Technology Training Center provides free online classes

Like so many public institutions and services, the Technology Training Center is adapting to all of the changes in the world to keep serving the Huntsville community. These changes have resulted in our department to increase our online presence. During July and August, we started offering online instruction for Excel and Word, our more popular classes. We have since expanded our online catalog to include PowerPoint and advanced Excel classes.

Over the next few months, we are looking to expand our online outreach to include Workforce Development programming. We are developing classes that will assist those needing help with resumes and online job searching skills. Also, we are looking toward offering classes for Google Drive and Google Docs. Exploring how to bring back one-on-one tech training in an online environment is another way we are looking to extend our services.

If you are interested in attending an online class, here are some things to know:

• You can find the schedule of classes at hmcpl.org/workforce. After accessing the webpage, scroll to the bottom. From there, you will see the list of current offerings and the 'Register' button.
• The registration process will include a series of checkboxes where you will confirm that you have an adequate device and internet for an online class as well as make sure that you have the proper program or reasonable substitute. (We want to make sure that if you register, you will be able to attend online.)
• The monthly class schedules will post by the 4th Thursday of the month.
• The classes will be announced in the semimonthly email blast from the library.
• For classes in a 3 part series, you only need to register for part 1 to register for all three in the series.
• The classes are held using the Go To Meeting app. If you register for a class and do not already have Go To Meeting, you will be prompted to download the app when you join your first class. (You do not need to worry about downloading the app beforehand, just give yourself a few extra minutes when you join your first class. You will only need to download the app once.)
• Once you register for a class, we will send the class materials and the Go To Meeting invitation link in two separate emails a few days before the class. Be sure to check your spam-filter if you have not received the emails the day before the class.

Our biggest challenge has been how to approach the digital divide. In an online world, we are having difficulty reaching those that need basic computer skills as well as those that do not have adequate devices or the internet to attend online classes. We continue to seek solutions to these issues and hope that we can soon bridge them. Our goal is to reach as many in the community as possible with our online programming during this time. 

If you have any questions, please email at askus@hmcpl.org or call the Information and Business Center at 256-532-5975.

This article is courtesy of Anthony Hale, Technology Training Center Coordinator