Blog 4 - Training Project Reflection

Training project reflection one, This will be a series of entries reflecting on how out Loman Home training is going, kind of like a status report. I’m part of the The Heritage -- Computer Workshops team and my partner is Amy Schumann and we have been tasked with presenting a workshop on Open Office Writer a program that mimics Microsoft word, all open source and all free. So far things have been moving slowly mostly just sending things to project lead Chris who is compiling the information into the CDS reports that are going to provide an overview of our project. On our end of the project we still have about a month until we need to present so we’ve been taking things slowly throwing ideas around, no real planning has begun yet and most likely won’t for another week. Other than those things have been moving smooth no hitches have come up on our end, I know our first group has planned to present very soon, so good luck to them. Our roles aren’t really defined because we both are doing the same thing to keep it simple, but the plan is to use PowerPoint and screenshots from inside of Open Office to construct step by step instructions on how to use the software efficiently. But like I said earlier we haven’t really begun anything yet so there’s not much to reflect on or report at this time, look for more information in future updates.

TSTM544 Blog 3 - Loman Home Edition

I’ll end up posting a few more blogs on this particular topic before it’s over with, the infamous Loman Home. Last semester I ranted and raved about how this was going to be awful and how bad it was going to be to work with a bunch of older people. But in the end it didn’t turn out as bad as I thought it would, granted lecturing about viruses and spam might not be to interesting to people who had very little knowledge about it to begin with but that’s why we were there. This semester my group mate Amy and I are tasked with teaching the kind folks at the Loman Home about Open Office Writer. This task seems more challenging than the others because we have to teach them how to use a piece of software, which I’ve never done before, I’m used to fixing simple problems and sending them on their way. The plan at this time is to teach the basics so they have a good understanding and use the soft ware to construct letters to friends and family. We plan on showing them how to create a new document, Print, manipulate the font, how to use the TAB button and few other basic things needed to compose a letter. I myself have never used Open Office so this is going to be a learning experience in itself, granted the software is made to be as close to Word as it can be without infringing on anything. Overall I think this will be a challenging project but along as I can get the same reward that I got from last semester it will be worth it. Encase you didn’t read my Loman Home Trip report I was able to show a resident how to email her grandson who was currently stationed overseas, and her reaction was the only reward I’d ever need.