Basic Computing- 1k

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER 1.1

A computer

1

1.2

Parts of a computer

2

1.3

Hardware and software

4

1.4

Types of computer

6

1.5

Input, Output and Storage Devices

7

CHAPTER 2: SECURITY AND SAFETY RULES 2.1

Rules and procedures in computer lab

10

CHAPTER 3: OPERATING SYSTEM 3.1

Controlling hardware

13

3.2

Running Software

18

3.3

Playing educational games

18

3.4 Using Windows Explorer and Managing Files

19

3.5

22

Recycle Bin

EXERCISES

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1. INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER Contents 1.6 A computer 1.7 Parts of a computer 1.8 Hardware and software 1.9 Types of computer 1.10 Input, Output and Storage Devices 1.1 A computer

A computer is a device that you can use to store, manipulate, and display text, numbers, images and sounds. It is an electronic device that is designed to work with information. The computer takes information in, processes that information, and then displays the results as shown in the diagram below. .

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1.2 Parts of computer A computer is made of different parts. These parts perform different functions.

Central Processing Unit

The casing of the system unit Commonly called Central Processing Unit ( CPU ) Contains a processor

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The display unit (Monitor)

Displays information onto a screen Main way computer communicates with users

The keyboard and mouse

Important tools because they are used to control the computer

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1.3 Hardware and Software Computers need hardware and software to work. The software tells the hardware what to do and the hardware does the actual work. Hardware is divided into input, output and storage devices. (Refer to Chapter 1.5) There are two types of software:

Some examples of system software are:

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Some examples of application software are:

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Definition Example Cost See Touch

HARDWARE

SOFTWARE

computer equipment monitor, keyboard, mouse Cheap Yes Yes

computer program Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel Expensive Yes, once it is printed No (Cannot touch)

1.4 Types of Computer i.

Computer can be divided into 2 main group: Special-Purpose Computers A computer designed to do specific job. E.g. petroleum station

ii. General-Purpose Computers A computer designed to do many kinds of works. E.g. it is used to prepare documents. There are 3 types of general-purpose computer: There are 3 types of computer

Microcomputer

Mainframe computer Minicomputer

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Microcomputer

Minicomputer

Mainframe computer

Mainframe for short Large-sized computer Very Expensive Difficult to use Multi-user (More than 100) Big business and government departments

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Introduction Size Cost Use User

Referred to PC Small-sized computer Cheap Easy to use Single-user (1)

Mini for short Medium-sized computer Expensive Difficult to use Multi-user (10-60)

6.

Used for

Personal use

7.

Power

Low computing power

Medium-sized business or organizations, banks and etc High computing power

8.

Room

Normal or air-conditioned room PC Clones Word Processing, Spreadsheet, E-mail, Games (Home entertainment), Graphic (designing clothes/shoes) and

9. Example 10. Applications

Air-conditioned room IBM 36, HP 9000 Control ATM at the banks, Inventory control for supermarket, Hospital registration and

Very High computing power Special air-conditioned room CRAY-2, VAX 9000 Airline reservation, weather forecasting, Space vehicle control, big universitites, to detect oil and gas field in the sea (BSP) and .

1.5 Input, Output and Storage Devices

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All these are input devices

Input devices Scanner

•

Microphone

•

Functions Scans information on hard copy into the computer Captures sound into the computer

All these are output devices

Output devices Monitor

• •

Printers

• • •

Speakers

•

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Functions Like a television screen Displays information from the data inputted Display information on paper Hard copy Some prints in colour; others print in black only Produces sound and music generated by the computer

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Below are some of the storage devices

Storage devices Hard disk

• •

Floppy disk

• •

CD-ROM

• •

Thumb drive

• •

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Functions Stores data Displays information from the data inputted Stores data Floppy disk drive, reads and writes data on floppy disks Stores data CD-ROM drive, reads data from CDROMs Also called as USB flash drive or Pen drive Reads and writes data onto the drive s memory chips

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2. SECURITY AND SAFETY RULES Contents 2.2 Rules and procedures in computer lab Take good care of your computer and it will serve you longer. In school, students must be responsible when using the computer system. 1. Report any faulty computer and peripheral to your teacher immediately. A likely scenario if a student does not report faulty equipment … Monday Class 1B was in a computer laboratory. Just as John was finishing his work, the monitor screen went blank. He thought the next user would report to a teacher and the computer would be fixed by Wednesday. So he did not report to his teacher. Tuesday Then Class 1C used the same computer laboratory. May used the computer which John had used earlier. She found that the computer could not work and used her neighbour’s computer since her neighbour was absent. Like John, she didn’t report to her teacher. Wednesday Class 1B came back to the computer laboratory. John found that the computer was not repaired. As a result, he had no computer to work on.

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2. Do not bring food and drinks into the computer laboratory. Food spillage onto the computer will damage the equipment.

3. Do not push or knock computers especially when they are running

4. Keep your computer clean. If your computer is dirty or dusty, wipe with a dry cloth before turning it on. Do not use harsh chemical. Wash and dry your hands before handling a computer.

5. Follow proper steps in switching on and off your computer. Switching on peripherals first then the computer Switching off computer first, then the peripherals

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6. Care of the computer mouse Do not remove the ball. Do not pull mouse away from the computer. Do place mouse on a mouse pad.

7. Inform your teacher when the printer is Not working Jammed Out of ink To avoid false alarm, first make sure that the printer is not Switched off Out of paper Disconnected from the computer 8. Do not remove a disk when the disk drive indicator is blinking.

9. Do not place strong magnets near the computer system hard disk can be damaged data will be lost

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3. OPERATING SYSTEM Contents 3.6 Controlling hardware 3.7 Running Software 3.8 Playing educational games 3.9 Using Windows Explorer and Managing Files 3.10 Recycle Bin 3.1 Controlling hardware Once you have connected your devices (peripherals) to your computer, you ready are ready to start your computer for the first time. TURN ON the computer for the first time. 1. Switch on the peripheral devices. E.g. printer, scanner

2. The system unit

3. The monitor

TURN OFF the computer 1. Switch off the monitor

2. The system unit § Click Start § Select and Click Turn off the Computer § Click Turn Off button 3. The peripheral devices. E.g. printer, scanner Basic Computing ICT Unit Curriculum Development Jan 2008

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Checking the Drive Space 1. Open My Computer § Double-Click on the My Computer icon on the desktop. § The My Computer window will open. 2. Select the Hard Drive § Right-Click on the (C: ) icon and select Properties from the bottom of the pop-up menu. § The Properties window will open. 3. View the Drive Space § Click on the General Tab if it is not already at the front, and a pie chart will show you how much space on our hard disk has been used, and how much is still available.

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Use a KEYBOARD Keyboard is an important device for sending instructions and data to the computer. Function Keys

Numeric Keypad

Arrow Keys

Keys

Functions

Functions keys

The F1 through F12 keys are most often used as shortcut keys in programs. For example, in most programs, you can press F1 to access the Help system Press Esc to stop the current task or when application does something unexpected on your screen. Press Caps Lock to turn the Caps Lock feature on and off. The Caps Lock Status Light is illuminated when the Caps Lock feature is on. When Caps Lock is on, you can type all of your letters in uppercase. For example A, the keyboard produces an uppercase . When Caps Lock is off, you type letters in lowercase. For example, when you press A, the keyboard produces a lowercase . Hold down Shift and press a letter to type the uppercase version of that letter. For example, if you hold down Shift and press A, the keyboard produces an uppercase . You use Ctrl (pronounced control) in combination with other keys to run program features. For example, in most programs, if you hold down Ctrl and press S (usually written as Ctrl+S), you save you current document. Press the key to open the Windows operating system Start menu. You use Alt in shortcut key combinations to run program features. For example, in most programs, if you hold down Alt and press F4 (usually written as Alt+F4), you close open programs. Press Spacebar to insert a space. In a text document, you can press Enter to start a new paragraph. In other contexts, you can press Enter to initiate or complete an action.

Escape Caps Lock

Shift Ctrl

Windows Alt Spacebar Enter

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Backspace Delete Status Lights Navigations Keys

Arrow Keys Num Lock

Numeric Keypad

Press the Backspace key to remove the character to the left of the cursor. Press the Delete key to remove the character to the right of the cursor. When status light is on, it tells you that the associated key is active. For example, if the Caps Lock light is on, the Caps Lock feature is activated. Use the navigation keys t move through a document. Press Home to move to the beginning of the current line, or End to move to the end of the line. Press Page Up to move up one screen, or Page Down to move down one screen. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor one character or one line at a time. Press Num Lock to turn the numbers on the numeric keypad on or off. The Num Lock Status Light is illuminated when the Num Lock feature is on. When Num Lock is on, the keys on the numeric keypad produce numbers. When Num Lock is off, the keys on the numeric keypad become the keys indicated below the numbers. The numeric keypad allows you to quickly enter numbers when the Num Lock feature is on.

General keyboard shortcuts Keyboard Shortcuts CTRL+C CTRL+X CTRL+V CTRL+Z DELETE SHIFT+DELETE CTRL while dragging an item CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item F2 key CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys SHIFT with any of the arrow keys SHIFT with any of the arrow keys CTRL+A F3 key ALT+TAB

Functions Copy Cut Paste Undo Delete Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin Copy the selected item Create a shortcut to the selected item Rename the selected item Highlight a block of text Highlight a block of text Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document Select all Search for a file or a folder Switch between the open items

Three tips of using keyboard 1. Press the keys gently and not with force 2. Remove your finger soon after pressing a key 3. Do not watch your finger but watch the text on the screen Basic Computing ICT Unit Curriculum Development Jan 2008

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USE A MOUSE

Mouse has two buttons and a scroll wheel Scroll wheel Right button

Left button

FOUR basic operations that you can do with a mouse To select a file or folder

1. Click click

2. Double-Click click click 3. Right-Click click

4. Drag and Drop

Double clicking allows you to open a folder or view/download a file.

Right-clicking a file or folder will present a context menu with options like open, rename, delete, etc.

You can drag-and-drop files and folders to other folders to move them. (More on this in the File Management section below.)

Three tips of using mouse 1. Do not remove the ball. 2. Do not pull mouse away from the computer. 3. Do place mouse on a mouse pad.

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3.2 Running Software 1. Start a program 2. Click the

button on the windows task bar

3. Point to 4. Select 5. From the submenu select Microsoft Office Publisher 2003

3.3 Playing educational games (Refer to Online games for children booklet)

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3.4 Using Windows Explorer and Managing Files Copy a File 1. Navigate to the folder that contains the file that you want to copy 2. Click the file § To copy multiple files, click the first file that you want to copy, press and hold Ctrl and then click each additional file that you want to copy. 3. Press Alt. § The menu bar appears. 4. Click Edit. 5. Click Copy To Folder. § The copy Items dialog box appears. 6. Click the location where you want to store the copy. § If the folder where you want to store the copy is inside one of the displayed drives or folder, click to navigate to the folder, and then click to select it. 7. Click Copy. § Windows places a copy of the file in the folder that you have selected.

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Move a File 1. Navigate to the folder that contains the file that you want to move. 2. Click the file § To move multiple files, click the first file that you want to move, press and hold Ctrl and then click each additional file that you want to move. 3. Press Alt. § The menu bar appears. 4. Click Edit. 5. Click Move To Folder. § The Move Items dialog box appears. 6. Click the location where you want to store the copy. § If the folder where you want to store the copy is inside one of the displayed drives or folder, click to navigate to the folder, and then click to select it. 7. Click Move.

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Rename a File 1. Navigate to the folder that contains the file that you want to rename. 2. Click the file § You can also rename any folders that you have created. 3. Click Organize. 4. Click Rename. § A text box appears around the filename. § You can also select the Rename command by pressing F2. 5. Type the new name that you want to use for the file. § If you decide that you do not want to rename the file after all, you can press Esc to cancel the operation. § The name that you type can be up to 255 characters long, but it cannot include the following characters : <>, ? : \ * . 6. Press Enter or click an empty section of the folder. § The new name appears under the file icon.

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3.5 Recycle Bin This means emptying the files from the bin. Delete a File 1. Navigate to the folder that contains the file that you want to delete. 2. Click the file. § To delete multiple files, click the first file that you want to delete, press and hold Ctrl and click each additional file that you want to delete. 3. Press Organize. 4. Click Delete. § You can also select the Delete command by pressing Delete key. § The Delete File Dialog box appears. 5. Click Yes. § The file disappears from the folder. § You can disappear from the folder. § You can also delete a file by clicking and dragging it to the desktop s Recycle Bin icon. § If you delete a file accidentally, you can restore it. Double-click the desktop s Recycle Bin icon to open the Recycle Bin window. Click the file and then click Restore this item.

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EXERCISE 1 1.2 Parts of a Computer 1. Name the four main parts of a computer. (i) ___________________________ (ii) ___________________________ (iii) __________________________ (iv) ______________________________ 2. Write the devices in the order that you would use them to : * computer

*monitor

* keyboard

* mouse

* joystick

* printer

* scanner

* microphone

(a) scan a picture _______________________________________________ (b) write a letter _______________________________________________ (c) record a sound _______________________________________________ 3. Use the text to fill in the missing letters. (a) c r __ __ t __ __

(b) __ e __ __ __ a __ d

(c) __ e s __ t __ p

(d) g r __ __ h __ __ s

(e) m __ __ __ t __ r

(f) __ __ t t __ __ y

4. Arrange these in order of size, from smallest to largest. Mini-tower, laptop, PDA, tower, desktop _______________________________________________________ Basic Computing ICT Unit Curriculum Development Jan 2008

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EXERCISE 2 1.3 Hardware and Software In order to work with the data fed into it, a computer needs both hardware and software. Hardware is the physical parts of a computer that can be seen and touched. The most important part of the hardware is the CPU (Central Processing Unit). 1. Name five pieces of computer Hardware. (i) ___________________________ (ii) ______________________________ (iii) __________________________ (iv) ______________________________ (v) __________________________ 2. Name five pieces of computer software. (i) ___________________________ (ii) ______________________________ (iii) __________________________ (iv) ______________________________ (v) __________________________ 3. What computer software would you use to : (a) draw a picture ?

___________________________

(b) create a database ?

___________________________

(c) type a story ?

___________________________

(d) surf the Net ?

___________________________

(e) send an email ?

___________________________

4. Write these abbreviations in full. (a) CPU

___________________________

(b) OS

___________________________

(c) VCR

___________________________

(d) WWW

___________________________

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EXERCISE 3 1.5 Input and Output (Part 1) What you put into a computer (input) controls what you get out of it (output). The equipment which you use to put information (called data) into a computer is called input devices. The equipment we use to get out of the computer is called output devices. 1. Here are some input devices. Write the missing letters. (a) K __ __ __ __ __ __ d

(b) j __ __ s __ __ __ __

(c) __ __ u __ e

(d) s __ __ n n __ r

2. Here a re some input devices. Write the missing letters. (a) las __ __ p __ __ n __ __ r

(b) __ __ n __ t __ __

(c) sp__ __ k __ __ __

(d) ink __ __ t p __ __ __ t __ __

3. Name five pieces of data you could input into a computer. (i) ___________________________

(ii) ______________________________

(iii) __________________________

(iv) ______________________________

(v) __________________________ 4. Explain, in your own words, the difference between an input devices and an output device.

5. Sort these devices into the correct column. * scanner * printer *keyboard * mouse ** monitor * joystick * speakers Input Device

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Output Device

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EXERCISE 4 1.5 Storage (Part 2) 1. True or false ?

(a) CD-ROMs can store the same information as 200 floppy disks. ( (b) Floppy disks are gradually replacing CD-ROMs. ( (c) Dust can damage a hard disk drive. (

)

)

)

(d) It s not possible to have an external hard disk drive. ( (e) A hard disk drive crash can destroy your data. (

) )

2. Use your own words to explain the following terms. (a) read-only _________________________________________________ (b) retrieve

_________________________________________________

(a) read/write head ____________________________________________ (a) multimedia software __________________________________________ (a) crash

_________________________________________________

3. Which storage device would be most suited to the following tasks ? (a) Storing two pages of text for a friend to take home ______________ (b) Storing a video of your last school sports day ____________________ (c) Taking your homework to school to print out on the class computer __________ (d) Storing you your favourite computer game _______________ EXTRA: There are now other storage devices being developed. See if you can find out about : * FireWire drives

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* Zip drives

* Jazz drives

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EXERCISE 5 Computer Terminology

1. Match the words to the correct definition.

PROGRAM

The information put into a Computer though input devices

DATA

The brains of the computer

SOFTWARE

A group of eight bits

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT

Where all the important work is done. It carries out all the calculations to process the data.

MATHS UNIT pictures

Small graphic images or Used to represent commands.

RAM

The instructions given to a computer to make it work.

BYTES

The program a computer needs To process the data it is given.

GIGABYTES

The computer’s memory. Can be compared to your desktop.

ICONS

Approximately equal to 1000 Megabytes.

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EXERCISE 6 2. Safe and Healthy Computing 1. Setting up a computer properly can help eliminate problems such as tired eyes or sore backs. Use this checklist as a guide to safe and healthy computing.

Sit comfortably at your desk. The chair should suit the height of the desk. Lower back, feet and thighs should be supported. Knees bent at right angles. Clearance between desk and thighs. Monitor positioned centrally on the desk. Minimise glare and reflections of monitor. Your eyes should be approximately 50 cm away from your monitor. Good lighting to comfortably read instructions without reflections on the screen. Take regular breaks from looking at the monitor. All electrical pads and plugs installed properly. Keep fingers out of internal parts of the computer or peripherals.

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REFERENCES 1. Jonathan Chan, 2007, Computer Applications Secondary 1, Pearson Longman 2. Jonathan Chan, 2007, Computer Applications Secondary 2, Pearson Longman 3. Jonathan Chan, 2007, Computer Applications Upper Secondary, Pearson Longman 4. Paul McFedries, 2007, Teach Yourself Visually Computers, Wiley Publishing Inc.

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