Need to teach a basic AutoCad class

Hello,
In several months I am going to have to teach a basic AutoCad class. Just
basic commands like lines, circles, etc.
The people in the class will not have access to computers. Has anyone done
this before in a PowerPoint presentation or something?

 

....then what's the point?
___

 

The people in the class will not have access to computers

Nasty.

Biggest problem I forsee is that the students will not learn AutoCAD. Won't
be able to; can't; not an option.

Sounds like it's time for one of my patented "Just sit back and see what is
possible" lectures. Rather than "see this? this is the icon for 'line' see
how it looks like a line. find it on your screen. think you can remember
what it looks like..." more of "these are the buttons for a number of
drawing tools. Note that they look pretty much like what they draw. We can
not predict where on the screen they will be if/when you fnally get a chance
to use the software."

Not exactly.

Recently did a few lectures with lots of PowerPoint. Must say that I rather
liked it. It isn't the best thing for showing how a program works. You can
put up words that talk about things. You can make nice slides by circling
and arrowing with big bright red in Photoshop. Much better than trying to
wiggle a tiny mouse pointer in a halfbright room and saying "see this here?
No, sorry oops, here...". Though a laser pointer isn't bad for that. Though
the Pshopped PP slides make a better handout.

How much time do you have to fill? They will get bored quickly.

Think about:

Showing one lecture and handing out another. Make the handout more of a
tutorial. "OK, you finally have a copy of AutoCAD. Let's start over again in
detail with some of what you saw in class."

Will they already know how to draw? This changes what you might use for
source material and how they will relate to "how will this be useful to me?"

Splitting into a PowerPoint section full of theory and a demo section where
you show AutoCAD working (not how mysteriously you can throw together a
drawing while eyes glaze over ;-) preferably on something looking at least a
little like real world.

 

Hi rexx,
There much easier way. Get the keystone training video CD
for Autocad and let your students watch. Anything they
don't understand, just rewind and replay again.

 

Rexx,

Something I picked up the other day from someone that makes his living doing
PowerPoint Presentations.

Don't leave a slide up when not talking about what is on that slide. In
other words when done with that slide, make it go blank.

Hope that helps. I know, planning planning and more planning.

W. Kirk Crawford
Rochester Hills, Michigan