Intro to Computer Basics

WorkNet Pinellas Basic Skills Course

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What is a Computer?
A computer is an electronic device that directs information or data. It has the ability to store, retrieve, process data.

What is a Computer?
Whether you realize it or not, computers play an important role in our liveswhen you withdraw cash from an ATM, scan groceries at the store, play games, or use a calculator

YOU are using a type of computer.

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Different Types of ComputersThere are many types of computers, however the most common type people think of are personal computers, like a desktop or laptop.
Desktops are often found at school, work or the library. They are designed to sit on top of a desk. The term desktop actually refers to the CPU or tower, but also includes the monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Laptops are personal computers that can be easily carried and used in a variety of locations.
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Different Types Computers Two popular types of computers are the IBM compatible/PC and Macintosh by Apple Computer.

Most people use IBM/PCs because they run Microsoft Operating System.
Macintosh computers are often used by graphic illustrators.
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Computer TerminologyWords to know

Computers have special parts and special terms. It is important to be familiar with them in order to better operate and navigate your computer, as well as its programs. You can break up certain terminology into to categories according to the application or program being used. For example, Hardware Terms, Software Terms, Internet Terms, etc. This is a big task so there is a link provided should you not find a term listed and need further information.
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two basic parts Hardware and Software.

Computer Terminology All types of computers consist of Hardware

Hardware is any part of your computer that has a physical structure, such as the computer monitor, CPU, keyboardif you can touch it, then it is considered hardware.
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Computer TerminologyHardware Words to know

Boot Cable Modem
CD, CD-R, CD-ROM, CD-RW CPU

DSL DVD,
DVD+R,+RW, -R, -RAM, -RW

External Hard Drive Fiber-Optic Cable Flash Drive

Flash Memory Floppy Disk Hard Disk Hard Drive Hardware Hub Media Memory Memory Stick RAM Router Scroll Wheel

Scanner Serial Port Server Shift key Storage Device Surge Protector USB Video Card Volume VRAM Webcam Workstation

For term definitions, please click onto the website link http://www.techterms.com/ 8

Computer Terminology - Hardware

The CPU cases the motherboard, hard drive, software and programs. It can be a tower or a desktop (standing vertically or laying horizontally) and has storage ports to save information externally. This is the CD Drive and below it is the Floppy Drive This is the Power button which turns it on

Computer TerminologyHardware: Storage Devices

Any input/output equipment may be considered data storage equipment if it writes to and reads from a data storage medium. Data storage equipment uses either: portable methods (easily replaced), semi-portable methods requiring mechanical disassembly tools and/or opening a chassis, or inseparable methods meaning loss of memory if disconnected from the unit.
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Computer TerminologyHardware: Portable Storage Devices

As time has gone by, the computer has become smaller and so has all the parts that go with it. Most of the storage devices that are internal will never be removed, unless the computer crashes or is replaced. The Floppy Disk used to be the most popular form of portable storage device now, it has been replaced by the Flash Drive, Zip Disk and the CD or DVD.
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Computer PartsKeyboard
The keyboard is a piece of hardware that resembles a typewriter keyboard. Although there are different types of keyboards like, wired, wireless, ergonomic, and multimedia, they are all very similar and most keys or features are in the same place. All keyboards are alpha-numeric, which means they have both letters and numbers. The keyboard also features keys that cause the computer to perform special tasks.
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Computer Parts - Special Keys

The ESC key Escape key allows you to stop a function or action The Function keys F1 F12 provide shortcuts to quickly complete a task within certain programs. For example, F1 opens Help in Microsoft Office. The Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause/Break keys are at the far right end of the keyboard. The Print Screen takes a picture of your screen that you can edit or save using a graphics program.
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Computer Parts - Special Keys

The Backspace key erases the character to the left of the cursor.

The Enter key carries out commands. For example, you can type a website address while you are on the Internet and hit enter to go to the site.
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Computer Parts - Special Keys

Control (Ctrl), Alternate (Alt), and Shift keys are designed to work with other keys. For example, if you press Ctrl and S at the same time, you can save a file.

The Number pad looks like a calculator keypad, but can also be used as arrow keys

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Computer Parts - Special Keys

The keys above the arrows are:

Arrow keys move the cursor

The Delete key erases the character to the right of the cursor

The Insert key switches between the insert mode and overtype mode.
The Home key moves the cursor to the left/beginning of the line The End key moves the cursor to the right/end of the line The Page up and Page down key moves the cursor to the top or bottom of the screen
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Computer PartsMouse
The mouse is known as a pointing device It lets you point to objects on the screen, click on them, and move them. You can use the mouse to open items, move items, move the cursor or page, and shortcut to cut, copy, paste, format.
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Wireless Mouse

Wired Mouse

Computer PartsTo use the mouse, you need to put your hand on it, allow your thumb to rest along the side, your pointer finger on the left button and your middle finger on the right button.

Mouse

Your ring finger and little finger will rest on the other side, while your wrist should set on the mouse pad or desk for stability.

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Computer NetworksYou may hear someone refer to a computer as a Workstation or a server, especially at work. Workstations are similar to desktops, but are more powerful and are usually connected to a network. Servers are specialized computers that store and deliver, or serve up, information to other computers on a network.

There are many types of servers file servers, database servers, and web servers.
For example, employees at a company might store all the business documents on a file server so they can share files and access them from any computer on the network. When you use your browser to click on a link, a web server delivers the page you request on the Internet, the biggest network in the world.
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Computer Terminology - Software

Software is any set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. It is what guides the hardware and tells it how to accomplish each task. Software is also referred to as applications or programs.

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Computer TerminologySoftware Words to know

Application Backup Browser Clip Art Clipboard Cursor Cut Data Database Debug Debugger Desktop Dialog Box Digital Signature Disk Image DOS Driver Excel File File Extension Filename Folder Icon Install Java Macro Malware Maximize Menu Bar Minimize Paste Path Plain Text Plug-in Pop-Up PowerPoint Process Program QuickTime Recycle Bin Rich Text Script Scroll Bar Scrolling Spool Spreadsheet Spyware SQL Task Bar Trash Trojan Horse Tutorial Unix Virus Win32 Window Windows Word Processor Word Wrap

For term definitions, please click onto the website link http://www.techterms.com/ 21

Operating Systems What is an Operating System? An operating system is the most important software that runs on a computer. Software is any set of instructions that performs some task on a computer. The operating system controls the memory needed for computer processes, manages disc space, controls devices and allows you to communicate with the computer. The 3 most popular systems are:
Microsoft, Mac OS X, and Linux.
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Operating Systems What is Booting the Computer mean?

You have probably heard the phrase boot or re-b00t the computer. This process is when you press the power button to turn on the computer the operating system then loads. The operating system controls the computer functions. It is responsible for managing the computers hardware and software resources. The operating systems acts as a boss or manager or brain - makes sure that all the various parts of the computer get what they need. The most popular operating systems today are Microsoft for the PC and Linux for businesses.
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Operating Systems The computer allows you to work on several programs/applications at the same time you can have open an email, Word Doc and the Internet because the CPU Central Processing Unit does whatever you tell it to do. The operating system is responsible for handling memory, storage, devices (such as the mouse and printer), processor and network management. The operating system provides a consistent way for software applications to work on a variety of computers.
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Computer Terminology Internet Words to Know

Active X Banner Ad Blog Bookmark Broadband Cookie E-mail Emoticon FIOS Firewall Flash Drive Inbox Spam IM IP IP Address ISP Homepage HTML HTTP or HTTPS Hyperlink POP3 PPTP Phishing Pop-up SMTP Search Engine Site Map Upload URL
For term definitions, please click onto the website link http://www.techterms.com/
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What can you do with a Computer?

You can use a computer to type documents, send email, and surf the Internet.
You can also use it to handle spreadsheets, accounting, database management, presentation, games, and morethese are called programs or applications
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Computer Applications
After the computer Boots Up the screen will open to what is called The Desktop

The Desktop Icons can be used to access or Open different programs or applications By Double Clicking on them

Icons also show what is currently in use, open, and possible to access like time and internet connection

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Computer Applications
In order to use any of the programs, or applications, that are NOT on the desktop - you go to START and DOUBLE CLICK to open the MENU then click on the desired program to open. The Log Off and Turn Off Computer can be found here also.

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Computer Applications
Microsoft has many versions of its Professional Suite called Microsoft Office since it first came out in 1992.

Microsoft has been around since the 1980s and as technology has grown, better versions of programs have continued to emerge.
The most popular and widely-used programs in Office are: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access and Publisher.
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Computer Applications Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is a word processing application used for the production (including composition, editing, formatting, printing and emailing) of any sort of printable material. Word can be used to write letters, resumes, essays and web pages. There are lots of tricks to the trade tool bars, graphics, formats, etc. You can type text, choose different sizes, fonts, and colors; you can also insert graphics and add tables and charts. To learn all the functions of this program and practice please visit www.GCFlearnfree.org

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Computer Applications Microsoft Word

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Computer Applications Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel (full name Microsoft Office Excel) is the most widely used spreadsheet-application.
Microsoft Excel is used to calculate financial, statistical and engineering information, and is used in a wide range of places, from individual households to Fortune 500 companies. The components of Excel are cells, spreadsheets and workbooks. Workbooks contain spreadsheets and spreadsheets contain cells. Therefore, thousands of cells are in a spreadsheet and two or more spreadsheets make up a workbook.

The features Excel offers make it possible for the user to save time when calculating formulas, creating charts and graphs, and sharing and securing information.

To learn all the functions of this program and practice please visit www.GCFlearnfree.org

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Computer Applications Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program developed by Microsoft. PowerPoint is widely used by business people, educators, students, and trainers and among the most prevalent forms of persuasive technology. PowerPoint allows you to create professional multimedia presentations, opposed to the traditional presentation formats (such as slide projectors). It can be viewed on a computer monitor, LCD projector, and you can even export your show onto the web. You can easily print copies of your slides and hand them out to your audience. PowerPoint also allows you to insert multimedia elements that could never be duplicated with projector slides, like fancy transitions between your slides, animations that make your text and pictures zoom around the screen and jump into place and being able to insert audio/video directly onto a presentation slide.

To learn all the functions of this program and practice please visit www.GCFlearnfree.org

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Computer Applications Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Office Outlook or Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft. Although often used mainly as an e-mail application, it also includes a Calendar, Task Manager, Contact Manager, note taking, a journal and web browsing. It can be used as a stand-alone application, or can work with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server for multiple users in an organization, such as shared mailboxes and calendars, Exchange public folders, SharePoint lists and meeting schedules. There are third-party add-on applications that integrate Outlook with devices such as BlackBerry mobile phones and with other software like Office & Skype internet communication.

To learn all the functions of this program and practice please visit www.GCFlearnfree.org

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Computer Applications Microsoft Access

Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft Access, is a relational database management system from Microsoft. Database - Relational database refers to a file that is used to store information in a format that is easily retrieved (pulled) and manipulated (used). The most common database files are made up of tables, fields and records. The components of a relational database file: A field is a single piece of data. A Record is a collection of fields. A Table is a collection of records. A File is the database in its entirety, i.e. all tables, records and fields.

To learn all the functions of this program and practice please visit www.GCFlearnfree.org
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Computer Applications Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private and public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by copper wires, fiberoptic cables, wireless connections, and other technologies. The Internet carries a vast array of information resources and services, most notably the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail.

It supports popular services such as online chat, file transfer and file sharing, gaming, commerce, social networking, publishing, video on demand, and teleconferencing and telecommunications. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications allow person-to-person communication via voice and video.
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Internet Terminology Words to Know

The terms Internet and World Wide Web are often used in everyday speech without much distinction. However, the Internet and the World Wide Web are not one and the same. The Internet is a global data communications system. It is a hardware and software infrastructure that provides connectivity between computers. In contrast, the Web is one of the services communicated via the Internet. It is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs. The term the Internet, when referring to the Internet, has traditionally been treated as a proper noun and written with an initial capital letter.
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Internet Applications Search Engine

A web search engine is a tool designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other types of files. Some search engines also dig for data available in databases or open directories. Unlike Web directories, which are maintained by human editors, search engines operate algorithmically or are a mixture of algorithmic (algorithm is "a process that performs some sequence of operations) and human input.
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Internet Applications Search Engine

Whether you use Google, Yahoo, or MSN know that
Every word matters Search is always case insensitive Punctuation is ignored

Keep it simple
Describe what you need with as few terms as possible

Choose descriptive words

Think how the page you are looking for will be written
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Internet Applications Search Engine

If you're looking for a particular company, concept or restaurant just name it. A search engine is not a human, it is a program that matches the words you give to pages on the web.

Use the words that are most likely to appear on the page.
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From what is a Computer? to How to Use it this presentation is an introduction to the basics.

For further information regarding the programs/applications introduced in this presentation, please visit
www.gcflearnfree.org
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Thank you for attending this WorkNet Pinellas Workshop

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