Classes and Workshops

The following are classes and workshops offered by Lorelle VanFossen.

Writing for the Web

June 3 – July 8, 2013
Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am – noon in the West Coast Bank Building in downtown Vancouver, Washington, just across the river from Portland, Oregon.
USD $179

This writing class is focused on web publishing, self-publishing on the web. Students will create a WordPress.com practice site and learn about content development, strategies, structure, and organization.

Web writing techniques covered include website and web publishing terminology and jargon, storytelling, publishing and embedding multimedia, search engine optimization (SEO), creating content inventories, editorial calendars, copyright and copyright infringement and protection, guest blogging, social media automation and integration, writing for social media, community building, citizen journalism, rights and responsibilities, managing comments and interactivity, editing, research, and story development.

Various writing skills and techniques will be covered such as personal blogging, memoir writing, family history blogging, current events, reviews, and other publishing styles.

This is a non-credit course as part of Clark College’s community educational programs.

The goal of the course is to help those new to blogging begin, and those experienced improve. The class is appropriate for all levels of experience and there are no pre-requisites, though familiarity with the web and websites is highly recommended.

You may register online through their site, Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education, or by phone, 360-992-2939, or in person at the new Continuing Education offices in the West Coast Bank Building.

WordPress I – Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education

Saturdays, April 27 – July 13, 2013, 9am – noon
Note: no class 5/25 and 7/6 for holiday weekends
Columbia Tech Center, Vancouver, Washington, just off Hwy 205
Fee: $299

Basic introduction to WordPress focused on content creation, management, development, and organization. Includes basics of social media interactivity, web writing, WordPress Themes, and WordPress Plugins. Designed for the non-web development expert or beginner.

This is a non-credit course with a certificate available. It is designed for those new to blogging, web publishing, and WordPress. The pace of the course is slow and focused on the individual needs of the participants. It is ideal for the personal blogger, family history/genealogy blogger, and small business owner or employee wishing to have an active site.

You may register online through their site, Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education, or by phone, 360-992-2939, or in person at the new Continuing Education offices in the West Coast Bank Building.

WordPress Introduction – Portland Community College – Started

April 3 – June 12, 2013
Rock Creek, Beaverton, Oregon
Hybrid Online 3 Credit Course: Meets Wednesday 6-9PM with minimum 2 hours online per week
Class ID CAS181W – CMS Website Creation: WordPress
Tuition: $294 includes class fees.

This is a 3 credit college course. It is part of the web design and development degree programs at PCC.

The course is a basic introduction to WordPress designed to have the students create dynamic, interactive, and fully functional WordPress sites. It includes the basics of content development, management, and organization, Theme design and structure, and basics of WordPress Themes and Plugins.

The course is fairly fast paced and requires HTML and CSS familiarity, as well as web browser and web search familiarity. It is ideal for the college student focused on a degree path in web design, web programming, and web development, as well as for business owners and employees requiring WordPress and web publishing experience. This course puts more emphasis on WordPress as a content management system, focusing on content strategies and development.

Registration is with the college directly or online through PCC Registration and requires registration fees and paperwork in addition to the course fees.

WordPress I – Clark College, Vancouver, Washington – Started

Tuesday/Thursday – 6-9PM April 9 – June 20, 2013
Class Full
Four Credits
Main Campus, Vancouver, Washington
Class ID CTEC 280
Tuition: est. $340 includes class fees

Introduction to the basics of WordPress including content creation, structure, management, and organization, user roles and permissions, multiple contributors, WordPress Theme customization, WordPress Plugins, and site development.

Full credit course and part of the Clark Web Development and Web Design degree programs. This course is fast paced and ideal for the college student or business owner/employee on a path to learn more about web design, web publishing, web programming, and development. There no per-requisites, though familiarity with websites and web browsers is highly recommended. This course is a basic introduction to WordPress covering the core elements and functionality of WordPress from content development to web design.

The sequel to this class, WordPress 2, will be available in 2014. Prerequisites include WordPress I, PHP, JavaScript, and HTML.

Register online or in person at Clark College. Additional fees and paperwork may be required if you are not currently a student. Clark College does not charge non-residency fees to most Oregon counties along the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon.

Coming Soon: Family History Blogging

Summer Quarter – 6 weeks
Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education

Digging into your family’s history? Have some great stories to share? Blogging your family history is more than just sharing your family tree. It is exploring and sharing the stories of the lives on those branches, how they came to be where they were, the lives they led, the families they created – and dismantled – and the history they left behind to influence the future. This course explores how to share your family’s history and stories on the web for your own family and others seeking theirs.

Students will create a WordPress.com site and learn how to share photographs, videos, interviews, news, and current and past family stories and biographies on the site and through social media.

Familiarity with web publishing, graphic editing, and WordPress (Intro to WordPress) recommended. (Non-credit course, certification available)

This course is in development. If you are interested in being a part of the class, contact them through their site, Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education, or by phone, 360-992-2939, or in person at the new Continuing Education offices in the West Coast Bank Building to be put on a waiting list.