CAPC Workshop Outline

Day 1: Communicating and Finding Information

• Goal of the workshop: To improve the skills and the confidence of participants in using the Internet to access health-related information
• Teaching philosophy of the trainers:
  1. Everyone is completely intelligent and capable of learning about computers.
  2. Everyone makes mistakes. We can all expect them and look forward to them.
  3. Short of bashing it with a hammer, you really cannot break the computer. Don't be afraid to press buttons and try something new.
  4. This is your class. Go at your own pace. If you cannot keep up or don't want to do what everyone else is doing, that's completely OK.
  5. We understand the complexity of people's lives. If you need to leave early or take extra breaks, that's fine but if you miss something we aren't going to take class time to repeat. You'll have to ask another student or see us at break times. We will start on time and finish on time.
  6. The class will be conducted in plain, jargon-free language. We will do our best to translate the "techie talk" into everyday language and if we don't, please call us on it!
  7. We do not want to be "experts"--we are here to give you the tools to be your own best expert. We want to learn from you too!
• Introductions: Pair up with the person next to you and ask each other: name, agency, What do you currently know about the Internet? What would you like to get out of this workshop? In a few minutes, you'll introduce the person to the group and report their answers to these questions.
• Exploring the possibilities:
  • Long distance, convenient, low cost communication
  • Share ideas & build relationships with people having similar interests or work
  • Search for information on almost any topic imaginable
• Hardware and software: Overview of options and benefits.

  Hardware: it's the solid physical stuff of computing:
  

  • Computer - anything will do but PC 286 or old will only allow text access. A 486, with 8 meg. of RAM and 2 meg of hard drive is necessary for graphics. With a Mac a System 7 or newer is necessary for graphic access to the Internet
  • Screen - anything - but old monochrome is only okay for text access. You need VGA or SVGA for graphic access.
  • Keyboard - goes with the computer (specific)
  • Mouse - don't even need one for text.
  • Modem - text slow on 2400 fine on 14.4, graphics are better with a faster modem.
  • Server - is a large computer somewhere else that is serving you files or whatver you are looking for.
  Software: 2 levels
  • Operating system - the language that keeps your computer going
  • DOS is what many old PCs use - only text - type commands
  • Windows is used by newer ones and has graphics or pictures
  • Communication - is the way your computer talks with others on the internet
    • Telix, bitcom, procomm, terminal and hyperterminal - text only
    • Netscape, Microsoft Explorer and others are graphics related
  • Hardware is the things - software is what makes it work the way you want.

  • If you're really low budget you can pick up a text based system for next to nothing but it's less intuitive to use and set up - but you can still communicate with the world.

  • If you shop around you can get a new system for under a $1000.

  • There are 2 other expenses:
    • a telephone line or cable link to connect to the Internet - you can share a fax line
    • an internet service provider (ISP):
      
      • A FreeNet or CommunityNet - maybe only text based access B.C. CommunityNets (on VCN)
      • A commercial ISP - have to pay monthly charge - Choosing an ISP (from Web Networks)
  • The operating system we're using is Windows, and we'll navigate the Internet with Netscape. We'll also use Netscape for email, newsgroups and web page editing

    Questions?

  • Windows review: Key concepts and use for accessing the Internet

    • Windows concept - way of using programs/software - minimizing - desktop
    • Mouse usage - clicking, double clicking, click and drag
    • Description of Windows module and self-assesment sheet in kit. Useful for some but not essential.

1. Internet: Before the tools a final piece of hardware
   • Network of Networks, using modems and phone lines
   • Originated with US Military and Universities in '60s
   • Public domain in late '80s, now increasingly commercial traffic
   • North America, Europe are well connected - 3rd world much less so
   • Some cultures are much better reflected in internet content and form
   • What you can do over the Internet is defined by the applications or software
   • We'll cover Email, Newsgroups and the World Wide Web - there are more
2. Email:
   • E-mail-- One type of Internet technology.
   • We are learning how to use one brand of software for this technology.
   • E-mail addresses
   • Ask your neighbor for her/his e-mail address
   • Compose & send
   • Recieve & Reply address books, net etiquette attachments
   • Listservs/electronic mailing lists incl as a tool for community building, information, & support
   • Email module

1. Listservs and mailing lists

   Listserv exercise

2. Newsgroups, discussion groups and conferences: overview of this powerful tool
   • Want the benefit of lists but to some place where I can pick them up and leave my contributions to the discussion at my convenience
   • Push and pull technologies
   • Similar feel to e-mail but totally public (don't give out personal information), anyone can do anything to the notice you post - one of the strengths is this replying with part of orignal still in the message
   • To read you must subscribe to the particular group - more useful the more specific: (30,000 or them) expertise groups, public dialogue on issue, alt.fan
   • Addresses: start with general and end with specific
   • Here are a couple of background documents on newsgroups: What is Usenet and Usenet FAQ (frequently asked questions)
   • A useful search tool for newsgroups is DejaNews
   • Usenet or Newsgroups are very public, but private groups using similar tools are common (Conferences on web.net, discussion groups elsewhere)
   Newsgroup module

   Newsgroup exercise: Subscribe to alt.health.... and review messages (please don't reply) then subscribe to alt.test and post a message or reply for this group

3. Introduction to the World Wide Web
   • E-mail and Lists are very 2 way push type technologies
   • Newsgroups are also 2 way but have to be actively sought - pull
   • World Wide Web is also a pull technology but less 2 way in general

1. Word Wide Web:
   • Chaos model of the Web - library - organized model
   • Pages joined by clickable links - URLs - browsing
   • Navigation bar: back, forward, home, stop,
   Internet module
2. Health resources online: using the workshop web page as a base
3. Search tools and techniques
   Search engine: www.altavista.ca
   --single word search
   --compound word search
   --wildcard search
   
4. Understanding Health Resources
5. How to contextualise what you've found
6. Racism, keywords, & search engines
7. Why you might happen across a porn site when searching for information on women's health