you have a computer or are looking to buy one, there is a workshop here for you,” Beaubien said.

The first series of home computer workshops includes:

Computer Basics and Internet Surfing

This is a great class for those with little or no experience with computers. Students will learn about hardware basics, what to look for when buying a computer, parts of the desktop, opening, closing and resizing windows, exploring the Internet safely, using e-mail and more. Workshop tuition is $25.

The workshop is offered:
6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays, March 3 and 10
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 5
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, April 4
6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays, April 14 and 21
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 30

Securing Your Home Computer

As fast and convenient as the Internet is, it also has its pitfalls. With the ease of its use and availability comes the threat of viruses, spy-ware, identity theft and many other hazards. This class will cover how to protect your computer from the dark side of the Internet as well as teach the importance of data backups and software updates. Workshop tuition is $25.

The workshop is offered:
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 12
6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays, March 17 and 24
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6
6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays, April 28 and May 5
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 7

Creating and Presenting Electronic Slide Shows

Electronic slide shows can be an effective tool for teaching and presenting information to classrooms, Sunday school, community organization meetings and many more uses. From creating a slide to presentation techniques to setting up the projector, this workshop covers everything you need to know about creating an effective electronic presentation. Workshop tuition is $25.

The workshop is offered:
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 26
6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays, March 31 and April 7
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday, April 8
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 14

Managing Your Digital Photos Series

This series of three workshops starts with taking pictures with a digital camera, continues with getting the image from camera to computer and concludes with tips on improving your pictures through computer manipulation. Each workshop can be taken individually at $25 per class or take the entire series for $70.

Digital Photography - Capture

Learn to use your digital camera effectively and take great pictures, too. This class will explain the different features, options and shooting modes. It also will cover how to overcome tricky lighting situations, portrait and nature photography. This is a great course to take if you are about to purchase a digital camera. Workshop tuition is $25.

The workshop is offered:
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 2
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, April 25

Digital Photography - Transfer

I’ve taken my digital pictures... now what? Learn the basics of digital image transfer. This workshop will cover the variety of options available for digital image transfer. USB cables, memory cards and card readers will be covered as well as digital photo Web sites and professional printing of pictures. The class also includes different photo file formats and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Workshop tuition is $25.

The workshop is offered:
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 9
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27

Digital Photography - Manipulation

One of the great advantages of digital photography is the ability to change or improve a photo after it has been taken. This class will explore the different digital imaging software packages available and their basic functions, such as cropping, enlarging, reducing, naming and saving your photos. It also will include more sophisticated techniques such as adding impact and drama to a boring photo, how to lighten or darken specific areas, how to remove a distracting object and how to combine two digital photos. Different artistic filters and effects will be discussed as well. Workshop tuition is $25.

The workshop is offered:
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 16
8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday, April 29.

More workshops designed for the home computer user will be added this summer. For more information on the home computer workshops, contact Beaubien at (615)740-5544 or . To register for a workshop, call The Renaissance Center at (615)740-5533.

The Renaissance Center is an arts and technology education center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.