Getting started with computers & the internet

SSA MINI CONFERENCE JUNE 5, 2013

Getting Started with Computers and the Internet

Martha [email protected]

COMPUTER BASICSWhat is a computer?

• An electronic device that receives data, processes data, stores data, and produces a result (output)

• A collection of electronic circuits, which can be on or off (open or closed)

Components of Computer Systems

• Hardware– Tangible, physical equipment like the

case, the monitor, the keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc.

• Software– Intangible set of instructions that tell the

computer what to do– Called applications, like PowerPoint, Word,

etc.

Types of Computers

• Supercomputers– Used to do things like predict hurricanes

and navigate satellites• Mainframe computers

– Used by business and government to process large amounts of information

• Personal computers– smaller and less powerful than the other

types of computers– Desktops– Laptop– Notebook or tablet

Input, Output & Storage Devices

• Input devices allow you to communicate with your computer

• Output devices allow your computer to communicate with you

• Storage devices allow you to store or retrieve information on your computer

Input Devices

• Keyboard• Mouse• Touchpad• Touch screen• Bar code reader• Scanner• Microphone• Digital camera

Output Devices

• Monitor• Printer• Speakers• Modem

– Allows your computer to communicate with other computers

Storage Devices

• Hard Drive– Inside the CPU– Can be external

• CD (Compact Disk)• DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)• Flash drive (USB drive)

• Main Home Screen on a Computer Called the Desktop

Networks

• When computers are connected to other computers

• They can share information and sometimes hardware (printers)

• Two Types: Local-Area and Wide-Area

Local Area Networks (LAN)

• Computers are connected together in a relatively close location such as in the same building or department.

• The data and software for these computers are stored on a central computer called the file server.

• Most schools use these so that employees can have access to frequently used files.

Wide Area Networks (WAN)

• When local area networks are expanded to include several local area networks within a city, state, region, territory, country, continent, or the world.

• This is what the Internet is—a worldwide network of computer networks.

What Can You Do on the Internet?• Search for and view information• Download information from remote

computers to your computer • Send e-mail• Join social networks, electronic

discussion groups, blogs, or newsgroups

• Use social networks to interact with people

• Interact with blogs, news sources, etc.

• Make Web pages• Make content: videos, songs, images,

multimedia—and share the content with others

Facts About the Internet

• No one owns or manages it• Anyone can publish a page• It can be used to communicate with

people in the world and find information

• Information can be inaccurate or out of date

• Not everything can be found on the Internet

What Is the World Wide Web?

• A global hypertext information system that uses the Internet– Like a big book of pages, but the pages

are on different computers all over the world

– Hypertext links on each page connect to other pages

How Does the WWW Work?• All web pages are

written in the same language: HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

• Every page has its own Web address (URL—Uniform Resource Locator)

• Hypertext links one web page to another

• A browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome) gives users point and click access

Web Page Addresses (URLs) http://www.healthaction.org/healthyheart/index.html

hypertext domain pathway filenametransfer protocol

Domain names:• .com (commercial)• .gov (government)• .org (non-profit organization)• .edu (educational institution)• .mil (military)• .net (network)• Other countries: .ca (Canada), .au (Australia), etc.

Web Browsers

• Internet Explorer– Microsoft product

• Mozilla Firefox– Open Source

• Google Chrome– Google product

Navigating the Browser• Use the back button to navigate to

pages you have come from• Enter Internet addresses (URLs)

accurately to take you to the website you want

Internet Searching

• Search Engines– Spiders or robots continually search the

Web for new pages, indexing words on each page and noting changes

– No search tool searches everything on the web, so to really find it all, you should use multiple engines

– Sites are chosen by keywords that can appear anywhere on the page

– Search using only the most important words

Different Search Engines

• Google• Bing• Ask• Yahoo!• Dogpile

Understanding Search Engine Results

Getting the Most Out of Search Tools• Use advanced search to narrow your

results

Files & Folders—Organizing on the Computer• A file is like a document that you

might find on someone's desk or in a filing cabinet– an item that contains a collection of

related information– examples of files include text documents,

spreadsheets, digital pictures, and songs• A folder is a container of files

– You can store lots of files inside folders– You can even store folders inside of other

folders

My Documents

• A default location on your computer where it stores files is called My Documents

• This is a folder that has already been created for you

• If you don’t “tell” the computer to do otherwise, it will save your:– Music files to the My Music folder– Picture files to the My Pictures folder– Videos to the My Videos folder

PRACTICE: Creating a New Folder• Right mouse click on any empty

space on your desktop to get this pop up menu:

• Click the New option to get the side bar menu pictured:

• Click the Folder option

• A new yellow folder will appear on your desktop. Type your name in place of the words, “New folder.”

• Double click the folder with your name on it to open it.

PRACTICE: Creating & Saving a File

• Open Microsoft Word on your computer

• Type a sentence• Go up to the menu bar and click on

rainbow ball• Move down the list and click on

“Save as”• Navigate to the folder you created

with your name on it by clicking the Desktop icon, then click on your folder

• Give your file a name and click Save

• Open Word by Clicking on the Icon

Type a sentence here.

Click on Save As

• Click on Desktop, then your folder; type in file name, then click on Save

CREDITS• This PowerPoint is based on

ones created by Shannon Crawford Barniskis, 2010, Connie Hutchison and Christopher McCoy