Tech Savvy Seniors

Introduction
to Computers
Basic Guide
 TOPIC INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

WHO IS THIS Not everyone had the opportunity to grow up with

WORKSHOP FOR? computers. This workshop is for people who have never
really used a computer before, and might fnd them
a little scary. It’s about teaching you that computers
aren’t terrifying or to be avoided, but an incredibly
useful tool for communicating, shopping, getting
information and entertaining yourself.

WHAT YOU’LL An internet-connected laptop or desktop computer;

NEED either your own or supplied by the workshop organisers.
You may need to share a computer with others in the
workshop.

This workshop will walk you frst through the basics

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN of what a computer is, what its components are and
how it’s operated. We’ll teach you how to use a mouse
and keyboard. Then we’ll put those skills to good use
to create your frst document on the computer, and
perhaps do a little web surfng along the way.

TIMETABLE SUBJECT DURATION

Total time: 2 hours
What’s a personal computer? 20 minutes
The workshop is broken
into four topics and two
activities, with a break
in the middle.Times Getting to know your mouse 10 minutes
are indicative only, so
don’t feel limited by the
recommended duration All about keyboards 5 minutes
of each task. Feel free
to repeat any activities
(practise makes perfect!), Using a computer 20 minutes
and ask questions at any
time.
Break 10 minutes

Activity: create a document 20 minutes

Activity: surf the web 30 minutes

Summary 5 minutes

TOTAL 120 minutes

Introduction to Computers Page 2

 SUBJECT WHAT’S A PERSONAL COMPUTER?

TIME 15 minutes

OVERVIEW Technically, a lot of devices qualify as a computer

these days. There’s a computer in your phone, in your
TV, in your car – even in your toaster in some cases.
When people talk about personal computers, however,
they mean standalone devices that can be used for
accessing the internet, producing documents, playing
games and much more.
Personal computers (PCs) generally come in one of two
forms: the desktop computer and the laptop computer,
also known as a notebook computer.
A desktop computer is much bigger and requires
a connection to a power point. It’s designed to be
placed on or under a desk. It usually comes with
separate components that make up the desktop
whole. There’s a screen (called a monitor), mouse,
keyboard and the computer box itself. Some A desktop computer
requires mains power and
desktop computers, known as all-in-ones combine has discrete components
the monitor and computer box into a single unit.
A laptop computer combines all those components
into a single box that opens up like
a clamshell, with the monitor on top and keyboard
and mouse below. Laptops are portable and have
battery power, which can last for a number of hours
(usually about 5-10) before you need to recharge.

A laptop computer is
portable and all the
components are built in

SUBJECT DISCUSSION

Which do you think you would prefer: a laptop or

DISCUSSION a desktop? Why does one choice or another appeal
to you?

DISCUSSION Desktops have a bigger screen and a larger keyboard

POINTS and mouse. They’re also typically more powerful than
laptops (that is, they have a faster “engine”).
Laptops are portable, so you can take them away with
you, and do things like sit in bed and use the computer.

Introduction to Computers Page 3

 THINGS YOU The applications for personal computers are nearly
CAN DO ON limitless. Some of the things you can do include:
A COMPUTER Writing letters and creating spreadsheets.
Video and voice chatting with friends and family
all over the planet.
Browsing the incredible library that is the World
Wide Web.
Playing games with others or solo, from simple
card games to complex adventures.
Doing your taxes.
Checking on news and current affairs.
Storing, sharing and browsing photo albums.
Listening to music and watching TV.

THE PARTS OF A desktop computer comes in separate parts. We’ll

A COMPUTER walk you through what each does. A laptop also has all
these parts, but they’re built into the single box.
The computer box
This is the body of the computer
itself, where all the computing
parts are stored. It contains the
computer processor (the central
processing unit, or CPU), memory
and storage and much more.
It’s the part of the computer
that thinks, calculates and
remembers.

The keyboard
The keyboard is what you use to type words and
numbers. It also usually has extra controls for moving
around a screen or document, or accessing special
computer abilities.
The mouse
The mouse is known as a pointing device – it’s a way
of communicating to the computer what you want
to do. By moving the mouse around, a pointer on the
computer monitor is moved, which lets you select
things on the screen.
The monitor
The monitor is the screen that
displays the computer’s output
– it’s how the computer displays
its information to you.

Introduction to Computers Page 4

 THE PARTS OF The software
A COMPUTER There’s a ffth, invisible component on computers: the APPLE MAC
software. Software controls the computer and tells it Most of the Tech
what to, and also communicates with you. There are Savvy Seniors guides
two general types of software: the operating system assume you’re
running the Windows
and apps. operating system,
The operating system (OS) runs the basic functions with the latest version
being Windows 11. If
of the computer, like displaying things on screen and you’re using an Apple
storing documents. Every computer has one – the Mac, many of the
most common operating system is called Windows. same principles will
apply, but in some
It’s the thing that lets you launch and switch between cases the process
applications, fnd fles, use the mouse and keyboard, for launching and
set the speaker volume and much more. using apps might be
a little different (and
Short for applications, apps are individual pieces of the apps might be
software that perform specifc tasks. One application different as well).
might help you create letters. Another might let
you play a game. Another could let you browse the
internet. There are millions of different apps for
different tasks.

Peripherals
The previous elements are the main parts of a computer, but there may
also be other parts. Some computers come with speakers for sound output,
a device for connecting to the internet (called a modem or router), a printer to
put your documents and photos on physical paper, microphones and cameras
for talking to other people through the computer, and much more. There are
literally thousands of different devices that can be plugged into and controlled A printer is an example of
by a computer. Collectively, they’re called peripherals. a computer peripheral

CONNECTING Okay, we’ve talked through the different parts of

A COMPUTER a computer, now it’s time to connect the components
together. They all plug into the main computer box. Of
course, this only applies to desktop computers – on
a laptop all the parts are already connected.
If you look at the back of a computer, you’ll likely see a
dizzying array of different plugs and connectors: don’t
worry, you’ll never even have to use most of them.
They’re present mainly so that the computer still
supports lots of different peripherals. What’s more,
all of the connectors are keyed – the only thing that
you can plug into a connector is a matching cable.
Essentially, where it fts is where it goes.
The frst thing to do is connect the monitor to the A standard HDMI
computer. Take the cable from the monitor and plug it connector
into a matching slot on the back of the computer. There
are actually a number of different types of plugs for
monitors, but the most common is one called HDMI –
the same one used by fat screen TV sets.

Introduction to Computers Page 5

 CONNECTING Then we connect the mouse and the keyboard. These
A COMPUTER will have the same kinds of connectors as each other,
called USB (universal serial bus). You’ll see on the
computer that there are several ports that match
these plugs. You can plug the keyboard and mouse
into any of them. A USB connector. A lot
of devices use USB to
Finally, take the power cable and plug it into the connect to the computer
computer. Your monitor will also have its own power (including the keyboard
connector. Turn on the power points and you should be and mouse). You can plug
all ready to go. it into any USB port with a
rectangular shape

TURNING ON Now we just need to turn the computer on. On

A COMPUTER the front of a desktop computer, or just above the
keyboard on a laptop, there will be a power button.
Most computers use a common symbol for the power USB-C is a newer kind of
button – a circle broken by a vertical line through the connector. It works the
same way as the old-style
top. USB but you can put it in
either way up. The port
Simply press the button once and your computer is oval shaped instead of
should spring to life. Things will (hopefully) start rectangular
whirring and a series of images will appear on
screen. The computer will take a few seconds
to boot up, during which there will be a series of
different images on screen. Usually, on a computer
running the Windows operating system, you’ll see a
manufacturer’s splash screen matching the maker
of your computer, then a Windows boot-up screen as
the Windows operating system loads itself into the
computer’s memory.
The nearly universal symbol
Finally, you’ll see a login screen, which is where we’ll for the button that switches
begin to start using the computer. Computers can PC power on
be set up with or without a password that you use to
log in. The password is used to lock people out who
shouldn’t be using the computer.
Modern computers can also have several authorised
users, each with their own unique and separate set of
documents and applications. So if you login, you’ll see
your documents, and if someone else logs in they’ll
see their documents.
The login screen for
Windows 10

Introduction to Computers Page 6

 SUBJECT GETTING TO KNOW YOUR MOUSE

TIME 10 minutes

MOUSING ABOUT Now that you’re at the login screen or in your

operating system, you’ll be able to take control of
your mouse.
Place the mouse on a fat surface – it can be
anything, as long as it’s solid and smooth enough
to support sliding the mouse over it without lifting
the mouse up off the surface (avoid extremely shiny
surfaces). Next, slide the mouse around in any
direction while looking up at the monitor. Don’t press
any buttons on the mouse just yet, just practise
moving it across the surface.
See a little pointer on the screen? See how it moves
corresponding to the way you move the mouse (and
within the borders of the screen)?
This is how mouse control works. Don’t worry, it’s
quite intuitive and you’ll get used to it very quickly. It’s This is what the mouse
ease-of-use is why we’ve been using mice to control pointer looks like most of
personal computers since the 1970s. the time in Windows. Certain
apps may change the shape
You can control the computer using touchscreens, of mouse pointer, however,
depending on the needs of
touch pads, track balls, track pads and voice the app
recognition too, but the mouse is still the mainstay.

On laptops: the touch pad

If you’re running this workshop on a laptop rather than a desktop computer,
you might not have a mouse at all. Instead you’ll have what’s called a touch pad.
It will be located just below the keyboard, and have one or more buttons just
below it. The buttons serve the same functions as the mouse buttons.
The pad also serves the same function as a mouse – to move the pointer around
– although in the case of the touch pad, the mechanics are a little different. To
move the mouse pointer with a touch
pad, you glide your fnger over the pad
in the direction you want to move the A touch pad
pointer. Don’t worry if you run out of
room; just lift your fnger off the pad
and move it back to a point where you
have room. The pointer will stay in place.
If you prefer a mouse, you can attach
a mouse to a laptop using any of the
laptop’s USB ports.

Introduction to Computers Page 7

 MOUSING ABOUT: So what function does the mouse serve anyway?
WHAT DOES IT DO? The mouse is used to point at things on screen. It
represents a way for you to tell the computer
“I want that”. It’s used to select which app you’d like
to start using, and also to control elements within an
app, such as pressing buttons in the app.
It’s also used to navigate around documents and
apps. Say you have written a letter that’s too big to be
viewed on the screen at once. Some of that letter will
be off-screen, and you can use the mouse to view the
rest of the document. If you want to insert an extra
word or paragraph, or change a word or paragraph,
you can use the mouse pointer to select the area of
the document you want to change.

MOUSING ABOUT: Every mouse has at least one button on it. Most mice
THE MOUSE on computers running Windows have two buttons –
BUTTONS AND a left button and a right button – as well as a little
wheel wedged between them, the scroll wheel.
SCROLL WHEEL

Left mouse button

Scroll wheel
Right mouse button

In Windows, each button has a different function. The

left button is the most commonly used button. Clicking
the left mouse button tells the computer “activate
whatever the pointer is currently pointing at”.
The right button is the Context button, and its function
is different depending on what you’re pointing at. Most
often, it gives options relating to whatever the pointer
is pointing at.
For example, if the pointer is on an app, the left button
would start that app, while the right button might
give you the options to delete the app, or move it
somewhere else, or close it if it’s already running.
The scroll wheel is special. In the example above,
where an onscreen letter was too big to be seen all
at once, the scroll wheel would be used to scroll the
document down the screen, revealing the parts of it
that are hidden.

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 MOUSING ABOUT: In text editors, the mouse pointer is supplemented by
an element called the cursor, which is usually
THE CURSOR a vertical line that fashes continuously.
On computers, you can always jump to any point
in the text and type. Extra words inserted into the
middle of a paragraph will push words after them to
the right rather than overwrite them. You can jump
into any point in a document and make edits.
The cursor tells you where in the document you’re
currently editing or writing. New words that you
type will appear where the cursor is. If you press the
Backspace button, letters to the left of the cursor will
be deleted.
You can move the cursor using the mouse. To do that,
you’d take the mouse pointer to the point in the text
you’d like to place the cursor and left-click.

The cursor fashes to

let you see where it is
located in a document

MOUSING ABOUT: Okay, let’s practise some mouse controls.

LET’S PRACTISE If you’re still on the Windows login screen, move the
mouse pointer to a name on the screen. If you can’t
see any names, just a background picture, then left-
click in the middle of the login screen. If there’s more
than one login, you may need to ask about which to
use. Then perform a single click on the left mouse
button (known as a left-click).
If there’s no password on the computer you might still
need to click Sign In below the name, then Windows
should appear.

Introduction to Computers Page 9

 MOUSING ABOUT: What you’ll see here is called the desktop
LET’S PRACTISE – it’s from here that you launch your apps.
For now, we’re not going to launch any apps
or do anything (we’ll be getting to that in a bit),
but we can practise our mouse movements and
clicking a little.
Move the mouse pointer to any blank space on the
screen. Practise left-clicking and right-clicking. You’ll
see, whenever you right-click, that a menu will appear
on screen – this is the Context menu. To make it go
away, just left-click somewhere on the screen other
than on the menu. If you left-click one of the menu
options, something will happen depending on what
you’re pointing at.
There’s a special move that we should practise here
as well. It’s called the double-click, and it takes some
people a little bit of time to master. To double-click,
you have to press the left button twice in very quick
succession. If you’re not quick enough, it will register
as two single clicks.
Double-click is often used for starting apps from the
computer’s main screen. The frst click selects the app.
The second click starts it. Usually, you don’t need to
use double-click when you launch an app from a menu
or any place not on the desktop. When you launch from
the desktop, you will always need to use double-click.

Introduction to Computers Page 10

 SUBJECT ALL ABOUT KEYBOARDS

TIME 10 minutes

WHAT’S A The keyboard is your digital typewriter. It is the way

KEYBOARD? you enter text into your applications.
But it also serves other functions as well. In addition
to the usual letters and numbers you might expect,
there is a whole bunch of other keys whose function
is not all that obvious.
Some of these include:
The Enter or Return key
This is used to end a paragraph or signal that your
typing is complete. Some keyboards call this Return,
and some use an arrow symbol.
The Shift keys
For letters, this switches between upper and lower
case. Hold down a Shift key while typing a letter, and
Shift
you’ll get the upper case version of that letter. If you
look on the keyboard above the number keys, as well
as the punctuation keys, you’ll see extra symbols, like
#,$,%, {} and so on. If you hold down the Shift key
while pressing the numbers, you’ll get those symbols
instead.
The Caps Lock key
Press it once, and every letter you type will thereafter Caps Lock
be in upper case. Press it again to return to regular
lower case. Some keyboards just called this Caps.
The Ctrl (Control) and Alt keys
The use of these depends on the app. Like the Shift Ctrl Alt
key, they’re typically used in conjunction with a letter
or number, where you press the Control/Alt key and Ctrl and Alt keys are
the letter at the same time. Most commonly, they’re often used for keyboard
shortcuts
used for what are called keyboard shortcuts.

The standard layout of a

QWERTY keyboard

Introduction to Computers Page 11

 WHAT’S A Instead of taking your hand off the keyboard and
using the mouse, a lot of apps let you use shortcuts
KEYBOARD? to achieve certain functions. For example, pressing
Control and Z at the same time in a text editor un-
does the last thing you did to the document.
The Tab key
Used in some applications (like spreadsheets and Tab
web browsers) to jump to the next feld.
The navigation keys
The navigation keys include four arrow keys. When
working with text, these let you move the cursor
without having to reach for your mouse.
The Backspace and Delete (Del) keys
If you make a mistake when typing, the Backspace Delete
key will erase letters to the left of the cursor. The
Delete key will erase letters to the right of the cursor.
The F keys (F1, F2, F3 etc.) Backspace
These serve a function similar to the Control and Alt
keys, letting you access certain app functions without
having to reach for the mouse. F1, for example,
F1 F2
usually brings up the Help screen.
The Esc (escape) key
This often used if you want to “back out” of whatever ESC
you’re doing. Its particular use is dependent on the
app. In some cases, for example, it might close the
app, or abort a particular function that you started.
Some keyboards have additional buttons as well, for
controlling volume or quickly launching apps using
only the keyboard.

Why QWERTY?
Most English language keyboards use what may seem like a bizarre letter layout:
QWERTY (named for the frst six letters on the frst row of letter keys).
There are some odd historical reasons for this layout. It was originally
designed for use in mechanical typewriters in the 19th century, allowing
professional secretaries and typists to type faster by putting the most
commonly used letters in more conveniently accessible places. But it was also
designed so that typists couldn’t go too fast and cause the mechanical hammers
on the typewriters to jam up.
Of course, modern electronic keyboards don’t jam up, and there are theoretically
more effcient keyboard layouts that could be used. But we’ve all become so
accustomed to QWERTY that it has remained in common use.

Introduction to Computers Page 12

 SUBJECT USING A COMPUTER

TIME 20 minutes

LAUNCHING AN APP Enough talk: it’s time to play. Let’s start by launching
an app.
Before we get started, however, we do need to note
that not all computers are alike when it comes to
launching apps. It depends on your operating system.
Windows 11 is slightly different from Windows 10, and
both are quite different from MacOS used in Apple
Mac computers. Still, the principle is the same no
matter what. You locate the app icon with your mouse
pointer and left-click or double-click on it.

WHAT’S AN ICON? An app is represented on the screen by an icon, a

graphical symbol that typically shows the logo of the
application. For example, the Windows 11 Edge web
browser is represented by the icon opposite: The Edge icon
The WordPad app, a text editor, is represented by the
icon opposite:
Windows 11 and Windows 10 access apps in similar
ways.
In Windows 11, click the Start button near the middle
of the bottom of the screen (it looks like the Windows
The WordPad icon
icon). On Windows 10, the Start button is in the
bottom left corner of the screen.
The Start menus for Windows 11 and Windows 10
look different, but you can click All Apps to see an
alphabetical list of all your apps.
Scroll to fnd the one you want, then left-click to open.

Click the Start button

and select All apps to
view applications on
your computer

You can also choose an application from the task bar

at the bottom of the screen.
Choose an app from
the bottom task bar

Introduction to Computers Page 13

 You can search for an app you want to open too.
WHAT’S AN ICON?
On Windows 11, you frst need to click the Search icon
which looks like a magnifying glass. Next, type your
search in the search bar at the top of the search menu.

On Windows 10, you might see a search box at the

bottom of the screen. You can type your search here.
If you don’t see this box, click on the Search icon and
type your search in the box that appears.
On Windows 10, type
the name of an app to
search for it

What’s a web browser?

We’ll actually take a quick walk through using a web browser in a short while, but
the short explanation is that a web browser lets you explore the endless library
and limitless shopping mall that is the world wide web. To access the web, you
just need to open your web browser and type in the address
of a website to view that site’s contents.

Let’s practise launching an application. In Windows 11

LAUNCHING AN APP and Windows 10, fnd the Edge web browser icon.
Move your mouse so that the mouse pointer is directly
on top of the icon.
Now just left-click. (Note, if the icon is on the main
desktop in Windows 11 or Windows 10 you’ll have to
double-click on it).
The application will launch and you’ll see it pop up on your
screen, either in a window – which is the frame on the
desktop in which the application runs – or full screen.

Edge running in a window

(and open to telstra.com.au)

Introduction to Computers Page 14

 Now let’s close the app.
CLOSING AN APP If you look to the top right of the Edge window
you’ll see a button marked with an X. This is the close
button.
Move your mouse pointer over it and left-click.
This will close the app.
If you’re curious, the two buttons next to it have
different functions. The square button makes the app
blow up to fll the whole screen. The line hides the
app but does not close it – you can make it reappear
again by clicking on the app icon on the bar at the
bottom of the screen.
Try opening and closing Edge and any other
applications installed on the workshop computers
that take your fancy!

X marks the spot

Moving windows and multitasking

Most apps you launch on a Windows computer will appear in a frame in the
middle of the screen. The frame is called a window (from which the operating
system gets its name).
So why does this happen? It’s because the computer is designed so that you can
have several applications open at once and even on the screen at the same time;
you don’t have to close one before opening another. This is called multitasking. Windows allow you to have
several apps open at once
You can move and resize windows as you like. To move a window, take your
mouse pointer to the top bar of the window, where there aren’t any buttons. Click
on the left mouse button and keep the button held down. Still holding down the
left button, move the mouse – you’ll see that the window moves with it. When
the window is where you want it, let go of the mouse button and the window will
fx in place. This is what we call “dragging and dropping”.
You can also resize windows. Move your mouse right to the very edge of the
frame. The mouse pointer will change to an arrow: horizontal arrows at the left
and right edges; vertical at the bottom; diagonal on the corners. Then, left click
and hold (as above) and drag the frame outward or inward to resize the window.
Practise resizing windows.

Introduction to Computers Page 15

 SHUTTING DOWN We should make a special note here about shutting
A COMPUTER down a computer.
To turn a computer off, you generally shouldn’t just
switch the power off. The computer needs to store
many things in its memory before it powers off. To
shut down Windows 11, click on the Start button near
the middle of the bottom of the screen. On the Start
menu, fnd the Power option, click it, and select Shut
down.
To shut down Windows 10, click on the Start button
on the bottom left-side of the screen. A menu will
appear with the option of Power not far from
the Windows icon. Click it and select Shut down.
Thankfully, on most computers you can also just
press the power button – which has the same effect
of doing the above. The computer won’t immediately
switch off, but it will start the shut down process.
Try shutting down the computer and restarting it.

Introduction to Computers Page 16

 ACTIVITY LET’S CREATE A DOCUMENT

TIME 20 minutes

Now let’s start actually doing something with our

STARTING TO computer.
MAKE IT WORK
The frst thing that we’ll do is create a document in
WordPad. This will be a text document. You would
create a text document if you wanted to type a letter
or create a list.
Just follow these steps:
1. Launch WordPad.
In Windows 11 the quickest way to launch WordPad
is to click the Search icon at the bottom of the screen
and type WordPad into the box that appears. On
Windows 10 you can just start typing in the search box
at the bottom of the screen. As you do, a menu will pop
up showing you search results, one of which will be
WordPad. Left-click the link to load WordPad.
Look for this icon to
2. WordPad will appear, ready to go. open WordPad
On the top part of the window, you’ll see a whole host
of icons: these are used for formatting, fonts, checking
and moving text around. Don’t worry about those for
now.
The main part of the window will be a blank white
space – this is where we’ll be typing. Note the fashing
cursor in the white space.

The cursor marks where

you will start typing

Introduction to Computers Page 17

 LET’S CREATE 3. Start typing on the keyboard.
A DOCUMENT Try this:
Pressing the Enter or Return key to end a
paragraph.
Holding down the Shift key to make characters
upper case and to access symbols.
Using the Backspace key to delete a letter you’ve
just typed.
4. Entering text will start to exceed the screen.
If you enter enough text, it will start to exceed the The scroll bar
space on the screen. A bar will appear on the right-
hand side of the window. This is called a scroll bar,
and it lets you scroll the document up and down.
To use the scroll bar, take your mouse pointer and
move it on top of the bar. Then left-click and hold
down the mouse button. Then, holding down the
button, move the mouse up and down to scroll the
document, and release the button when you’re done.
You can also use the scroll wheel on the mouse. Try
rolling the scroll wheel to scroll through the document.
5. Your cursor remains at the end of the text.
Note that the cursor will stay at the end of the text
you’re typing. But now we’re going to move it. Use your
mouse and move the pointer to somewhere in the text
you’ve already typed (note also that the shape of the
mouse pointer has changed – it will now look like a What the mouse pointer
cursor itself). looks like in WordPad

Left-click in the text. You’ll see that the cursor

has moved to that location.
6. Type a letter key to see new text.
You’ll see that the new text appears where the cursor
is, pushing the old text to the right.
7. Move the cursor by pressing the arrow keys.
Each press of an arrow key moves the cursor one
character left or right, or up or down one row.
Give it a try.
8. Use your mouse or the arrow keys to move the
cursor down to the end of the document.
9. Save the document.
This will store the document in the computer
permanently (until it’s manually deleted), so that you
can open it again later. You’ll be able access the saved
document even if the computer is turned off and on
again.
You could try saving the document by moving your

Introduction to Computers Page 18

 LET’S CREATE mouse pointer to and clicking on the Save icon on
A DOCUMENT the top of the window (it looks like a foppy disc),
but we’ll try using a shortcut key instead. Hold down
the Ctrl key and press S.
A Save window will pop up. This is where we will give
the document we just created a name and store it.

The File name bar

Down the bottom, next to File name:, you’ll see

a white bar (probably with the word Document written
in it). This is called a feld, and where we’ll enter the
name we want to give the document.
To type into a feld, you’d normally have to move the
mouse pointer to the feld and left-click on it. That will
put the cursor in the feld; then you can type. In this
case, however, that’s already done for you by WordPad.
All you really need to do is type the document’s name
(eg. My Shopping List) and press Enter or Return.
10. Close the document.
After you’ve saved your document, close WordPad by
left-clicking on the X on the top right of the window.

Files and folders

Computers store data – documents, photos, applications, video – as a fle. Each
fle has a name, representing whatever the fle contains.
Of course, you couldn’t just have all your fles appear in one list. A computer will
typically have tens of thousands of fles – fnding anything would be
a nightmare. So it organises fles into folders (also called directories). Folders
can even be stored inside other folders.

Introduction to Computers Page 19

 ACTIVITY SURF THE WEB

TIME 30 minutes

Now let’s try something that you’ll probably be doing

TIME FOR SOME a lot of once you get familiar with your PC: surfng the
INTERNET internet.
In this activity we’ll be opening up our web browser
and visiting a website.
Describing the web in a few words is diffcult. It’s
like an endless library of books, all linked together
and kept up to date, all accessible at any time from
your home computer. There are shops and interactive Is the internet safe?The simple
answer is yes. If you put security
elements as well, so you can buy things online, do your software on your computer and
banking, check transport timetables, get news and are careful about giving personal
current affairs and much more. information to strangers, you
can protect yourself when
We have a separate workshop called Introduction to you go onto the web. Our
the Internet if you want to explore it more, but for now Introduction to Cyber Safety
workshop has more information
let’s just try opening a few pages. about how to safe safe online.

TIME FOR SOME 1. Launch Edge by fnding the icon, moving your mouse
INTERNET: GETTING pointer to it and left-clicking to open it.
STARTED 2. Depending on how the computer is set up, a web
page may open for you, or you might start with
a blank page with a Search bar.
Either way, ignore what’s going on in the main part
of the window for now and focus on the top of the
window.
You’ll see a feld there, which may have an address
already in it, or it may say “Search or enter web
address”. This is the Address bar, where we type in the
address of the website we want to visit.

The Address bar

3. Move the mouse pointer to the white Address bar

feld and left-click.
This will put the cursor in the Address bar.
If there is already something in the Address bar,
it will be highlighted. Press the Backspace or Del
key to remove it.

Introduction to Computers Page 20

 TIME FOR SOME 4. Now type the address en.wikipedia.org into the bar
and press Enter.
INTERNET: GETTING
STARTED 5. The Wikipedia page should load into the main
window.
Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia, with articles
covering hundreds of thousands of topics, some of
which will be highlighted on the web page.
Note that not all the web page will be visible – there
will be a Scroll bar on the right that you can use to see
the rest of it.

The Wikipedia
main page

6. Now for some internet magic.

See all those bits of blue text on the page in between
the regular text? Those are called hyperlinks (or just
links), and they lead you to more information on the
subject highlighted.
With your mouse, move your mouse pointer over the
top of one of the blue hyperlinks. The pointer will
change to a hand. Then left-click.
7. Depending on the link you clicked, a new web page
will open, with more blue links to more information.
It’s really endless. Try working your way through
several pages. Soon you’ll discover that images can
be hyperlinks too – you can tell because your mouse
pointer changes when you move over them.
8. There are plenty of other sites you can try.
Go to the Address bar again, as in 3 above. Try typing
in these addresses:
www.abc.net.au
www.telstra.com
www.taste.com.au
www.bbc.co.uk/webwise
www.bom.gov.au

Introduction to Computers Page 21

 SUMMARY

That was a lot, we know! But hopefully you should now know some of the
basics of using computers – and realise that they’re not so scary or easily
breakable as you thought.

TIME 5 minutes

You should now be able to:

RECAP
Identify the main parts of a computer
Plug one in and turn it on
Be able to launch an application
Be able to create and save a document in
WordPad
Be able to launch and use a web browser.

ADDITIONAL If you want to further explore computers and the

WORKSHOPS internet, we have several other workshops that can
help extend knowledge. These include:
Introduction to Email
Introduction to the Internet
Introduction to Online Shopping and Banking
Introduction to Social Media
Introduction to Cyber Safety

USEFUL WEBSITES With your new found internet skills, here are a few
sites for computer beginners you might fnd useful:
A great site for internet beginners
www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/
For ‘know how’ video demonstrations
www.youtube.com/telstra
Online learning courses and quizzes
https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au
Develop your online skills and learn
new ways to stay connected
www.telstra.com.au/tech-savvy-seniors

Introduction to Computers Page 22

 GLOSSARY TERM EXPLANATION

DEFINITIONS APPLICATION
Software that performs specifc
tasks on a computer.

A program used for viewing

BROWSER web pages.

A computer comprising
several separate components,
DESKTOP including a monitor, keyboard
COMPUTER and central computing ‘box’.
Requires mains power.

A worldwide network that allows

INTERNET computers to exchange information
with each other.

A portable computer that integrates

LAPTOP the screen and keyboard in to a
COMPUTER form that opens like a clamshell.
Works on mains or battery power.

A shortcut that connects one web

LINK (OR HYPERLINK) page to another.

OPERATING SYSTEM The software that runs the basic

(OS) functions of the computer.

Equipment that connects to

PERIPHERAL a computer, such as a printer,
mouse or keyboard.

WEB PAGE A document on the internet.

A collection of web pages about the

WEBSITE same subject that are published by
the same person or organisation.

The world’s most common

WINDOWS operating system for personal
computers.

Introduction to Computers Page 23