Up Coming Learning Opportunities from Miriam.

Our EWGS shining star, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, is once again offering knowledge to us in the form of classes through the Continuing Education program here in Spokane. She will teach:

[The military records class has been cancelled.]

Who Do You Think You Are?  - What do you know about your ancestors or your heritage? In this beginning online genealogy class, learn how to start your search, confirm family lore, and use all sorts of records to trace your family tree; prerequisite: a working knowledge of the computer.
Class #L154  --  Tuesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24,  6:00-8:00pm,  Centerplace, Room 209,  Cost $49

Vital and Cemetery Records - Learn now to use birth, marriage and death and cemetery records for the basis of your genealogy research; discover where to find these documents onsite and online.

Class #L113  --  Tuesday, May 31, 6:00-9:00pm,  Centerplace, Room 209,  Cost $25

Register for any or all of these classes online at http://www.ccs.spokane.edu/Continuing Ed or call (509) 279-6030 (they will ask for a credit card number).

Online Genealogy Classes Available in Spokane Area

If you live in the Spokane area, you are invited to take one or more Online Genealogy Classes from EWGS member, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, available through the Community Colleges of Spokane's Institute for Extended Learning.

The first class is "Finding Your Ancestors in Online Vital and Cemetery Records" (Course L207) and will explain what vital and cemetery records are, why they are useful to family historians, and where to find them on site and online at both free and subscription websites. This class will be held Tuesday, October 5th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the CenterPlace campus, 2426 N. Discovery Way, Spokane Valley, Washingon.

The second class will be "Finding Your Ancestors in American Military Records" (Course L204). Is there a veteran in your family tree or a family story that an ancestor served in the Civil or Revolutionary War? This class will teach you how to locate military records from the present to the American colonial period, and will be held Tuesday, October 26th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, also at the CenterPlace campus.

For both classes, it's important to have a working understanding of the Internet as well as an e-mail address. You may register for either course by calling the IEL at (509) 279-6030 or (800) 845-3324; you can also register online by going to the course webpages here (vital/cemetery) or here (military).

What you missed November 2008 Internet Class

The Internet education class scheduled for November 15, 2008 was postponed one week due to the sudden death of Gary Taylor, the EWGS treasurer.

Juanita McBride was the instructor for a class on PERSI and NUCMC. PERSI is short for PERiodical Source Index and is done by the Allen County Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Juanita started out by showing the book form of PERSI which was the original way to use PERSI. Later on they put PERSI on a CD and that is where I first used it. PERSI is available from the library in their Searchable Databases under Heritage Quest, and can be searched either at the library or for Spokane City residents you can access those databases from your home computer using your library card number. Ancestry also has PERSI. PERSI is divided into four sections:

• Surname
• Locality
• Methodology
• Bibliography

Surname and Locality are self-explanatory; Methodology lets you search for articles on search methods. The last section is Bibliography and that lists all the periodicals in the Allen County library. It includes the EWGS Bulletin.

If you find an article you are interested in, Allen County Library has an order form for copies. They charge $7.50 plus 20 cents a page for the copies. That form is with the online database here. Be sure to check our own library for the periodical, since EWGS has a large collection of periodicals and the article you are looking for may be in that collection.

Dolly Webb brought an interlibrary loan form and said she had used it for items she had found in PERSI and using interlibrary loan is free. My suggestion is you can also send to whoever authored the periodical for a copy. I have received queries for copies of articles from the EWGS Bulletin that people found using PERSI.

The second part of Juanita's class was on NUCMC (pronounced "nuckmuck") or the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, which was created by the Library of Congress in 1959 and contains records about materials in public, university and special libraries throughout the United States.

From 1959 to 1993, NUCMC was published in printed form. These books are in our genealogy collection at the library. The online version covers only records added after 1986 to the present.

To access it you need an internet connection, and then click here. It brings up a screen with three columns: clicking on "search OCLC catalog" brings up Questions on Searching; or Simple or Advanced search. Juanita suggested a simple search for Ohio Quakers, and it brought up several pages of hits. Clicking on one allows you to find out more detailed information on whatever you are interested in. I do not have any Ohio ancestors so I tried Massachusetts Quakers and several pages of hits came up. NUCMC is a real unused resource.

UPDATE: If you would like a copy of Juanita's syllabus, please e-mail Miriam Robbins Midkiff.

November 2008 Computer Class Rescheduled

Due to the November 15th services for the late EWGS treasurer, Gary L. Taylor, the November 2008 members-only computer class, "Using NUCMC and PERSI to Find Your Ancestors", has been rescheduled to Saturday afternoon, November 22nd. Those who originally signed up for the 10:15 class time are now signed up for a 1:00 PM class, and those who signed up for the 11:30 class time are now scheduled for the 2:15 PM class. Juanita Linton McBride will be our presenter.

If you have any questions, please contact Miriam Robbins Midkiff or Juanita Linton McBride (see member directory).

Updates on Genealogy Software Program Classes Post

Back in July 2008, we had four computer classes devoted to four different genealogy software programs: Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree, and Reunion for Macintosh. I posted an article summarizing the classes here, along with helpful links for those who wanted tutorials, blogs, user group information, etc. that could help them either in making a decision on which software to purchase, or in assisting them in using the software they already have.

Since then, there has been some updated information that will be useful to those who attended the classes and/or read the earlier post. Here are useful links for those updates:

Family Tree Maker
Family Tree Maker released version 2009 in August. It was offered as a free upgrade to purchasers of FTM 2008 who had registered their software.

A Family Tree Maker User blog has been started by Russ Worthington (not affiliated with The Generations Network, producer of FTM). Russ starts out by showing many of the features of FTM 2009.

Randy Seaver's posts about using FTM 2008 have been indexed and can be found here at his blog, Genea-Musings. As of this date, there are 26 posts in this tutorial series.

RootsMagic
Bruce Buzbee is still working on getting RootsMagic version 4 finalized for its release. He tells me that anyone who purchases version 3 now will get a free downloadable update to version 4 when it is released.

Need More Info? GenSoftReviews Can Help!
A new website, GenSoftReviews.com is now available for you to research or review genealogy software, and it's all free! Did you know there's a myriad of genealogy software programs available? Not just database programs, where you enter names, dates, and places, but mapping software, organizing software, research software, and other kinds of utilities. You can check out their features, advantages, and disadvantages at this user-friendly site. Reviewers choose from five categories to rate their favorites: Enjoy Using It; Use It Often; Easy Input; Easy Output; and Overall Rating. Choose from a variety of Licenses (free, subscription, etc.), Platforms (Windows, Mac, etc.), Types (full-features, auxiliary, etc.), then review it by Most Reviews, Latest Reviews, Alphabetically by name, or by any of the five rating categories listed above. Check it out!

2009 and 2010 Computer Class Schedules

Eastern Washington Genealogical Society announces its 2009 and 2010 computer class schedules. These classes are free for EWGS members, and are held in the Gates Computer Lab on the second floor of the downtown branch of Spokane Public Library. There are two sessions for most classes: a 10:15 - 11:15 AM session and a 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM session. Occasionally, there will be two different classes held the same day; one at the earlier time and one at the later time. There are no classes held in December, due to the holidays. Due to high demand, some classes are repeated the following year.

Our computer classes are a part of our society's education programs, and are designed to help our members learn how to use popular genealogy subscription and free-for-use websites, find online resources for specific ethnic and cultural backgrounds, improve skills in using digital and technological tools targeted specifically for family historians, and network with other researchers using the Internet. If you are looking to learn or improve general computer or Internet-surfing skills, the Spokane Public Library offers free hands-on classes to the public for beginners.

If you would like to become a member of EWGS, please go to our website here and download the membership application. To register for these classes, please e-mail me and let me know your time preference.

2009 Computer Classes:

Jan 17 - Using Google/Boolean Searches to Find Your Ancestors - Barbara Brazington

Feb 21 - Using Online Mailing Lists to Find Your Ancestors - Miriam Robbins Midkiff

Mar 21 - Using the Internet to Research Disasters that Affected Your Ancestors - Bette Butcher Topp

Apr 18 - Learning Computer & Keyboard Shortcuts to Improve Your Online Research Skills - Ruby Simonson McNeill

May 16 - Using Online Historical Newspapers to Find Your Ancestors - Karen Kramer Struve

Jun 20 - Honoring Your WWII Ancestors - Carol Nettles

Jul 18 - Using FamilySearchIndexing.org to Find Your Ancestors & Help Other Researchers - Donna Potter Phillips

Aug 15 - Finding Your Ancestors in Online Census Records - Barbara Brazington

Sep 19 - no class will be held, due to the Washington State Genealogical Society's state conference being held in Spokane the previous weekend

Oct 17 - Using Podcasts to Increase Your Genealogical Knowledge - Miriam Robbins Midkiff

Nov 21 - Finding Your Swedish Ancestors Online (10:15 - 11:15 AM only) - presenter to be announced AND Finding Your Norwegian Ancestors Online (11:30 AM - 12:30 PM only) - Barbara Brazington


2010 Computer Classes:

Jan 16 - Using Google/Boolean Searches to Find Your Ancestors - Barbara Brazington

Feb 20 - Using Online Message Boards to Find Your Ancestors - Miriam Robbins Midkiff

Mar 20 - Using the National Archives (NARA) Website to Find Your Ancestors - Barbara Brazington

Apr 17 - Finding Your German Ancestors Online - Cecily Kelly

May 15 - Using Online Family Tree Websites to Connect and Find Relatives - Miriam Robbins Midkiff

Jun 19 - Finding Your Ancestors in Online Land Records - Bill Hire

Jul 17 - Finding Your Dutch Ancestors Online (10:15 - 11:15 AM only) - Miriam Robbins Midkiff AND Finding Your French Ancestors Online (11:30 AM - 12:30 PM only) presenter to be announced

Aug 21 - Using & Comparing Online Photo Albums to Share Your Family History - presenter to be announced

Sep 18 - Using Animap Software to Locate Your Ancestors' Locations - John Fisher

Oct 16 - Using FamilySearch.org to Find Your Ancestors - Donna Potter Phillips

Nov 20 - Finding Your Ancestors in Online Vital Records and Obituary Websites - Miriam Robbins Midkiff

What You Missed: The August 2008 Computer Class

"WorldVitalRecords.com" was the topic of the August 2008 EWGS computer class held Saturday, August 16th in the Gates Computer Lab of the downtown branch of the Spokane Public Library. This free for-members-only class was presented by yours truly, Miriam Robbins Midkiff. We took a look at the genesis of this subscription website, the philosophy of founder Paul Allen (formerly of Ancestry.com), and the growth of database offerings that has occurred since the site's founding, many of which are available because of WVR's terrific partnering with other genealogy database websites and resource publishers, such as Everton Publishers, Simmons Historical Publications, and Godfrey Memorial Library, to name just a few. The free social-networking, online family-tree-building, and lookup service of WorldVitalRecords, FamilyHistoryLink, was reviewed as well. Attendees were encouraged to sign up for WVR's free weekly e-newsletter, which lists newly-added databases that are free-to-access for the first seven days they are online. They were also urged to try out WorldVitalRecords one of the local Family History Centers, which have free access to this database-rich genealogy subscription website.

If you would like a copy of the syllabus that was used for this presentation, please e-mail Miriam here.

The next computer class will be presented by Barbara Brazington on "Historical Societies & Museums Online" on Saturday, October 18th (September's class has been cancelled). If you are interested in signing up, please contact me, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, at the e-mail address listed in the previous paragraph, or see our member directory for my telephone number. Currently, there are some spots available during the 10:15 -11:15 AM and the 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM sessions. We no longer offer a 1:30 - 2:30 PM session. You must be a current EWGS member to attend. If you are interested in joining EWGS, please go to our website here and download the membership application.

Genealogy Classes Offered Locally

Are you interested in taking a genealogy class? Here are a couple being offered through the Community Colleges of Spokane's Community Education and Senior Programs. They are both held at CenterPlace at Mirabeau Park, 2426 N. Discovery Place (across the street from the Valley YMCA). Both classes require a basic working knowledge of computers and the Internet.

Donna Potter Phillips will be teaching a Seniors Only class "Using the Internet to Find Your Family's History" on Friday mornings from 10:00 AM to noon, October 10 - November 21 (class will not meet on November 14). The course number is M215 and cost is $32. Call 533-4756 to register, or register online here.

Miriam Robbins Midkiff will be teaching a Beginning Genealogy Online class on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 - 8:00 PM, October 7 - 28. The course number is L109 and cost is $41. Call 279-6000 to register, or register online here.

If you know an individual or group who is offering genealogy, heritage, or local history classes that you would like to see featured here, please e-mail the information to us and we will be glad to highlight it on this blog.

What You Missed: The July 2008 Computer Class

8 October 2008: Updates to the information in this post can be found here.

Before I tell you about four fabulous computer classes you missed last Saturday, July 19th in the Gates Computer Lab at the downtown branch of the Spokane Public Library, I have to highlight some amazing people! We had four members and three non-members who very generously donated their time to make presentations for our society on various genealogy software programs. Because of extenuating circumstances, every one of these individuals was asked last-minute to teach on their favorite software, and rose to the challenge to give interesting, enlightening, and informative presentations. In addition, nearly everyone who presented was on a learning curve themselves, since two of the programs had recently been upgraded, one presenter had just recently purchased his software, and the last program is about to get upgraded within the next few months!

Our first class, held from 10:15 - 11:15 AM, was on FamilyTreeMaker, and was presented by Lola McCreary, Ruby Simonson McNeill, and Bette Butcher Topp. These ladies are long-time FTM users, and have been using FTM 2006 for a while. Lola recently purchased version 2008, and they highlighted the new features and answered the many questions that came their way. FTM 2008 can be purchased for $39.95, plus shipping and tax, at Ancestry. Here are some helpful links (all free!):

• Family Tree Maker website
  
• Online training video by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak
• Family Tree Maker webinar at Ancestry
• New Enhancements to FTM 2008 webinar at Ancestry
• Randy Seaver's eight-part "Using Family Tree Maker 2008" tutorials on his blog, Genea-Musings (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
• Support for FTM 16 and upgrade patches for FTM 2006
• FTM Mailing List at RootsWeb
• FTM-2008-HELP Mailing List at RootsWeb
• FTM-HELP Mailing List at RootsWeb
• FTM-TECH Mailing List at RootsWeb

Next up was Lew and Trudy Lundy with their presentation on RootsMagic from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. EWGS members may remember the Lundys from their presentations on German research at the Family History Conferences held at the North Stake LDS Church. Lew served as tech support, while Trudy, who is very familiar with RootsMagic, version 3, gave the presentation on this user-friendly software. They highlighted features of RM 3 and then went to the RootsMagic blog for sneek peeks at RM 4, soon to be released. You can download a free trial version from the website.

The current version (3) of RootsMagic can be purchased for $29.95 (CD or download), $39.95 (CD and book) or the book only for $14.95. Upgrades from earlier versions of RootsMagic or Family Origins (the original software name) are $19.95 (CD or download) or $29.95 (CD and book). Shipping and handling, where applicable, are extra.

• RootsMagic website
• RootsMagic blog
• Free trial version
  
• ROOTSMAGIC-USERS Mailing List at RootsWeb
• RootsMagic Forum with Help Board
• RootsMagic Newsletter (read online or subscribe free via e-mail)
• Locate a UserGroup in your area

Lew and Trudy lead the Spokane, Washington RootsMagic User Group. They meet at 7 PM on the second Tuesday of each month at the LDS Church at 808 E. Sitka, just off North Nevada Street. For contact information, go here.

Our third class was on Legacy Family Tree and was presented from 12:45 to 1:45 PM by Judy Linnebach, who graciously answered my plea for help on the Legacy Mailing List after our scheduled presenter had conflicting family commitments. She showed the online video highlighting the newly-released Deluxe Edition of Legacy 7.0, then opened up her own program to demonstrate various aspects.

Standard editions of Legacy 7.0 and earlier versions are available as full version free downloads! (I recommend them to my Online Genealogy students to use if they don't have their own software, even though I am a RootsMagic user.) The Deluxe Edition is available for purchase for $29.95 (download) or $39.95 (CD and book). Upgrades from Deluxe Edition 6.0 are $21.95. Here are some helpful links:

• Legacy Family Tree website
• Legacy News (blog)
• Free downloads (freebie versions are called "standard"; for-sale are "deluxe")
  
• Video of the features of the new Legacy 7.0
  
• Video Training for a variety of versions (either free or previews of for-sale videos)
• Help Center
  
• Legacy Mailing List (through their website)
  
• LEGACY Mailing List at RootsWeb
• Legacy User Groups (none currently in the Spokane area)

Our last presentation, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM, was headed up by Bill Hire, who brought in his iMac to demonstrate Reunion for Macintosh. Even with the small number of Mac users within our society, there were six interested attendees, including myself and another PC user. Bill recently made the switch from a PC to a Mac at home, and he and the other Mac users enjoyed sharing and learning from each other about Reunion's great features (it reminded me in many ways of RootsMagic). The group was so enthralled, the class went on for an extra half-hour!

Reunion, like much of the software (genealogical or not) available for Macs is more pricey than PC software. Version 9 can be purchased online or in store (locations are on the website) for $99.00 (CD or download) or upgraded from earlier versions for $59.95 (CD or download). Shipping costs are likely added, where applicable.

• Reunion for Macintosh website
• Free trial version
• Support and video tutorials (version 9)
• Support for version 8
• Forums
• MAC-REUNION Mailing List on RootsWeb

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If you are at all interested in purchasing any of the above software, or need support for software you already have, I highly recommend you visit the links I've provided. You may also wish to check out Cyndi's List of Software for other genealogy programs not listed. Dick Eastman and Randy Seaver often give interesting reviews on their blogs about various software programs, too--not just database programs, but organizational, research, mapping, reunion planning, and personal history programs, like Clooz, GenSmarts, FamilyAtlas, Animap, etc.

The next computer class will be presented by Miriam Robbins Midkiff on "WorldVitalRecords.com" on Saturday, August 16th (Karen Struve's class on Newspaper Archives Online has been postponed until May 2009). If you are interested in signing up for any of our classes, please contact me, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, at kidmiffATgmailDOTcom (substituting the appropriate symbols for the text in green), or see our member directory for my telephone number. Currently, there are some spots available during the 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM and the 1:30 - 2:30 PM sessions for August's class. You must be a current EWGS member to attend. If you are interested in joining EWGS, please go to our website here and download the membership application.

What You Missed: The February 2008 Computer Class

"Finding Vital Records and Obituaries Online" was the topic of the computer class held Saturday, February 16, 2008 in the Gates Computer Lab of the downtown branch of the Spokane Public Library. This well-attended class was presented by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, who briefly went over some cautionary information regarding online records and indexes, then encouraged the EWGS members present to explore the websites listed on the syllabus.

Donna Potter Phillips shared her easy tip on finding vital records online. She simply goes to Google and enters "vital records" plus the location she's researching: "spokane county" or arkansas. Jeanne Coe shared a fabulous--yet controversial--resource, the Sound Politics Washington State Voter Database. How does this relate to vital records? Well, if you have relatives who are Washington State voters, their birthdate and last known address will be listed in this database. I filled in some blanks in both my husband's and my own family trees, and gleaned some addresses so that I can write to these relatives to ask for more information. Thanks, Jeanne!

Several members made some great finds on their ancestors during the class. If you think you've explored all the vital records and obituaries databases and websites out there, think again. New data and new websites are being placed online everyday. Some of it requires payment to access, much of it is free. Please e-mail me at kidmiffATgmailDOTcom, substituting appropriate letters for the green words in all capitals, for a copy of a free syllabus.

The next computer class will be presented by Bette Butcher Topp on "European Resources Online" on Saturday, March 15th. If you are interested in signing up, please contact me, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, at the e-mail address listed in the previous paragraph, or see our member directory for my telephone number. Currently, there are some spots available during the 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM and the 1:30 - 2:30 PM sessions. You must be a current EWGS member to attend. If you are interested in joining EWGS, please go to our website here and download the membership application.

What You Missed: The January 2008 Computer Class

"Footnote.com" was the topic for the January 2008 computer class, presented by Miriam Robbins Midkiff. You've probably heard about this relatively new website, and wondered what it was all about! Footnote is a fantastic website used by genealogists, historians, researchers and educators alike. Partnered with the National Archives, Footnote is releasing digitized images from various collections, including Civil War Soldiers' Pension Index cards, Revolutionary War Rolls, WWII U.S. Air Force Photos. There's more than just war records, though. Texas Birth and Death Certificates are being scanned and placed online, as are city directories, naturalizations, and the SmallTown Newspaper collection!

There is much free data available on Footnote, and non-subscribers can choose to download images of paid data for $1.95 each. Three-day free trial offers, monthly subscriptions of $7.95 and annual subscriptions of $59.95 are also available. As we investigated this terrific website, attendees were encouraged to visit their local Family History Center, where patrons can access the entire subscription website for free! Also, if you're interested in a subscription, my free syllabus on using this website contains a link for a 10% discount off an annual subscription. Just e-mail me at kidmiffATgmailDOTcom, substituting appropriate symbols for the words in all capitals, and I'll be happy to send you a copy of the syllabus.

What You Missed: The November 2007 Computer Class

I absolutely hate missing our wonderful computer classes that we offer freely to members of EWGS, but last month I was ill and so I didn't get the opportunity to hear Bette Butcher Topp's lesson on finding and using the terrific genealogical society websites available online.

Did you know that many genealogical societies transcribe data and then offer it in database form on their websites for out-of-area researchers like you and me to access? I can think of one society in particular that I'm a member of that has fantastic online material: the Western Michigan Genealogical Society. They have an index of newspaper death notices and obituaries from 1910 to the present, as well as engagements, weddings, and anniversaries from 1976 to the present. They also have school census indexes, marriage indexes, and funeral home indexes, just to name a few. With 12 family surnames living in Western Michigan from the 1840s to the present, I use their databases all the time!

And did you know our very own Eastern Washington Genealogical Society has a page of databases and indexes on our website here? We're also working on an obituary database to eventually put online, and you can contact Carol Nettles (see the member directory) to volunteer for that project.

Well, it's treasures like these that Bette highlighted in her class on November 17th, and if you missed it, you can email me at kidmiffatgmaildotcom (substitute the appropriate symbols). I'll e-mail her excellent syllabus to you so that you don't miss out again!

The next computer class will be held January 19th and will be presented by Miriam Robbins Midkiff. Her topic is "Using Footnote.com." If you are interested in signing up, please contact me, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, at the e-mail address listed in the previous paragraph, or see our member directory for my telephone number. Currently, there are a few spots available during the 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM and the 1:30 - 2:30 PM sessions. You must be a current EWGS member to attend.

What You Missed: The October 2007 Computer Class

When the news was released that Bill Hire was going to present a class on land records for our October 20th members-only computer class, I received a plethora of e-mails asking to sign up for it as soon as possible! Bill brings his experience as a surveyor to our society, having previously made a presentation on land records at our October Workshop in 2005. His "Land Records on the Internet" syllabus listed nine links to major sites to further one's research in this area. He explained why land records are important to genealogy: they place an ancestor or relative at a specific location and point in time, as well as often being the only records available that show a family relationship between two individuals.

We learned about or reviewed public lands states vs. state lands states, metes and bounds vs. the township system, and discussed many resources, such as DeedMapper, plat maps online, and various genealogy books on land records research. I believe we all went away having learned many things, and excited to further our research in this area! If you would like a copy of the syllabus for this class, please contact me at kidmiffatgmaildotcom (substitute appropriate symbols).

The next computer class will be held November 17th and will be presented by Bette Butcher Topp. Her topic is "Genealogy Society Websites." If you are interested in signing up, please contact me, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, at the e-mail address listed in the previous paragraph, or see our member directory for my telephone number. Currently, there are a few spots available during the 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM and the 1:30 - 2:30 PM sessions. You must be a current EWGS member to attend.

What You Missed: The September 2007 Computer Class

On September 15, Judy Rand Williams presented her class on German Resources Online to EWGS members in the Gates Computer Lab at the downtown public library. She showed how she used the Google search engine to find links to helpful websites on the Internet for German genealogy, history, translation help, maps and other resources. As in any of our classes, actually sitting down at a computer station and practicing and experimenting with the help of an instructor and one's peers can yield some magnificent results!

I personally enjoyed Judy's class, although I only have very little German ancestry. A few other members in her 10:15 class had so much fun looking at various websites that they returned for her 11:30 class to surf the web as a group some more!

If you took Judy's class, I invite you to leave your comments on what you learned from her presentation to share with other members and readers. To leave a comment, click at the bottom of this post (article) where it says "0 COMMENTS" (the zero may be replaced by a different number, depending if others have already commented). Type your comment in the box that will be provided. To "Choose Your Identity," you can use your Blogger user name if your have one; if not, click on "Other" and enter your name and the name of your website, if you have one. (Anonymous comments will not be cleared by me.) Then click "Publish Your Comment." The comment will be e-mailed to me for clearance before being published (this is to prevent spam and inappropriate comments by the public, as this blog is viewable all over the world).

If you missed Judy's class and would like a syllabus, please e-mail me (see your EWGS member directory for my e-mail address - Miriam Robbins Midkiff). You can also see our list of upcoming computer classes here. I am signing members up for next year's classes, so you can e-mail me with the list and times of classes you would like to take.