New resource page and new links

Hello, everyone.
I have just added a link to Hotspotclicker to the Useful Links page.
Hotspotclicker is a set of Jaws scripts that allow you to assign shortcut keys to mouse clicks, and to define a hotspot anywhere in an application which will speak after you press a shortcut key.
I have also added a new page about keyboard shortcuts for Ubuntu and Mac OS X. You can download shortcut key lists as pdf files from there.

Further changes to the 2009 course syllabus

Good morning, everyone.
I have just made some additional changes to the 2009 course syllabus.
The ad hoc wireless networking module has been removed due to technical difficulties, so Wednesday morning of the second week of training is now unscheduled. Information about a replacement module will appear soon.
I have also updated The optional courses page and the useful links page.

Change to the 2009 syllabus

Good afternoon, everyone.
The course syllabus for the 2009 training has been changed.
The are changes to the optional courses, tasks, discussions and seminars.
Please be sure to check the syllabus page for more information.

New tutorial: creating a blog with WordPress

Good evening, everyone.
I have just posted a new tutorial to the blog.
It shows you how to make a blog using WordPress.
You can read it by following this link.

Results of the selection for the 2009 Teruko Ikeda ICT Training Programme

Good evening, everyone.
Here are the results of the selection for this year’s Teruko Ikeda ICT Training Programme.
As you know, there will be two groups. The first group will consist of 10 participants, and the second group will consist of 8 participants.

The members of the first group are as follows:
Ms. Dawa Sherpa, Nepal
Ms. Dinh Viet Anh, Vietnam
Ms. Gerel Dondow, Mongolia
Ms. Mabel Gaerlan, the Philippines
Ms. Nazma Ara Begum Popy, Bangladesh
Ms. Shamuni, Malaysia
Mr. Arun Dhungana, Nepal
Mr. Fandy Dawenan, Indonesia
Mr. Joel Rescober, the Philippines
Mr. Leki Chedup, Bhutan

The members of the second group are as follows:
Ms. Jennelyn Palacio, the Philippines
Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuyen, Vietnam
Ms. Sisi Coalala, Fiji
Mr. Ieng Sovannara, Cambodia
Mr. Nguyen Tam Bao, Vietnam
Mr. Nhuchhe Maharjan, Nepal
Mr. Taufiq Effendi, Indonesia

We at the Japan Braille Library extend our warmest congratulations to the successful applicants, and hope that all of them will have a fruitful and enjoyable time in Penang in August.

The 2009 Teruko Ikeda ICT Training Programme

Hello, everyone.
Here is information about this year’s Teruko Ikeda ICT Training Programme.
As usual, the venue will be St. Nicholas Home, Penang, Malaysia. However, there will be no basic course this year. Instead, there will be two intermediate courses:
The first course will start on Saturday the 8th of August and end on Thursday the 20th of August.
The second course will start on Saturday the 22nd of August and end on Thursday the 3rd of September.
The contents of both courses will be basically the same.
Please do not send application forms to the Japan Braille Library to join these courses. Instead, the participants will be chosen in the following two ways:

1. If you were a trainee on any of the five Teruko Ikeda ICT training courses, you are eligible. If you are chosen, we will contact you over the next two weeks.
2. If you sent an application form to the Japan Braille Library between 2004 and 2008, you may be chosen. We are now reconsidering all submitted application forms. If you are chosen, you will be contacted soon.

Again, please do not contact us. If you are chosen, we will contact you.
I will post more information as it becomes available.
Good luck to all of you!

Farewell speech for the Malaysian part of the 2008 training programme

Hello, everyone.
I have just posted the farewell speech given at the closing ceremony of the Malaysian part of the 2008 training programme by Mr. Leki Chedup from Bhutan.
Everyone present agreed that Mr. Chedup’s speech was both moving and eloquent.
You can read it by
following this link.

The Teruko Ikeda email list

Good morning, everyone.
Now that the Teruko Ikeda ICT training has finished for another year, I think it’s time to remind you all about the support email list.
All of the former trainees are members of this list, and many of them now know a lot about computer software and hardware.
If this year’s trainees have any questions or need help, please write a message to the support list. Someone will certainly be happy to help you.
Please write to the following email address to send a message to the list:
teruko-ikeda-ict@googlegroups.com

Twitter

Good morning, everyone.
It has been a long time since I last posted to the blog, but a lot of things have happened.
Firstly, the training topics for this year’s course have been finalised. I shall post them to a new page on the blog soon.
Finally, we have decided to teach the Twitter messaging service if there’s enough time. For those of you who don’t know, Twitter is a kind of quick blogging service. You can post short messages about what you are doing now, and your friends can see and respond to them. Twitter is a good way to keep in touch with you friends and work colleagues, and it is also a lot of fun. We’d like to teach it together with making a blog.
Please look out for additions to the Excel and Skype tutorials in the near future. Also, I’m hoping to post some notes about Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail before the course starts.

Course notes for Microsoft Excel 2007

Good evening, everyone.
I have just posted some course notes for Microsoft Excel 2007 to the Course Notes page.
At the moment, there are instructions about entering data into a spreadsheet, navigating inside a spreadsheet with Jaws, creating formulae, and using basic functions like “SUM” and “COUNTIF.”
More should follow soon.