Getting Started Class Teacher's Outline

This class is generally taught in two sections divided by a short break. This is the recommended outline.

Before Class

Check with the front desk to see how many students are signed up for class

Set-up

Please gather the following materials for each Getting Started class student:

• 1 Monitor (found in the warehouse--walk in the warehouse doors and take an immediate right, the monitors will be on shelves on your right)
• 1 System (found in the hallway outside of the classroom on shelves labeled "freekbox")
• 1 Keyboard (found in the classroom on the shelf)
• 1 Mouse and Mouse Pad (found in the classroom on the shelf)
• 1 Set of powered speakers (found in receiving above speaker testing OR in the classroom to the left of the shelf)
• 2 Power cords (found in the classroom on the shelf)
  • If any of these supplies can't be found, please go to receiving to get more.

Be sure to note if the system has PS/2 or USB ports for the keyboard and mouse. If it has USB ports rather than PS/2 make sure you can find USB accessories. These are sometimes rare in the warehouse.

Visual Aids

Write the following agenda on the whiteboard:

• Class Introduction
  • Purpose of class/Expectations
  • Name
  • Computer Experience
  • How do you plan to use your computer?
• Vocabulary
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Operating System
• Linux History/FOSS (see: http://www.linux.org/info/)
• Put System Together
• Create Account
• Explain and Install Updates
• Install flash, java, DVD software
• BREAK
• Tour Desktop
• Getting online
• Adding Programs
  • Show students how to add programs using "Ubuntu Software Center"
• Test CD/DVD player
• Getting Help
  • Ubuntu Pocket Guide
  • Free Geek Manual
  • Help
  • Tech Support
  • help.ubuntu.com
  • Tech support card and tech support tour
• Question/Answer Time
• Paperwork

Resources for students

• Have pens and paper available for students for note-taking
• Have current and next (if available) month's class schedule for students (found in classroom on shelf along with other Getting Started class supplies). Make sure you mention the additional classes as you go through the class!

Section One

Introductions

Please explain the purpose of the class:

• Final quality control of all hardware/software
• Ticket to tech support for one year
• To make sure you are comfortable using your computer

Expectations:

• Please silence all cell phones and do not take a call or send text messages during class.
• Please be respectful of your fellow students. This means: don't disrupt when the instructor is answering a question or teaching.

It is useful to go around and have each person introduce themselves with

• Name
• Computer experience, if any, and
• What they plan to do with their FreekBox

Encourage people to ask questions

• Ask about words or ideas that are unclear or unfamiliar
• If something will be addressed later in the class, you will put off answering it until then
• If something is totally outside the scope of the class (ie. how do i set up a CD burner on this?), you can talk to them about it after the class is over.

Vocabulary

Put the following terms on the board and define them with the class:

• Operating system
• Hardware
• Software

GNU/Linux and Free Software

History of the development of Free Software can be useful. People may also want to know why we use it. Some reasons are:

• Philosophy of mutual aid and openness
• Lack of licensing fees
• No viruses! (Make sure you explain that common sense is still necessary--do not enter personal information into insecure websites.)

Put Systems Together

Students should already be seated in front of the system they will take home.

Our goal is for adopters to know how to set up their systems on the own. As an instructor, you should take your time with this step. Take time to explain what goes where and point out the 3 plugs that contain pins that could bend or break.

Logging in and Creating New User Account

• Have students log in by clicking on "Default" and entering the password: freegeek.
• To create user account, have students click on System --> Administration --> Prepare for shipping to end user.
• Students must restart their systems at this point to set up their own user accounts.
• Once they're logged in, pause to go over interface vocabulary (panel, icon, desktop, tooltip, menu).
• If you can not find "Prepare for shipping to end user" please read Prepare for Shipping to End User Wiki page.

Updates

Explain and run updates. Sometimes the updates icon is not displayed. If this is the case, you should still ask students to check for updates by clicking on System --> Administration --> Update Manager. Have students click on "Check" before you are convinced there are no new updates.

Flash, Java, and DVD Codecs

Flash and Java

• Have students click on System--> Administration--> Software Sources
• On the Software Sources tab, check the one empty box (software restricted - multiverse)
• On the Other Software tab, check the top box
• Click Close and then Reload

DVD Codecs

• Have students open a terminal window
• Have students open up a Mozilla Firefox web browser and go to http://wiki.freegeek.org, click on Adoption Program and then on Adoption Class Links
• Under the Adoption Class Links#DVD Codecs section, have students copy and paste (using mouse right-click rather than keyboard shortcuts) the first line of code into the terminal. Hit Enter. The student will be prompted for their password. (Note that the student will not see their password as they type it.)

Now is a great time for a BREAK

Section Two

Touring the Desktop

Point out the following:

• Power button on the top right of the screen
• Date and time to the left of the power button - have students click on the date and time to displace the calendar.
• Speaker. Have students click on the speaker once.
• Internet status connection - I usually plug people in to the internet when I show this icon. It can be useful to see what it looks like when connected and not connected to the Internet.
• Explain the top panel's three dropdown menus and their functions (System = administrative tasks, Places = directories, Applications = programs).

The accessories I usually point out are:

• Calculator
• Dictionary
• Take Screen Shot: explain that they should use this if something unusual pops up on their screen.
  • After a screen shot has been taken, it can be helpful to send it to trash and show students how to empty trash.
• Terminal: explain that they should know where the terminal is, because they will need to access the terminal if they contact tech support by phone. If you know some command line, feel free to show students around a little.

Under Graphics, I usually open and explain the following programs:

• fSpot Photo Manager
• Gimp

Skip Internet for the time being; we come back here later.

Under Office, please explore the Word Processor.

• Who has used a word processor? (most have, at some point) What's it for?

Make sure they're comfortable with what's in front of them. Have them open up the word processor to show them title bar, scroll bar, maximize, minimize, etc.

OpenOffice.org is a lot like MS Office (so skills are transferable, whether they've used it before or not), and can be used to read & write MS Office-type files. Encourage them to play around with it a little, and demonstrate spellcheck, etc. Point out the help menu!

Bring them together to save a file; point out how to tell where the file is going to be saved, and how to select different file types. This can also be used as an example of a dialog window. Save the file. Once saved, show students how to find their document.

Sound and Video:

• Test a CD in the drive, and show students how to play a CD.

Getting online

• Show students how to change their desktop background following this procedure:
  • Go to google.com and select "images" from the upper left corner.
  • Have students search for an image. If appropriate, take a moment to explain how to conduct a search on the internet.
  • Once students have found a picture, have them click on the picture. Then click on "see full size image."
  • Hover the mouse over the image and click with the right mouse button.
  • Select "save image as..." and save in the pictures directory.
  • Go to system ---> preferences ---> appearance. Select the "background" tab in appearance.
  • Click on "add" and select "pictures." Double click on the name of the picture and the picture will become the desktop background.

Installing Programs

NOTE: IF YOU TRY TO ADD A SOURCE OR INSTALL A PROGRAM WITH UBUNTU SOFTWARE CENTER WHEN ITS NOT CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, STRANGE BEHAVIOR ENSUES. JUST SHUT DOWN U.S.C. AND TRY AGAIN.Luiz 23:47, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

• Use "Ubuntu Software Center" in applications to install programs.
• 1.First you must tell Ubuntu Software Center to download software with restricted licenses (please refer to the individual licenses for greater detail). Go to Applications>Ubuntu Software Center.
• 2.After the Ubuntu Software Center window opens, select Edit>Software Sources.
• 3.Enter your password.
• 4.Check the box next to Software Restricted by Legal or Copyright Issues (multiverse), then click on the Close button in the bottom right corner of the window.
• 5.Type "restricted" (without the quotes) into the white search box in the upper right corner of the Ubuntu Software Center window.
• 6.Click on Ubuntu Restricted Extras, then click on the Install button.

• Give students some time to look through and download a couple of applications.

Finding help

• Talk about finding documentation on their computer and online (many many Linux sites on the web, PLUG, google. Ubuntu Pocket Guide)
• Take additional classes at Free Geek!
• Explain tech support policy: we'll support your computer for one year as long as:
  • the system has not been modified (except by Free Geek) and
  • it has been used as intended regularly since adoption and
  • it is used by the original Adopter or someone else who has taken the Adoption class at Free Geek.
  • Tech Support can be reached thru the main Free Geek number at 503-232-9350. It is currently available Tue-Sat from 12-6pm.
• The FreekiWiki has lots of helpful information on upgrades and troubleshooting at http://wiki.freegeek.org
• Help on the desktop
• "Ubuntu for Non Geeks"
• help.ubuntu.com

Have students take the survey!

• As a final step of the class, please ask students to take a few minutes to complete the Adoption survey found here: http://www.freegeek.org/volunteer/adoption/adoption-program-survey/

User-specific settings

At this point show students that they can change settings, like changing mouse to lefthanded user, resolution, login window. Also, showing how to add a user might be helpful. Change background, screensaver, screensaver timing is always exciting..

The internet/ISPs

Most people want to get on the internet:

• Is the computer Internet-ready? That depends on the type of service you choose! Your computer is ready for most types of Internet service. The exceptions are listed below:
  • If you choose dialup Internet, then you will need to have Tech Support install a modem after the class.
  • If you choose wireless Internet, you will need to purchase a wireless card.
• What is an ISP?
• Why will some work with Linux and some won't?

A Freekbox friendly ISP is Whiz.to Coho. They currently offer a FreekBox discount rate of $12.95 for dialup. Free Geek provides the setup and tech support needs through our tech support office.Whiz to Coho can be reached at http://whiz.to or at 503-647-5957

Logging out and shutting down

Explain that shutting down is done by clicking with the mouse.

After the class

• Make sure the disbursement paperwork is filled out and taken to the donor desk in the front. Have students write, "Took Class" on the top of the disbursement paperwork.
• Make sure the class space gets set back up.
• Take any systems that failed during the class to the front desk. Ask the person working at the front desk to complete a tech support ticket for the system. Provide as much information for the ticket as possible. The person at the front desk will then take the system to tech support.
• Make sure systems being held for transportation are labeled with name, phone and expected time of pickup. (Adopters need to pick up their systems BEFORE the next-scheduled Adoption Class.)

When computers won't work properly

• Troubleshoot to your comfort level
• Seek assistance in tech support. let the technician know you are from an adoption class and require immediate assistance.
• If a tech support worker is not available, and if you can't fix the problem yourself, set the computer aside, grab another for the class.
  • after class, take problem computer to the tech support office and complete an intake form. Place in tech support office. Please indicate what was not working.