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ICT Training
Updated: April 2002
Job Aid
Contents
Introduction
1
Parts of a
1
RAM, ROM
2
Introduction computer basics for PC
File storage
3
Using a computer is not such a daunting task, especially when
you are more familiar with some of its basic operations. This
job aid will help the computer novice glide smoothly through
some basic operations useful in a PC Windows environment.
Click vs.
3
File extensions 3
Prepared by Peter Andrew Wallet
Parts of a computer
Before we begin looking at some basic functions of a PC, it
would be useful to review a basic computer system and its
components.
Monitor: This is what we call the screen. It is formally called a
cathode-ray tube.
Keyboard: This is the instrument we use in order to type text
into the computer.
Mouse: This attachment rolls on a small circular ball and has
buttons which can be clicked. This part of the system allows the
user to work more easily with a computer interface. As the user
moves the mouse around on its pad, a screen cursor moves
correspondingly on screen. Some later models of the mouse no
longer use a ball but use optical light technology.
Activities
4
• Using
Windows
Explorer
• Saving files
• Making
shortcuts
to files
• Recycle Bin
• Shortcut
key strokes
Trainer Notes
11
LCD: This is an acronym for Liquid Crystal Display Projector.
This device permits users to project what appears on their
computer screen to a larger classroom/ conference room screen.
CPU: This is an acronym for the Central Processing Unit. It is the
‘nuts and bolts’ of the computer and is where the computer’s
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memory and storage space exists.
Modem: This is a component that resides inside your CPU. It
allows the user to connect with the Internet and the World Wide
Web (WWW).
Desktop: This comprises of what is plainly visible on the user’s
computer screen or monitor.
Peripherals: Peripherals refer to technology that can be attached to
the main computer station, such as printers, scanners or digital
cameras.
Printer: This peripheral is a device that permits users to print files
(i.e., documents, pictures, etc..) to paper.
Scanner: This peripheral device permits the user to digitally upload
images or text which already exist non-electronically. These digital
uploads can then be converted into computer files which can be
manipulated.
Digital Camera: Digital Cameras can now be connected to
computer stations. This is may be done so that the video can be
uploaded to the computer which can then be edited.
RAM, ROM what are they and how do
they affect my computer?
RAM, or Random Access Memory, refers to the amount of
‘working memory’ that your computer has. More specifically, RAM
is the feature of a computer that allows programs to run. The more
RAM that a computer has, the faster programs will run. Having
more RAM also allows the user to run more programs
concurrently. For this reason newer computers, with more RAM,
are able to process more programs at the same time. In order to
keep your computer working as fast as possible, limit the number
of programs which are open at any one time. Present computers
usually have 64 or 128 MB of RAM.
ROM, or Read Only Memory, refers to the storage space that a
computer can hold. Just like a glass which can contain only so
much water, a computer can only hold so many programs and
files. For this reason ROM has been likened to ‘long-term memory’.
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File storage in a Windows environment
File storage in a Windows environment is simple and
straightforward. The best way to access file storage is to use
Windows Explorer, a software application that comes with
Microsoft Windows.
The Windows Explorer environment allows for quick access to all
the computer’s files. This includes all drives including: floppy disk
drive, hard drive (on the CPU) and CD-ROM drives.
The environment is also hierarchical in that folders may be created
within folders. Files, on the other hand, are saved within this
hierarchy of folders.
Click versus right click
When you look at your mouse, you should instantly notice that
there are two (or sometimes three) different buttons which can be
clicked. For most situations the user will use the left button. For this
reason when people refer to ‘click’ they are referring to left click. In
contrast, clicking on the right button is always referred to as
‘right click’. In this job aid we will always refer to left click as ‘click’,
and right click as ‘right click’.
File extensions
You may have noticed that file names are usually followed by a
period and three letters. This three letter sequence is known as the
‘file extension’ and is a way for the computer to recognize what
type of file you are opening.
Some of the more common file extensions are as follows:
Microsoft Word
.doc
Microsoft Excel
.xls
Microsoft PowerPoint
.ppt
Images
.gif or .jpg
Video
.mov or .mpg
Sound or Audio
CSLP — Computer Basics (PC)
.mp3 or .wav
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Activities
ACTIVITY 1: Using Windows Explorer
Creating folders within the Windows Explorer environment is a
relatively easy task. This activity will teach the user how to do so.
1. Open Windows Explorer by holding down the WINDOWS key
while pressing the letter ‘e’ key. The interface is broken up into
two main viewing areas: the tree structure of all computer
folders on the left panel; while the right panel shows all folders
and files belonging to the item currently selected in the left
panel.
2. Before creating a new folder, the user must first decide where
they want the folder created. For this example we will create
our first folder within the ‘C drive’ (your hard drive). Click on
the C drive (C:\) in the left window of the Windows Explorer
interface. The right hand side of the screen should show all
folders presently included within the C Drive.
3. Go to the Menu bar at the top of the screen and click on ‘File’.
This opens a drop menu.
4. Select ‘New’ and another drop menu will open.
5. Click on ‘Folder’. Instantly a new folder will be created in the
‘C Drive’ in the right-hand side of the Windows Explorer
interface.
6. Type in the name which you want to give this folder and then
press the ‘Enter’ key.
7. Now, within the folder you just created, create another folder
to go into this one. To do this simply repeat steps 2-6.
ACTIVITY 2: Saving files within the
Windows environment
It is always a good idea to save your files on a regular basis. The
folders which you created in the last activity will be used during
this activity as a repository for saving your files.
For this example we will use a hypothetical situation of wanting to
save a Microsoft Word Document into one of our folders.
Microsoft Word is a word processing program that allows the user
to make text files.
The following explains the steps involved in saving a file to a
specific folder.
1. In the Microsoft Word environment click on ‘File’ in your top
menu bar. This will open a drop down menu.
2. Drag the cursor over ‘Save As’ in order to select it and then
click. This will open your saving window.
3. At the top of this window is a menu which allows you to select
where you want to save your file. ‘Double-click’ on the
appropriate folders in order to get to the folder in which the
file will be saved.
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4. At the bottom of this window are two menus; one is a place to
write the name of the file. ‘Double-click’ in this space to select
the text.
5. Type in whatever name you want to give to your file.
6. The bottom most menu queries the user to select the type of file
in which this file will be saved on the hard drive. This topic is
beyond the scope of this workshop, but in most cases the
Microsoft Word document will be saved as a Word Document
(.doc).
7. Click on the ‘Save’ button.
8. The document is saved in the correct place in the Windows file
structure.
9. Using Windows Explorer, verify that your file is in the right
place.
ACTIVITY 3: Making shortcuts to files
and programs (desktop icons)
Making shortcuts is one way to more easily access important files or
programs in your computer environment. One way to do this is to
create icons which will sit on your desktop that instantly link you
to the files or programs you wish to open.
1. Right-click on the file or program.
2. This will open a drop menu with different selections. Drag the
cursor over the item ‘Send to’, this will select it and open a new
drop menu adjacently.
3. Drag the cursor over the item ‘Desktop (create shortcut)’, it will
become highlighted.
4. Click on this item.
5. The new icon should now be on your desktop.
6. In the future double clicking on this icon will open your desired
file or program.
This icon is a shortcut and can be deleted at any time since it is not
the file itself.
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Activity 4: Languages and your
keyboard
You can set your keyboard to more than one language. Most likely
English and French will be used by most of us. Being able to change
the keyboard is important since French has accents while English
does not.
You can set the language of your keyboard by doing the following:
1. Click on the ‘Start Menu’ in the bottom left-hand corner of
your screen.
2. Select ‘Settings, this will open a new drop menu.
3. In the drop menu select ‘Control Panels’, by clicking it. This will
open a new window.
4. Double click on the ‘Keyboard’ icon, this will open a menu.
5. In this menu, you should see two tabs at the top, ‘Speed’ and
‘Language’, click on the language tab.
6. In order to add additional languages to your keyboard, click on
the ‘Add’ button, which will open up a list of potential
languages that can be added.
7. Select the language which you would like to add, then click on
‘OK’.
8. Click the ‘Apply’ button on the ‘Keyboard’ menu.
9. Click on the ‘OK’ button on the “Keyboard’ menu.
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There is another way to change the language of your keyboard.
This process is much more simple.
1. Click on the small LANGUAGE icon which appears in your
taskbar. Your task bar is in the bottom right hand corner of
your computer screen. This will open
up a list of the different languages that
are available to the user.
2. Select the language that you want to use and click on it. You are
now ready to type in text of that language.
ACTIVITY 5: Recycle Bin
Most Windows environments have a ‘Recycle Bin’ icon on their
desktop This is a place where old files no longer needed can be
thrown away. Items in this repository are not permanently lost; the
recycle bin is merely a place to put old files before they are
permanently deleted.
Here are two methods for deleting old files (sending them to the
recycle bin).
1. Click on the icon and hold the button down, this will select the
file or program to be moved.
2. Using the mouse, drag the item until it overlays the ‘Recycle
Bin’.
3. When the ‘Recycle Bin’ icon becomes highlighted, release the
button on the mouse.
4. The file will now be in the ‘Recycle Bin’.
OR
1. Right-click on an item; this will open a drop-down menu.
2. Drag the cursor over ‘Delete’ and then click.
3. The item will now be in the ‘Recycle Bin’.
Although the items are now in the Recycle Bin, they are not
permanently lost. They are merely stored for the moment.
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In order to Empty your Recycle Bin, you must do the following:
1. Double-click on the ‘Recycle Bin’ icon. This will open up a
Recycle Bin window and show you all the files that have been
placed here.
2. In the top menu bar, click on ‘File’, this opens a drop menu.
3. Select ‘Empty Recycle Bin’ and click.
4. The Recycle Bin is now empty.
Remember that once this is done, files are permanently lost and are
not recoverable unless you have some special recovery software.
But don’t let it get that far as the procedure is not always
successful.
If you discover that there is a file in the Recycle Bin that you want
to keep after all, then perform the following:
1. Double click on the ‘Recycle Bin’ icon, this opens the recycle bin
window.
2. Right-click on the item to be recovered, this opens a drop
menu.
3. Select and click ‘Restore’, this will replace the file to its original
location.
ACTIVITY 6: Shortcut key strokes for
Microsoft
Keyboard shortcuts are useful for computer users who want to
improve efficiency and lower the risk of repetitive stress injuries by
minimizing the need to use a mouse. Key strokes also known as
Keyboard commands, Hot keys, or Shortcut Keys.
Here are some of the more useful shortcuts from the ‘File menu’:
New
CTRL + N
Open
CTRL + O
Save
CTRL + S
Print
CTRL + P
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Commands from the ‘Edit menu’:
Cut
CTRL + X
Copy
CTRL + C
Paste
CTRL + V
Select All
CTRL + A
Find
CTRL + F
Undo
CTRL + Z
Open a Word document (.doc) and practice some of these
shortcuts. Ask the facilitators if needed.
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Trainer Notes
What must you do
•
•
Arrange to use a computer lab where each participant will
have access to a terminal.
Not all PC computers are alike. Enquire about what computers
your participants are presently using and try to provide
directions for them if possible.
Things you will need for your workshop
•
•
Handouts for all participants
Projector and a computer for the presenter