You are eligible to register for the following classes if you are an employee or board member of a District who subscribes to the Technology Support Service (TSS) through the Mid-Hudson Regional Information Center (see link above).

Required prerequisites and class descriptions for each class are listed in MicroNews and here on the web site. Please read them carefully to make sure that you qualify for the class. If you have any questions, please contact dat@mhric.org or phone: 255.1450, ext. 1270.

Lab Locations - Computer Lab A (CLA) or the MOD-RIC Lab (MR) are at the MHRIC on the Ulster BOCES site in New Paltz, The Conference Center (CC) is in the Ulster BOCES main building, Harriman (H) is located at the Orange-Ulster BOCES site in Monroe, Sullivan (S) is at the Sullivan BOCES MHRIC lab in Liberty, or Dutchess (D) is located at the Dutchess BOCES BETA site in Poughkeepsie. Please make sure that you check the location of your class. You can print out a site map here. All labs are handicap-accessible.

If you do not get your confirmation letter within two weeks, please contact us. Directions to the labs will also be in your confirmation letter. 

If a class is full, you will be placed on a waiting list and notified of your status. Please do not just show up for classes unless you have received your confirmation letter or email. You will not be admitted to class unless you are registered.

Food is not served in our classes. Some of the locations have vending machines for snacks. You are on your own for lunch.

You are also eligible to join our TSS Mailing List if your district subscribes to the Technology Support Service. Get software tips and share in discussions with your colleagues by email. More information can be found here. Please subscribe with your school district email address.

IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER: Please call 845.255.1450 x5000 and listen to the message. Please do not pay attention to what the radio says for Ulster BOCES. Our classes are rarely cancelled except in extremely bad weather. If we are open, the class will start at the scheduled time.

Clicking on the name of the class will take you to the class description and prerequisites.
Get MicroNews in Adobe Reader Format by clicking on the link here (300kb).

Interested in joining the TSS Mailing List? Please click on this link for more information.

Need the free Adobe Reader?

Please make sure you have fulfilled the prerequisites. Call us if you have questions.

Ulster BOCES is a Tobacco Free Campus

Access Introduction
Prerequisites: Windows Introduction and one Word or Excel class or equivalent experience.

This class is intended for individuals needing to learn about Access databases. Topics include: orientation to Access and database terminology; viewing, editing, and adding data; working with datasheets and design view; creating and using tables, queries, forms, and reports. The focus of the class is to understand how Access works and understanding tables.

Access Intermediate
Prerequisite: Access Introduction or equivalent experience.
This class is intended for individuals needing to create Access databases. Topics include working with primary keys and understanding table field properties like text and number/date formats, input masks, and lookups. The class will also focus on database design considerations and creating table relationships.

Access Advanced
Prerequisite: Access Intermediate or equivalent experience.
This class is intended for individuals wanting to learn advanced Access topics. Topics include creating and using macros, importing and exporting information, using Access data with Word & Excel, examining OLE objects and hyperlinks, and creating and modifying a switchboard.

Access Forms
Prerequisite: Access Intermediate or equivalent experience.
This half-day class assumes participants understand how to create a basic form. Time will be spent modifying forms and form controls; working with form properties and settings; creating calculated controls; and creating and modifying subforms. We will also learn to apply formatting techniques to forms.

Access Queries
Prerequisite: Access Intermediate or equivalent experience.
This class assumes participants understand basic query concepts. We will cover more advanced topics such as creating calculated fields, working with the expression builder, and summarizing groups of records. Additionally, we will examine various query types including parameter queries, crosstab queries, and action queries.

Access Reports
Prerequisite: Access Intermediate or equivalent experience.
This class assumes participants understand how to create a basic report. Time will be spent using, creating, and modifying reports in design view. We will look at report sections, grouping, sorting, and inserting formulas. Additionally, we will learn to modify report and control properties and use report formatting techniques.

Anatomy of an Internet Browser

Browsers are the programs which allow you to view World Wide Web pages. Are you still using only Internet Explorer? Do you know that there are alternative browsers out there that are free and may be a better choice for you? Computer users, faced with never-ending security attacks from surfing the Internet and opening email, are showing increased interest in switching Web browsers. This demonstration will introduce you to several alternative browsers for the PC platform. We will show you the latest version in the browser wars to help make an informed decision as to which one(s) you want to use.

CorelDRAW Demo
CorelDRAW, part of CorelDRAW Graphic Suite 12, is a drawing and graphic design program. Relatively inexpensive, educational pricing puts it approximately in the $100 price range. It is a great tool for any classroom where graphics can be incorporated. In this demo, we will learn about the basic tools in CorelDRAW to create simple, then more complex graphic images, modify existing images, and create text effects.

Dreamweaver Introduction
Prerequisite: Windows Introduction, knowledge of folders, and Internet Introduction or equivalent experience.
Dreamweaver is the industry standard for web site design and development. This class introduces students to the Dreamweaver environment. At the end of this class, students will have a good understanding of the basics of Dreamweaver and be able to construct and edit small web sites. Bring ideas (and a disk) to create your own simple web site, time permitting. It is strongly recommended that students also take HTML Introduction.

Dreamweaver Intermediate
Prerequisites: Windows Introduction, knowledge of folders, and Dreamweaver MX 2004 Introduction.
This class builds on the Dreamweaver Introduction. Learn how to lay out your pages using tables and see how graphics set into cells can enhance your site. We will also use the HTML views in Dreamweaver. Add a Flash button or Flash text to your page, and discover how to use Behaviors to jazz up your site. Bring ideas (and a disk) to create your own simple web site, time permitting.

Dreamweaver Forms
Prerequisite: HTML and Dreamweaver MX 2004 experience
Forms are used to collect information from your users. Participants in this workshop will come away with a basic knowledge of how forms work on the Internet. We will discuss email scripts needed to process forms on your server. Working both in Dreamweaver and the HTML code directly, we will create a form containing basic form elemetns, text fields and areas, check boxes, radio buttons, select boxes, submit and reset buttons. This workshop does not cover databases.

Dreamweaver Tables
Prerequisite: Dreamweaver MX 2004 Intermediate.
Tables are used in web design to ease page and graphic layout. This half-day class will cover creating tables and table formatting more extensively and is a good follow-up to the Dreamweaver Intermediate class. Learn how to find and install Dreamweaver extensions to help automate some processes. Create monthly calendars for your web site quickly and easily.

Dreamweaver & CSS
Prerequisite: Dreamweaver MX 2004 Intermediate and strong knowledge of HTML
This advanced course is designed for a student who wants to learn how to use Cascading Style Sheets to develop and design Websites. Using CSS-1 specifications, students will learn the differences between, when to use, and how to create imbedded, inline, and linked style sheets. Working with basic styles and HTML, students will use Dreamweaver to customize various styles, control background appearance, text, and colors. Basics will be discussed and then Dreamweaver will be used to create styles and sheets.

Excel Introduction
Prerequisite: Windows Introduction or equivalent experience.
Microsoft Excel makes using a spreadsheet easy. This class will cover basic spreadsheet skills including: creating, saving, and printing workbooks; basic skills used in building and editing worksheets; techniques used in selecting, copying, moving, and replacing cell contents; basic formatting features such as alignment, fonts, and column widths; using basic formulas and functions, including relative and absolute cell referencing.

Excel Intermediate
Prerequisite: Excel Introduction or equivalent experience.
If you have mastered the basics of Excel, you are ready to move on to this class. Topics will include: working with and managing larger worksheets and workbooks, creating lists and data forms, using filters and functions with lists to analyze data, and more work with functions and formulas.

Excel Advanced
Prerequisite: Excel Intermediate or equivalent experience.
This class covers how Excel works with other Microsoft Office programs, for example, inserting Excel spreadsheets and charts into Word and opening text files in Excel. We will look at several What-If analysis tools like: Scenarios, Input Data Tables, Goal Seek, and Solver. We will also see how to protect and share workbooks. Other topics include creating templates and customizing autofill lists.

Excel Formulas & Functions
Prerequisite: Excel Introduction or equivalent experience.
Do you need to know more of the basics on how to work with functions and formulas in Excel? We will use some of Excel's built-in functions like: If, Proper, VLookup, Max, Min, PMT, Average, DCount, count, countA…as well as build some of our own specialized formulas like weighted averages. This class will include a review of Order of Operations and Relative and Absolute Cell Referencing.

Excel Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks

Prerequisite: Excel Introduction or equivalent experience.

This half-day class is designed for people who currently use Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Office has many hidden options, unknown features, and shortcuts. We will show you formatting tips, keyboard shortcuts, and other tricks to customize Excel to work the way you want. You will be able to apply many of the same techniques in Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access. Take this class to learn how to make Microsoft Office more powerful, more productive, and even easier for you to use.

GroupWise Introduction
Prerequisite: Windows Introduction or equivalent experience
This class will cover sending and receiving email, calendaring and scheduling, archiving, reviewing set-up options, creating and managing folders, and the address books.

GroupWise Intermediate
Prerequisite: GroupWise Introduction or equivalent experience.
This class will cover a review of archiving, using busy search, marking appointments as private, phone messages, reminder notes, tasks, categories, changing item type, using the checklist, filtering vs. the find feature, setting up notify, rules, and junk mail handling.

HTML Writing Introduction
Prerequisite: Internet Introduction or equivalent experience.
Learn the basics of writing a web page. Making a web page is not really very difficult. Basic HTML is surprisingly easy to learn and this class will explain what HTML is, and how HTML "markup tags" are used to format a web page. Using a free, popular editor, you will learn how to create web pages, import graphics, and text. It is highly recommended that you learn HTML before using other web editing programs. Please bring a disk to save your work.

Mac/PC Interoperability Seminar

If you've never considered a Mac because of compatibility concerns, get ready to turn the page. The evolution of the Mac OS, along with new software such as "Parallels", provides the ability to run Windows and Mac OS in a secure, isolated virtual system. In addition, the Mac OS facilitates easy integration with Windows-based systems and networks. This free seminar is designed to provide you with the tools and information you need to help make informed decisions to better serve your school or district. In this session, we'll deliver the technical content, demonstrations, anecdotal evidence, and testimonials that will help you address: how the Mac's powerful Unix/Intel foundation makes it compatible with PC's, how other mixed-environment schools are deploying Macs and how they are performing, and the support services available, should you need them.

Mail Merge using Microsoft Office

Prerequisite: Word Introduction or equivalent experience. Topics covered in this class will include using Word to create files for producing form letters and labels. Using Access and Excel as data sources will be included.

MS Office Templates
Prerequisite: Word Introduction or equivalent experience
A template is a document that can be used over and over again and does not have to be re-created each time, like a fax sheet, memo, or business letter. In this half-day class, we will learn how to use templates, create custom templates, and look for new ones on-line. We will be working in MS Word, and time will be allotted to create templates in any of the following programs: MS Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint.

netTrekker d.i.

netTrekker is the award-winning search engine for schools that helps teachers match resources to each child's individual learning needs. It contains over 180,000 educator-selected online resources that are organized around the K-12 curricula and by grade level so searching is logical and easy. Students receive ONLY safe, relevant results and school-friendly images every time they use the Internet. netTrekker supports differentiated instruction with standards-based online resources, organized by readability level to help every child achieve. This workshop will introduce you to this web-based search engine, searching, creating saved searches, assistive searches, teacher tools, and NYS Standards searching.
During this workshop,you will also receive a complimentary free trial account which will provide complete access to netTrekkerfor 30 days.

Publisher Introduction
Prerequisite: Word Introduction or equivalent experience.
This course introduces the student to Microsoft's desktop publishing program. Publisher is used to create professional looking publications such as newsletters, booklets, and flyers. Typical topics to be covered in class may include: creating a publication using a wizard, making changes, inserting graphics and using features such as sidebars and pull quotes. The successful student will possess word processing skills and be comfortable using Windows programs.

Publisher Intermediate
Prerequisite: Publisher Introduction or equivalent experience. Publisher Intermediate will take a closer look at some topics touched on in the Intro class like: working with columns, text overflow, connecting text frames and adding "continued" notes. Other topics include: creating a booklet, adding and moving pages, inserting page numbers, adding a table of contents, working with the master pages, and using mail merge. If time permits we will look at some Publisher tips and work on personal projects.

Word Graphics
Prerequisite: Word Introduction or equivalent experience. Add interest, color, and excitement to your documents with the use of drawing and graphics in Word! You will learn to add, arrange, and format text boxes; insert clip art and pictures; and draw AutoShapes. Other topics include text wrapping, aligning and grouping objects, flipping and rotating, layering, shadows and 3-D, and using WordArt.

For more information, please contact