To develop a sufficient consciousness and confidence with the machine and its parts i.e. monitor, keyboard, mouse.

To make understand the possibilities of enhancement of PC applications by means of additional devices and tools (laser printer, ink jet printer, scanner, digital camera).

To develop a sufficient confidence with typing and then word processing, drawing (both free-hand and technical drawing), calculating.

The class has been - after a week - actually divided into two clusters according to the age and skills showed.

The first group has been using mainly 4 Pentium 200 in network, loading WIN �95 and Office �97. Printer device HP Laser and a HP Scanner. This 4 PC were connected to the Internet.

The second group has been working mainly on 486 WIN �95 or 386 loading WIN 3.1 and Microsoft Works for Windows (in order to emulate Office �97).

Topics

Basically the whole class has been dealing with the same topics, although using different tools.

1. A detailed description of the Hardware, by opening more than one machine, in order to show:

• Mother-board
• Hard-disk
• Cards
• Memory SIMM
• CPU

2. A detailed description of the environment WIN�95 and namely:

• Desktop
• Taskbar
• Programs
• Documents
• Settings
• Find
• Run
• Shutdown

3. A detailed description of the accessories of WIN�95 and namely:

• Calculator
• Word Pad
• Paint
• Note Pad
• Internet Tools
• Scandisk
• Defragmenter

Nino's First Day - Staying at Sonesta

4. Drawing lessons (Free-Hand) by using Paint. Children have been drawing and learnt the essential tools, and namely:

• Create a new drawing
• Pencil, brush, airbrush, circles, rectangular, curves
• Save a drawing on HD
• Save a drawing on Floppy Disk
• Open an existing drawing
• Print a drawing
• Type inside a drawing choosing font size and style
• Cut and paste
• Copy and paste
• Zoom a view for sharp drawing

5. Typing lessons by using, Write for WIN 3.1, Word Pad WIN �95, Word Processor included in Microsoft Works for Windows, and WORD �97. And namely:

• Create a new document
• Edit a document
• Save a document on HD
• Save a document on Floppy Disk
• Open an existing document
• Print preview
• Print a document
• Cut and paste
• Copy and paste
• Zoom a view
• Format a paragraph
• Font size
• Font style
• Bold
• Italic
• underline
• Highlight
• bullets and numbers
• Insert image and objects
• Create a table

4. Drawing lessons (Technical Design) by using Home Architect. Children have been drawing and learnt the essential tools, and namely:

• Create a new drawing
• Drawing plan view, walls, windows, doors, stairs
• Adding floors
• Adding roof
• Adding furniture and accessories
• 3D rendering
• Zoom a view for sharp drawing

It was meant to give to the children besides to skills in using the PC even some educational contents.

Thus the subject on whom they have been drawing, computing and writing have been chosen among the following:

1. Anatomy:

• Human body
• Liver
• Blood
• Heart
• Smoke damages
• Digestion
• Teeth
• Bones
• Lungs
• Circulation
• Muscles
• Genetic
• Sleep
• HIV

1. Geography and Astronomy

• The earth
• Life on earth
• The contours of the earth
• Observation and exploration of space
• Galileo Galilei
• Men in the space
• The solar system
• The sun
• The moon
• The eclipse
• Mars
• Venus
• Saturn
• Jupiter
• Mercury

1. History

• Amerindian Patterns of Empire
• Europeans begin to explore the world
• Spain begins to establish an empire
• The Spanish conquer the Aztecs
• The Spanish in Central America
• The Spanish conquer the Incas
• The English in the Caribbean
• The French in the Caribbean
• The Dutch in the Americas
• The French in the Caribbean
• The Portuguese come to Brazil
• North America
• The slave trade
• The plantation
• Mater and slave relationship
• The resistance and the rebellion
• The Abolition of the Slave Trade
• Emancipation of Slaves

1. Art and Architecture

Italian Renaissance buildings and churches

Rome buildings and churches

Florence buildings and churches

Naples buildings and churches

Venice buildings and churches

Buildings and churches in Netherlands

Buildings and churches in Norway

Buildings and churches in British countryside

Pompei and Ercolaneum Roman ruins

A last walk on Shoal Bay