Posts tagged Computer basics
Learn Computer Basics in Plain English
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
19 Plays
Worth Godwin Computer Training
Non-Technical Explanation of How Computers Work
A Non-Technical Explanation of How Computers Work —
This is a computer lesson I just recorded which ties together a number of different specific explanations of computer terms which I’ve used over the years.
I wanted to have a single lesson which ran people through a kind of overview of how computers operate — explained in a way that even extremely “tech challenged” computer users would be able to relate to.
In the lesson I cover the following:
- what memory and drives are
- what a CPU is
- what programs or applications are
- what documents are
- why your computer can be slow doing some things more than others
- why the computer needs memory (what it’s for)
- why adding RAM often “speeds it up”
I may go into more detail than might be needed by some people, but I do this because I don’t want to leave anyone out, especially the real basic computer users who need my help the most.
Take a listen and tell me what you think. — posted from my computer training SoundCloud account
Heh. Maybe a Xerox copier for CTRL-C to copy?
The CTRL (control) keyboard shortcuts are common on Microsoft Windows, but Mac users can use the same keyboard shortcuts except holding down Command instead.
Command-Z for undo
Command-V for paste
Command-C for copy
Command-X for cut
Some things need to be explained in visually simple terms..
What is a “computer desktop”?
A computer “desktop” is so named because it’s very similar (at least conceptually) to the top of a real desk:
An actual factual desktop
a “Windows 7” desktop
(Source: michaelgorzka)
What is a Bookmark?
When the web was created in the early to mid ‘90s, the way we thought about it is like pages like pages in a book. If you have a book you’re reading and you want to get back to a page in that book, what do you do? You bookmark it. It’s the same basic idea.
A bookmark is a way of getting back to a page on the internet that is located on some site on the internet. You just want to get back to it, so you bookmark it.
You do this typically by going to the Bookmark menu. Sometimes there may be a button on the toolbar toward the top of the window that has a little plus symbol on the button. Whatever way you do it, you hit the button or go to the menu that says “Bookmarks” and hit the option that says “Add bookmark” or “Add favorite,” in the case of Internet Explorer.
Excerpt from transcription of audio lesson - What is A Bookmark - see source for full audio & transcript.
GIFs are correctly pronounced “Jiff” (with a “J” sound, not a hard “G”)
You don’t base the pronunciation of acronyms on the way each letter is pronounced in the original word — if you did, scuba diving would be pronounced “skuhbah” diving instead of “skoo-ba”, for example.
But as the linked Wired document says, the people who invented the file type pronounced it “jiff”…
/Former English and writing major; 16-year computer tech, consultant and teacher, and thus unavoidably opinionated about such things :)
Red. ALWAYS red!
^
Hard G. GIF is an acronym: Graphic Interchange Format. Since the G in graphic is hard, so is the G in GIF.
Until someone invents the Giraffe Interchange Format for sending zoo animals via the web, that is. THEN it’s pronounced JIF. And is awesome.
(Source: Gizmodo)
Computer Terms on Squidoo
I’d forgotten I set up a Squidoo lens a few years ago. Just updated it a bit, adding the RSS feed from here, plus a player for some of my computer training MP3s on Amazon
Here is one of my early video lessons (please excuse the video quality) where I use one of my Plain English explanations of computer terms — explaining what a hard drive is and what RAM is, and what they do in your computer. Many people confuse those two terms with each other, and many people don’t understand either at all.
If this is true for you, it’s not your fault — it’s just never been explained to you in a way that you could relate to. Watch this video and both computer terms will finally make sense, even if you feel like the most basic computer user in the world.
(Source: worthgodwin.com)
What is a driver? Watch this video for an easy, Plain English explanation of this computer term that will just make sense.
(Source: youtube.com)
How to Back Up Your Computer - in this video lesson I explain the basics of the two general methods for backing up your computer, as well as give specific suggestions about how to back up your computer with details for both Microsoft Windows computers as well as Apple’s Macs.
(Source: worthgodwin.com)
