Computer

Basics I
Fill out the Worksheet as
you watch this most fun and
exciting lesson.
Your computer screen has a
certain name…what is it?

Hint 1: It’s not called a monitor

Hint 2: It starts with the letter D

And the answer is……..

(I can feel the excitement building…)
 DESKTOP
It’s what shows up
on the computer
monitor when it’s
running.
 WHAT IS AN ICON?

Don’t know?

Look at your desktop (see how

I just used the term
DESKTOP??)
 See those small pictures on your
desktop.
THOSE ARE ALL
ICONS.

Each of those pictures (Icons)

will open a program or file
when you click on them.
What is OPERATING SYSTEM
SOFTWARE?
Let’s break the term down:

Operate means to run something

 System is your computer
 Software tells the computer what
to do.
So Operating System
Software is the software
program responsible for running
your computer.

Without it, you’re computer

wouldn’t turn on.
What OPERATING SYSTEM
SOFTWARE do we use?

WINDOWS!
 What is the combination of the
type of computer and its
Operating System Software
called?

Hardware + Operating System Software = ?

Does this help-There are only 2 types:

PC (Personal Computer)
and Macintosh

PC’s operating system software is Windows.

Macintosh’s operating system software is

OS10.
 Let’s try again.

The combination of the type of

computer and its Operating
System Software is called …

Platform
Moving on…

Any idea what a GUI is?

What if I told you GUI stands

for Graphical User Interface?

Does that help?

What if I told you Windows
is a GUI...

Now do you know?

NO? Give up??
A Graphical User Interface
is a computer program that
uses graphics (pictures) to
represent programs and
folders

Remember: Windows
is a GUI
Let’s break the term down so you
understand it.

 Graphic means picture

 User is who’s using the computer…YOU

 Intermeans between, and face means surface. So an

Interface enables a user to interact with a computer
surface (desktop) using graphics (icons).
Before Graphical User Interfaces came along, there
were no graphics on the computer screen.
It was a black screen with text….THAT”S IT!
To get the computer to do something back
then, you had to type in the correct
command.
For example, to open a document you would
type in:
c:\>open assignment.doc

When the document opened, it was again, just

a black screen with words. No windows, no
drop down menus, no toolbars…just a black
screen with text…kinda like this.
Ahh, those were the days. Memorizing commands just
to open, save, copy, modify, and print documents (to
name a few). Only simple documents could be created,
and a book listing all the computer commands was
necessary.
Then along came Graphical User Interfaces and mice
and the computer world was changed for ever. All we
have to do now is click on a picture and the file is
opened. Computers are so much easier to use with
GUI’s.
Moving on……..
What does it mean to
MULTITASK?
If you said to do more
than one thing at the same
time, you’re right!
 Computers can
MULTITASK.
They can do
more than one
thing at a time.
If Operating System
Software runs the computer,
what do Application
Software Programs do?

I’m glad you asked…

Applications are software
programs YOU yourself choose to
put on your computer that
perform specific tasks. Examples
are Word, Games, Photoshop,
Dreamweaver, etc.
When you load APPLICATION
SOFTWARE PROGRAMS on your
computer you are loading
instructions.
These instructions tell your
computer what to do and what to
show on the desktop.
Let’s talk MENUS-
“I’ll have a Veggie burger with fries,
please.”
No, not that kind of menu.

Menus give you a list of

choices. For example, when
you right click on your desktop
you get a menu with different
options that you can choose
from
 PAIR SHARE
 Finishyour worksheet.
 Then, pair up with another student and compare
answers.
 Make adjustments to your worksheet where
necessary.
 Hand in.