Over the last 6 months the IWDIG have hosted a series of informational and practical events to help people get online.  The intended goal, to get as many people who are not already internet-savvy to go online and see the benefits for themselves.

The IWDIG are happy to open the door and run free awareness sessions to give older people and other less confident users a taste of computers and the internet. A special  ‘Spring Into Summer Online’ takes place on Wednesday evening between 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm.

With the clocks having gone forward on 27th March, IWDIG are Capturing ‘The Lost Hour’ and a ‘Spring Into Summer Online’ event on Wednesday 30th March. We expect some busy days ahead, with people keen to make a start on using the internet and encouraging those interested to sign up for the MyGuide online educational courses.

The new event Capture ‘The Lost Hour’ launched at the weekend encouraged everyone to get out and about with cameras, to get as many people as possible to take some photos and upload them online. Of course in order to do this they had to  register for an email online, but this was achieved by signing up for a myguide registration.

On Wednesday we will be holding a Spring Into Summer Online’ session in conjuction with our weekly (30th March) meeting to assist as many people as possible to sign up to Myguide too!

Myguide offers a wide range of courses to help beginners get to grips with computers and the internet, plus an easy to use email service and web search facility.  This service is FREE, we will assist, those interested in completing a short registration at www.myguide.gov.uk which will provide them with an email account and access to all the myguide courses.

Over 20 free courses. which can be completed at home in your own time, starting with the basics of how to use a mouse, keyboard, emailing, searching the internet and staying safe online. Learners can progress on to banking, shopping and online government services, job hunting, bargain hunting, and digital photography.

My Guide will provide you with an ideal starting place and is designed to help beginners find out about all the useful things they can do online.

For example:

  • email can be a great way of staying in touch with family and friends, even if they’re on the other side of the world
  • price comparison websites can help identify savings on household bills
  • banking online can save queuing up on the high street
  • the internet can be a huge help when you’re finding and applying for jobs
  • there’s a vast range of information to help students with their research, and kids with their homework

Online courses can be daunting to the new user, but My Guide encourages and assists users to stay involved within the space they generate.  ‘Spring Into Summer Online’ takes place on Wednesday evening between 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm at Dimbola Lodge in Freshwater.  If you know someone who could do with help getting started online send an email via the contact form above. Although we encourage everyone to come along, these events are very popular and time limited, so please check availabilty.

Link to Facebook page here… www.facebook.com/pages/Isle-of-Wight-Digital-Imaging-Group/187718117925489

Reasons to capture ‘the lost hour’, read more  click here from the Island Pulse