0/2 - Computer Skills: Files and Folders, the Keyboard
Introduction to desktop
 Handout: Windows, Software, Files, My File (word doc)
 Handout: The Keyboard (word doc)
Students' exercises
Printed keyboard for students to take home for practice
Computer (one per two students)

Introduction to desktop
The parts of the computer you can see and touch are called hardware because these parts are tangible. Pieces of hardware are, for example: keyboard, mouse, hard disk, processor and monitor.

Software is called software because it is not tangible: you cannot touch or see it. Software is a set of instructions written in a special code that controls the operation of the computer. All of these instructions together are often called a software program.

To organize your files, so you can always find them again the next day, you can use folders and drives. Folders are objects that contain files and folder icons. They are useful for grouping together related files and folders. Imagine these folders as a filing cabinet that could hold papers (files) and other folders. Drives can be thought of as filing cabinets that store folders and files. Drives are part of the computer's hardware that actually stores the files and folders that you have saved. In many cases, a drive is the same as a hard disk in a computer. It can also be just a part of a hard disk or even more than one hard disk.

The Windows desktop is the main work area on the computer screen. It consists of everything you can see on the screen: windows, icons and dialogue boxes. You can think of the Windows desktop as a regular furniture desktop. The windows, icons and dialogue boxes are like the papers, pens and other objects you would see on a regular desk.

Students practise with folders.

How to make, move, rename and delete a folder:

Find the 'my_Documents' icon on the desktop.

Open the 'my_Documents' folder by double-clicking on the icon with your mouse. You will notice that the files and folders that are stored in the 'my_Documents' folder appear in a window.

Now you are going to create another folder, which you will label with your own name:

Click on 'file' in the toolbar above the window that appears.

Select -NEW- in the menu which appears, by clicking the -new- menu option.

Select -FOLDER- by clicking the -folder- menu option. Another folder, labelled 'new folder', appears in the window. This is the new folder you created within the 'my_Documents' folder.

Type in your name and press the -ENTER- key. If you see that the folder has been labelled with your name, you have done this right.

Now you are going to move your folder to the folder that is labelled 'studentfolders':

Select your folder by clicking on it once. Notice that the label turns blue to tell you that selecting it went fine.

Drag the folder over to 'studentfolders' and drop it there: you do this by clicking the left-hand mouse button, keeping it pressed down and moving it to the folder named 'studentfolders'. Now release the mouse button. You will notice that your folder disappears from the window. You have actually moved your folder into 'studentfolders'.

Open the folder labelled 'studentfolders' by double-clicking on the 'studentfolders' icon. Note that the folder that has been labelled with your name appears to be in 'studentfolders'.

You are now going to delete your folder:

Select your folder by clicking on your folder icon once.

Go to 'file' again in the toolbar above the window, click on 'delete' by left-clicking the -DELETE- button.

Answer the question in the dialogue box by telling the computer you really want to delete the folder by clicking on the -OK- button. If your folder icon has disappeared from the screen, then your folder has been deleted successfully. Let's do it again!

Click on 'file' in the toolbar above the window that appears.
Select -NEW- in the menu which appears by clicking on the -new- menu option.
Select -FOLDER- by clicking on the -folder- menu option.

Type in a name (one of your own names) for this folder and press -ENTER-.






Students exercise typing in MS Word.

This exercise is going to teach you how to write the names of five relatives or friends as a list in MS Word.

Open the MS Word application by clicking the -START- button in the taskbar, choose -PROGRAMS- from the start-menu and then choose MS Word by clicking the MS Word icon. The MS Word logo will appear on the screen to tell you that the MS Word application is being loaded. After some time, a white piece of 'paper' is shown on screen and you see the menu buttons; the program is ready to be used.

First type in your name, age and address. As you were told in class, it is really important to save documents into the computer's memory. This is what you are going to do next.

Remember that saving means you give your document a name and put it in a place where you want to save it.

Save your document by clicking -FILE-, and then -SAVE AS-.
You see a dialogue box appearing. The computer wants you to tell it two things: the name you like to give to your document and the folder in which you want to store the document so you can find it back.

Now you are going to fill in the dialogue box.

Give the document a short name (a maximum of eight characters: 'friends', for example).

Find your own folder.

Open your folder by double-clicking on the folder icon.

Save your document by clicking on the -SAVE- button in the dialogue box. This went fine if the dialogue box disappears and you return to the document you were working on.

Type in your list of five relatives or friends' names. When you are done, save your document again.

Close your document by clicking -FILE- and then -CLOSE-; close the application by clicking on -FILE- and then on -QUIT- or by clicking on the little cross-button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Keyboard exercises

Pac Man

Music mixer game