It's easy to fall behind current technology - especially if you've taken time off work to raise kids, or downsized your career in favour of a better work/life balance.

Watching technology get away from you is a scary thing when you have a 10-year-old daughter whose assignments are vodcast-embedded, Photoshop-edited presentations delivered to the teacher on a CD she burnt herself.

Don't despair. If you simply know how to access the internet, you're on your way to finding a range of courses that can get you up to speed - and many of them are free.

Online video tutorials, vodcasts and webcasts (different people call them different things) are the easiest way to learn about technology because you can watch example tasks being performed onscreen while you listen to the explanation.

You'll find video instructions on the eHow website for everything from how to use iTunes or how to set up a WiFi hotspot at home, to how to make a website. The videos are contributed by the eHow community and cover an impressive array of topics.

The BBC's Webwise Guides are also great learning resources, with videos on sharing vodcasts, social networking tools and how to watch TV shows online through streaming or downloads.

To brush up on social networking, watch the Click vodcasts: How to use Flickr and How to use Facebook and take a look at eHow's videos on using instant messenger applications like MSN.

To learn how to use Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher and PowerPoint, check out the webcasts and podcasts or watch self-paced training courses for Office 2007 or 2003.

Adobe TV comes from the makers of many of the popular software programs being used in NSW public schools. Their How To Channel has lots of easy-to-understand video tutorials on all the Adobe products, which are suitable for beginners to advanced users.

Here's some of the Adobe software your child might be using and what each program does:

• Photoshop Elements - edit, enhance and share digital photos
• Premiere Elements - create and publish video
• Acrobat Professional - create, publish and manage PDF documents
• Flash Professional - create and publish interactive animations
• InDesign - create posters, flyers, books, etc
• Fireworks - create, edit and optimise images for the web
• Dreamweaver - create websites and web content

If you're starting to feel creative with all this technology at your fingertips, why not record your own podcasts to put on your blog or social networking pages? Watch these online tutorials to discover how to use the free podcast editing software, Audacity, which is also being used in schools.

TAFE NSW is Australia's largest training provider, and it's not just for teenagers completing apprenticeships. As well as giving students of all ages the opportunity to further their careers with industry-recognised qualifications, TAFE offers a range of courses, including computer and IT subjects, for anyone interested in broadening their education.

Joanne Wigzell, a teacher at TAFE NSW's South Western Sydney Institute says short courses are available on how to use the internet, email and electronic communications.

"Using Computers in an Office Environment is a great starter course where you'll learn some internet and email basics as well as introductory word processing and spreadsheet skills," she says.

"For those looking for something more advanced, Using Advanced Software Functions in an Office Environment covers electronic presentations, advanced word processing and spreadsheets, databases and desktop publishing."

TAFE courses can be undertaken at 130 TAFE campuses across NSW or completed online.

On theTAFE website, go to the "Find A Course" search box and enter "computers" or "information technology" to view the range of short courses through to advanced-level qualifications.

Fees for short computer courses start at $160. Certificate to Advanced Diploma level course fees range from around $220 to $750 per semester. Courses that contribute to professional self-education may be tax deductible, so check with the ATO.

If you haven't bought a new mobile phone for a while, guess what? These days some are more like a computer than a phone. Smartphones like the iPhone, Treo, Blackberry and others can virtually organise your life for you, and let you watch a movie while they're doing it!

The Telstra website can help you research and compare phones. Also check out the technology review site, CNET, where you'll also find comparisons and information on mobile phones, smartphones, networks, phone applications and accessories. They even have videos on how to use your phone. 

What a world we live in - when you go onto the internet to watch a video about how to use a phone! Yes, technology is astounding and thank goodness there's lots of information around to make it accessible too.