Essential Computer Skills - Northstar Digital Literacy Open Lab

Spades Park Branch is hosting an Essential Computer Skills open lab on Wednesday, November 18, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. It's built around Northstar Digital Literacy, an online platform that lets you work through digital literacy training and assessments at your own pace. You can evaluate where you stand, set your own learning goals, and work through lessons to pick up new skills. There's a Spanish assessment and Spanish lessons available, too.

The platform covers the basics you actually use every day: basic computer skills, internet basics, using email, and navigating Windows and Mac OS. It also goes into essential software skills and how to use technology in your daily life. Because it's an open lab, you aren't stuck in a one-size-fits-all lecture; you work through the material that makes sense for you, and library staff are there the whole time to guide you if you hit a wall.

There's a tangible payoff to the work, too. If you attend a program that offers Northstar Assessment Proctoring and pass an assessment during the session with a score of 85% or higher, you earn a free certificate in the skills you've learned. It's a good way to put something on paper for the time you put in.

The session is aimed at seniors and adults, and you'll need to bring your own headphones. The lab runs from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Wednesday, November 18, at the Spades Park Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, 1801 Nowland Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46201.