Computer Basics 1 NSDL Student 2012

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Computer Basics 1

Computer Terminology & Basics of the

Mouse and Keyboard

Computer: An electronic device for storing and processing data according to instructions given to it.

TYPES OF COMPUTERS

Desktop Computer Laptop Computer Mobile Device

COMPUTER HARDWAREAll the parts of the computer you can touch

MONITOR: The monitor is where you see what you are

doing. The monitor is also called the screen. The monitor

will have a button to click on to turn it on.

SYSTEM UNIT:The brain ofthe computer.

The system unit is where all of the information that

helps the computer work is located.

The system unit contains the hard drive, which is

the main storage device.

MOUSE: You use the mouse to tell the computer what todo. For example, you can open programs, files, and

websites by clicking or double-clicking the buttons on the

KEYBOARD: Like a

typewriter. It's where

you type letters,

numbers, and can use

various commandkeys

like the spacebar and

Enter.


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THE MOUSE

There are two buttons on the mousethe left & the right- and the scroll wheel. (If left handed, the

clicks can be switched! - ask instructor after class how if interested)

There are a few different ways to click:

THE TOUCH PADSimilar to the mouse, the touchpad is part of the laptop and allows the

user to use their fingers as a way to move the cursor on the screen. There

are also two buttons below the touchpad that allows you to left and right

click.

PRACTICE OPPORTUNITY

1. Single left click on the the Internet Explorer icon at the bottom of the Desktop.

2. A window will open and you will see PPLs Resource Page. Find the link that says PracticeComputer Skills. Put the cursor on the link. Your cursor should change to look like a hand whenits on the link. When you see the hand single left click on the link.

If you want to use Mousecerise at home go to:http://pbclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htm

3. Find Mousecerise and single left click on it.

4. Welcome to Mousercise! This site will help you practice using the mouse.

SINGLE LEFT CLICKING

You tap the left button on the mouse

once to open a link on the internet, to

move the typing cursor, etc.

DOUBLE LEFT CLICKING

You tap the left button on the mouse

twice, very quickly to open anything

from the desktop or to open folders.

SINGLE RIGHT CLICKING

You tap the right button on the

mouse once to see an optional

pop-up menu. The pop-up menu

can be used as a short cut to

perform various actions (copy,

paste, etc).

SCROLL WHEEL

Between the left & right mouse button is the scroll wheel. The scroll wheel

is used to move windows up & down. The cursor needs to be inside the

window in order to move it up or down. To move the window down, lightly

pull the wheel toward you. To move the window up, lightly push the wheel

away from you.
http://pbclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htmhttp://pbclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htmhttp://pbclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htmhttp://pbclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htm


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COMPUTER OPERATING TOOLSSome terms you should know

DESKTOP: The screen you see when you first log-on to the

computer. The desktop contains links to commonly used

software, files, folders, and other computer programs.

TASKBAR: The long horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen. Easy access to the start menu, pinned

and opened programs, and notification of time and status of settings (ex. internet connection,

volume control). [To change the taskbar settings right click on the taskbar and select properties.]

START BUTTON/MENU: A complete list of programs on the

computer.

ICON: A picture that represents a program on the

computer. Most programs have their own, unique icon.

PROGRAMS: Items installed on your hard drive that

allow you to do different things, such as write a resume,

create a slideshow, or surf the Internet. Software is

often called PROGRAMS or APPLICATIONS. SOFTWARE UPDATES: designed to fix problems with, orupdate a computer program or its supporting data. Common updates that frequently appear are Java

and Windows Update.

FILE: A piece of information you create and save on your

computer, like a resume or a cover letter. You can tell

what type of software created a file by looking at the icon.

FOLDER: Just like a folder in a filing cabinet, a folder

is where documents (letters, spreadsheets, etc.) are

kept. Folders help you to organize your files.

CURSOR: The arrow on the screen that follows your mouse

movement. The way the cursor looks depends on the

program you are using.

Pointer Text Link

(Basic Clicking) (Writing) (Clickable)


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ALL PROGRAMSThis allows you to view all programs that are installed onto the computer.

PRACTICE OPPORTUNITYIn the start menu do the following:

1.

Click on All Programs

2. Use the scroll wheel and find the folder named Microsoft Office

3. Left click once on the folder

4. Notice how it opened to show all the different programs within

Microsoft Office, this is where youd go in order to open any of

those programs (i.e. excel, powerpoint, word etc.)

5. To open a program simply left click once.

CHANGING THE VOLUMEThere is volume control in the taskbar that allows to you

increase or decrease sound volume.

PRACTICE OPPORTUNITYIn the start menu do the following:

1. Click on the audio icon near the bottom right of the

taskbar

2. Use the mouse to move to the slider

3. Hold down the left click on the slider and drag it up to

increase sound or down to decrease sound. (Alternative

way is to click on the or + signs).

4.

To mute, simply click on the audio icon in blue


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MINIMIZING AND MAXIMIZING WINDOWS

WINDOW: Anytime you open a program (like Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, etc), you have opened a

window. A window is the way you see a program, file, folder, etc. You can have multiple windows

open at once.

Most windows have three buttons in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

1. Task Bar - The horizontal bar on the bottom of the desktop where open programs are

displayed. Opened programs will have a box around the program icon.

2. Minimize - This button will minimize the program you have open on your desktop. It does not

close the program and you can open it back up again on the taskbar. Opening the program up

from the task bar is called maximizing the window.

3. Restore Down - This button will change the size of your window. Pressing this while the

window is taking up your entire desktop will make it so that it only takes up a portion of your

desktop. This will allow you to move this window to the desired location on your desktop, and

to change the size of it.

4.

Maximize - This button will change the size of your window. Pressing this while the window isonly displayed on part of your desktop will make it so that it takes up the entire desktop.

5. Exit - This button will close the window which is being displayed.

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STORAGE OPTIONS

There are several devices that allow you to save your work.

Hard Drives:

Is a device for storing and

retrieving digital

information, primarily

computer data.

External Hard Drive Internal Hard Drive

FLASH DRIVE:

A device about the size of your

thumb used to save documents.

Holds around 500MB.

All computers can use

them

Very reliable

Hard to damageCost more than

floppy disks

USB PORT:

A small rectangular slot located on the front and/or back of the CPU.

This is where you plug in your flash drive. All computers will have at

least one USB port.

*** Flash Drives can be purchased at the Learning Center

for $5.00 ***

USB Input

(where you would

plug a flash drive in)

Microphone Jack

Headphone Jack

Ethernet Port


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Computer Basics 1 NSDL Student 2012

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