The IT crowd

We started the adult community classes during the holiday programme in April and went from a single, fairly nervous looking student to about 20 in a week. And it's been really fantastic. The language barrier can be a problem sometimes but then usually the pupils from standards five and six at Olives Rehabilitation Centre are usually hanging around and are always really helpful by acting as translators for us. Bless them. The difference between teaching primary school kids and adults is immense (obviously!) - the adults are so eager to learn and blissfully quiet.

Students listening to volunteer Cammy

Although I'm working with the advanced group, we still cover the very basics of computers. Today's lesson plan involved showing the group how to save and open files using Microsoft Word, how to highlight text using a laptop, followed by practising typing. The uber sensitive mouse pads on the laptops is proving a challenge but the more they use them the better they're getting at it. I feel like the most important part of the class is giving them 'face time' with the laptops. Luckily, all the volunteers on the project who've brought out their personal laptops have been more than generous with letting us use them, so we have several to go around the class.

Volunteer, Chris with local student

Even though we've only been going for a month, it's great to see the group develop and become ever more familiar and comfortable with the computers. It's a slow process but, I hope that, with every lesson they get a little bit closer to where they want to be.

Camellia Z

The IT crowd