Technology for VESL Healthcare Part 1: Computer Basics & Operating System By Tim VanSlyke

Introduction Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move forward within the slideshow. A basic level of computer proficiency is required for almost all career fields, especially if you hope to move “up the career ladder.” This self-paced module is designed to introduce you to the basics vocabulary and concepts of using computers, and to give you some basic skills you will need to complete the other modules in this series: Word Processing for VESL and Internet/Email for VESL. Although this is designed to be self-paced, you may need help getting started, so don’t be afraid to ask for help from the lab staff.

Lesson I. Parts of the Computer Basic Vocabulary: Hardware / Software Input / Output Questions: Do you know the names for different parts of the computer? Do you know the difference between hardware and software? Do you know what Input and Output means?  

Hardware and Software Basic Vocabulary: Hardware is a category that includes all the parts of the computer you can see and touch. Software refers to the programs and applications that make the computer work. Hardware: Mouse Keyboard Monitor CPU Software: Operating system: Windows, Mac OS Applications: MS Word, Internet Explorer  

Input and Output Basic Vocabulary: Hardware can be divided into two categories: OUTPUT: Devices the computer uses to communicate information to the user. INPUT: Devices that put information into the computer, or, in other words, devices we use to talk to the computer.  

Input and Output Input Devices: Output Devices: Monitor Keyboard Printer Mouse Projector Camera Speakers Scanner Output Devices:

Practice 1.1: Mouse Skills The mouse is one of the most important input devices for communicating with the computer. But the communication is two way…it is a dialog between you and the computer. When you move the mouse, a POINTER moves on the screen. When the pointer changes on the screen, the computer is communicating back to you telling you that you can do different things with your mouse. Click the “Mousing Around” button here to practice -> Click the mousing around button to Go to the Mousing around practice page online.

Operating System Basics Vocabulary Icons Windows Start Menu Task bar Menus The operating system is the software that controls your computer. It allows you to start and stop programs, open windows, save files, print documents and just about everything else you do with your computer. Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Operating System Mac OS: Apple Macintosh Operating System

Windows in Windows (os) Title bar Menus Minimize Maximize Close Windows: In the windows operating system nearly all programs and documents appear within a window with standard features such as: Title bar Menus Minimize, maximize, close buttons Resize handles [take screen shots ] demo Resize handles

The Windows Desktop Start menu: Access Programs and Settings Recycle Bin The Windows Desktop Start menu Start menu: Access Programs and Settings Taskbar: Shows open windows/programs and access to various settings Recyclebin Taskbar [take screenshots] demo

Practice 1.2 Create a folder (Cloze) Follow the steps demonstrated to create a folder: Restore the folder by clicking on it’s name in the taskbar. Use the resize handle to change the shape and size of the folder. Right-click on the desktop Choose New -> Folder Drag the folder on the desktop by clicking and holding the title bar. Type the name of your folder (for example: “technology”) Close the folder using the close button. Now double click the folder icon to open the folder window. Minimize the folder using the minimize button. Cloze activity: Read the steps out loud and display the text on the slide. Have students fill in the blanks in their workbooks. Once students have filled in the blanks in their workbooks, demonstrate the steps and have students complete the exercise on their own computers. Suggestions for additional practice: Have students create an “assignments” folder inside their technology folder. Next, have them delete the folder by using Right-Click -> Delete. (Point out how the computer communicates that something is in the recycle bin by changing the icon). Next, have students open both the recycle bin (double click) and their technology folder. Have them resize both windows so they are side by side. Explain that when something is deleted it isn’t permanent until you “empty” the recycle bin. Demonstrate that items can be moved from the recycle bin by dragging them from the recycle bin window back to the desktop or (as in this case) to another folder.

Keyboarding An important part of using computers is to be able to keyboard. The goal of this module is to teach you how to type/keyboard without looking at your hands. To do this, you need to “teach” your fingers where the letters are and how to type automatically. For this module, complete Level 1 Stage 1 of the BBC Dance Mat Typing program to learn the home row: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/flash/stage1.shtml Once you are finished with stage 1, you can continue with the slideshow, but feel free to come back later and complete the whole program in order to become a better keyboarder. Teachers: If you choose to use the SENSE-LANG web site it is easy to create your own class in order to follow students’ progress, create homework assignments and tests. Go to: http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/class/teachers.php to set up your class.

Lesson 2: Applications & File management Vocabulary Application / Program (example: Word Processor) Start / Run a program File File extensions Save Files/Documents Open and Close files We use computer programs or applications to do things with our computer. If we want to write a letter, we use a Word Processor such as MS Word. If we want to search the Internet, we use a “Web browser” application such as Internet Explorer. The “things” we create with applications are called FILES. We SAVE files to our computer so we can OPEN them later and work with them more. Note: You can do this as a dictation. Read the lists to students then reveal the words and have students check their spelling.

Managing Files Files are objects saved to computers. For example: A letter you write and saved to the computer. A song you download from the Internet. A picture you take with your camera.

Managing Files Files extensions appear at the end of file names and tell the computer what type of file it is. For example: A word processing document might be: myfile.doc A song you download from the Internet might be songname.mp3 A picture you take with your camera could be familypicture.jpg

Practice 2.1 Start Microsoft Word MS Word is a Word Processing application for creating business letters, résumés and other documents that combine text, images, tables and graphs. To open MS Word follow these steps: Click on the START menu Click “All Programs” Point to the MS OFFICE folder Click on MS Office Word [Needs screenshots or screencast]. Demo opening Word and have students repeat the process.

Practice 2.2 Start an application Follow the directions in your handout to complete these lessons while you work in MS Word and familiarize yourself with its toolbars. [Get screenshots of tool bars and labels for this activity.]

Practice 2.3 Start using Word Type your name at the top of your new document. [Press the ENTER key] You see that ENTER automatically starts a new line. Now copy the following sentences into the next line. Word processing applications like MS Word automatically start a new line when you are typing, you do NOT need to press [ENTER] when you are typing a paragraph.

Practice 2.4 Changing (editing) text & basic formatting When you need to make changes to text, we call that EDITING. Before you can make any changes to text, you first have to tell the computer what you want to change. Therefore, any changes you need to make to text require that you first highlight the text.

Practice 2.4 (continued) Changing (editing) text & basic formatting Now highlight the sentences below your name. (You can highlight whole sentences, whole paragraphs or even entire documents to make changes to everything you select). Press the backspace key. (oops! You just deleted all that work. But don’t worry, any time time you make a change you didn’t intend to make, you can “step back” by pressing the “Undo” key. This is very important to remember. You usually don’t have to worry about making mistakes, because the Undo key allows you to fix them.

Practice 2.5 Saving a document Follow these steps to Save Your Document: Click the Office Button and choose “Save As” (when you choose Save As you need to tell the computer the LOCATION where you want to save your file and also give the file a NAME. REMEMBER! It is very important to NOT change the file extension). For LOCATION click “Desktop” For file name type a file name to the left of the period (before the extension). Cloze exercise: [needs screen shots]

Practice 2.6 Open a document You can Open a saved document in the following ways. Double-clicking its icon. Within the application go to the FILE menu and choose OPEN FILE -> OPEN Go to the Start menu and select “Recent Documents” In MS Office Word 2010, the File menu is now the Office Button. Here you will find the OPEN and SAVE commands. [Screen Shots] demo and practice opening a word document. Have students close their word documents, then practice opening them using the following procedures.

Practice 2.7 Rename & save to a different location You can use the Save As command to change the name of your document or to save it to a new location (for example to your flash drive). Follow these steps to save to your flash drive: Insert your flash drive into an open USB port. Wait for the computer to recognize your drive. Click on the “Save in” drop down menu and choose your flash drive for the location. You can also rename the file or leave it the same. Click “Save” Use “SAVE AS” to change the name of your document and save it to a new place. [Needs screen shots]

Open Office If you don’t have MS Office Word at home, you can download a similar application for free. OPEN OFFICE is a free “suite” of applications that includes a Word Processor, a Presentation application (like PowerPoint), a Spreadsheet application (like Excel), and more. To download Open Office go here: http://download.openoffice.org/ To learn more about Open Office take some time to go through the lesson on the LearnFree.ORG web site: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/openoffice

Homework Follow these steps to complete the homework for this lesson: Create a new word processing document. Type in the document your full name on the first line then [ENTER] On the next line type the date: (month/day/year) [ENTER] [ENTER] On the next line type two or three sentences about yourself. Do not press enter; let the computer wrap lines as needed. Save your document to your flash drive show it to your instructor.

More Practice Computer Training from Goodwill computer basics Internet basics Email basics MS Word OpenOffice