Learn the ABCs of Computer Technology This Fall at UC Berkeley Extension.

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 1998--We live in a technological age, yet up to 85 percent of Americans admit that they are somewhat technophobic.

"Technology is overwhelming people," says William Staples, a University of Kansas sociology professor and author of a book on privacy in the electronic age. "It's so far out of the grasp for most of us, our VCRs are still blinking 12 midnight."

Our technophobia is most acute when it comes to computers, and for good reason -- new developments cause the industry changes so rapidly, even the "experts" have a hard time keeping up. But as information technology plays an increasingly important role in almost every business strategy, having a fundamental working knowledge of computer technology is essential to maintain a competitive edge.

This fall UC Berkeley Extension offers a course designed to help people understand computer technologies they never thought they could.

Offered this year for the first time, "The ABCs of Computer Technology" gives executives, managers, sales and marketing managers, intellectual property lawyers and others in the business community a thorough and basic grounding in computer technology. The course will take place Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 26 to 28, from 9 am to 5 pm, at UC Extension Downtown, 150 Fourth Street, Sixth Floor, San Francisco.

The fee for the course is $1,095. For more course information or a brochure, call 510/642-4151, fax [phone], or e-mail [e-mail]. To enroll, call 510/642-4111, or visit Extension's Web site and enroll online at www.berkeley.edu/unex/eng.

"There is no global view of technology in technology classes," says instructor Eric Braun, M.A., B.S.E.E. "Most great techies can't speak to humans. Technology is taught at a highly specific level, one little piece at a time. But people are not taught the general background of a specific piece of hardware or software, where it comes from and why it might be designed the way it is to fit into the technology world as a whole.

"This class helps participants rapidly understand new technology -- it's like a map that shows how different parts of technology fit together."

Braun has more than 20 years of experience in the computer industry. He is the founder and managing partner of Applied Wisdom, a company that uses Internet technology to deliver management and business skills training to corporations.

He also works as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Labor, Dun & Bradstreet, McKesson, Unisys and Medical Economics, among others. Braun has a background in psychology and teaches participants to learn how to learn technology, eliminate technophobia and have fun.

After completing the course, participants will understand basic operating systems, computer networks, programming concepts and have a bird's eye view of most other important computer concepts. Textbooks included in the course fee are Teach Yourself Computers and The Internet Visually, an easy-to-use guide for non-techies.