1.

Working with Computer Hardware

Chief Focus: Using the mouse/touchpad and keyboard.

Making the transition to computers can feel intimidating at first. The mouse
can feel patently unintuitive and the touchpad (which does the same job as
the mouse) can be incredibly difficult to work with. If you’ve worked with
typewriters, the computer keyboard won’t present that big a challenge,
though the tactile feel of a keyboard is dramatically different from a
typewriter’s.

The first step, therefore, is to familiarize yourself with basic computer

hardware. Feel free to pick up the mouse and move it around. It’s okay if you
can’t make sense of what’s happening on-screen – you will learn more about
that later. For now, focus on being physically comfortable with the mouse,
and if you are using a laptop, the touchpad.

The same applies for the keyboard. Try typing your name on the keyboard,
one key at a time. You might make mistakes, but remember that unlike
typewriters, undoing things on computers is as easy as pressing the
‘backspace’ key!

To use computers, you should be able to perform the following tasks:

 Moving the cursor on-screen with the mouse or touchpad.

 Clicking, right-clicking and double-clicking the mouse.
 Using basic keyboard functions such as backspace, enter/return, space
bar, delete, tab, shift and caps lock.
 Basic typing skills.

2. Learning How to Use an Operating System

Chief Focus: Windows or Mac OS X

Think of an operating system (OS) as the interface which lets you
communicate with the computer.  The majority of you will start your
computer experience with Windows, the operating system built by Microsoft.
Some will start with Mac OS X, which is the operating system used on Apple
computers.

For the purpose of this article, we will assume that you are using Microsoft
Windows. You will be pleased to know that both these operating systems are
quite similar. If you can work with Windows, it won’t take you long to work
with OS X, and vice-versa.

To use an operating system effectively, you should be able to perform the

following:

 Finding, running and closing a program.

 How files, folders and directories work.
 Saving a file.
 Using Windows Explorer to find and open a file.
 Shutting down and restarting a computer.

Learn how to use operating systems with the Windows 8 course

for Dummies!
If you prefer to use Mac OS X instead, you will find this beginner’s
tutorial on OS X to be of great use.

3. Using Word Processors

Chief Focus: Microsoft Word, WordPad

Now that you know how to use an operating system, you will undoubtedly be
excited to get some actual work done. One of the first things you should
familiarize yourself with is the humble word processor. A word processor is
basically a software application that can create textual documents. Think of it
an incredibly powerful typewriter.

Windows ships with WordPad and NotePad – two simple, yet effective text
editors. Their Mac OS X equivalents are TextEdit and Notes.

If you want to do something more than write a basic text document, you will
need a more powerful program like Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word is a part
of the Microsoft Office suite of software tools. It is a highly capable word
processor that can create everything from a simple letter to a complicated
graphical flyer.

Knowing your way around a word processor is crucial to getting the most out
of your computer. You should be familiar with the following before you
proceed further:

 Opening Microsoft Word.

 Creating a new document in Word.
 Using basic formatting functions (bold, italics, underline, font size and
type).
 Saving and printing a finished document.

Get on the fast track to MS Word expertise with this incredible

course!

4. Getting Online

Chief Focus: Web browsers and websites.

A computer without internet is like a Corvette without gas; it might look

great sitting on the curb, but without gas, you aren’t really going to go
anywhere.
The internet is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. You can use it to
stay in touch with friends and relatives, follow the news, reference
encyclopedias, shop for things, and search for virtually anything. Getting
familiar with the internet is the first step in unleashing the full power of the
computer.

To use the internet, you will need a web browser. A web browser is a software
application that can open websites and communicate with the internet. Both
Windows and Mac OS X ship with built-in web browsers – Internet Explorer
and Safari respectively. There are other browsers as well, but for now, these
should suffice.

Using the internet requires that you have basic competency with the
following tasks:

 Finding and opening a web browser.

 Opening a website.
 Understanding links.
 Creating and using an email account.
 Searching on Google.
 Using Wikipedia as a reference tool.
 Opening a video.

You can also learn how to create your own blog with this free course on
using Blogger.com

Learning how to use computers is not easy, but it is a vital skill in the
21st century. It will take you hours of effort to become comfortable with
operating systems and web browsers and word processors, but the rewards –
better, faster communication, increased productivity, and access to the
wealth of the world’s information – are well worth it!