First Steps
A practical course for people who feel computers have moved on without them. We take it at a human pace.
A note from Tony
I have chosen a voice and language that I hope feels encouraging and supportive. If it is not 100% right, please stick with it if you can. I want you on this journey, and we can make the words better as we go.
Audio
Choose an English-accented voice and press play. This is prebuilt AI-generated audio stored with the site, so it does not need to generate a voice each time you visit.
This audio is AI-generated, not a recording of a real person.
Selected: Female English voice
The promise
This is not a course for people who already feel clever with computers. It is for someone who may be fine on a phone, unsure on a laptop, nervous about buttons, and tired of being made to feel slow.
The aim is simple: start with ChatGPT, find one small useful thing, see it work, have that little moment of "oh, that did something", then use the same method again.
Official links
Official link
Start here first. You can often try ChatGPT before creating an account, which makes it the easiest first door. Type a harmless question and see what happens.
Cost: Free to start. ChatGPT Plus is optional and is listed at $20/month on OpenAI's official pricing pages.
Official link
Try this later, once ChatGPT feels more familiar, or when you want a second AI to compare answers. You can use the free plan to begin.
Cost: Free to start. Claude Pro is optional and is listed at $20/month in Anthropic's help centre.
Later
We do not need these for the first lesson. They are here so the links are easy to find when the course asks for them later.
Type the address yourself or use these links. Do not search for adverts. Do not enter passwords into pages that look odd. If ChatGPT asks you to sign in, use an account you already recognise or ask someone you trust to sit with you. If a page asks for money before you have tried the free version, stop and ask someone you trust.
Prices, plans, and sign-in rules can change. This page was checked against official OpenAI and Anthropic pages on May 5, 2026.
How it teaches
Crib sheet
Some advice is correct, just badly timed. Backups, account security, privacy, and work permissions all matter. But if we are doing a harmless first exercise with no personal data, the next useful move is often to start, not to build a miniature IT department.
Thank you. I am starting with a safe practice task. No passwords, no bank details, no work data, no private information. When I start storing anything important, I will add the next layer of protection.
Open the blockers crib sheetThe course
Ask ChatGPT one harmless question, then come back and tick the box.
Open lesson
Use voice, dictation, or the microphone so typing is not the gatekeeper.
Open lesson
Turn one ordinary shopping list into something organised and useful.
Open lesson
Give the work a home so you can come back without starting again.
Open lesson
Tell the AI what must happen, what must not happen, and what matters most.
Open lesson
Define words like healthy, tidy, useful, cheap, or safe in your own words.
Open lesson
Use the same method for a room, garden, recipe, safe hobby task, or work shadow example.
Open lesson
The bridge
The course does not tell people their phone is wrong. It uses the phone as a familiar base, then moves to a bigger screen when the learner is ready.
The big screen step teaches the tiny skills that often block people: opening a browser, signing in, copy and paste, finding Downloads, printing one page, and taking a photo of the screen when that is easier.