Lesson Plan for Seniors The Mouse Doris Brosz, Marcia Hannon, Elizabeth Miller July 20, 2012 LI 815 Information Technology for Library and Information Professionals

Not this kind of mouse!

Lesson Plan Purpose: This lesson is to teach the use of a computer mouse to access and input information. Objective: Students will be able to: - Single and double left click and right click to access data - Scroll up and down a page using the mouse - Drag (click and hold) to choose desired data Prerequisites: None, other than the need to use a computer. Method: Lecture with the use of Powerpoint and hands on experience for the students. - Without the hands on experience we believe the students would have difficulty learning this skill. Materials needed: - Computer for teacher with projection capabilities. - Computer with a mouse for each student - Internet connection - ‘Mousing With Us’ Document on students computers Time Required: Approximately minutes depending on number of students. Assessment Technique: Students will demonstrate attainment of skills by performance. Instructors will circulate around the class to check individual performance.

Lesson Outline Outline of lesson: I. Introduction A. Introduce topic for this lesson. B. Why do you need to learn how to use a mouse? II. What is a mouse? A. Parts of the mouse and how to use them 1. Left buttons 2. Right button 3. Scroll button B. Different types of mice 1. Mechanical 2. Optical 3. Wireless 4. Trackball III. Lesson extensions

Why? Computer accessories Keyboard This is one of the most important accessories. Its primary activity is to input data. Mouse It is possible to use your computer without the use of your mouse. But it is much easier and more comfortable to use the mouse. All operating systems, that are available today, are configured to work with the use of a mouse.

Learning how to Use a Mouse What is a mouse? A mouse is a small device used to point to and select items on your computer screen. Although mice come in many shapes, the typical mouse does look a bit like an actual mouse. It's small, oblong, and connected to the system unit by a long wire that resembles a tail. Some newer mice are wireless.

Parts of a Mouse

Buttons on The Mouse Left Button Single click to choose item or option. Double click quickly to open a selected item. Click and hold to move (Drag) selected option to another location. Scroll Button Moves pages up and down. Right Button Brings up a list of options to choose from.

Different Varieties of Mice Mechanical Mouse- This is better known as the ball mouse because of the ball feature on the bottom of the mouse. The ball is used to send movement to sensors which are then relayed to the computer.

Different Varieties of Mice Optical Mouse-Uses LED sensor to relay movements to the computer

Different Varieties of Mice Wireless-This mouse sends movement information by a signal to base station. Requires batteries to operate.

Different Varieties of Mice Trackball-This mouse is stationary and a person uses their fingers to move the ball on top.

Mouse Exercises Elizabeth chose Mousing Around: Mousercise for seniors to practice using the mouse. This exercise can be found by clicking on the link below. This exercise was chosen for the easy to follow instructions and uncomplicated exercises. The exercise was completed by Elizabeth in about three minutes.

Mousercise Continued To find out if this exercise would be one to use for Seniors, Elizabeth's 71 year old mother (who has no computer skills) completed this exercise. Below are the results. Time for completion was 33 minutes. She only had a few questions, so instructions were easy for her to follow. She had some problems with the size of numbers being hard to see. Double clicking was a problem because she could not click fast enough and the pointer would move. Elizabeth had to hold her hand still. Overall a very positive experience and would use this exercise.

Mouse Exercises - Doris' choice SkillfulSenior Doris chose Skillful Senior This website is specifically designed for seniors to learn basic computer skills. Besides mouse skills it teaches touch typing skills and arrow key skills. There is also a section on ergonomics teaching how to use the computer without causing pain.

SkillfulSenior - continued One big advantage of this website is the capability for the user to have the instructions read outloud. Doris went through the three lessons, mouse skills, arrow key skills, and ergonomics, in approximately 30 minutes. Touch typing skills on this site directs the user to another site - Sense-Lang.org. lang.org/typing/tutor/keyboarding.php lang.org/typing/tutor/keyboarding.php

Mouse Exercise Mouserobics. Marcia chose this tutorial. This is a step by step tutorial. It explains how to hold the mouse and what the pointer should look like before clicking using your index finger or middle finger. We use this tutorial at TSCPL in our Tame Your Mouse Computer Class.

References Gookin, D. (n.d.) The Different types of computer mice. Retrieved June 29, 2009, from Dummies.com different-types-of-computer-mice.html. Microsoft Corporation (2012). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from Mohlerseniorcenter.com (n.d.). Retrived June 26, 2012, from Mouse/parts%20of%20mouse.ht m Mouse/parts%20of%20mouse.ht m