BSSG Computers for Strokees Program

Reconnect - Computers for Strokees
Purpose: To encourage stroke survivors and their carers to use the Internet to address their information needs.
Information: See below.
When: Starting March 2010
Where: To be negotiated with clients.
Cost: The course is free but clients will be expected to purchase their own new or refurbished desktop, notebook, netbook or tablet computer. Clients will also be expected to purchase an ADSL or wireless broadband connection.
Leader: Paul Fullerton
Phone: (03) 9836-1031
Email:
Image: Course DVD

Information about Computers for Strokees Course

  1. The Computers for Strokees course will be offered as a 'one-on-one' program by Personal Trainers who will be responsible for delivering the course to their clients.
  2. There will be no strict number of sessions or time limit for completion of the course. A client and his/her Personal Trainer will be able to negotiate a suitable schedule to take into account the client's rate of progress and availability.
  3. The Computers for Strokees course will have a basic syllabus which will be presented either as a set of lessons on DVDs and on the Internet. The Personal Trainer will guide his/her client through these lessons at an appropriate rate.
  4. There will be 3 parts to the Computers for Strokees Course.
    • The first part will allow the Personal Trainer to assess the abilities and interests of the client. The Personal Trainer will then be able to customize the course to suit the specific abilities, disabilities and interests of their clients.
    • The second part will involve going through the material on the DVDs or the Internet covering Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Data Storage and the Internet and the World Wide Web.
    • The third part will involve going through a series of hands-on sessions that give the client the skills necessary to discover and pursue their interests on the Internet.
  5. There will be a short examination at the end of the course to assess the client's ability to use the Internet to answer a series of non-technical questions about matters of interest to them.
  6. The Personal Trainers will be able to customize the course to suit the specific abilities, disabilities and interests of their clients. This is a critical feature of this course because every client can be expected to have different needs and disabilities.
  7. Specialist trainers will be used to teach more technical topics such as operating system features and disability aids.
  8. Personal Trainers will be able to advise their clients about the purchase and setup of their own personal computer, and to advise them of additional computer training they may wish to undertake. Depending on needs, clients may decide to purchase a new or refurbished Windows or Macintosh computer in either a desktop, notebook, netbook or tablet form.
  9. The course will be presented on a Macintosh notebook computer equipped with a wireless broadband modem that is capable of running both the Mac OS X operating system and the Windows 7 operating system. This will make it possible for clients to experience both platforms and to choose the one they feel most comfortable with.