How to use this book

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MODULE 1 Introduction to Computers
Novice Users
A Product of the Digital Informal and Non-formal
Learning Network
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Prepared by Star Isabella Nap January 2007

• This document was prepared as part of a joint
  initiative between the University of Winnipeg,
  University of Winnipeg Collegiate and the
  International Centre of Winnipeg. The intended
  use of this document is for the Computer Lending
  Library (CLL) of the International Centre. The
  CLL is a product of the Digital Informal and
  Non-formal Learning Network (DINN). DINN is an
  outcomes based research project. It was hosted
  by the International Centre and developed in
  conjunction with a consortium of partner
  agencies. Its primary objective is to break
  informational and technological barriers for the
  immigrant community.
• Copies of this document and or information about
  the CLL Program and DINN Project can be obtained
  from the International Centre at
• 406 Edmonton Street
• Winnipeg, Manitoba
• R3B 2M2
• Telephone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Copies of this document for purposes of resale
  or distribution are not allowed without prior
  permission from the International Centre.

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How to use this material

• This training program will teach you about using
  a computer. You must go through the modules in
  the order that they are written. DO NOT skip
  modules. The skills you learn in one module may
  be needed for other modules
• This training program is split into five
  modules. These modules are
• Introduction to Computers
• Using Computer Programs
• The Keyboard
• Open Office
• The Internet
• The modules will teach you about using a
  computer without a teacher. Many pictures are
  included to help you learn.
• Because computers are different, your computer
  might not look the same as the picture. As long
  as you can do each Activity, do not worry if your
  computer looks different.
• If you need extra help, please ask a
  facilitator.

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• Each module has three sections
• Introduction- This Introduction describes the
  information that you will be learning about.
• Information and Activities- The Information is
  what you need to learn. The Activities asks you
  to practice the skills you are learning about.
• Review-The Review summaries and highlights the
  things you have learned. You can also practice
  your new skills using the review.

We hope you find working with a computer easy and
rewarding.
Enjoy!
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Table of Contents
MODULE 1
Introduction to Module 1
. Types of Computers.............................
..................................................
....................... Introduction to the
Computer System...................................
.......................................... Compute
r Hardware......................................
..................................................
....... Computer Software
. How to Start the Computer.................
..................................................
................. The Desktop.............
..................................................
..................... Parts of a
Mouse.............................................
..................................................
........... How to Hold a Mouse
Using the Mouse.........................
..................................................
............................... How to Open the
Start Menu........................................
................................................ T
he Start Menu.....................................
..................................................
..................... Computer Programs
. How to Open a
Program...........................................
..................................................
.. How to Close a Program.........................
..................................................
.................... Opening Programs with
Shortcuts How to Turn off
theComputer.......................................
.................................................
Module Review...............................
..................................................
........
6 7 8 9 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 26 27 30
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Introduction to Module 1

• In this module, you will learn
• About different types of computers
• About the different parts of a computer
• How to turn a computer on and off
• How to hold and use a computer mouse
• How to open and close computer programs

Vocabulary At the end of this module, you should
know the following words

• PC
• Mac
• Desktop computer
• Laptop computer
• Hardware
• Software
• Monitor
• CPU
• CD/DVD Drive
• Mouse
• Keyboard

• Operating system
• Icon
• Desktop
• Taskbar
• Single click
• Double click
• Start Menu
• Computer program
• Close button
• Shortcut
• Standby mode

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Types of Computers

• There are two types of computers that are
  commonly used. They are
• Personal Computer ( also called a PC)
• Apple Macintosh (also called a Mac)
• Macintosh and PC computers can do the same type
  of work but the computers look different. This
  module will train you to use a PC.
• Computers can be stationary or mobile. A
  stationary computer must be set up and used in
  one location. A mobile computer can be carried
  around to different locations.
• Desktop Computers are stationary. They are large
  and sit on a desk
• Laptop Computers are mobile. They are small and
  can be carried around.

Desktop Computer
Laptop Computer
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Introduction to the Computer System

• In order to work properly, a computer system
  requires 3 components
• Hardware A piece of computer equipment that
  makes up the computer (For example Monitor,
  keyboard, speakers)
• Software A computer program that lets you use
  the hardware. Software is designed to complete
  specific tasks on your computer. (For example
  Open Office, Windows XP, Photoshop)
• You A computer needs a human to tell it what to
  do. Without a human the hardware and software
  would be useless.

When you become familiar with the hardware and
software, you will be able to use the computer
for many different things.

• For Example
• To send a family photo by email to family members
  across the globe.
• To type a résumé to apply for a job.
• To make business presentations, graphs and
  charts.
• To find information on the internet.
• To listen to music.

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Computer Hardware
A computer has many parts. Look at the picture
below to learn the name of each part.
Monitor
CD/DVD Drive
Keyboard
CPU
Mouse
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• Here is a description of each computer part
• Monitor A screen that shows the information
• Never try to open the monitor because this can
  be very dangerous.
• CPU (Central Processing Unit) This is the brain
  of the computer. It has all of the information
  that makes a computer work. It is sometimes
  called a tower.
• Mouse The mouse lets you tell the computer what
  you want.
• You use your hand to make the mouse move.
• Keyboard Use the keyboard to type letters and
  numbers into the computer.
• CD/DVD drive This a place on the computer that
  allows you to use CDs and DVDs
• A label on the CPU will tell you if your
  computer can read CDs or DVDs
• .

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Computer Software

• The Operating System
• The most important software is called the
  operating system. The operating system controls
  the computer. Almost all PC computers use an
  operating system called Windows.
• A new Windows Operating system is released every
  few years. For example
• Windows 95
• Windows 98
• Windows Me(2000)
• Windows XP
• This module uses Windows XP. If your computer
  uses a different Windows, your screen might look
  different than the pictures. If you are having
  trouble understanding the difference get help
  from the facilitator.
• Open Office
• Open Office is a group of programs that are
  available for free. It is similar to Microsoft
  Office. You will learn more about Open Office in
  Module 4.

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How to Start the Computer

• There are 3 steps to start the computer
• Turn the CPU on
• Turn the monitor on
• Log In

ACTIVITY Starting the Computer.
Step 1Turn the CPU on Find the On button on
the CPU. The On button might look like
this Push the On button once.
Most of the time the On button can be found on
the front of the CPU.
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Step 2 Turn the Monitor on Turn on the monitor
by pressing the On button. This might be
located on the front of the monitor. Some
monitors have the On button located on the
side. Some monitors turn on automatically when
the computer is turned on. You might have to look
for your On button.

• Step 3 Log In
• Wait while the computer gets started. The next
  screen you will see is a log-in screen.
• You will have to enter 2 things
• Username
• Password

Use the keyboard to enter this information. Use
the mouse to click ok when you are finished.
If you are at a public computer (for example
International Center or the Library), ask someone
who works there for the Username and Password.
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The Desktop
The Desktop is the basic computer screen (a
screen is what you see on the monitor). The
desktop has many different parts.
Icons
Start button
Taskbar
Icons are small pictures. If you click on an
icon, it will open a program. Here is an example
of an icon The Start button opens a menu with
programs, applications, documents and so on. You
will learn more about this later The Taskbar
shows you the different programs or applications
that you are using at any point in time.
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The Parts of a Mouse

• A computer mouse has four parts
• Left button This is used to select items. This
  is most frequently used.
• Right button Pressing the Right button will open
  a list of tasks that you can perform.
• Cord This connects the mouse to the computer or
  the keyboard.
• Scroll Wheel This moves the page up and down.
  Old mice do not have this.

Cord
Right button
Left button
Scroll Wheel
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How to Hold the Mouse
You will use a computer mouse to operate the
computer. It is important to practice holding the
mouse properly.
Hold the mouse in the palm of your hand with your
arm flat on the table.
Place one finger on each button
Move your hand in the direction you want the
mouse to go. The mouse will appear on the screen
as an arrow. This is called the cursor. See
below
The cursor
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Using the Mouse

• You can use the mouse to
• Point Place the cursor on the object you want to
  point to. Keep the mouse over the object.
• Make a single click Place the cursor on the
  object you want to click on. Press the left
  button down once and release.
• Make a double click Place the cursor on the
  object you want to click on. Press the left
  button twice. This must be done quickly.

ACTIVITY Using the mouse Step 1 Look at the
desktop and find the cursor. Step 2 Practice
moving the mouse around the desktop. Step
3 Use the mouse to point to the icons.
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How to Open the Start Menu

• All programs on the computer can be opened using
  the Start Menu. It is called a menu because you
  can choose what you want.
• There are 2 steps to open the Start Menu.
• Point to the Start button
• Click the Start button

ACTIVITY Opening the Start Menu
Step 1 Point to the Start button Use the mouse
to move the cursor and place it over the Start
button.
Cursor is on the Start button.
Step 2 Click the Start button Without moving the
cursor, click the left mouse button once. This
will open the Start Menu.
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The Start Menu
The Start Menu is open if your computer screen
looks like this
Start Menu

• You can use the Start Menu to
• Open programs With All Programs and icons
• Open your saved work With My Documents
• Turn off the computer With Turn Off Computer

My Documents
Icons
All Programs
Turn Off Computer
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Computer Programs
To use the computer, you must open a program.
There are different computer programs designed to
do different things. For example, If you want
to
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How to Open a Program

• You can use the Start Menu to open any program
  on your computer.
• There are 4 steps to open a program
• Open the Start Menu
• Open the All Programs Menu
• Find the program on the list
• Click on the program

ACTIVITY Opening a program
Step 1 Open the Start Menu Use the mouse to
click on the Start button.
Step 2 Open the All Programs Menu Use the mouse
to place the cursor on the All Programs button.
Left click here.
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Step 3 Find the program on the list Find
OpenOffice on the All Programs Menu. Click
OpenOffice. A smaller menu will open.
Step 4 Click on the program Place the cursor
over Text Document and left click once. This
screen below shows you that Text Document is
open.
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How to Close a Program

• There are two ways to close most programs.
• Using the Close button
• Using the menu

• Method 1 Using the close button
• This is the easiest way to close a program. You
  will find this Close button in most programs.
• There are 2 steps to this method
• Find the Close button
• Click the Close button

The close button
ACTIVITY Using the Close button Step 1 Find the
Close button The Close button is found in the top
right corner.
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Step 2 Click the Close button Click the Close
button once. The program will close.

• Method 2 Using the menu to close a program
• You can also use a menu to close a program.
  Different programs have different menus. The most
  common menu to close a program is the File
  menu.
• There are 2 steps to this method
• Open the File menu
• Click Exit

ACTIVITY Using the menu to close a
program Before starting this activity, open
OpenOffice Text Document.
Step 1 Open the File menu The File menu is found
on the top left side of the program. Click on the
word File to open the menu.
Click here
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Step 2 Click Exit When the File menu is open,
you will see many choices. To close a program
click the word Exit.
Click here
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Opening Programs with Shortcuts
A second way to open programs, is using
Shortcuts. Shortcuts are icons on your desktop or
start menu that let you open programs.
Here are two examples of shortcut icons
ACTIVITY Using a shortcut to open a program
Use the mouse to point to the shortcut icon you
want to open. Double click quickly on the
icon. The program will open.
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How to Turn off the Computer
It is VERY important to turn off the computer
properly. The computer must be told that you want
to turn it off. Please note Because there are
different versions of windows, your screen might
look different. For this reason, two pictures are
shown for each step.

• There are 4 steps to turning off the computer
• Close all programs
• Use the Start Menu to open the Turn off
  Computer window
• Select Turn off computer
• Turn off the Monitor

ACTIVITY Turning off the computer
Step 1 Close all programs Before turning off
your computer, make sure that all programs are
closed.
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Step 2 Open the Turn off Computer window
Use the mouse to open the start menu. Your
computer should look like computer 1 or computer
2.
Computer 1 Click Turn Off Computer
Computer 2 Click Shut Down
This will make a window open.
Step 3 Select Turn off Computer
Computer 1
Computer 2
Click the Turn Off button.
Select Shut Down from the menu and click Ok.
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More Information aboutTurning off the Computer.
Step 4 Turn off the monitor It is important to
shut off the monitor to save energy.
Standby mode If you are going to use the
computer again in a short time (less than 1
hour), you do not need to turn it off. Your
computer will enter a standby mode (also called
sleeping) which uses less electricity. To get
your computer working after it has entered
standby mode, move the mouse or press any key on
the keyboard During standby mode, you may also
see a screensaver which is a moving picture on
the screen. The screensaver protects the screen
during standby (new computers usually do not need
a screensaver).
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Module 1 Review
1.Name each part of the computer below.
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1
3
5
2

• 2.
• Open OpenOffice Spreadsheet.
• Close Spreadsheet using the File button.
• Open internet explorer using the shortcut on the
  desktop.
• Close Internet explorer using the Close button.

3. Practice turning on and shutting off the
computer.