It may be a stereotype, but SMART’s computer class has shown it’s sometimes true—a grown woman can be afraid of a little mouse!

SMART Computer instructor Andrew Igbo with a student.

“That’s actually the part they find most challenging,” says Andrew Igbo, who has been leading SMART’s Computer Literacy Class (formerly SMART Voices) for more than a year. “While most of the women beginning the training do know the keyboard, they find the concept of using the mouse the most intimidating aspect of the training. Of course, most of them begin to feel comfortable with it after completing my mouse tutorial, usually during one class period.”

Igbo – who has set up and managed computer resources and centers of instruction from Harlem to Ghana – has been a key part of the highly successful, and far more pragmatic, adjustments in SMART’s Computer Class over the past several months.

Since fall of 2007, attendance has surged and has remained consistently high, with women frequently sharing one of six desktop computers and two laptops. All skill levels are welcome and Igbo works hard to accommodate the needs of all participants.

SMART participant gets computer training from volunteer Aaron Bauman.

With the success of the fall 2007 and winter 2008 sessions, we’re even creating a state-of-the-art computer resource center – scheduled to be fully implemented by the summer of 2008 – to accommodate the new curriculum and larger class size.

During one of any eight-week sessions, the goal is for the women to gain basic understanding of:

A standard 101 keyboard, with 10-key typing;

• Both the Beginner and Intermediate levels of Microsoft Word, the most popular word processing program. This includes generating letters, faxes, reports and mass mailings;
• Beginner and Intermediate levels of Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet software used in most offices. Training includes learning financial formulas, plus data, graphic and text manipulation;
• Beginner/intermediate levels of MS PowerPoint, office presentation software. Assignments including creating a PowerPoint presentation and presenting it to the class;
• Beginner/intermediate levels of Adobe Photoshop, digital imaging software. Students learn to paint, draw, edit type, create layers of images and enhance/modify images, and ultimately learn to manage all the digital pictures they have taken on their new cameras.
• Apply these and other job skills to an Internet Job Search. Students set up an email account, compose email messages, and learn to use internet search engines, as well as searching for jobs and responding to job opportunities.

SMART Computer students working together."

This demanding curriculum is paying off. Ranging in age from 25 to 60, most of the women attending the class bring little or no computer experience. However, by the end of the session, they’re using the keyboard, clicking away on the mouse, and surfing the web with confidence.

One woman, whose grandson told her she was “too old to learn the computer,” couldn’t wait to get his email address to send him a message and let him know that “I’m not too old to learn anything!”

For additional information, visit SMART Computer on the SMART University Web site.