CyberCottage Computer & Internet Training now offers introductory sessions at the Lake Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce in North Hero and the Alburgh Welcome Center, in addition to the comprehensive curriculum taught in our Grand Isle classroom at Island Industrial Park. Upgrade your skills and learn new ones close to home! Classes (25) cover PC and Web basics, essential office applications, digital photography, e-commerce and finance (new topics: connecting to the Web, banking, budgeting, Quicken, debt management, and more marketing—longer do-it-yourself design and website workshops). Full courses (noted in color below) are discounted, and may be customized!
Custom training can be delivered at your local business or group site via mobile computer lab, with support from NWTC and a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant. CyberCottage curriculum is designed to prepare you for jobs requiring computer skills as well as help you with net-savvy start-ups and managing your finances in this uncertain economy.
Need financing? Call for free help! VSAC grants fund classes for the income-eligible. A no-cost payment plan is also available. We can design a discounted course with just the classes you need! Our state-of-the-art classroom includes a color projector and fast (DSL) Internet with WiFi, so BYOL (bring your own laptop!) or use our ergonomic workstations to access Web resources, practice in comfort and gain proficiency. Interactive three-hour sessions promote collaborative learning and skill building; small classes ensure hands-on instruction.
Directions from I-89: Take exit 17, go NW on route 2 for 14 miles. Island Industrial Park is on the right, one mile north of Grand Isle State Park, opposite Allen Road (north leg of 314), just past Kim’s Snack Bar. Use the east entry below the Vermont Nut Free Chocolates factory.
From our class evaluation forms...
Quality of instruction:
- "Great teachers here at CyberCottage!"
- "Very knowledgeable."
- "The pace was excellent!"
- "Teacher was very comfortable."
- "Very knowledgeable in all aspects."
- "[Instructor's] manner & approachability were perfect..."
- "Clearly understandable."
- "Very well organized."
- "Darcy is an exceptional instructor."
- "Spent time to show and give examples..."
- "Excellent respect to keep everyone understanding."
- "Very effective...relaxed, answered questions..."
What students liked best about the class:
- "Class is small enough that she can help all of us!"
- "Lessened the fear."
- "Instructor's real-life experience."
- "Good humor."
- "Informal atmosphere."
- "Losing the fear and just jumping in."
- "Learning how to do more things and navigate easier."
- "Darcy's friendliness and down-to-earth approach."
- "Gave me more confidence about how storage works."
- "The explanation of how to set up & use the Internet & e-mail."
- "Darcy's patience & ability to reach out...and move us in the right direction."
- "Comfort using different features / makes of cameras."
- "Instructor's knowledge & sharing of experiences & ability for hands-on learning..."
- "Learning new ways to do things."
General comments:
- "Teacher made it interesting...good time."
- "Great classes."
- "Wide open world."
- "Endless possibilities."
- "It was all very useful."
- "Great time."
- "Enjoyed class."
- "Great job!"
- "Keep it going."
Who We Are
CyberCottage director, Darcy Coates has been facilitating mastery of computers in the arts and business since 1984. With degrees in computer science, art history and museum studies, her specialty is applying PCs to creative pursuits. Teaching skills were honed training coworkers to use apps she customized for a variety of projects (from HMO cash flow projections to initial inventory of an historic art museum’s world-class collection). In the '90s she taught computer literacy for Burlington’s ONE Community Tech Center and established the first networked collections management system for the Fleming Museum at UVM. After two years as full-time eBay entrepreneur, Darcy founded CyberCottage in 2007 to provide Islanders with accessible computer and etail training. She currently teaches a variety of classes, coordinates training programs and oversees the mobile lab (a joint venture between the LCI Chamber of Commerce, NWTC and VSAC with funds from a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant). Darcy serves on the LCI Chamber and Island Arts Boards and the Grand Isle County organizing committee for Front Porch Forum. | |
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Marco Ayala is a freelance graphic designer and video editor with seven years of experience under his belt. He understands and successfully combines the graphic needs of his clients with ongoing trends, creating images that represent and fit their needs.
Graduated in Communication Sciences, he has worked in radio, television and graphic design, which has provided him with a broad understanding of media and its applications. More recently he has joined UVM Extension and edited special features for "Across The Fence." Some of Marco's most recent creations include posters, graphics and brochures for Island Arts.
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David Dewyea, of Dewyea Computer Consulting in South Hero, VT, has more than 30 years of broad computer, business, and information systems knowledge and experience. Whether simple or complex, David helps small businesses and home users make their computers work for them, using the tools they already have in place more effectively and efficiently. David’s business philosophy is to always treat all clients with respect, to teach and explain everything thoroughly and clearly, and to do all of this and more with Common Sense and Integrity.
David’s education includes an AS in Data Processing from Champlain College, and AS in Accounting from Champlain College, and a BS in Business from Trinity College. Work experience before starting Dewyea Computer Consulting, about seven years ago, includes providing computer system installation and conversion services for many local businesses. David was Information Systems Manager for Rossignol North America for 19 years; these Rossignol companies included Rossignol US & Canada, Dynastar US & Canada, and Cleveland Golf.
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Since 1988, Teri Geney of WordCraft Marketing Communications has been helping companies like yours communicate effectively - and increase their business as a result. As a freelance marketing professional, her abilities and experience are comparable to what you find in a big agency - without the big price tag. | |
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Gail LaFond, of Georgia, VT, has an AS in Business Administration from Trinity College, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She has worked in the banking industry for 18 years as a bank teller, in marketing, business banking, a mortgage loan officer and a branch manager. Gail believes that understanding your finances can be the key to financial freedom. | |
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Mary Harwood is a professional writer and non-profit executive who works in a wide range of genres, from fiction to grant proposals to copywriting. She remembers the dark ages of computers -- when there were punch cards! Learning Microsoft Office products was a career necessity. In her daily work as Development and Communications Director at Smart Growth Vermont, she routinely uses Word, Excel, Power Point and Publisher, with occasional forays into Access and Photo Shop and other photo editing programs. She has experience working with a number of fundraising database systems.
Mary has a BA in Studio Art and Writing from Rutgers University and an MFA in fiction from the University of Southern Maine Stonecoast Low-Residency Program. She has taught professional seminars and is on the community faculty of Burlington College, where she teaches on-campus and independent student courses in writing. Her studio art background comes in handy when she’s developing materials on the fly for organizations that can’t afford professional design work and just in general to use her own photos in cards, etc. | |
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