In a week or so, it will be back-to-school time.

The K-12 kids are taking inventory of their school uniforms and getting anxious about whom their teachers are going to be. College students are making housing arrangements and figuring out how to cover the high cost of tuition and life away from home. But what about the folks who are not involved in formal education and who still want to learn new skills?

Here comes the Extension Service to the rescue. We will host several informal sessions over the next couple of months that may interest those wanting to hone their computer skills and knowledge. We have offered these to the general public before and have received a good response.

Our Extension Service computer specialists have, once again, agreed to teach the basics of several popular computer programs utilizing our interactive video network. Via that system, the professors can teach from the campus of Mississippi State University while the students participate, right here from the Warren County Extension office. Keep in mind, though, that the sessions are interactive. Students can ask questions and get answers – just like in a traditional classroom.

I hope you will pull out your calendars and jot down the dates and times of the courses being offered. Our space is somewhat limited, so I urge potential students to contact the Extension office soon and register.

These classes are free. A list of sessions set for August and September:

Understanding PDFs – 1:30-3 p.m. Aug. 12; learn uses for PDF files and software available to use and edit PDF documents.

Working with Adobe 7.0 Standard – 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 12; learn to create a PDF file using Adobe Acrobat.

Using Photo Albums in Power Point – 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 18; learn to create a slide show from your photos by using Microsoft PowerPoint 2007.

Creating Newsletters in Word 2007 – 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 27; learn to add such features as watermarks, logos, photos and drop caps to newsletters.

Cyber-Bullying – Noon-1 p.m. Sept. 4; learn what to do if your child is the victim or the bully and the legal ramifications of both.

Intro to Excel 2007 – 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 8; learn to create and use simple spreadsheets to make basic calculations and data-sorting easier.

Using Mail Merge in Word 2007 – 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 9; learn to combine MS Excel and Word to create mailing labels and envelopes from scratch.

Creating Forms in Word 2007 – 1-4 p.m. Sept. 9; learn to use the developer component of Word 2007.

Using Web 2.0 Technologies – 1-4 p.m. Sept. 10; learn programs such as Bitstrip, Flickr, TastyPlanner, Pixton, Fix My Movie and others.

Advanced PowerPoint 2007 – 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 18.

Multimedia in PowerPoint 2007 – 1-4 p.m. Sept. 18.

John C. Coccaro is county Extension director. Write to him at 1100-C Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 or call 601-636-5442. E-mail him at jcoccaro@ext.msstate.edu