Computer Essentials

Presentation from the Computers for Seniors class at the Quinte West Public Library.

1. Welcome Everyone!
Computer Essentials Course
Presented by
Quinte West Public Library
and Peter Ferguson

2. Before Learning about Computers
The mouse isn’t fragile
Typing ability is helpful, but not necessary.
You can’t press any key that will destroy your
computer
Relax, enjoy and learn with no deadlines
Remember Inexperience is
not an indication of your intelligence!!

3. What is a Computer?
Computers are not very intelligent (YES / NO)
They follow directions from the user
Computers are really just powerful calculators
with some “extras”
They only handle instructions fast.

4. What is a System?
Standardized Method of doing
something
Specific pieces of hardware and
software that your computer needs to
perform tasks
Computer system converts your
keystrokes into letters and displays
them on the monitor screen.

5. Hardware and Software
The hardware is what sits on your desk
and executes the software instructions.
(Physical)
Software a series of simple computer
instructions organized to complete
tasks. (Intangible)

6. The Player Piano
Piano is
the hardware
the Music Roll
is the software.
Player Pianos are
useless unless the
music roll has been
written correctly.

7. Hardware
physical parts of a computer
Input Devices
Allows us to put things in the
computer
Output Devices
Allows the computer to put things out
for us to see

8. Input Devices
How we tell the computer what to do
keyboard
Enter letters and numbers
Mouse
Point and click, select, drag
Joysticks
used for games
Scanner
Input pictures, text from books,

9. Output Devices
How it shows you what it is doing
Monitor or CRT or screen (soft-copy)
View information from the computer
Printer (hard-copy)
Physical image of computer information

10. Random Access Memory - RAM
RAM is the memory your computer
uses to run applications.
The amount of RAM in your computer
is fixed
sales people will define a computer's
capabilities by amount of RAM
Also known as Active Memory

11. Working Surface: Desk or Table

12. Read-Only Memory - ROM
Saved information in memory
can be read only and not altered (CD)
ROM is built into your computer to
help it start when you turn it on
Any information saved on a disk such
as information used to perform a task
Also known as Storage Memory

13. Storage for
Documents and Programs

14. Memory
How the processor stores and uses
immediate information
You request a program
Computer loads the program from the
hard drive to faster RAM memory.
You save your work the information
gets written back to the hard drive.

15. Storage Devices
Where computers save information or
data
Internal / Fixed
•Hard disk drives HDD
•Compact Disc CD
External / Portable
•Floppy Disk Drives FDD
•Thumb Drives USB

16. Internal Storage Disks
Hard disk/hard drive
A fixed permanent storage unit that
holds a great deal of information.
Compact Disc Drive
Stores information such as programs,
games, and back ups of documents
that are permanent

17. External / Portable Storage
Floppy disk/diskette
A portable disk on which information is
magnetically written that can be read,
copied, or deleted.
"Floppy" describes older 5.25" disks
which were flexible, while the more
common 3.5" disks are hard cased
Thumb Drives
Large storage capacity for files and
documents

18. Central Processing Unit or CPU
All processes and tasks are performed by
CPU
Printing
Screen views
Saving files
Megahertz (MHz)
is the CPU speed
in which it performs
instructions
It’s the Brains of the Computer

19. Icons
Pictures that represent actual items
like:
Hard drives
Applications
Actions
Tasks
Documents / Files
Pictures

20. Operating System or Platform
Software provides a "user interface" to:
manage files
start applications or programs
customize computer settings
other tasks
PCs use Microsoft Windows XP, VISTA
Macintoshes use the Macintosh OS
(operating system.)

21. Software Applications
a piece of software intended to do a
particular task such as accounting,
typing, number-crunching, or making
pictures

22. Popular Software Applications
Word Processing (MS Word, WordPerfect)
Spreadsheets (MS Excel, Lotus 123)
Database (Access, Fox Pro)

Presentation (PowerPoint, Presentations)
Browsers (MS Internet Explorer, Fire Fox,)

23. File or Document
any single creation by an application,
A single chart
A painting
A four page paper
A web page
A thesis with graphics and footnotes.
A government form

24. Cursor
a visual indicator on the screen that
lets you know where your mouse is
positioned.
allows you to insert text or select
existing items to be erased or deleted,
copied or modified.

25. Network
A group of computers that are connected
with each other by:
telephone lines (Internet)
fiber-optic cables
Cables
Benefits on a computer network:
share files
send information very quickly
enable multiple users to communicate at one
time.

26. Which way is the School Bus Going?

27. Happy Computing
Peter Ferguson
613-965-6777
[email protected]