CFCC Senior Institute

This four-hour course includes the basics in easy to understand steps on: opening an eBay Buyer/Seller and PayPal account; how to find, compare and research items, how to bid on auctions, Buy It Now and Make Offers; distinguish between different types of ads and fees; payment methods, eBay rules and policies; My eBay; steps after the purchase or sale of an item; PayPal security and more.

Introduction to Microsoft Vista

This class will help students discover the differences between Microsoft Vista and previous versions of Windows. We will explore the new features in Vista as well as how alike Vista is to Windows XP. The class is for students who have Windows Vista and students who may be going to Vista in the near future.

Have Fun Surfing the Web

Do you want to e-mail your grandchildren? Research health topics and remedies? Stay up-to-date on current affairs? Even create your own web site? This is the course for you! Course contents will include Web navigation, e-mail accounts, downloading attachments and Web site design. Be hip, learn the modern technology!

A Beginner’s Computer Course

Do you know how to turn your computer on and off? Can you speak computerese?  Do you know the difference between hardware and software? This course will familiarize members with the fundamentals of computers and Windows XP.  Topics to be covered include:  logging on and off, mouse technique, navigating and multitasking, and file management.  In addition, personal computer terminology and proper keyboarding techniques will be covered.

Mid-Level Computers

This course is for members who are familiar with the computer and have taken the novice level class.

Computer Tuning and Maintaining

This course will center on teaching computer users how to remove spy ware, pop-ups and viruses in order to keep their computer running efficiently. The course will show how to install and uninstall programs properly and to “clean up” your computer with the removal of unnecessary files that are taking up valuable disk space. We will discuss using defragmentation, scan disk and disk cleanup. Included in this course are instructions/illustrations on how to upgrade your computer to meet the needs of today’s software requirements.

There will be no class Nov. 11.

Working in Word

Have you ever wanted to create a holiday letter or a party invitation? Would you like to keep a journal or diary? This course is for members who are familiar with the computer or have completed Beginner’s Computer class. Topics to be covered include: creating, editing, printing, and saving a document in MS Office Word 2003.

Working in Word II

Learn how to create a holiday letter using newspaper columns and then use mail merge to print your mailing labels.  This six-hour course includes using newspaper columns, clip art, word art, symbols, drop cap, borders, and mail merge.  In addition, learn how to convert text to a table, sort a list, and change the default settings.  Members should be familiar with MS Word or have completed the Working in Word class before taking this class.

Chocolate

This is a serious academic class that draws upon many disciplines (history, geography, chemistry, manufacturing, nutrition, physiology, and chronic disease management). All aspects of chocolate will be discussed: what it is; its history; where it comes from; how it is made; why we like it; what part is good for us; and what part can cause problems. Each class includes formal tastings of the various types and forms of chocolate. These tastings will expand your horizons and palate, as well as provide the vocabulary for describing the multitude of flavors in chocolate. Students will also have an opportunity to share their favorite chocolate foods and candies. A modest fee for the chocolate tastings will be charged.

Basic Spreadsheets I

When you want to create reports in a table format consisting of rows and columns, use Microsoft Excel. Learn how to keep track of your finances by creating and maintaining a personal budget.  This class teaches the basics of creating, printing and saving a spreadsheet.  You will learn how to create a new blank workbook (enter data and basic formulas in a worksheet), format a spreadsheet (use the menu and toolbars), and print and save the worksheet using MS Excel 2003. Members should be familiar with computers or have completed the Beginner’s Computer class before taking this class.

Digital Imaging with Elements and Photoshop

If you have a digital camera and a computer, it’s time for you to learn how to enhance and manipulate your photos.  In the class we will be using Adobe Elements 4.0, but the same lessons can be used on any version of Elements or Photoshop.  The course is divided into 6 topics for the six weeks.  Learn how to swap heads, add missing relatives to an image, restore heirlooms, have artistic fun with colors and monotones, or just make the picture look more like what your eye saw. There will be no class Nov. 11.

How to Purchase And Use a Digital Camera

Would you like to find out what technology best suits your needs as a digital photographer? Do you want to know more about the process of e-mailing photos and how to get the best of your images? This course will teach students how to manipulate, transform and rotate images and to transfer those images from a digital camera or disk to a hard drive or other storage medium.

Introduction to Chaos Theory

Chaos theory is a new discipline that has evolved over the last 40 years. It allowed a new breed of scientists to tackle incredibly complex problems that could not be solved with linear, analytical framework that has constrained science since the days of Galileo, Kepler and Newton. This scientific revolution is the improbable synthesis of the insights of misfits working independently in nearly every field of science – from astronomy to zoology. These rebels refused to ignore the irregularities found in nature and human affairs that their colleagues assumed away. Empowered by modern computers, chaos theory has become an indispensible tool in virtually every field of human endeavor. The Teaching Company’s video lectures by Professor Steven Strogatz of Cornell University are the basis for this course. Each class includes time for discussions about the lectures. A math and science background is not necessary to appreciate this course. A follow up course (Fractals – Chaos Theory Made Visible) in the spring will explore the intimate relationship between chaos theory and fractals (those amazing shapes whose structures repeat ad infinitum, such that the tiniest parts resemble the original whole) and the frontiers of chaos research.