COMPUTER BASICS:
Unit 1: Common Computer terms
Unit 2: Introduction to Windows
Unit 3: E-mail Basics

Common Computer Terms

Web site

You will frequently hear the term Website. A Website is a particular location on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web is a global connection where all the information that is available from the Internet can be found.

WebPages

WebPages are sections within most Websites that contain different topics, sort of like chapters within a nonfiction book.

What is a Search Engine

A search engine is a directory of websites that has been developed to make finding a particular topic easier. The good news or bad (depending on your viewpoint) is that there are a host of different search engines that you can use. Most people find a couple of favorites that they like and use exclusively. Search engines are very similar to directories or indexes that you will find in your library or bookstore.

Scrolling

Scrolling is how you navigate through the material on the Internet. You can Scroll a couple of ways.

• To scroll to another part of the document, point the mouse on the scroll bar (the shaded area to the right or at the bottom of the screen) and either drag the box or click the scroll bar.
  
• You can also move through the document by using the keyboard arrows located on the right side of the keyboard. The arrows pointing up and down are very helpful if your index finger is getting tired.

The Wonderful BACK button

Whether you are searching or surfing, knowing how to use the BACK Button is your greatest asset. Clicking on this button with your mouse will help you go back to previous sites or pages.

The Downward Arrow

The Downward Arrow is another wonderful invention. Located to the right of the Back button, the downward arrow, will allow you to go back several sites instead of one at a time. Click on the arrow. A menu of previous sites will be displayed. (In Netscape, you can just click on the back button and hold the button on the mouse down, and a list of previous sites will appear. You can scroll to any of these sites.) Note that it may not go as far back as you would like to go. If this is the case, click on the last site and then click on the again. More previous sites will appear. You can than locate your site.

History

Your computer will retain your search history. The length of time it is retained varies but usually up to a week. This is valuable if you want to go back to a site that you located a day or two before but can't locate now. When you are connected to the Internet, you can locate the history by a couple of methods:

• Press the control key and the “H” key
  
• Locate the history button on the toolbar at the top.

Either way, you can scroll through the various sites that you have visited.

Stop

I always like to know how to get out of something before I get in. The STOP button immediately halts the downloading of a Web page. This is helpful if the page is taking too long to download or if you realize went to the wrong site. The Stop button will look different depending on the web connection or home site that you are using. Locating Stop before you need it is a good idea.

Home

Pressing the HOME button will return you to the page designated as your start page. This is very useful if you have that lost feeling and have forgotten how you got to wherever you are.

Favorites/Bookmark

On the top toolbar, you will note the Favorites/Bookmark button. Once you have located a great site that you know you will want to visit again, you can press the Favorites/Bookmark button to save the site's address. Bookmark and Favorites are used interchangeably depending the Internet connection.

Search

Pressing this button will open a Search slot from your home site. This will allow you to begin a new search using your homepage search engine.

Print

Most of the information you locate on the Internet can be printed. You can either print the whole page or a portion. You can do this several ways:

• Press the Print button located on the top toolbar. This will print the site as you see it.
  
• Some sites will have a print button that you can click. Usually this will print the information in a format that will use less ink.
  
• If you only want a section of the information that you have located, you can highlight the section, bring the file menu down and click on print. When the print box comes up, click on Selection and then OK.
  
• How do you Highlight? Move your mouse to the first word you want to highlight, press the left button on the mouse and keep it down until you reach the end of the selection. You will note that the selection is highlighted as you move the mouse down. If you go too fast, you will highlight more than you want. If you let go too soon, you will not highlight all the information that you want and you will have to start over. Highlighting can be tricky and takes a little practice.
  
• Just know that some sites will not allow you to print the information. The reasons can vary. They may want you to pay for the information. They may have the information copyrighted. Or they may just not want to share.

Refresh

Refresh is a useful button if the information you have received is all jumbled or incomplete. It doesn't always work but it worth a try.

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