ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – From beginner to tech-savvy, the Orange County Library System offers free courses in just about anything having to do with technology.
Courses include Microsoft Office, Excel and QuickBooks for all skill levels. Through its Technology and Education Center, you can even create your own app in one virtual class.
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“When you’re staring at a computer screen sometimes it can feel distant or abstract. When you have something tangible it makes it more exciting... you can see how exactly how your coding impacts your device,” said Vanya Walker, an instructional designer at the Orange County Library System, on how they implement games and simple tasks into their classes.
These skills are becoming more prominent and crucial to daily life, no matter how old you are or what career you’re in.
“Now it’s important to be able make changes to websites, to be able to make apps, to be able to modify different things and it’s creeping into everyday aspects of our lives, like using our smart phones and our jobs,” Walker said.
Here are five classes that could benefit computer novices:
- Microsoft Word Level 1 - In this class, you can create polished documents in Microsoft Word, navigate the Word user interface and apply basic word processing techniques to create a formatted letter and ensure readability with basic review tools.
- Microsoft Excel Level 1 - You can start using Excel today by inputting, formatting and saving data in spreadsheets and calculating data with basic formulas.
- Coding - Want to take your coding skills to the next level? Learn how to write proper Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) code and format Web pages using external style sheets.
- Photoshop - In this course, recommended for adults, you can learn graphic concepts and terminology and become familiar with the basic tools required to edit and retouch digital images.
- BizKids Club - Ready to become an entrepreneur? The BizKids Club is an instructor-led virtual program that introduces participants to the world of business and entrepreneurship. The class is recommended for children ages 9 to 14.
All software and programs for the courses are available for free for all OCLS library members. You can find the full schedule of courses here. Due to the pandemic, most classes are virtual. Some in-person classes have been discontinued until the Technology and Education Center reopen for in-person activities. Click here to register for your free virtual library card.