A reader named Barb sent me an e-mail with a couple of questions. She wanted to know if I knew of any reasonably priced interactive tutorials, so she could practice while she learns. I have to agree with Barb that the best way to learn about computer stuff is by doing it. The way I’ve learned most of what I know is the hard way. Usually, I get a project that really taxes the software (and me!) and I learn by doing. However, not everyone is a consultant with the wide variety of projects that I tend to get myself into.
Hopefully the Press won’t resent the free plug, but North Idaho College is doing on-line classes. Even though I haven’t taken one myself yet, I know a fair amount about the company that NIC is working with to put them on. The classes seem to be very well organized and the reviews indicate that people like them. You can find out more about NIC’s on-line training offerings at http://www.ed2go.com/nicwtc or by calling NIC at 208-769-3444. One thing I see as an advantage over strictly CD-based tutorials is that you do the lessons at home, but you still have access to an instructor if you run into problems.
Barb also asked about putting a button on her Quick Launch toolbar. She doesn’t always get to see my column, but regular readers may remember that I described this process in a couple previous columns, so I won’t repeat the process. However, what you may NOT know is that we’ve archived all the previous Tales from the Mousepad columns on the Internet. People who would like to check them out can just go to http://www.cc-tips.com. If you click the Tales from the Mousepad link on the left, you’ll find all the past columns. So if you forgot some cool tip, they’re all there in cyberspace for you to check out at your leisure.