Computer outline assists seminar presenters

By Todd Moning
FMCA.com editor
June 2003

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

And so the lesson goes.

But what if you taught a man how to fish and encouraged him to show others how to fish?

FMCA's Education Committee is taking this empowerment approach — to computer skills. The committee has developed a document outline to help FMCA members teach other members about computer-related topics. The outline is accessible at FMCA.com (see link to PDF below).

"My feeling is that within each FMCA chapter there are people who are knowledgeable about computers, and would be able to make themselves available to FMCA members," said Gary Resnick. He, Herb Currie and Jim Ammenheuser comprise the Education Committee.

Purpose and content
The outline is a guide for presenting computer-related seminars to fellow motorhomers at local and national rallies, said Gary's wife, Barb, who is a computer consultant and former computer programmer. "It is really meant for someone to use as a speaking tool and expand upon the topics."

The outline contains information about e-mail, viruses and file management. The four main topics are:

• Getting the Most Out of Your E-mail Programs

• How to Manage E-mail Attachments

• Using Windows Explorer for File management

• Viruses and the Norton AntiVirus Program

"That’s just a jumping-off point," Gary said. "If this format proves it will work, we could develop more topics when we know where the interest is."

The Education Committee has discussed the possibility of conducting a seminar at FMCA rallies, designed specifically for those interested in making these presentations.

Already there is a seminar that teaches chapter treasurers how to use computers to maintain chapter financial records.

Emphasizes certain programs
The outline content pertains to the Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail program and the Norton AntiVirus program. The information may or may not apply to other computer software. "There are so many programs out there that people use," Gary said. "Our expertise doesn't expand to every specific program, so our approach, so far, is to cover the ones most widely used."

The outline material also includes an alphabetical list of virus terms and a table listing common file types and file extensions.

E-mail is a hot topic
The Education Committee's outline can be a guide for teaching RVers the basics, or the more advanced, features of e-mail, Barb Resnick said. She is treasurer of FMCA's Bits & Bytes chapter, which staffs a computer Help Desk at RV rallies, offering computer solutions and free advice about e-mail options.

Most of the questions posed at the Help Desk, Barb said, relate to e-mail, especially how to connect to e-mail servers while traveling. "Some folks seem to have trouble with e-mail when they're on the road. It's a little different when accessing e-mail from outside their home or motorhome."

At the Help Desk, FMCA provides local connections to the Internet. Members can bring their laptop computers with connection cables and access their own e-mail accounts.

Continuing education
Barb has noticed that more FMCA members seem eager to learn more about how computers can enhance their travels. "The seminars I've attended that have to do with new technology have been very big. And over four years, our Help Desk has had fewer and fewer questions, so I think people have been getting better and better at it [working with computers]."

Information, education and knowledge are key elements of FMCA's Strategic Plan. The Education Committee will continue to provide educational opportunities for FMCA members and build awareness of innovative technologies, Gary said.

Access the computer topics outline by clicking on the link below. For more information about the outline or presenting computer information to FMCA members, send an e-mail to Gary Resnick at barbgaryres@juno.com.

More info links:

Computer topics outline for seminar presenters (PDF 72K)