Target Audience:This course is intended for people wanting to learn more about some of the many resources available online for download. Requirements:A compuer with a current browser, Microsoft Office Suite, and iTunes® installed. Description: This workshop will help the participant become more aware of the many resources out there available for download as well as become more comfortable with downloading and using different types of software and resources.

Prerequisites:Basic computer knowledge is helpful.

Download It NowIf there is something important that is available for download, don’t just bookmark it, download it. The Internet is constantly changing and the next time you try to visit that link it may have moved or it might just be gone forever.

Downloading Resources

Computer Internet Explorer™8

What you’ll need:

You’ll also need an Internet connection.

Software DownloadsNo need to go to the store to buy software. Most software is available for download online.

Most major software developers (Apple, Adobe and Microsoft) have all their current products available for download on their website.

Many offer a free 30 day trial, at which point the user must either purchase the software at full price or it becomes permanently disabled.

Adobe and a few other companies offer fully functioning versions of their software to Students/Educators at a discount. If this applies to you, it can save you hundreds of dollars.

Types of SoftwareFreeware –Is usually available fully functional at no cost to the user. Sometimes a fee is optional.Shareware –Is available to the user at no cost for a trial period and may have limited functionality. To get full access to the software the user usually needs to pay a fee to the developer.Commercial/Payware – Is usually full-scale commercial grade proprietary software.

Downloading SoftwareThere are many sites that compile a majority of available software for download all in one location. Make sure to check the rankings, user feedback and the type of Software to see if it is Freeware, Shareware or Commercial grade.

Software Download Siteswww.download.com – CNET is a CBS Interactive Company and is the largest software download site. www.softpedia.com – a site for downloading software for Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile devices and more.

Software TrainingOnce all the programs are downloaded and installed, the user needs to learn how they work. There is a great variety of online resources, many sharing information and training for free for a variety of software from many manufacturers.

Free Video Tutorialshttp://www.lynda.com is a website offering many different resources for computer and software training. Many video tutorials are available free on the website and some require a paid subscription. They also publish many well know books on different software programs. Lynda.com also offers an App for Smart Phones.

Using iTunes for LearningiTunes is so much more than just importing, downloading and managing music for iPods. iTunes has a vast library of audio and video Podcasts from all over the world including episodes Alberta. Also, if your computer is hooked up to a home network, any Podcasts, videos, music etc. can be accessed and used by any computer with iTunes on that network. Just enable Sharing.

Turning On Sharing In iTunes1. Click Edit.2. Click Preferences.3. Click Sharing Tab. 4. Check on Look for Shared Libraries and Share my Library on Home Network.

Video Tutorials In iTunesiTunes has a massive library of Video Tutorials available in the form of Podcasts from thousands of sources. Many universities also publish and distribute video Podcasts through iTunes for free to students and the general public.

Downloading/Subscribing To PodcastsThis is a great way to keep up to date and not miss an episode. Many Content Providers publish daily or weekly Podcasts for download in the iTunes Store. Depending on settings chosen, new videos can download automatically into iTunes.

1. Open iTunes2. Click on the Store in the left column.3. Once the store is loaded, type some key words in the Search box in the top right corner of iTunes.4. A few examples should show up. Click on the thumbnail to get a list for the specific Podcast.5. Roll over the name of the Podcast and click to get a thirty second preview.6. Click on FREE in the price to download the Podcast into your iTunes Library.7. That Podcast can now be listened to on your computer at any time or it can be moved to a media device

like an iPod®, iPhone®, mp3 Player or even burn it to a CD.8. The Podcast can also be subscribed to by clicking on the Subscribe Free button right under the Logo of

the Video. 9. There are settings to control the way iTunes handles Podcasts and by default iTunes will download the

most recent episode. 10. All other available Podcasts for that series will show up in grey below with a description and are available

for downloading at any time. If you see any other Podcast from the series that you want to download just click the Free button.

Podcast ProgrammingMany shows have popped up solely in the form of Podcasts and some have created huge followings. All of this is done without using traditional Radio or Television to access the people.

There are so many different Podcasts covering almost every subject (news, comedy, sports, etc.) and genre, just waiting to be downloaded.

Any Podcast with a little TV icon next to it are Video Podcasts and any without the TV icon are audio only Podcasts.

Many traditional Television and Radio shows are also archived in the Podcast format so viewers can access episodes wherever is convenient for them. This is one of the reasons that the Podcast format has become so popular.

Transfer and GoPlugging in a iPod, iPhone, Smart Phone or MP3 player to iTunes gives a person the freedom to transfer over all their newly acquired resources and take with them wherever they go.

1. Plug in a device, click on the device in the left column.2. Go to the Podcast tab for that device, Check Sync Podcast at the top, check on any Podcasts to sync to the

device and click Sync.

Webinars, Webcasts and Podcasts can also be burned to CD from iTunes for use in your vehicle or CD Player.So Transfer or Burn your Episodes and go !!!

Other Tutorial Resourceswww.adobe.tv – offers video tutorials for anything Adobe.www.layersmagazine.com – offers video tutorials and free downloads for many Adobe products.www.youtube.com – offers many of the same tutorials and more ...CNET also offers a Download Blog - http://download.cnet.com/download-blog/ with Software news, advice and information.

Downloading TemplatesWhen creating things like resumes, invoices, brochures and newsletters, there are often free downloadable templates available. Once the templates are downloaded they are ready to use. Templates can be saved and used again. They can also be customized and branded for your business or personal use. For brand consistency the same template should always be used.

If you are looking for business card templates or templates for labels, the Avery website is a terrific resource.• http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/• http://www.stocklayouts.com/Templates/Free-Templates/Free-Sample-Microsoft-Word-Template-

Design.aspx• http://www.brainybetty.com/MENUWord.htm• http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Templates-&-Software• http://www.docstoc.com/

Fonts For Templateshttp://www.fontshop.com/ - the original and largest online retailer of typefaces.http://www.dafont.com - a website offering many free fonts.http://typophile.com/ - a great site for design and typographic resources.

Be aware that many free fonts are not built by professionals and they might not have the proper spacing and measurements. Also many free fonts don’t have all the characters and some are only upper or lower case.

Rural ResourcesThere are also many great regional sites that have a ton of available resources for rural Albertans.

Alberta Canola Producers Commissionwww.canola.ab.ca/

Canadian Farm Business Management Councilwww.farmcentre.com/Resources/

Government of Alberta – Ropin’ the Webwww.agric.gov.ab.ca/

There are templates and many different calculators available for rural Albertans. There is also news articles, Webinars and Webcasts that can be watched live or archived. Notes and audio files are available for many of these Webinars.

E-NewslettersThis is a nice and flexible way to keep updated on current information for a specific subject. Most major content providers give viewers the ability to sign up or subscribe to one or more newsletters delivered via email or regular mail.Alberta Canola Producers Commissionhttp://canola.ab.ca/Canadian Farm Business Management Council.http://www.farmcentre.com/News/CFMNewsletter/default.aspx

Many different newsletters are available for subscription. Access to past newsletters is also available.

RSS FeedsReally Simple Syndication (RSS) has created a standardized ‘XML’ format for the transfer of information such as Blogs, news, audio and video.• People can subscribe to RSS feeds just like they subscribe to an online newsletter or Podcast.• There are many different RSS Readers available for download.

• Go to CNET (www.download.com) and see what Readers are available. • Many mail software programs accept and read RSS feeds.• There are also many RSS Reader Apps for Smart Phones available.

Safe Computing• Be aware of your surroundings while online, and watch where you click.• Make sure to have good antivirus software and check for updates at least once a week.• Another good habit is to make sure to turn on the status bar in the browser. By rolling over an link or

download before clicking, information will show up in the status bar about the link. If it is something you don’t recognize or it looks suspicious, don’t click.

• Always make sure to check the address bar at the top of the browser to make sure that the site you see is pointing to the right URL. If you are transferring personal information make sure the page is secure (padlock or key).

• Norton®, and McAfee® are the most common commercial-grade antivirus software packages. AVG® is the most common free software. (http://free.avg.com/ca-en/homepage)

Online ResourcesRopin’ the Web - http://www.agric.gov.ab.caAlberta Canola Producers Commission - http://canola.ab.ca/default.aspxCanadian Farm Business Management Council - - http://www.farmcentre.comCNET Downloads - http://www.download.comOnline Software Training - http://www.lynda.comAdobe Software - http://www.adobe.comJuice - http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.netDoubletwisthttp://www.doubletwist.com•http://www.podcastpickle.com

These materials are copyrighted with all rights are reserved. This document may not in whole or in part be copied, photocopied, reproduced, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form without prior consent, in writing, from Zephyr Software Training Ltd. and Green Hectares Corp. Any software, computer, and product names mentioned are manufacturer and publisher trademarks and are used only for the purpose of identification.

AVG is a registered trademark of AVG Technologies CZ

Acrobat, Adobe, InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Chrome and Google are trademarks of Google Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.Internet Explorer is either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft® Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.Firefox is a registered trademark of the asdf Foundation.

Mac, iTunes and Safari are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

McAfee is a registered trademark or trademark of McAfee, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

Images used with permission.