The Computer Group meet at the Village Hall, Caerwent.
every Friday 9.30am to 1.00pm.
except the 2nd Friday of the month when it is
10.00 am to 12 noon.
Letter from Pat Dawe our computer group convenor - February 2010We are flourishing, currently with over 70 members and an average attendance of 40. We have a huge range of expertise, from beginners who, in retirement, are looking to be able to use a computer for the first time, to folk who can use a computer in a limited way, to those who are real experts in many fields and are so willing to pass on their skills, both in general computing and in digital imaging. We are indeed fortunate. Of course, our social skills are well developed each week over a cup of coffee!
This last month we have had a couple of interesting happenings.
Firstly, we had a visit from John Griffiths, AM for Newport East, accompanied by Fflur Lawton and Rhiannon Doe from the Big Lottery Fund. We were delighted to welcome them as we have benefitted hugely from several Lottery Grants. Our thanks must go to Mike Tew, who liaised with them and filled in numerous forms to obtain successful bids. We use the money to buy equipment , particularly to help members who wish to begin to master computing.
The three of them spent a happy ¾ hour with us, seeing what we do and chatting with many of the members about their aspirations. We got the feeling that they were greatly impressed with the buzz of active learning and with the friendliness of our group. John Griffiths is anxious that more local groups should apply for grants. Apparently many of them are reluctant to begin the process, although when they do take the plunge they receive every help they need from the Fund staff.
There were articles and photos in the local press; poor Rhiannon, who is a young slip of a lass, had her name attributed to a photo of me. I tried to have this corrected and they got nearer this time, to Pat Hawe!
Secondly we held our annual Christmas lunch at the Dewstow Golf Club in February. It was all the more pleasurable for being away from the pre-Christmas rush of activities. Our thanks go to Dennis Appleton, who organised it and introduced us to selecting our choice of menu via Excel, which he impressively transferred to a spreadsheet for the use of the caterers.
I should like to mention how appreciative we are to Paul Tidmarsh, our Webmaster, and Ron Lapthorn for all the work they do to make the Caldicot and District U3A website so interesting, informative and up-to-date. I refer to it quite often to find out what is happening and to see accounts and photographs of the varied activities of our U3A. Do have a look regularly; the website is always on the front cover of the Magazine.
Pat Dawe
Convenor, Computer Group.
Computer Group Christmas Dinner.
"The Computer Christmas Dinner was organised for our group by
Dennis Appleton.*Please click the image below to access a photo slideshow of the event
It was held at the Dewstow Golf Club where as can be seen by the photographs every one enjoyed themselves, thank you Pat Dawe (Convenor) and Dennis (PC).
John Griffiths A.M. for Newport East visits Caldicot U3A.
The Welsh Assembly Member for Newport East Mr John Griffiths visited the Computer Group of Caldicot and District U3A to meet the members who have recently benefited from a grant of £4,000 from The Big Lottery Fund {B.I.G}. He was accompanied by Rhiannon Doe, Assistant Public Affairs Officer and Fflur Lawton from B.I.G.
*Please click the image below to access a photo slideshow of the visit of
John Griffiths AM.
photo: John Griffiths AM. with a member of our Computer Group
12 years ago the Computer Group comprised 8 members. Now it exceeds 60 members who meet weekly to expand their knowledge in computing. Following the U3A principles of self-help, self-management and lifelong learning for older people no longer in full time work, the group provides opportunities for members to share learning experiences and have fun whilst learning. No qualifications are needed or given.
The latest Grant has enabled the Computer Group to have 6 laptop computers for basic training which is provided through interactive self-help computer programmes such as ‘E Citizen’ and ‘Alison’. With the encouragement of member trainers they work in a dedicated area whilst more advanced members have tutored practice in digital imaging, question and answer sessions and demonstrations involving word processing, spreadsheets, databases and Internet use in the main hall.
The Grant has meant that the number of software licences has been increased, e.g. ‘Office 2003’ and there is access to Broadband. Additionally the Drama Group has benefited by the purchase of a Public Address system used in the presentation of their plays.
Mr Griffiths and his colleagues spent over an hour chatting to members who demonstrated their new skills and explained how these have changed their lives, from ordering goods over the Internet to accessing train timetables and booking holidays. More importantly it enables members to e-mail their friends and grandchildren and keep up to date.
The group has given members, without any computer experience, the confidence and ability to sit down and try new things with the computer without the dread of panic setting in when an error message comes up on the screen. For more experienced members it has meant that they can pursue new fields in greater depth and also be there to help and encourage new members.
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End of Term Christmas Party December 2009
*Please click the image below to access a photo slideshow of the party
Pictures taken in December at the end of term Christmas party
The Computer Christmas dinner is in February
On Friday 31st July 2009 our members, with invited guests from other computer groups, Monmouth U3A, Forest of Dean U3A and Cardiff U3A, welcomed our guest speaker, Henry Higgins from Zarlink Semiconductors Ltd who gave a talk on 'Electronics & Computers in Healthcare. It was an excellent talk with quite a few laughs.
Guest speaker, Henry Higgins with Pat Dawe & Caldicot Chairman Pam Caines
Ann Taylor-Heard 2008-2009 Monthly Digital Photo Winner
The digital photo competition trophy for 2008-9 was presented to
Ann Taylor Heard by Pat Dawe Computer Convenor, Richard Blount was second and Roy Davies was third.
Catering ladies, Marillyn John,Maureen Rhymer & Ann Taylor-Heard
We would like to thank Marillyn, Maureen and Ann for catering for 50 plus members and guests.
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U3A Caldicot and District Computer Group Beginners’ Section.
In an attitude of humble respect that’s traditional in our Group (especially if your enthusiasm is so dynamic that you have no need of a chair) Doug Pyburn shares his knowledge with Cindy McOwen.
Thanks to the National Lottery, we enjoy the use of six new laptops and the convenience of an Internet connection.Training for beginners is conducted separate from the main group. Apart from one-on-one teaching, we use two interactive self-help programmes.
The first is the ABC-IT course provided by the free Internet-based programme, Alison. The other, which is independent of the Internet, is the E-Citizen course of Knowledge Hemispheres.
John Mussell
photo's taken by Keith Dodd's
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Christmas Dinner 2008
*please click the image below to access larger photograph
Our U3A Christmas Dinner was held at the Dewstow Golf Club on the 4th of December. I took the opportunity of taking this photo of our new computer convenor, Pat Dawe. Dennis Appleton, our first computer group convenor was also there with his digital camera, hence the bit of fun with the photo insert of Dennis.
(More photo's of our members at the Christmas Dinner can be viewed on our News and Events Page)
Ron Lapthorn
.A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that, in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.
'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'
'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'
So, a student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'
Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether 'computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun.Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation. The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la Computadora'), because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paypacket on accessories for it.
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine
('el computador'), because:1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem;
and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have got a better model.The women won.
*please click all the images below to access larger photographs
End of term photograph of our computer and digital photography group, July 2008
CALDICOT U3A COMPUTER GROUP.
The object of U3A is for members to pass on their knowledge and experience to others in order to add to their enjoyment of life. This we have tried to do in the Computer Group but as the Group grows and many new and [computer] inexperienced people join us, the clearer it becomes that a more formal approach to teaching is required.
As a result, John Mussell was tasked with finding suitable beginners courses, a duty he carried out with admirable enthusiasm. The results of his findings were discussed in detail at the meeting on 26th October by some 40 members and it was unanimously agreed that we should take this matter forward as soon as possible.
Mike Tew - Convenor
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photo: Cutting our 10th Anniversary cake is Past Convenor, Dennis Appleton, seated is new member, Audrey Gould, standing left to right is our U3A Chairman Pam Caines, Computer Convenor Mike Tew and I.P.Chairman Glenice Dallow.
The Anniversary cake
On 21st September the Computer Group celebrated 10 years of activity with a party attended by guests from Chepstow, Monmouth and Forest of Dean U3A Computer Groups, as well as local dignitaries, our Chairman, Pam Caines and past members. Altogether over 50 people took part and a good time was had by all! As part of the festivities there was a display of members work, a slide show of photographs and an array of old computer and related equipment, including an old Sinclair computer.
Richard Blount was awarded the "Worker of the Year" cup by Rob Taylor-Heard who started the Digital Imaging [Photography] tuition over 5 years ago. Perhaps the best display was the birthday cake made by Paul Bennett's wife, which was decorated with the Microsoft images with which we are so familiar, as well as "byte" marks! Dennis Appleton, who founded the Group, gave a brief review of the progress made from the start with just 6 members to today when we have over 60 members. He summed up the mood of the Group perfectly with his closing words "here's to the next 10 years"
Mike Tew. 27/09/2007.
Caldicot U3A Computer group Potted History 1997 - 2007
By Dennis Appleton (retired Convener)Eileen and I joined Caldicot U3A in 1996 to join the U3A bridge group.
At the 1997 AGM, Grace Watts was elected as Chair-person of our U3A and I was elected as Vice-chairman.
I must have mentioned, in conversation that I had worked in the computer dept. at Llanwern before retiring and I was asked to take over the editing of the monthly newsletter, which was, at that time, being handled by Barry Markham, a member of Chepstow U3A.One thing seemed to lead to another, and it was suggested to me that there were some members of the U3A who had an interest in computers and would I mind calling a meeting of the interested members.
From a quick scan of the meeting dates of the other interest groups, it appeared that Friday mornings were free - so the first meeting was called at 10am on the first Friday in September 1997 - in the bar of the leisure centre.
Half a dozen interested members turned up at that first meeting, whereas our current membership is around 60 - an indication of retired people's increased interest in computing and the Internet over the last decade. We are now often referred to as the generation of 'Silver Surfers'.
We had no equipment when we started and it was not feasible for the members to bring in their own desktop machines to the leisure center each week. However, the manager at the leisure centre came to our aid by loaning us the use of a laptop for our initial meetings.
Subsequently, Herbert May, who is sadly no longer with us, acquired 2 second-hand desktop machines for us and the leisure centre provided us with a trolley and cupboard space.
Not only did we not have any equipment, we did not have any clear idea of what people might want to learn. (What's new?) However, Reg Shore had passed the CLAIT (Computer Literacy And Information Technology) and the IBT2 (Information and Business Technology level 2) courses and he was happy to make his notes available to us. So we opted to use CLAIT as the basis for learning about word-processing and spreadsheets etc.
I am very grateful for the support and encouragement of Herbert and Reg in setting the group up.
As a matter of interest, Reg at the age of 97 is still a member of the Computer group and has rarely missed a weekly meeting since the group was started
Up to this point I had been using a Commodore Amiga machine to produce the newsletters but it was obvious that I would now, reluctantly, have to buy an IBM compatible machine running Windows 98, to be in step with the rest of the group and understand their problems. (Note: Yorkshire men do not like parting with their hard earned brass!!)
The leisure centre decided to raise the rent for the room, the cupboard space was inadequate, we were sharing the cupboard with the cardiac rehabilitation group who had many large pieces of equipment, and we had gained some new members. So we looked around for a new venue. At that time, the Art group were having their weekly meetings at the home of a lady called Joyce Nicholas in Redwick and she kindly invited us to meet at her home each Friday morning.
It was also around this time that Paul Tidmarsh and some colleagues were holding a series of meetings at the Caldicot Library, to introduce the concept of a community website, and they were asking local organisations to submit material for inclusion on their web page. John Barry volunteered to liase with Paul and extracts from our monthly newsletter soon started to appear on the web. Ron Lapthorn took on this responsibility when he joined us and it has now developed into a U3A web page of which we can be proud.
David Evans has also been involved passing information to the website, in his public relations role for Caldicot U3A, as well as feeding U3A news items to the local newspapers, giving our U3A plenty of media coverage.
After Joyce died we had to look for other accommodation and we have, at various times been at the Burton Homes, the Day Luncheon Centre and finally here at Caerwent Village Hall.
We assisted Grace Watts and Lynette Wood to compile a book of member's experiences that was the Caldicot U3A millennium project. The title was 'The Time of Our Lives' and 200 books were published, which were very well received.
Since then we have had two lottery grants, which have provided us with the laptop and projector, the 12 desktop computers we use today, also the operating system and application software we are running on those machines.
I resigned as convenor 4 years ago and I greatly appreciate the effort that Mike Tew has put in to keep the ever-expanding group going. He has also served his term as editor of the monthly newsletter - a job, which has now been taken over by Jim Jenkins. Last year Mike arranged for a tutor from the University College of Newport to give us a course, lasting several weeks, on the Microsoft Office suite. He also arranged for our members to visit the University computer lab for Internet sessions.
In addition to the people that I have previously mentioned, thanks are also due to -
· Jim Fenton for his valuable advice on what kit to buy and his 'hands on' maintenance skills
· Nita Fenton for her digital imaging tuition and talks on creating mailing labels
· Fran Taylor for her Publisher courses
· Bob and Ann Taylor-Heard, Bill Whatley, Jim Jenkins, Dorothy Witcomb and more recently Richard Blount for their contributions to digital imaging tuition.
· Ron Lapthorn for his role as photographer for Caldicot U3A. He has taken 100s of pictures of the activities and outings of all our U3A groups, many of them appearing on our web page. He has also produced some entertaining slide shows.
· Paul Bennet for his talks on the use of Excel as an accounting package.
· Doug Pyburn for his talks on Excel, also the setting up of web pages.
· Dave Edwards for looking after beginners on a one to one basis.
· Rob Shawcross for recounting his many experiences of communicating with call centre staff based in Bangladesh; also for his interesting talk on the use of iPods.
· Marilyn John and Maureen Rhymer for supervising the monthly photo competition - and Marilyn and her helpers for so ably organising the catering at our social functions.
· Not forgetting Roger Slade who keeps an eye on our income and expenditure. Also Norma and Glenice who act as receptionists and keep the attendance records.
· I must also mention the members of the Computer group committee, which meets monthly. Their job is to try to resolve any problems which may have been raised by members of the group; to discuss future programmes of tuition; agree tutorial responsibilities and generally help and advise the Convener in any that they can.We are basically a self-help group where people with a special computing/digital imaging interest are willing to pass on their knowledge to those who want to learn.
Without the efforts of people like this, the group would not be able to function.
So finally, at long last and in conclusion - I say - "here's to the next 10 years."
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