|
|
GETTING IN AND OUT OF PROGRAMS
Windows is made by the Microsoft Corporation, who has been making the program since the 1980’s. In the 1980’s we use to have to talk to a computer’s disk operating system (DOS). Then along came Windows and we could talk to Windows and Windows would talk to DOS. It was an evolution, MS-DOS.
There have been many versions of this program over the decades but it is basically a tool to allow you to look at, through different windows, what’s going on in your computer’s soul. Two good books to help you understand the impact and importance of a soul are The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zuckoff and Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore.
Windows is the springboard that you jump off to get into programs, tell the computer what you are thinking and a multitude of other great, mind expanding (or contracting) things. It has you organize your work in folders which can hold other folders (section of the computer that holds related information) or files (specific piece your computing with).
Now each program, like Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe Illustrator can be open in its own window at the same time another program, game, video, whatever is open. Windows is so awesome that it even runs programs in the background. There are other operating systems, and word on the street is Linux is the bomb now. Get on the web and be up to date. This training is just a starting point. There is much more for us all to learn.
For a more detailed look into the version of Windows you are using, use the Help function on the Start key. The two versions of Windows I have are Windows ’98 and Windows ‘XP. To get to the introduction tutorial in XP click on START, go to PROGRAMS, then go to ACCESSORIES. Go across and down to Tour Windows XP. Windows 2000, START PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES – SYSTEM TOOLS – WELCOME TO WINDOWS Click here for the list of free Microsoft training on line.
DESKTOP
The opening screen is called the desktop. It has pictures, icons, which serve as a shortcut to where you’re going, i.e. the Internet Explorer “e” will open the program.
When you do the Windows tutorial during your practice time, it will review the material we cover and show you the special features of the version of Windows you are working on, like how to put your own picture as the computer’s desktop background.
Click on top of the START button, which is on the keys closest to you, they key with 4 small boxes on it looking like a flag waving. The Windows Task Bar will show up on the monitor. A drop down (or up) menu appears and will show you all the programs and tasks you can access through windows on the computer. Of note are “My Computer” which shows you in files and icons what is on your computer and your “Control Panel” which allows you to add and remove programs, adjust web settings and many other maintenance features like where to adjust the volume. “Help and Support” will answer just about any question you have about Windows. “Search” or “Find” will find files quickly and “Run” will allow you to run a program from a disk or other source.
Once the Windows program comes up and is ready to rock and roll, you will generally see a bar, the Windows Task Bar with the Windows Flag on it. It is your START Key. It can let you know what time it is, what programs you have open, and where you are on the Internet. If you don’t see the Windows Task Bar with a START key on your screen, use the keyboard to bring it up. The START key is on the row of keys closest to you, between the CTRL and ALT. It has a small icon on it with a small waving flag. There is one on each side of the spacebar key. Pressing that button and using the arrow keys or mouse will help you through the options on the START menu.
When the START button is clicked, drag your mouse up to the position where it says PROGRAMS. Notice the little arrow to the right of the word Programs. That arrow is an indicator of other programs or categories of programs. Staying within the highlight of the Programs spot, pull your mouse across and another box of words will appear. You’re looking for Internet Explorer and click there. Next, we’ll open a word processing program, think of it as writing, program. Click on START, PROGRAMS, MICROSOFT OFFICE (and/or) MICROSOFT WORD.)
Just like a house can have many windows, so can the program Windows. You can tell a Window by a few standard features found in all. A thin frame surrounds each Window. The top bar of information, the title bar, has an icon of the program you’re working in, the name of the document you are working on and the program’s name.
So let’s open up another window. This time with one window open FILE-NEW-WINDOW. That gives you a duplicate Window to work from, while leaving the original in place. It even remembers Internet FORWARD and BACKWARD keys.
On the right hand side are three buttons, a minus sign, a box or two, and an X, known in the trade as minimize, maximize and close. When maximized, the button becomes two boxes representing RESTORE to the Window's previous size and shape. You can resize and shape a Window by clicking on RESTORE and going to the edges of a Window, click on an edge, and move it where you want. You can move a whole window by clicking on the Title bar, holding your mouse button down, and moving the window where you want.
The minimize button - makes the whole window shift from visible to just a small picture (icon) on the Start Bar. Maximize □ causes the window to take up the whole screen. Once it is in that position, if you click the maximize button again (notice now there are two boxes on that button – called restore) it window will shrink in size, though you can still work in it. And finally the X-Button is to close the program. If you have any unsaved information, it will ask you if you want to save it. {Note: To Save a file means to move your keystrokes and mouse clicks onto a hard or floppy disk}.
The next line down is the main menu. Each of the words on that line has a drop down menu that gives you your program’s options or choices. For example, File is about file management and printing, Edit is about cutting, copying or pasting, Format is about how things look, View is about how you are seeing what you are dealing with, and Help is your key to information. Below the menu line are little pictures and words. These are your toolbars. They serve as short cuts and they impact on whatever is highlighted. As you move your mouse slowly across each one it tells you what they are for, i.e. the scissors are to cut something out of the document, the printer to print an entire document or picture.
The large white or gray area is your workspace. To the right and bottom are scroll bars. Up, down, left or right arrows move you through what you are working on.
Scrolling (moving) through documents is easy. To move a little at a time keep on clicking the arrow in the direction you want to move through. The box between arrows assists in moving faster. Just click on the box and drag it to the location in the document you want to go. Sometimes, other shortcut icons are located at the bottom of the screen also. Page Up and Page Down will also help you scroll through a document.
TO OPEN A PROGRAM
1. Click on Start
2. Go to Programs
3. Staying in the dominant color straight across; go to the program group you want, i.e. Microsoft Office. If a listing has an arrow, move your mouse over the arrow and get more features to choose from
4. Go to the program you want, i.e. Microsoft Word.
5. Click on the program you want to use.
6. Spend time with the help menus.
ENJOY THE PROGRAM.
Let’s open the Word processor we will be using, Microsoft Word. Click on START. Then move your mouse pointer to PROGRAMS (or ALL PROGRAMS). Staying within the color surrounding the word PROGRAMS, move your mouse straight across and choose to the words MICROSOFT OFFICE or MICROSOFT WORD from the list. Click on MICROSOFT WORD and the program will open. Follow those steps for any program you want to open or close. Our word processing class will get into this program deeper.
Save your work by clicking on either the SAVE button (which looks like a small 3 ˝ inch floppy disk) or hold down the Ctrl key then hit the letter “s”. Then click on FILE – EXIT.
Or if you’ve already saved your work -
Click on the menu bar
FILE – EXIT
If you have unsaved work, it will ask you if you want to save it. If so, click on YES, give your file a name and change the location if you want to, then click O.K.
Another way to exit a program is by using the close button on the Title Bar. The close button is located on the far right hand side of the top bar and is marked with the letter X. If you click on the X the entire program will close.
Before it turns itself off, if some information has been entered since the last time the document was saved, it will ask you if you want to save it. Decide for yourself.
Let’s look deeper into Windows Explorer. Click on the main bar START, and go to MY COMPUTER, or Windows Explorer (depending on the version of Windows you are working with), click there. You are now looking at the structure of your computer. When you “create a document” which means make a letter, picture, whatever, it is stored in the computer under an address.
To the right you’ll see a box that has folders in it. Think of folders as sections in the file cabinet called your disk, either hard or floppy.
The above graphic shows a folder called fs2002 (for Flight Simulator 2002 – 'gotta try the latest edition of that game if you like to fly). In a program folder can be other folders. Files also go in the folders. It’s like organizing papers and pictures in the real world. Everything has an address. For example, one folder would be New York City. A folder inside would be Manhattan. A folder inside Manhattan could be Harlem. And within the folder of Harlem can be other folders and files like Sugar Hill.
This material is written with Microsoft Word 2003 and Window’s ’XP. However, there are many versions of both, so the material is as generic as possible. Your version’s HELP feature will give you the right keystroke sequence for you.
Included are the basics. For specifics on the program you are using, use your HELP feature and ask for what you want to do. Print it out – or better yet just read from the screen, and follow the instructions like a recipe. It may take a few tries.
If you find a series of keystrokes that doesn’t work for you, go to HELP, INDEX and type what you want to do, like open document. HELP will give you the step by step keystroke process that works for you in that edition of the program.
ENJOY THE MANY NEW WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY OPEN FOR YOU
Software is the thinking, organizing style and structure on your computer. In Windows certain keystroke combinations are used in many types of software. Ctrl X to cut something out or delete it, Ctrl C for Copy, Ctrl V for Paste , Ctrl P for Print, Ctrl A to highlight everything in what you are working on, Ctrl F to find a word or phrase, Ctrl G to go to a specific page and Ctrl S to save a file. On the menu bar, when there is a shortcut for that task, it will tell you the keys.
Word Processing – writing letters, reports, mass mailings, tables, flyers, books, etc. The word processor we are working with is Microsoft Word. The word processing software discussed here is Microsoft Office 2000, and Microsoft Office 2003 Professional. To the best of my ability, I have added words and phrases that will help you link through your program’s help menu to find the keystrokes that you want.
Spreadsheets – numeric calculations (numbers presented) logically explained. Excel, Lotus 123, Project Manager.
Databases – used to sort large amounts of information (i.e. mailing lists and customer information, etc.} XML, Extensible Markup Language, is the database rage because it can be used in many programs to convey database information.
Communications – helps your computer answer phones, take messages, send and receive faxes/e-mail and get onto the Internet.
Multi-media – makes your computer screen work like a television set – video, pictures, sound, CD’s, etc.
Graphics – programs with the emphasis on drawing or placing pictures or other images into what you’re working on. Graphics programs, including Adobe’s Illustrator and Photo Shop; Microsoft’s PowerPoint, Paint and Photo Editor; and Corel Draw also allow you to turn your computer screen into a slide show stage.
Computer Aided Design CAD – style of programs that help in the design of anything from a room to an airplane. Used by many professions from gardeners to rocket engineers. There are also movie and music making programs.
Games – Played on a computer. Since what one affirms tends to be what one creates, consider the value of negative programming, if any. There is so much beauty in the universe.
Microsoft Office - Includes Word for word processing, Excel for spread sheets which lays out numbers and charts in columns and rows, Access for managing a large amount of names, tasks, and other information (like index cards), Outlook for schedule and e-mail management, Photo Editor for taking pictures and making them look better, and Publisher that helps you make great flyers, invitations, websites, etc. A strong web page creation program sold separately is Microsoft’s Front Page which lets you create your website using a simple wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) format, then translates your images into internet code for publishing your webpage. Start thinking about your webpage. What do you want to say?
Windows 3.1, 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, etc. – programs by Microsoft that serve as a stage manager for what you se on the screen. Used to enter and exit many PC programs.
Internet – Think of Internet Software as your portal onto the Internet. It translates Internet language (Hyper Text Markup Language – HTML) into pictures, sounds and words.
Loading software means transferring a structure for a program from a disk, the web or whatever source capable of direct communication with your machine. For example, Microsoft Reader reads documents and e-books over a speaker. Microsoft Office, the Adobe series, Corel, etc. are all software that needs to be loaded in order for it to work for you.
To load software, put the program disk (CD, 3 ˝”) in the appropriate drive. Many modern programs automatically open up a window with a wizard – a series of questions whose answers help the computer do something – so just read the screen and follow the directions.
If, when you put the disk into the computer, nothing happens then, click on;
START -CONTROL PANEL -ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS
(Follow the Wizard)
When downloading programs off the web, usually through a download button just follow the instructions. Make sure the computer has virus protection.
The next evolution in reading has begun. E-books and E-docs, electronic books and documents, delivers an even more dynamic reading experience by allowing you to add your notes, share them with others, and evolve them into new lessons Underline, highlight, color, add footnotes to other books you are working with…EXPANDING YOUR THOUGHT. If you don’t know what a word means, it’s easy to look it up and get updates on what’s happening now. For example, throughout this document are links to more information from other sources, like the company who makes the program (provides the software.)
Everybody has a story to tell and it’s so much easier telling it in an e-book. A big layer of red tape, the publishing industry, has been removed from the initial process of getting published. They are upgrading their work to proven success titles. This gives individual authors and publishers more room to present their work. With a computer, every story can be told and learned from.
Modern e-book formats include Adobe Reader, Microsoft Reader which uses the computer’s voice to read material to you. They are also available in .exe format. E-docs are the same material available in a word processing format which makes copy and paste into other things you are working on easy. Remember to credit the source of the material.
Anybody with a computer can be an e-book publisher. There is equipment to scan material into the computer if you can’t type. Once you make your e-book or e-doc sell it on the web. Another market is to make your own CD’s of original material for sale.
Here are three e-books C.U.R.E. Publishing has up now. They came through folks who are ‘working on the railroad.’ Life is full of great stories of overcoming adversity. Imagine what E books and E docs you can do.
E-books can be done in your word processor. For more programs that allow you to do more things, like insert movies, do a web search for “E-books.” and “Ebook Reader” for more information. Some are free, like this e-book and some cost.
Cyber Space – the nation of imagine where ideas are presented without regard to race, color or economic standing.
Files – a collection of related ideas (like a letter, report, computer instructions) that are held at the same address or location deep in the computer’s soul, the central processing unit.
Folders or Sub-Directory – Locations in the hard disk where you or MS-DOS has placed the work. The program Windows has its own folder. Word Perfect does too. You can make folders in Windows Explorer which you will find on your start menu under programs. They make it easier to tell the computer what you want to be on by telling it where you put your work or games.
Disk Drive – Usually A= 3 ˝” Floppy, C = Hard Disk, D = CD ROM
Programs – Thinking tools within folders that take your ideas and run them through a logical thought process.
Hard Disk – Located in your central processing unit, it holds all the information in a power on/power off format.
C:\> called C Prompt – The computer’s signal that you are talking to MS-DOS, the Microsoft Disk Operating System, the main traffic cop in your hard disk.
Saving a File – recording your work into the computer’s deep memory, the hard disk. Generally, click FILE, SAVE and give your work a name. DOS assigns folder unless you tell it different. The program assigns an extension. Files are assigned extensions based on type when you save them, i.e. Word - .doc, Excel - .xls, picture .jpg or .gif., internet .htm or .html, etc.
Icons – Pictures that represent different programs or files. Usually when you click and/or double click on an icon with a mouse, a program or feature runs on the computer.
Modem – A part of the computer, usually internal, that allows the computer to answer the phones, take messages, send faxes and files and, most importantly, get onto the Internet.
GOOD COMPUTER LANGUAGE RESOURCES ON THE WEB.
So let’s look at the Internet Window
Computer illiteracy is no longer a problem in your life. You know the parts of the machine, how to turn it on and off, how to open a window with a specific program in it, how to get on the Internet. What are you going to say when you get there and beyond?
The World Wide Web – www., sometimes referred to as the Information Super Highway, is a world forum for you to share ideas on, make money, play games, do research with, connect, whatever. If it’s in the world, you can probably find it on the web…the good, the bad and everything else. The web is transforming every day, with new dynamics added as fast as we breathe, which is why every voice needs to be expressed here too. Cross referencing ideas is a great and empowering upgrade.
Be careful what you put on your computer and the Internet. Like in the real world, actions have consequences. There are many stories from pre patriot act of the government coming into people’s homes, reading their computers and making judgments. Next thing you know private pictures and thoughts are posted on the web for the world to see. Folks will tell you they secure your information. Don’t believe them. If the company is purchased, or when the owner dies, information can slip out of a computer fast. Identity theft is real. Do a web search to learn how to protect yourself.
We’ll cover more on Windows in the next lesson. But first, let’s stand on cyber wings and get you to the net. Our final task for this first lesson is to get you an e-mail address.
Click on “Start” “Internet” and a Window will open. You will see the computer’s chosen home page come up on the screen. You’re looking through a “Window,” a view into the soul of the computer. The Window that you are looking through is showing you the part of your computer that deals with the web.
There are a lot of similarities between the real world and the web. Each place on the web has an address, like a street address, with a few differences. To find out where you are look at the Address box, which has the internet address listed. There you will find the building you are in (the name of the site - whatever comes before the .com or .org (etc.) and which room of the building you are in (web pages on the site) on most sites. Like with files and folders, some sites have sub-sites within them so each address is still unique.
Let’s look a bit deeper into the language.
Internet - International information party line using computers, TV, phone, wirelessly, etc..
Browsers are the many ways to look at the Internet. The two most popular are Internet Explorer and Netscape. Both have tutorials. Yahoo also has a tutorial for their e-mail accounts. Internet Explorer, like Netscape and others, are in their own Windows. This Window looks at the World Wide Web.
URL: Uniform Resource Locator. A web site address that takes you to the location of the web page you are looking for, i.e. Famous Chef Ashbell’s http://www.foodstop.com . The http://www. (forward slash) represents that the site is on the World Wide Web. This is followed by the specific address on the web. This address is foodstop.com. The last part where the .com is can be any of many extensions. .net, .org, .biz, .gov and many others.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol - A way to move files from your computer to the web.
Web Address – A series of letters, dots and slashes that tells your web browser where to look on the world wide web for the page you are looking for.
Web Page – Like in print, a page of information in various configurations.
Home Page – Opening page on your internet experience, like a starting point. I use www.yahoo.com as my home page. You can use any page you like. It’s your home.
E-Mail Address – Like a street address gets mail to you, an e-mail address sent over the web will send you the information to appear on a screen. E-mail addresses are easily recognizable by the @ (pronounced “at”) sign. An e-mail address is constructed with a name followed by the @ sign, then the name of the e-mail host, like what street does the e-mail live on. For example my e-mail is cureworks@yahoo.com. Cureworks is the log in name and the e-mail is on the yahoo site. I strongly recommend that you get at least two e-mail addresses. One for personal and one for professional, at least.
Upload(ing): Moving a file(s) from your computer onto the internet. For example, when you build your website, you will upload your files to the web where each file will be given an address. In addition to pictures you upload for your website, you can send just the address to folks and they can click on the link and see your picture.
Download(ing) bringing a copy of a file, webpage, movie, picture, song, etc. from the world wide web down to your computer or digital device that can display the information.
E-books and E-docs – Books and papers available without paper. The site with other e-books the railroad has published is www.computerhealth.org.
Web Address: Each web address is a specific location on the Internet. Let’s go to Yahoo! We’ll type yahoo.com and the page will come up.
E Commerce: The art and science of doing business on the web.
To type a web address, in many cases you don’t need to type the http://www part. For example, web address http://www.yahoo.com can be entered into the address box as yahoo.com.
The http: stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It’s a standard used to transmit and receive information over the web. It is followed by a colon : which is the upper case of the semi-colon ; key. https is Netscape’s secure version of http.
www. Stands for World Wide Web. The web started as a connection of military and educational computers. It has grown radically from there. The text reads www. With a period at the end.
Yahoo is the name of the web site, like a building on the web – the information super highway. A website is a collection of pages on the web so if I want to go to another page on the site. Some will have same first part of the address with the special pages separated by forward slashes, i.e. http://www.computerhealth.org/vaughn.htm . Others, like Yahoo have sites within sites, so just know each page has its own unique address that is found on the web.
Later we’ll make a website on Geocities, Yahoo’s free web page service that you will be putting your web site on. They also make it easy to shift over to an “e-commerce” doing business on the web site.
Extensions are the final part of a web site address, i.e. - .com, .org, .net, .biz, .htm, .ws and many other extensions) are the last sorting spot for a web address. Everything has an exception in the real world, so it is the case with the web. Extensions on the Internet say .com (commercial), .gov (government), .net (network), .org (organization). Some of the larger sites, like Yahoo, MSNBC have a word before the web address like http://health.yahoo.com/ or www.question.msnbc.com ( automatically redirects you to the daily question page, on 1/3/05 it’s http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080261/.)
Let’s look at the whole Internet Explorer (6.0) window.
The top bar on the Internet Window is the Title Bar. It tells you the name of the web page you are on. Throughout this document you’ll notice words with lines under them, sometimes in a different color than the main text. When you see this move your mouse over where it is and if the icon changes and you have the web turned on, click there and you’ll find more information (if the page is still posted). It’s called a link and throughout this document you will be linking to different addresses on the web. During your practice sessions, try following the links for additional information.
Like a piece of paper is a page, a web page is like a regular page, only it can do a lot more and hold a lot more information. A website is a master connection of pages on whatever the creator wants to convey. There are two main windows for the web – Internet Explorer and Netscape. Both have tutorials under help.
In Internet Explorer 6.0, there is a menu bar under the title bar. The menu bar reads, File, Edit, View, Favorites, Tools and Help.
File
New – Open a new internet window with everything in it that is in the current one.
Open is to open something on your computer in an internet explorer window.
Edit With…. asks if you want to edit the current webpage using your default web page editor (i.e. Microsoft Front Page), a program used to create or edit web pages.
Save and Save As brings a copy down to your computer,
Page Set Up is for if you want to see your pages in Portrait (like a book) or Landscape when you print.
Print prints the page
Print Preview allows you to see the printed page on screen before you print
Import and Export – like in shipping, this is an information transfer tool that uses a Wizard (series of questions designed to help you do something). From the first page on the Wizard “The Import/Export wizard allows you to easily import and export information from Internet Explorer like Favorites and cookies to other applications or a file on your computer.”
Properties – this feature is for more information on the page you are looking at. It covers Protocol, Type, Connection, Address, Size (how many keystrokes) date created, date modified, and if the page has a security certificate.
Work Off Line – Keeps the page in your browser but you’re not on line
Close – closes the window.
Edit
(more on cut, copy and paste later, so for now, use the traditional meanings.)
Cut – Removes what’s highlighted and places it on the clipboard.
Copy – Leaves the original material in place and puts a copy of it on the clipboard.
Paste – Puts material where you’ve highlighted, where the computer’s attention is.
Select All – highlights everything on the page so that you can delete it, put a copy of it someplace else or gives the computer instructions on how you want it handled, like make everything bold or in Garamond type.
Find on this page –This feature saves a ton of time. Rather than read a whole page to find what you want,. type in the dialogue box a word (words or numbers) and the computer highlights moves to one at a time all instances of that word, number or phrase.
View
Toolbars – Short cut icons to do many of the things that you want to do.
Status Bar – Additional website information
Explorer Bar – Internet Explorer features your history (recent sites where you have been), and other features like the tip of the day, which, if it is not turned on, turn it on throughout your web experience until you feel comfortable.
Go to – Take you quickly to a specific page you’ve had open in the window
Stop – stops a program from running on the web.
Refresh – Some websites update frequently, like your e-mail and it can appear while you are reading the page. To make sure you have the most recent version, like with e-mail, refresh the page. F5 key also refreshes a page.
Text Size
Encoding – A tool to help display international (foreign language) web pages.
Source – shows you the html code for a page. Think of html code as the ingredients to make a web page.
Privacy Report – allows you to see what third parties may have access to a webpage’s traffic, i.e. PayPal
For money on the web go to www.paypal.com and set up an account. It’s free, and folks on line and send you money through it, and you can pay out of it or withdraw cash from your account (after you transfer it to your bank account.)
Full Screen – Gets rid of the bars and menus and shows more of the page on your computer monitor.
Favorites – a way to keep track of favorite web pages. You can either add a site (or put sites in folders) with Add To Favorites or Organize Favorites, which is when you notice certain trends of pages, put similar pages into folders.
Help – Go to Contents and Index to look up what you want to find.
Icons and buttons are on your Internet Explorer Windows. For example, to go back a page in the window click the arrow pointing backwards, forward, is the other one. As you move your mouse over the buttons, they will tell you what they do.
Let’s set up your e-mail at Yahoo.com. To get to Yahoo, In the internet Window, you’ll see on the upper portion of the screen a white box with the word Address (or some abbreviation of that word). Click in the white address box which will change the colors of the words in that box. Key in: “yahoo.com.” (no quotes) [The address that was in the box should disappear, if not, you’re your delete key and remove the old address.] Now click Go on the far right of the address box.
The Title Bar, top line, should read “Yahoo!” This line tells you the title of the webpage you are on. You’re looking for the “Free E-mail” button. Sign up for an account. How? Read the screens and answer area for the questions. Have fun and be creative with your screen name. My yahoo e-mail address is cureworks@yahoo.com., it’s also the address on my PayPal account. To understand an e-mail address first is the screen (or log in) name cureworks, @ stands for at (or web location), and yahoo.com is the location of the screen name.
When you create your free website on Yahoo! The address will read www.geocities.com/youremailaddressname . For example., mine reads http://www.geocities.com/cureworks . (For advanced users, there is a great HTML (hypertext mark-up language) web design tutorial. Go to Joe Burns’ http://www.htmlgoodies.com click on tutorials)
Any ISP (Internet Service Provider) and many websites give s you an e-mail address. And you don’t have to pay for it. If you don’t have your own computer, go to the library and use theirs. The leading ISP’s are America Online, Cable companies and MSN (Microsoft Network). You’ll need a credit card to get their services, but they have many advantages. For free e-mail just get on line using any computer hooked up with the web. In the Address box key in http://www.yahoo.com or http://www.hotmail.com.
HOW TO SEARCH FOR SOMETHING ON THE WEB
Search is one of the greatest benefits of the web. To find something on the Internet, generally go to a search engine like Yahoo, Google, Alta Vista, MSN and AOL.
Type into the search box what you are looking for. Just one word - type the word and hit search. On their home page is a box called “Search.” Click there and type in what you are looking for.
I've been blessed to eat at the tables of some great, world class chefs. A great Chef was Julia Child who has a lot of her work on line. My personal favorite is Chef Ashbell. If you are searching for more than one word at a time use quotes (“ – “) like “Chef Ashbell” whose website FoodStop was one of the first on African American cuisine. If you have more than one concept try “soul food" "recipes” “desert.” Hit either the enter key on the keyboard or a word on your monitor (GO). The web then gives you a list of web pages, web sites, it found with your word or phrase on it.
When you're looking for more than one word (as a way to narrow down the list) put the phrase in quotes. Check to see if you want to do a Web, Images, Video, Directory, Local, News or Products search (as listed on Yahoo) . More options to come. We are limited only by our imaginations.
There are many search engines so for a current list, do a web search for “search engines.” This is accomplished by going to a search window, i.e. www.yahoo.com. When you tell the search engine to GO (as in Go Forward) or SEARCH, it searches all the pages in its listing and gives you a list of relevant sites to look at. Just click on the title and the next window to appear is the address. Learning can be a joy so party while you're there if possible. To return to the list, click the BACK button at the top of your window going back to the search page - or hit the down arrow next to the BACK button and click on the name of the page you are looking for.
How do the Search Engines find the pages? The web crawlers (search engines) look for Key Words and Meta Tags. The search engine searches the web and gives you a list of pages it found with the words or phrases you typed. Scroll down and click around until you get a list of sites that have the information you are looking for if there is information on it. Use the BACK and FORWARD buttons to move easily from the search list to a page with information and back to the list to get the next page on the subject.
Verify everything with multiple sources because the biggest problem on the internet is that anybody can say anything. Common sense is the best course of action up here on the web.
Here’s a quick navigation trick. When you need to do a search, if the word is on a page, highlight the word and use Ctrl C will make a copy of the material. Into the Search Engine window, keeping concepts and words separate with a set of quote marks, Ctrl V will paste the words into the search box. The search engine looks for web pages with those words or phrases on them. The Library of Congress has a great, searchable site with many pictures in the public domain (for free).
Go back over the lesson in your lab time and click the links and visit those sites.
Click below for the Free Training Notes E-book
H A P P Y C O M P U T I N G
J. Nayer Hardin
Computer Underground Railroad Enterprises
Copyright #PAu2-759-072
HOW TO COMPUTE, By: J. Nayer Hardin, Published as a series from 1994-2005
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
MOSES - A MOVEMENT TO FREEDOM © 2003
