Computer Seminars by Geeks on Tour
Jim and Chris Guld are professional computer trainers. As ‘Geeks on Tour’, we present computer seminars all over the country at computer clubs, RV parks and RV Rallies. The following list shows the topics we present. We are updating and developing new topics all the time. Each seminar is accompanied by a handout. Handouts can be downloaded for free on our ‘Seminar Handouts‘ page. Contact us about booking a presentation at your club or event.
| Topic | Title | Description |
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| Blogs | Every Traveler Needs a Blog | “Every Traveler Needs a Blog! ” A quick and easy website to post your photos and tales of your travels. All your family and friends can follow along. If you haven’t seen a blog yet, check out ours: go to www.geeksontour.blogspot.com. This is one of the easiest classes we teach. We guarantee that, if you pay attention, you WILL be able to go back to your computer and create a Blog, regardless of your computer experience. |
| Internet | What is Cloud Computing? | The ‘Cloud’ is simply The Internet – but it is taking on special meaning as Google, Microsoft, and others are offering accounts where you can have your own slice of the sky. If you start a document with your computer, finish it on a tablet, and view it on your smartphone, you’re using Cloud Computing. This seminar will explain the concept and demonstrate how you would use it with examples from Gmail, DropBox, and Skydrive. |
| Facebook: Not just for Kids! | Reconnect with people you haven’t seen in a lifetime. Expand both the quantity and the quality of your friendships with more frequent contact. Facebook is the perfect tool for keeping in touch with new friends you meet on the road. This seminar will help you understand exactly what it is, how to get started, and tips for using Facebook successfully. Businesses can communicate with their customers and fans thru a Facebook Page. Every business today should have one. This seminar will explain by demonstrating. Visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/geeksontour |
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| Google Earth and Maps | Overview of Google Maps, Earth, and StreetView: A complete interface to our planet. | Google Earth is now accessible from Google Maps, all web-based, probably the coolest program ever conceived! Zoom in to detailed satellite imagery of any location, or even 360 degree photography. Find out about locations from other people’s additions to maps, or make your own map of your travels. Virtual travel at it’s best. You GOTTA see this! |
| GPS: Streets and Trips | GPS Navigation and Trip Planning | How to plan your trips and follow your plan. Featuring Microsoft Streets and Trips 2011. Understand the different devices available, dashboard, hand-held, and USB devices for your computer. Even GPS enabled cell phones like the Droid and iPhone. |
| Internet on the Road | Internet Connections on the Road: WiFi, Satellite, Cellular | Come learn more about how to “Get Away, and Stay Connected!” Should you get a data card from your cell phone company? How does Wi-Fi work? How much does an Internet Satellite system cost? Do I need an amplifier or antenna? How the Geeks Stay Connected? With their Android smartphone as a Hot Spot. These questions and more are answered in this seminar. |
| Photo Story 3 | Photo Story 3 makes Free and Easy Narrated Slideshows | Take your digital still photos and let Photostory 3 make them look like a video movie with Zoom and Pan effects. Add custom-created music and narration all with this free, and Oh-So-Easy download from Microsoft. |
| Picasa | Picasa 3: A Free program for Managing your Digital Photos | Find your pictures, Organize, Edit, Caption, and Share. It’s fast, it’s easy, and its FREE from Google. Picasa can: transfer photos from camera, delete and organize photos, rename and caption, browse/view all photos on your computer, improve photo quality in many ways without touching your original, print, email and post to web, create slideshows, find faces and geotags, and backup to CD or DVD. It can even work with your video files. The best part is the fast and easy way to make all your photos look better. This you gotta see! |
| Safe Computing | Regular Maintenance Techniques to keep your Computer Running Smooth and Virus-Free | Practice Safe Computing: We call it BUCS, as in Backup, Update, Cleanup and Scan. Like a car tuneup, if you do it regularly using free tools, your computer will run much better. Combine that with learning what to click on and what not to click on and you can do a good job of remaining virus-free as well. |
| Photo Sharing on the Web | Sharing Photos on the Web with Picasa, Facebook and Google+ | Picasa has always given us Picasa Web Albums for sharing photos, but now Facebook is where most people send photos for Friends and Family to see. Google + is enticing new users to share photos there by offering lots of special features. Learn the differences and how to upload your photos to each service from Picasa on your computer or from your smartphone. |
| On the Road | On the Road with Geeks on Tour | A short (20 min) slideshow and talk about out full-time RVing lifestyle. |
| Smart Phones | Smart Phone Overview | Everybody’s getting them, but do you understand what they are? So much more than phones – these are actually computers. We will be demonstrating on Motorola Droids, but iPhones and other Droids all have similar features. We will project the phone onto the big seminar screen and show you the basic operations, settings, voice search, camera settings, web-browsing, and photo uploading. All while explaining exactly how to do it. Your smartphone may be the only computer you need as you travel. |
| Blogs-2 | Blogging; Every Group Needs a Blog | For people who already have a blog, or those who just want to see what can be included beyond the simple journal type of website. The seminar will use Blogger.com and Windows Live Writer to demonstrate how to include Youtube videos, Picasa Slideshows and map images in your blog posts or sidebars. You will also learn how to integrate the Facebook and Twitter micro-blogging environments with your main blog. Perfect for clubs. |
| Picasa-Organizing | Picasa: 5 Steps to Organizing your Pictures |
Many of us have had our digital cameras for several years now. As our collection of pictures grows, so does the need for organizing. In this session you will learn how to manage a simple folder structure, then use Tags and Albums for categorizing your photos. This is a somewhat more advanced seminar, you will learn best if you are already familiar with using Picasa. |
Hands-On Workshops |
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| Computer Boot Camp |
2-day, hands-on class on Computer Essential Skills |
Unlike kids today, we weren’t born knowing this stuff! What are windows and how to manage them? Reboot, cut, copy, paste, browse the web, saving files and finding them again! Editing documents and lots more.Using your own PC laptop, we present 6 sessions over 2 days complete with hands-on exercises. using Windows 7, Know your Laptop, Word Processing and Filing, Maintenance and Safe Computing, Wi-Fi and Web browsing.
"I learned more in these past couple days than in the past ten years of using a computer." |
| Picasa |
PHOTO EDITING WORKSHOP WITH PICASA |
In this class, students work with their own computer (Windows or Mac) and the Picasa software on their computer. The course uses sample pictures for editing exercises. The pictures have been specifically selected to demonstrate the editing features of Picasa. Following a demonstration, students have time to do hands-on editing themselves on their own computers. Class fee includes a detailed workbook and CD containing several tutorial videos and the sample pictures. Please come to class with your laptop charged and the Picasa software installed.Class duration: 3 hrs |
| Smart Phones |
Smart Phone Boot Camp |
Bring your Android or iPhone and learn the basics.
Like a basic ‘Driver’s Ed’, this class will make sure you’re on the right track with your Android or iPhone smartphone. Can you put a call on hold? Do you know how to send a text message? This is a computer, do you know how to reboot it? How about email – are you able to send and receive email from all your accounts? Is your email synchronized with your computer? Check your settings: can you switch between using Wi-Fi and cell signal? How about making your phone a hotspot? Do you know how to check your bandwidth usage against your allotment? Browsing the web: you can type or search by voice. Using your camera – do you know how to turn the flash off and on, or use the zoom?
Then there’s Apps! Do you know how to find, download, install and uninstall Apps? If we aren’t able to get to everything hands-on during class, don’t worry, you will receive a workbook with lots of references and tutorial videos to help you figure it out after class.
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Seminars by Special Request |
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| Internet Love Story | Geeks on Tour: Relationship and Business made possible by the Internet | Jim and Chris Guld were 50 years old when they sold their home and cut all their ties in order to follow their dream of living on the road. No retirement and no income; yet they were convinced they could make a living on the road as long as they had the Internet. You’ll hear their story plus learn how they stay connected to the Internet as they travel the country. |
| Websites | Creating a Website with Free WordPress | This seminar will give you step-by-step instructions to create a complete website with static pages as well as a blog and photo album. It can be a personal website, small business, or a club. You will learn to set up an account on the FREE WordPress.com hosting site and build a website using all free tools. Presented by Jim and Chris Guld of Geeks on Tour who have two WordPress-based sites: www.picasatutorials.com and www.wifisavvy.com . |
| Windows 7 | Windows: Tips and Tricks | Understanding the start menu, great searching, new Explorer screens and techniques, sidebar and clocks. Bring your questions! Windows 8 will be here soon. |
| All About Email on the Road | Understanding Email addresses, incoming and outgoing servers. Which email provider to use and how to Connect from the Road. |
8 Responses to “Computer Seminars by Geeks on Tour”
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When/Where is the next Geeks on Tour scheduled?
Retiring in August and getting a RV again (sold ours in 1994). I can not see buying 200 channel of craps (we have TWC at home and only watch 12 channels all the time) for TV programs with a satellite system. Have you looked into streaming service with which you can store programs and watch later even without internet service?
how do i edit picture from picasa?
We would like a visit from the Geeks on Tour-Picassa or other. We meet in Naperville IL on the first Thursday of every month
Stan, I sent you an email. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like our dates quite work out.