Mac basics

Mac Basics

“I’m sure there is cool stuff I would use and love about my MAC, but I feel really stupid when I have to call to ask how to get a CD

out”

- Anonymous (Melissa Tidmore about a year ago)

Features of a Mac

• Ease of use

• Text clipping

• Picture taking

• Speech Commands

– Apple

– System preferences

– speech

Fundamentals

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgb_M

NqB3mI

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlT_U7g

ZYh0&NR=1

Ways to find stuff

• Finder

• Mac HD

• Spotlight

• Help

• Sometimes trash, oops

Finder

• Most similar to “My Computer” on PC

• Blue Smiling Face

• No more rummaging

Mac HD

• Allows you access to everything on your

computer, including programs. Great

place to look if something magically

disappears (never happens to me…right)

Spotlight

• Top right corner of your screen

• Allows you to search your entire Mac

easily for any matches

• A quicker way to find something if you

know the name or certain parts of the

name

Trash

Can throw items away and retrieve them

later

– Great for student computers

– Can check for them later IF you have not

emptied the trash

Creating and Editing Folders

• Can easily create folders on a Mac

– Drag and drop app to add to a folder

– Can color code for importance

Dock

• Quick access to all applications

• Open or running files have a glowing dot

below them

• Size adjuster

• Can add and remove items or folders

(stacks) to your dock

– Stack-gives you fast access to a folder

Expose’

• Allows you to view all windows at one time, without toggling

• F3

• Shift will maximize windows without having to click on them

• Command-F3 hides all windows

• Cool feature- when in Expose’ you can set things to automatically open as you log in

– First Class

Applications

• Can add an application to the Dock through the HD or the Spotlight feature.

– Great when you or a student accidentally poofs something!

– If you want to remove an application from your doc without poofing, hold command

• Anything that runs a program

– Word, PowerPoint, First Class, etc.

Dashboard

• Coolest thing ever

• Widget manager

– provides widgets

– Little mini-apps that let you do simple tasks

– Adding widgets

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4iw9QJpzQQ

• http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/

iCal

• An interactive calendar that you can use to

create appointments, upload to your

phone, and even send to others.

– Negative, no document upload at this time.

Shortcuts Favorites

• Shift Command 3

– Picture of whole screen

• Shift Command 4

– Take a picture

• Hold down shift for a cool trick

Shortcut favorites

• Control Command d

– Dictionary, usable on any application

Favorite Shortcuts

• Command Tab

– Toggle between applications and windows

Favorite Shortcuts

• Command+

– Zoom in

• Command-

– Zoom out

Favorite Shortcuts

• Command Option Escape

– Force quit, like control alt delete

More Shortcuts

• Control Alt Command Eject shuts down the computer

• Control Command Eject restarts

• Holding Shift alt while changing volume

– Changes it in ¼ ths

• Command Tilde

– Multiple applications toggling

Handy Tools

• Lining up icons

– Hold command

• Sticky Notes

– Command Shift Y• Does not work in firefox

• Text Clipping

– Select text and drag it to desktop • no copy and paste

Things your kids will like to do…

• Invert the screen

– Control option command 8

Things your kids will like to do…

• Slow motion

– Hold down shift when you minimize or

maximize a screen

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K2sU-

0_jw0&feature=related