Beginners guide to the internet 26.10.15 & 30.10.15

Editor's Notes

• #2: Good morning – welcome to your workshop on a beginners guide to using computers and the Internet. My name is Nina Goodwin and I work for a Company called Cosmic IT and I am here to make you feel more comfortable with using a computer and the Internet. But first a bit of housekeeping……………………………..
• #3: Go through housekeeping
• #4: Flip Answers…………………..
• #6: Computers and the Internet have become a part of everyday life – from staying in touch with family and friends sharing photographs, booking holidays, doing shopping, prescriptions………………all really useful if you know how.
• #8: The main difference between a desktop and a laptop is that a laptop is smaller and portable. Laptops also have a touchpad which can be used instead of a mouse but you can connect a mouse to a laptop if you prefer.
• #9: Depends on the type of tablet you have. Usually on the side of tablets. Now turn on the laptops.
• #10: This section is all about the mouse and how you use it to control your computer or laptop. This section covers: What a mouse is for; How to hold a mouse; How to use a mouse to select, open and move items on your computer or laptop A mouse is one of the main ways to control your computer; Most mouse designs have two buttons – a left button and a right button.
• #11: A mouse needs to be flat on a surface with the end with the buttons pointing towards the computer. Most people find it easier to position the mouse to the side of the keyboard. To hold the mouse you rest your hand over it and put your index finger on the left button and rest your thumb on the side. Anyone left handed? If you are left-handed you may find it easier to put the mouse on the left-hand side of your keyboard and use your middle finger for the left button
• #12: You only need to use the left button for this section. If you click on the right button – don’t worry. Just click on the left button again. When you move the mouse it moves a pointer or ‘cursor’ on the screen. The cursor will change shape depending on what you are doing.
• #14: You can use your mouse to do a variety of tasks – select things, open things and move things. To open things click twice on the left button – think ‘knock, knock’ on a door
• #17: How to put information (words and numbers) into your computer. This section covers: What a keyboard looks like; What the different keys do and how to use them.
• #19: Press the letter keys for letters. You will notice they are laid out in a non-alphabetical order. This is called a QWERTY layout. Demonstrate with keyboard?
• #21: Pressing the Shift key lets you type capital letters and the symbols at the top of the keys. The Shift keys are on the left and right of the keyboard, with the arrow pointing upwards. For capital letters, press down the shift key and hold and then type the letter. For symbols at the top of a number key, press down the shift key and then type the symbol. You can use the Shift key to type any symbol at the top of a key. When you let go of the Shift key you will begin to type lower case letters and numbers again. The Caps Lock key lets you write in capital letters. To turn it on, press it once and then type. To turn it off, press it again.
• #22: The space bar puts a space between words. You press it once to put in a space. The Tab key puts a bigger space between words. You press it once to put in a space. The Enter key moves your cursor down a line. The arrow keys let you move your cursor in all directions on the page or screen – up, down, left and right. To delete your typing you need to put your cursor to the right of a word. Press the Backspace button to delete your word. The cursor will move to the left and delete as it goes.
• #23: This section covers: Understanding how the internet works Using a web browser Browsing the internet
• #24: What sort of things do you think you can do on the Internet?
• #26: The information on the internet is contained in websites and on webpages. To connect to the internet you need an Internet Service Provider or ISP. Your mobile phone company, home phone, cable television provider or even your local supermarket chain can offer you an internet connection. A broadband internet connection allows you to access the internet.
• #28: ISP’s - Your mobile phone company, home phone, cable television provider or even your local supermarket chain can offer you an internet connection.
• #29: The address bar has the address of the website you are on. Every website has an address, which is also called a URL. For example, the URL for the NFU website is: www.nfuonline.com The www stands for WorldWide Web. Most websites have this at the beginning. The NFU online is the name of the website. The .uk shows the BBC website is in the United Kingdom.
• #30: Big cities going to three letters – a bit like your postcode.
• #31: You view websites and webpages in a web browser. A web browser is simply a way of being able to view webpages. Lets open up a google chrome page………….can you remember how to do it?
• #32: To do this click with your cursor and type the address www.bbc.co.uk directly into the address bar. If there is already an address in the address bar, click on it to highlight it and start to type.The new address will start to appear
• #33: Click the Back button to go back to a page you have already visited. Click the Forward button to go to the page you were on before you pressed the back button. Click the Refresh button to reload or update a page your on.
• #34: To explore inside a website you need to click on links. This is called ‘browsing’ or surfing the web. A website is like a book which has a front cover or home page, and lots of other pages, which are called webpages. A link can take you to a webpage in the website. A link can also take you to a different website. A link can be text, a button or an image. Links are highlighted so you can spot them. Your cursor will change to a hand when it moves over a link.
• #35: This section covers: Why use a search engine; Opening and using a search engine; Making your search better The internet has millions of websites and webpages. You can search for almost anything – from Recipes and Local news, history And gardening tips. To search the internet effectively you need a search engine. •  A search engine will Scan through Thousands of websites and webpages on the internet and collect and organise the information it thinks is most relevant to you. Some of the most popular search engines are: Google www.google.com Yahoo www.yahoo.com Bing www.bing.com To use a search engine, for example Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, you need to open your web browser Type in the address of the search engine you want to use in the address bar Click the arrow key on the address bar or press the enter key on the keyboard. This will take you to the search engine The search engine has a searchbox or search field.
• #36: To search you type key words into the search box and press the search button •  Key words are words that describe what you are looking for in the most simple and direct way, for example “growing tomatoes” •  The result from your search will appear as a list of websites and links. The most popular or relevant will be at the top of the list • To visit a site, click on a link
• #37: You can make your searching more effective by following a few handy tips: • Use key words not fullsentences or questions. For example, instead of typing “I need tips for growing tomatoes” simply type “growing tomatoes” •  I f you can’t find what you want, try t o use different words or a different way of expressing it • Practise putting key words into the search box and pressing the search button • A list of search results will appear, with the most popular websites near the top of the list • To view a website, simply click on the link
• #38: The internet is a wonderful tool that has lots of benefits and can make your life better. Unfortunately, the features that make it easy for honest people to use can also be exploited by criminals and people intending to cause disruption. But you should not let fear stop you using the internet. There are a few simple precautions that can keep you and your password information safe.
• #43: A username can be anything you want it to be. You might not want to use your real name as this will help keep your identity unknown and safe. Choose a password that is memorable and not easy for someone else to guess. The best type of passwords mix letters and numbers. This is known as a strong password as it is a lot more difficult to work out what it would be
• #45: One of the benefits of the internet is the ability to shop from a wide range of stores and buy items on auction sites Use retailers that have a good reputation as ‘high street’ shops, or established brands • Follow the security advice carefully on websites that you trust as its there to help you • Never download illegal software, music or videos • Make sure that you are on a secure site when you need to give credit or debit card details • There will often be a padlock symbol either next to the address or at the bottom right corner of the page
• #47: Setting up an email address.