Computer Course Questions

I am in the process of creating a plan for my son's 9th grade year and want to start the computer courses.  Is there a logical sequence or recommended sequence in which to do all of the computer courses?  If so, what would that be?  

Also- as he is a beginner and has not done algebra yet, I need to know if the course requires algebra skills to be complete before taking the course.

Also, how do I know in looking at a course, what the expected average amount of hours it takes the average student to complete the course?  It's important to know this when determining what else to use or combine into our year of a computer course.