|
UNIT
A SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENTS
|
| Lecture for Unit A |
| Homework |
| Quiz A |
| Discussion Topic |
After you complete Unit A, you will have toured our classroom and will know how to do the basic tasks needed to complete this class, send files attached to e-mail, post to the discussion group, and establish a work pattern for the rest of the course. Therefore, it is important that you follow the instructions carefully and spend the time needed to complete the work.
Print/Read Information for Class
Print a hard copy of this site so that you can read
and follow the instructions, or keep this window open by minimizing it while you perform
the work required and then restoring the window when you need
more information from this site. For instructions on how to print the
site or how to minimize, restore, and open another window, click this
How to Read Instructions While Doing Your Work
link.
Think of what you would like to know about the car you drive. Then think of the computer as a vehicle for gathering and using data. Do you want to know how to make repairs to your vehicle, or do you want to learn to operate it? To operate a computer, you do not have to take a computer apart, install memory chips in it, replace any computer components, memorize computer commands, or any other tasks like that. What you will learn in this class is how to operate the computer efficiently using the Windows environment.
Microsoft Windows XP is an operating system that controls the operation of computer and programs that you run on a computer. Programs that run on a computer are often called applications. An application is software that helps you perform specific tasks, such as word processing. The monitor, keyboard, mouse, and central processing unit (CPU, often called the "heart of the computer") are some of the items called hardware. Microsoft Windows has a Graphical User Interface (GUI, pronounced gooey). In other words, by using pictorial objects displayed on the monitor's screen, you are able to interact with the computer.
In this course, I hope you learn more than how to use Windows. Many of you may feel uncomfortable using a computer, and some of you may think you are computer illiterate. I want you to feel comfortable using a computer and see what a valuable and powerful tool it is. I don't mean just for use on a job. Learning to use the computer can enhance your life in many ways. After you complete your first assignments, we will discuss those possibilities.
Input Devices
You can control the actions of the computer through the use of graphics, icons (small pictures), various symbols, words, and windows with the help of a mouse and/or a keyboard. Although there are other ways to input information into the computer, the keyboard is a standard input device that you will use often.
If you have a mobility impairment, you can display the following keyboard on your screen. Then you can type and input data using a pointing device or joystick. This is an Accessibility option located in Accessories when you display all your All Programs from the Start menu.
The keys on your keyboard should look similar to the keys shown on the keyboard above. There are three keys that usually work in combination with other keys or actions, and holding one of them down by itself should not cause the computer to respond. Locate the keys Shift, Ctrl, and Alt in the illustration above and on your own keyboard. If you press each one alone, nothing should happen.
The mouse is a handheld input device that you roll across a flat surface to position the mouse pointer on the screen. To give instructions to the computer, you must learn to use a mouse. A mouse pointer is a small symbol that indicates the pointers relative position on the computer's desktop. As you move the mouse on your table, the mouse pointer on the screen may change shapes. The shape of the mouse pointer changes depending on the type of task it is ready to perform. You can see the common mouse pointer shapes on page 12 in the book.
Mouse Proficiency
If you want to have fun while learning to control the movements of the mouse, try playing the solitaire game that comes free with Windows. To play solitaire, you will drag and click the cards on the screen using the mouse. It is good practice. After awhile, it will become easier for you to control the mouse pointer on the screen by moving the mouse on your desk. Don't get hooked, though, because solitaire is so much more fun on the computer than using real cards. Remember you have assignments to finish.
To display the solitaire game, click the Start button on your taskbar, then click All Programs, Accessories, Games, Solitaire to have the game appear. If you need instructions, click the Help menu on the bar above the cards. In the illustration below, you can see a game in progress.
History of Operating Systems
Microcomputers were first introduced in 1972, when Intel introduced a new chip, the 8000 series microprocessors. This was the beginning of the microcomputer industry. The microprocessor's low cost and small size, compared to main frame processors, made computer for everyone's use possible. In addition, these microprocessors could do everything a large computer could do. At that time, there were not too many people that used the microcomputers because the microcomputers had to be programmed for each task, and only a few people had the necessary programming skills.
The operating system needed to control the microcomputers was first developed by Gary Kildall in 1975. When he decided an easy-to-use operating system was needed to control the keyboard, monitor, and disk drives on the microcomputers, Mr. Kildall was working for Intel. Therefore, he created CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) and offered it to Intel. Since Intel did not see a market for it, they turned down his offer. An important aspect of his system was its structure. He grouped all the parts of the program that were specific to hardware into one module, called BIOS (Basic Input Output System). His system made it extremely easy to use his program on a variety of different 8-bit computers. Mr. Kildall started Digital Research to market the operating system himself, and it soon became the industry standard.
When IBM created a new 16-bit microprocessor, they hired Bill Gates at Microsoft to develop an operating system for them. He and his team first developed QDOS (Quick and Dirty DOS), and later they designed MS DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). The IBM PC version of the program was called PC DOS. Finally, the first version of Microsoft Windows was developed in 1985.
For more information on the history of operating systems, click the following links:
| Gain insight into the history of hardware, the Internet, and the
Windows operating system. Investigate ARPAnet, Mosaic, and ENIAC. www.ox.compsoc.net/~swhite/history |
| Features a timeline of the history of this popular operating system.
Find exact dates when new versions were released to testers and to the
public. www.intelescope.net/technical/Tech_Pages/microsoft_windows_history.htm  |
| Features a timeline of major events in the history of Microsoft's
Windows operating system. Includes screenshots, an overview, and tech
support for most OS versions. www.computerhope.com/history/windows.htm |
| Find a brief overview on this history of Windows that began as an
extension of the MS-DOS operating system. www.fht-esslingen.de/studentisches/Computer_Geschichte/grp5/windows.ht... |
| Provides links to timelines, bibliographies and museums, and lists the
specifications of various platforms. www.komkon.org/fms/comp |
Startup, Logon, and Passwords
Before you begin using Windows XP and completing your assignments, you need to logon to your computer. Your logon and startup steps might differ depending on whether you are on a non-shared (single user) computer, a shared computer, or a networked computer. Passwords are used to maintain security on a shared or networked computer. Passwords are encrypted, which is the process of logically scrambling data, to keep them secure. Passwords should have at least six characters and can have combinations of upper- and lower-case letters, and non-alphabetic characters, such as numbers and symbols. Since passwords are case-sensitive, you must be careful to input upper- and/or lower-case letters used in your password. Never share your password or leave it in the open, and always log off or shut down your computer when you leave it.
When many users share a computer, each user should have his or her own Windows identity to keep files completely private, customize Windows preferences, and give identities unique user names and passwords. To set up user accounts, do so during installation, or double-click User Accounts in the Control Panel to add a new user. Then when Windows starts, a user profile must be selected and the correct password entered.
To change users on a shared computer, click the Start button on the taskbar, then click Log Off or Switch User. To change users on a networked computer, press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete], type your user name and password, then click OK.
The default desktop contains only one icon, the Recycle Bin, to reduce clutter. However, if you upgraded your system from a previous version, your icons remain. If you dont use desktop items, you can use the Desktop Cleanup Wizard to help you reduce clutter.
The Notification area is on the right end of the taskbar, and displays the time, date, and program related icons. The notification area on the right side of the taskbar displays the time, date, and program-related icons, which automatically hide when they are not used for a while. An arrow appears to hide the icons and reduce clutter on the taskbar.
The Start button is the first place to click when starting a Windows XP session. By clicking this button located on the left side of the taskbar, you open the Start menu and see two columns.
Windows Management
Windows allows you to work with more than one program or window
at a time. You can identify a window by the title bar, which shows the program
and filename if applicable. Each window has a border that you can use to resize
it and buttons to maximize or minimize it.
Windows XP can be adjusted to fit the needs of those with impaired vision or hearing using the Accessibility Wizard. To open the Accessibility Wizard, click the Start button on the taskbar, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, then click Accessibility Wizard. Follow the wizard steps to adjust your keyboard, display, and mouse functions.
All features and functions are available on menus
located in the various windows. Menus also contain the common tasks that you
want the computer to perform by simply clicking a button on the toolbar, or
right-clicking to reveal a shortcut menu. If you cannot find the option you want
on the toolbar or in a shortcut menu, you can drop-down each of the menus until
you locate it.
When you open dialog boxes, notice that there is an Apply button
and an OK button. You can click Apply to apply
changes that you have made on certain tabs within the dialog box without closing
the box. Apply is useful if you are making several changes, and you want to make
sure that your changes are being saved, or if you want to view the effects of a
setting change. When you click OK, the dialog box closes.
Help and Support
The Help and Support center is a complete resource of
information, training, and support to help you use Windows XP. Help and Support
is like a book stored on your computer, with additional links to the Internet, a
search features, an index, and a table of contents.
You can locate a specific topic in Windows Help and Support
Center. When you are searching broadly for help on a topic or assistance on
completing a specific task, the Help and Support Center window is an excellent
place to start. Also, you can pick a help topic or task and ask for assistance
using predefined links, or enter search criteria to locate a specific topic.
You can click any of the links on the Help and Support Center window to display a list of topics, display an individual Help topic, or perform an action. There are different types of options available after you open the Help and Support Center window, such as Pick a topic, Ask for assistance, Pick a task, and Did you know?. The information in the Did you know? section comes from the Internet, and it only appears if you have an Internet connection.
Remember that the search results include matches based on
suggested Help topics, Help topics with text that match the search text, and
information in the Microsoft Knowledge Base database on the Web. After you find
and display a Help topic, you can add it to a Favorites list so that you can
return to it easily at another time.
Windows XP Features
In the first unit of the book, the following new features for
Windows XP are presented:
Default Settings
You may need to set your computer to the Windows XP defaults. On your computer, you can check the default settings listed below:
Show common tasks in folders
Open each folder in the same window
Double-click to open an item (single-click to select) View tab
Click Restore Defaults
Click Toolbar and make sure the following items are selected:
Standard Buttons, Address Bar, and Links
Then click the Customize option to display Customize Toolbar dialog box
and make sure the following items are selected: Large icons and Selective text on right
Finally on the View menu, make sure Status Bar is off (not selected).
Shutting Down the Computer Properly
Always shut down properly. Don't just turn off the power to the
computer. This is important for preventing loss of data and problems restarting
Windows the next time the computer is started. The steps it involves are saving
and closing all open files, closing all open windows, exiting all running
programs, shutting down Windows, turning off the computer.
Practice Assignments
E-Mail a Message
Many students use Hotmail or Yahoo Mail. When sending e-mail, be sure learn and practice good etiquette. You can click this E-Mail/Discussion Board Etiquette link for information on appropriate etiquette.
By sending me an e-mail message, we can make sure that we can communicate with each other by e-mail. I will send you a short response to let you know I have received your e-mail message.
Send an e-mail message with the Subject line in the message typed exactly as: Windows Unit A, Your Last Name, First Initial (not these words)
In the message box, type a short greeting to me. (Always
type your name at the end of a message.)
|
Quiz
A
|
Checking Your Progress Before Taking the Quiz
To check your own progress and review the material that you have learned, you can complete a Progress Check before taking the quiz. This is to help you and is not part of your class grade. When you open it, be sure to enter your name and e-mail address to be able to receive the answers after you have answered the questions. After you finish it, you must click the submit button at the end of the form to see the answers and your responses. To take the Unit Progress Check click the following link:
To get 100 percent on the quizzes, use your book to look up the answers to questions that you don't know. The quizzes are to entice you to study and understand the concepts and terminology in your book.
You cannot go back and look at the quizzes online after you take them. Therefore, take note of anything you missed on a quiz, and study that section in your book to help you prepare for the midterm and final exams. You can print the test results to keep a hard copy.
Recall from your syllabus that the Unit quizzes are 20 percent of your grade. You will take the multiple-choice, true/false quiz on-line. The quiz program will generate the results. You may take the quiz only one time.
To display the quiz, you must enter your username and password. Remember that your username is the first four letters of your last name and the last four digits of your social security number, such as hend6789 (for Henderson 123-45-6789). Use lowercase letters.
Take the Unit Quiz by clicking the following link:
Tip: Be sure that you do not press the ENTER KEY after entering information from the keyboard! Pressing the Enter key may end the quiz and grade it immediately.
I will post a critical thinking question on the discussion board for each unit, and you must respond by posting a comment for the topic. In this way, you will learn to use the discussion board, learn more about the topics on which you are working, and get to know your classmates by participating in the discussion for each topic.
Also, attendance is based on your postings in the class discussion group. Posting at least once a week will prevent you from being dropped from the course. In addition, if you participate in the discussions on the discussion board with good-quality comments at least twice a week, your discussion grade will be higher.
If you have a problem completing your assignments and want to see if other students have the same problem or a solution to your problem posted on the discussion board, click the Discuss button below. If you have an answer to another classmate's problem or question, please add it.
Each week you must respond to another classmate's problem, question, or topic comment that was made the previous week. You can acknowledge another student's comment, but you must add a new idea to the discussion. Be original! Be friendly. Be considerate!
You can click this E-Mail/Discussion Board Etiquette link for information on appropriate etiquette. If would like to learn how to do color text, clipart and links on the discussion board, click this link http://www.bcconline.com/discus/board-formatting.html.
Click the Discuss link below to post your comment for the Discussion Topic:
 |
 |
 |
