Welcome to ITonRamp.com's Home Track — an introduction to personal computers. We’re calling this the Home Track because our goal is to make you comfortable interacting with your computer in a home environment.
This track will provide you with solid, foundational computer skills. We want you to know what the components inside your system are, how to deal with peripheral hardware components, how to do basic troubleshooting, and how to keep your PC or Mac running smoothly.
Just wanted to thank you for your course and investment you made in my son. He greatly enjoyed the teaching and study and I was thrilled to have him sitting under a mentor I trust and respect. -- Kristen
Computer Essentials (Home Track) is a great way to begin understanding how your home computer operates. Even if your not planning on an IT career, Computer Essentials prepares you to understand some of the 'unexpecteds' computers throw at us from time to time. -- Adam
I feel greatly empowered to use and trouble shoot my family's computers now. I especially enjoyed learning how to set up a home network and how the hardware works. The book and webinars were presented in a friendly and engaging way that made it a joy to study and learn. The use of stories and analogies made it easier to understand and remember more difficult concepts. -- Joanna
This is a course that will make using computers not a fearful experience and give you the ability to fix your own computers. It is very helpful for everyday home use and for homeschooling children. -- Paul
Age recommendation: 12 and up.
Mentored by: Nathan Maxwell
Nathan began his IT career providing software instruction in a small training environment in Leavenworth, KS. From there, he moved into a contracting role as a desktop support technician. As his skill set grew, he began working with the company's servers as well. A few days after that contract ended, he was offered a desktop support/network admin role at another organization. After working there a number of years, the company was largely shut down, and the remaining IT needs were to be covered by their parent company, out of state.
Nathan felt God's leading into small business IT support. This was his launching point. In 1999, Nathan became an independent IT professional, serving small businesses and non-profits throughout the greater Kansas City area. While supporting a client base of roughly 30 organizations, he has deployed over a thousand PCs, 50+ servers, and countless network components and PC peripherals. In the majority of his projects, Nathan fulfilled the role of not only implementer, but also architect, buyer, integrator and follow up support.
Tied closely to his role in businesses, was home support. Nathan would frequently be asked to visit the homes of employees and help with computer issues. He’s spent many hours setting up home networks, configuring remote corporate access, printer sharing, trouble shooting internet access, and addressing a myriad of questions on both PCs and Macs.
From designing and integrating a network at a new building to meet a client's need, to providing organization infrastructure upgrades, with minimal downtime, he’s sought to blend technology with each client's unique needs. Now, he's excited to be a part of ITonRamp and what God is doing here.
Nathan's certifications:
Microsoft Certified IT Professional
Server Administrator – 07/01/2009
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration – 12/05/2008
Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration – 12/05/2008
Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration – 12/05/2008
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 – 02/12/2004
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Messaging
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 – 02/12/2004
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 – 09/30/2004
Microsoft Windows 2000 – 10/16/2003
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 – 06/08/1998
Microsoft Certified Professional
MCP 2.0 – Certified Professional – 04/12/1997
CompTIA A+ – 10/13/2004
CompTIA Network+ – 11/21/2003
CompTIA Security+ – 8/30/2005
Mac OS X Support Essentials v 10 – 07/2009
Certified Novell Administrator
IntraNetware 4.11 – 01/2000
Certified Novell Engineer – 01/2000
Netware 5.0 – 01/2000
Requirements
High-speed Internet access, for example, DSL or cable. Dialup or satellite will not work. If you have dialup or satellite connection, maybe you could go to a family friend's house or the library to view the video-conferences.
Up-to-date web browser (Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox, or Internet Explorer) with Adobe flash. Click this link, get.adobe.com/flashplayer/, to see if your Flash player is current. It will enable you to download and install the latest version if it is not.
If you have the latest flash player and high-speed Internet access you should be set to watch the video-conferences.
Student study and preparation time for Home Track is estimated to be approximately 3 to 5 hours a week. In addition, there will be a weekly video-conference class.
