Computer Internet Basics I

Computer / Internet Basics I Willowick Library www.welibrary.info

Topics Covered What is a computer? How does a computer work? Definitions Windows Basics

What Are Computers? Computers are machines that do exactly what a human tells it to do Computers are often thought of as powerful calculators Software programs are like complex math problems to a computer

Computers Do 4 Main Things accept data—facts, instructions (programs), commands process data—”thinking” or executing commands produce output—useful information store results—for later use

Common Computer Terms RAM {random-access memory}: the most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on Like short term memory in people ROM {read only memory}: memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed memory generally holds data that was programmed into it at the factory, and is not intended to be changed

Hardware vs. Software Hardware is what sits on your desk and does the task the software tells it to do Software is a series of simple computer instructions that tell the computer what to do

Hardware Components Input devices: the keyboard and mouse, tell the computer what to do

More Hardware Output devices: the monitor and the printer show what the computer is doing

Still More Hardware Storage devices: Hard drives can hold more information “ Floppy” disks hold less information but are portable—are becoming extinct Travel Drives (aka Flash, Thumb) can hold large amounts of information CD-R and CD-RW are also portable but hold much more information than “floppies” CD-R and CD-RW require special software to save (burn) information

Floppy Disk CD RW Hard Drive External Floppy Disk Drive Flash Drive USB Port

And Just One More Piece of Hardware Modems allow computer users to communicate with each other using phone or cable lines New computers come equipped with internal modems; external modems can be purchased for older computers

Graphic Illustration of a Modem

Software Windows is the software that allows the computer user to communicate with the computer

Windows Basics Courtesy of Jan Smith of www.jegworks.com

What is a Window? Windows are the rectangular areas that appear on the desktop Most windows have a taskbar When a program from the desktop or taskbar is clicked a Window opens

Windows Computer Terms When the computer is turned on it completes its startup routine, called booting The screen displays the Windows interface The interface is the means by which the user and the computer communicate The desktop and the taskbar are the two main parts of the interface

The taskbar is located below the blue part of the screen The taskbar includes windows that are working in the background It also includes the tray that holds the clock, volume control and sometimes other program icons It also includes quick launch buttons Quick launch buttons open programs with one click

These icons (pictures) represent different programs or files (Word documents, etc.) These icons require a double click to access (open) Or if double clicking is a problem, click once, then press the Enter key This blue screen is the desktop

Once a program is opened its window will have similar components to this window

The Mouse The mouse is essential to exploring the desktop and taskbar The mouse is used to point to items on the screen The mouse has at least 2 buttons The normal shape for the mouse pointer is an arrow similar to this one

The scrollbar is one of the main reasons to “drag” with the mouse Click on the gray section and hold; drag the bar as far as necessary; push the gray area to move back up

More on the Mouse Move the pointer around the screen The mouse “drives” like a Matchbox Car If the “road” runs out, pick up the mouse then set it down again and continue to drive until the arrow is over the correct icon or link Click by pressing one of the mouse buttons and then quickly releasing it Double click by quickly clicking the mouse button twice and then releasing Drag by holding the mouse button down while moving the mouse

The mouse pointer can appear as many shapes depending on what function the user is able to perform The hand shape usually means that the pointer is over a link on the Internet

Dialog Boxes Dialog boxes ask what the user wants to do Dialog boxes appear when the right mouse button is clicked Click outside of the dialog box to make it disappear For more information on them see http:// www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/win/basics/dialog.htm

Dialog Boxes Often Look Like This Dialog boxes give complicated choices, so choose with care

Mouse and Keyboarding Practice http://www.pbclibrary.org/mousing / This site has an excellent tutorial for practicing mouse skills ! http://www.learn2type.com A fun site to learn or relearn keyboarding skills! The user must create a free account to use this site

Starting Up and Shutting Down Starting up is easy, just pushing the buttons on the monitor and hard drive Shutting down can be more tricky

The Easiest Way to Shut the Computer Down Click on Start with the left mouse button Choose Shut Down Click O.K.

Another Way to Shut Down Using the Keyboard Press the Ctrl key and the Esc key at the same time The Start menu will pop up Press the letter U on the keyboard. If U by itself doesn’t work try holding the Alt key with it

Click OK or press the Enter key Or click on Cancel if you change your mind Notice how the window in the background is grayed out

If something other than Shut Down is displayed here Use the up or down arrow key until you find Shut Down

Where to Get More Information http://www.jegsworks.com/ Excellent site with information on Computer Basics and Internet Basics http://www.pbclibrary.org/mousing/ Excellent site for practicing mouse skills http://www.learn2type.com/ (must create a free account that should let you pick up where you left off.) Marin, Ruth. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Windows XP http://tech.tln.lib.mi.us/tutor/welcome.htm Basic computer skills tutorial

COMMON INTERNET QUESTIONS How does the Internet work…very generally speaking? What is the browser and how do the buttons and controls work? What about Search Engines?

Just what is the Internet? The Internet is a global collection of networks that are connected together. Any computer connected to the Internet becomes part of a network.

The modem is connected to the… At home the modem connects to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). When you connect to the ISP, they may connect to another network and so on…

What is a Web Browser? A Browser is a type of software that allows you to navigate information databases on the Internet; here at the library we use Internet Explorer Firefox is another type of browser

Internet Explorer To OPEN, Double Click on the blue E Or Single Click and then push the Enter key on the keyboard The browser will open to whatever homepage has been preset—new computers to MSN Or the homepage of your choice

This is the library’s homepage

URL: Uniform Resource Locator Uniform Resource Locator is an address that specifies the location of a file on the Internet

This is the Address Bar Click on the words, http://welibrary.info When the words become highlighted type in the URL address of the desired website

Now just type over the highlighted words

Is the Print Too Small? Click on the 100%

Text size increased by 200% here Vertical and horizontal scrollbars required to see entire page of content

When the URL of a website is known, type it in the address bar

Surfing the ‘Net Hypertext This term describes the system that allows documents on the Internet to be cross-linked so that the reader can see related documents by clicking on a highlighted word or symbol. The colored and/or underlined text (for example, like this) corresponds to hypertext links to other websites (or other locations within the present website.)

More about links Objects on a page may be clickable links. When the cursor is over a clickable link the cursor image turns into a hand with a pointing finger.

Downloading vs. Saving Downloading a web page is different from saving information to a storage device. Downloading is temporary; information stored in RAM. Saving information to a storage device is more permanent. You can download and then save.

Browser Navigation Buttons We will talk about Internet Explorer buttons today. Where the navigation buttons are located and what they look like depends on your browser.

Most important buttons Home Back Forward

Home When you start up Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator for the first time, the browser loads a default page into the browser's main window. In the case of Internet Explorer, it is Microsoft's Home page. Clicking on the Home icon will always take you back to that default page.

Back and Forward The back button will take you back as many stops as you have been – up to a certain point which seems to be variable depending on the sites you’ve visited. The forward button will take you forward only as many stops as you have been.

Two More Buttons Stop : Stops the current page from loading. Refresh : Reloads the current page. STOP REFRESH

There are two methods to access Print Preview File Print Preview Printer icon Print Preview Print Preview

Print Preview: Allows the user to see what the page will look like when printed. It will also tell how many pages of paper required to print what is seen on the screen. Print: Prints the displayed page.

Help Menu Help expounds on several topics.

Help Topics Contents and Index: Contents and Index allows the user to search for help by a listed topic or by entering a key word.

Now On To Search Engines Google Yahoo

How Search Engines Work Useful for when a URL address is NOT known Searches by key words i.e., lung cancer. Does NOT search for words like “a” or “the.” Automatically assumes “AND.” Produces a list of results called “hits.” Organizations or individuals may pay search engines for a higher placement on the hits list.

Yahoo News Go to Info, click on News.

Some Final Thoughts Be careful of the authority of sites. Many sites want to sell products. Many sites have a slant or point of view. Examples of authoritative sites by subject.

Health: Medline Various hospital sites Self help groups (.org) Education World Book Online College or school sites (.edu, .us)

Time to Experiment Google Choose a subject to research by key word. Find a picture using key words. Check today’s news. Yahoo Choose a subject to research by key word. Find a picture using key words. Check today’s news.

For More Information http://www.learnthenet.co.za/pg177.html http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ http://tech.tln.lib.mi.us/tutor/welcome.htm Basic computer skills tutorial http://www.jegsworks.com/ Excellent site with information on Computer Basics and Internet Basics http://www.pbclibrary.org/mousing / Excellent site for practicing mouse skills http://www.learn2type.com/ must create a free account that should let you pick up where you left off Marin, Ruth. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Windows XP

Computer Internet Basics I

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