A Computer Course for Those Who Have Never Learned Computing
The majority of people are familiar with what a computer is, how to turn one on, and how to send emails and type documents. Nevertheless, computers can be trickier than that. Things can go wrong, and a variety of situations that people may find bewildering can occur.
This course is intended for those who occasionally find it difficult to use a computer, or who just lack the courage to attempt new things or find solutions to difficulties as they arise. If any of the following apply to you:
- This course might be for you if you’re sick of waiting for a friend or the kid of the next-door neighbour to come and help.
- You’ve discovered that your career or company potential have been hampered by a lack of computer abilities.
It gives extremely good instructions on how to comprehend both hardware and software. Although the course can be helpful for anybody from a newbie to someone who has used computers in the past but only for very basic tasks like sending emails and drafting small documents, we do presume you have the fundamental knowledge outlined previously.
The course is applicable to all kinds of PCs running the Microsoft Windows operating system, but personal computers, or P.C.s, are the focus.
Lesson Structure
There are 13 lessons in this course:
- Hardware Components
- Introduction
- Input devices – keyboard, mouse, trackball, trackpad, microphone, webcam, touchscreen, digitizer, scanner, optical reader, OMR
- Output devices – displays, printers, plotters, audio speakers, speech synthesiser, GPS
- Storage devices
- Memory types – RAM, ROM, CMOS
- Central Processing Unit (CPU)
- Microprocessor and motherboard architecture
- Processor sockets, Zero insertion force, Dynamic ram, Cache memory
- Bus type
- BIOS
- Memory capacity
- Built in interfaces, Input/Output (I/O)
- Computer terminology
- Peripherals
- Introduction
- Peripheral devices
- Mouse and keyboard
- Modems
- Printers
- Monitors
- Removeable storage devices
- Scanners
- Operating Systems
- Introduction
- What are operating systems
- Types of operating systems – batch, multitasking, real time, distributed, network, server, mobile
- Background
- Start up
- Formatting
- File types
- Comparisons – versions of windows
- Software applications
- Files, Folders & Data
- Managing data
- Data storage and cloud
- Smartphones and tablets – the ‘app’ concept
- Metadata and searching
- Data management in Windows
- Windows metro
- Windows desktop: file explorer
- Directory tree structure
- Files
- Basic file/ folder manipulator
- Making different selections
- Drag and drop
- Using a shortcut menu
- Office Applications
- Accessing tools and commands
- The ribbon
- Saving files and documents
- Where to save files
- Common tasks and short cuts
- Multiple applications, multiple users
- Working collaboratively
- Windows Accessories & Programs
- Introduction
- The changing workplace
- Paid vs free
- Single payment vs. subscription
- Windows built in software
- Selecting office software
- Word processing, spreadsheets, data bases, desktop publishing
- Communications and scheduling
- Email programs
- Calendars and project management
- Disk Management
- Disk properties
- Managing hard disks
- Formatting a storage device
- System tools
- Disk fragmentation
- Back ups
- Installation Of Software
- The gold rules
- Installing software and device drivers
- Boot disks
- Device drivers
- Technical support
- Using manuals
- Trouble Shooting
- Introduction
- Determining what caused an error
- Power on self test
- Hard disk problems
- Defragmentation
- Bugs and viruses
- Motherboard battery
- Logical approach to trouble shooting
- Computer stress syndrome – causes, technical failures, not investing enough in upgrades and repairs, etc
- Handling computer stress
- Word Processing
- Introduction – open office, libre office
- Forms and templates
- Create a document from a template
- Filling in details
- Replace wizard text
- Styles
- Create template for standard documents
- Tables
- Mail merge
- Spreadsheets and MS Excel
- Introduction
- Using excel
- Absolute and relative references
- Using Formulae
- Display and presentation
- Charts and other tools
- Databases and Microsoft Access
- What is a database
- DBMS
- Microsoft access
- MS Access database structure
- Creating a simple database
- Working with forms
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Introduction
- Creating presentations using templates
- Key concepts in powerpoint
- Layout
- Content
- Slide views
- Animation and backgrounds
- Viewing your presentation
- The slide master
- Background styling
- Create a structured presentation
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
- Recognize the various hardware parts of a computer system.
- Identify the computer system’s peripherals.
- Get a broad understanding of popular computer operating systems.
- Learn more about how to handle files and data in Microsoft Windows.
- Describe the fundamental operations of commonly used office software.
- Discuss popular Windows accoutrements.
- Explain the methods used in disc management on computers.
- Learn how to install various software applications into computers while following manuals.
- Get the information necessary to identify the root of typical computer system issues.
- Learn the fundamentals of using Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.
How You Plan to Act
- What function do the motherboard and CPU provide in a computer system?
- Quickly outline the development of computer systems, starting with the original IBM PC and ending with the modern, widely accessible systems. Make particular mention of any modifications you consider to be “important” steps in this evolutionary process.
- Identify the five things that the motherboard must support.
- Describe the performance evaluation system used for modems.
- Compare several printer types and describe how they vary in terms of how a printed page is produced.
- Provide definitions for the following IT terms: wallpaper, device driver, sound card, screensaver
- Talk about “Brief case,” when you might utilise this feature, and how to add a brief case to your desktop.
- Explain the benefits and drawbacks of having multiple windows open at once, and describe two examples that either show the benefits or challenges you could have when working with multiple windows open.
- Make a list of the computer commands you would click or type to complete each stage in the process of installing or configuring a new printer.
- Write about the procedures required in installing a software programme of your choice (not the task you were assigned) on a hard disc.
- An Inadequate Expanded Memory error message appears in a DOS window while you try to launch a DOS software. How can you fix this issue if your computer’s extended memory is set to Auto?
- The customer stopped using the computer after a severe electrical storm, and now he has brought it to you for inspection since the keyboard is broken and it won’t start. Write down the actions you would take to identify the problem and what, in your opinion, is harmed.
Start by becoming familiar with the computer system.
Just one component of a system, the computer.
Simply described, the computer serves as the system’s nerve centre. The only thing that is “thinking” is a machine. Beyond that, the system is connected to a plethora of additional items. Peripherals are those things.
A computer system’s peripherals might be any number of accessories that are added to improve usability as a tool for the workplace.
With all technology, peripherals develop and advance quickly; the newest tools available today can be obsolete tomorrow. But for a corporation, adopting new technology can be a dangerous, complicated, knowledge-intensive, and expensive process. Because of this, many small- to medium-sized organisations and businesses continue to use ‘legacy’ technology and more dated peripherals. To properly support computer systems and users, it’s critical to comprehend both the new and the old.
It might be helpful to think of the computer as the human brain, and the rest of the human body as the peripherals, in order to better appreciate this.
Operating Systems
Any computer will contain software known as an operating system at its core.
Software is the data that powers the computer, similar to the memories that reside in human brains.
Programs called operating systems provide a variety of other software packages with support.
Your computer would be powerless without software. An operating system is necessary for every computer. Microsoft Windows tends to be the most used operating system on PCs, however Linux and Unix are also used occasionally. What can be done with other software on a computer will depend on the quality and capabilities of the operating system.
You will build a stronger foundation for comprehending Windows if you get a general understanding of operating systems. Windows is essentially just a more advanced operating system than many of those that came before it, but it is still made to perform the same function.
In essence, the operating system instructs the computer on how to run and communicate with the other programmes that have been installed.
The software that is loaded to allow you to carry out operations like word processing, spreadsheet analysis, database storage, and file retrieval is known as application software (or simply “an application”). A collection of application software products with related functions is referred to as a “suite” of apps. Consider Microsoft Office. The term “bundling” can also be used to describe the collection of related apps into a single suite. An application suite is not required to install or execute a “stand-alone” piece of software.
The operating system is used by the application software to communicate with the computer. The application software runs on top of the operating system, which can be thought of as the “base” software.
WHAT ARE OPERATING SYSTEMS THEN?
Computers are not autonomous. They are nothing more than a piece of technology. An operating system is a set of very intricate instructions that makes it possible for the computer to function. An operating system resembles a language in several aspects. Both offer a structure within which other activities can take place.
Every computer must have at least one operating system (“OS”), and all other operations take place inside the confines of this OS. The operating system will carry out essential administration duties like:
- Formatting a device Transferring files from one disc to another
- Other applications are running
- Giving the computer permission to speak with you (the operator).
- Handling file security and user access
In order to function properly, an operating system will have specific hardware requirements. They comprise elements like the speed of the processor, the amount of RAM, etc. These requirements typically rise as operating systems develop, making it difficult for older technology to support more recent operating systems. The introduction of smartphones and tablets has also given rise to a new generation of operating systems that have been developed with these hardware platforms in mind.
