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News NEW FACILITY STEPS is happy to announce our relocation to 1325 Fifth Avenue and East 112th Street where the facility layout is more flexible and the larger space better able to accommodate the 80 plus students we work with daily. REDUCED FUNDING for HUD
DONATIONS
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED |
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Staff Members:
Affiliate Organizations
Executive Director:
Virginia Kwarta
ABE Teacher:
Erica Abbensetts
ABE & Computer Teacher:
Greg Frett
G.E.D. Teacher/Job Trainer:
Annamarie Hill
Office/Program Administrator:
Sherita Joe
RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF THE CITY U DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH AND COMMUNITY NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTME LITERACY ASSISTANCE CENTER VOLUNTEER MATCH EAST HARLEM INFORMATION OUTREACH
Computer Lab
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“This is really cool. Watch this!”
“Don’t I need a dark background so the letters stand out?”
“Ohh, I like that!”
These are student remarks coming from an enthusiastic class of pre-employment students learning to manipulate PowerPoint software in STEPS’ computer lab.
STEPS’ computer lab is open all day for classes and for individual pursuits. Twelve PC stations loaded with at least 4 software programs, and a set up providing internet access allow students on all academic levels to familiarize themselves with basic and advanced computer functions.
Pre-employment students with high school level skills learn not only the basic functions of the computer but also how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In the words of volunteer Tom Fetterman, who taught pre-employment students last fall with Daniel Bonallack, his colleague at Deutsche Bank’s Presentation Department, “The class of 12 students developed strong beginning skills over the course of 16 weeks.” With continued practice he is sure that they will develop a solid foundation for computer work appropriate in a job or in further academic study.
Last fall, students learned the basics of MS Word and mastered letter writing; they formatted numerical charts in Excel and converted the data into graphs. On a visit to the final class led by these volunteers, students were completing a series of PowerPoint tasks, writing and formatting organ-ization charts, and designing slides, playing with color changes, text arrangements, and slide animation. The students were clearly excited about learning how to present information in visually effective ways.
A visit to the computer class last month showed similar enthusiasms. The current group of pre-employment students was learning how to construct formulas for numerical charts using Excel. The 10 students were focused and attentive, eager to help each other out.
“Hold it, Mr. F,” says one student, “I slipped up there for a minute.”
“I’m not getting it over here,” says another who was quickly helped by a fellow student. This collegial atmosphere encourages learning the basic steps as well as the short cuts Mr. Frett shared. As the class progressed, they tackled one exercise to calculate discounts and sales taxes on furniture and another to determine payroll totals by identifying amounts for gross pay, and taxes for social security, Medicare, and state and federal income taxes.
Computer classes for students in the Adult Basic Education program require more individualized instruction. Their skill levels are lower and more diverse; and their ability to follow instruction and pay attention is less developed.
On a recent visit to this class, students were learning some basic functions of Microsoft Word: how to cut, paste and move text, how to change the font size and how to insert graphic illustrations in the text. The end of the class focused on creating and formatting resumes.
As they are exposed to the computer more and more, it is clear that some learn quickly, but they are reluctant to practice. To build keyboard skills, an effort is made to find materials that interest students for re-typing on the computer, such as poems, recipes or sports stories. STEPS also uses computer games to introduce basic computer skills. On the day of our visit, the teacher set up a jacks game for a student who needed to practice using the mouse.
For students on any level, motivation is central to their ability to learn. By the size of the waiting list for the class, the pre-employment students clearly see computer learning as a tool to enhance their job searches. Those with lower skills are also eager to discover the magic world of technology, but often need additional motivation to persevere. For some, it can be in writing a diary or composing an important letter. For others it can be the essential help computers give in correcting spelling and other writing skills. What is very clear is that computer training has become a key to literacy and future employment.
