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SENIORNET BASICS OF COMPUTING COMPUTERS FOR BEGINNERS COMPUTERS MADE EASY INTERNET BASICS FOR SENIORS FREESKILLS SENIORLINK LEARNTHAT THIRDAGE THOMASTON-UPSON SENIOR CENTER
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Senior Center Computer Lab Website
The Senior Center Computer Lab, located in the Thomaston-Upson Senior Center, is for the purpose of teaching seniors (age 50+) how to use and enjoy computers. A hands-on approach is employed for learning the computer for the beginner as well as the advanced student. Even if you have no computer skills, the classes can teach you to do tasks necessary to operate the computer and to use common Windows-based computer programs.
Computer classes are scheduled from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday of each week.
Curriculum
The courses to the left are designed to teach seniors with little or no computer skills the basic operations and procedures for using a computer, the Internet and e-mail, and applications software.
A computer is an electronic machine that can accept data, manipulate the data according to specified rules, produce results, and store the results for future use.
Computers are valuable tools. As technology advances and computers extend into every facet of daily living, it is essential you gain some level of computer literacy. The system unit is a box-like case made from metal or plastic that houses the computer electronic circuitry. The CPU, also called a processor, is the electronic device that interprets and carries out the instructions that operate the computer. Memory is a series of electronic elements that temporarily holds data and instructions while they are being processed by the CPU. Both the processor and memory are chips. Chips are connected to a circuit board inside your computer. Some computer components, such as the processor and memory are inside the system unit. Other components, such as the keyboard, mouse, microphone, monitor, PC camera, scanner and printer, are usually located outside the system unit. These devices are considered external. Any external device that attaches to the system unit or CPU is called a peripheral device.
Computer Storage Devices
Computer storage holds data, instructions, and information for future use. Storage is different from memory. Storage can hold items permanently. Memory holds items only temporarily while they are being processed.
Four common storage devices are:
A disk drive is a device that reads from and may write onto a disk. A hard disk (C) provides much greater storage capacity than a floppy disk (A). A hard disk (C) is enclosed in an airtight, sealed case, which is housed inside the system unit. Communications Devices Communications devices enable computer users to communicate with another computer. Communications devices transmit items over cables and telephone lines to establish a connection between two computers. A modem is a communications device that enables computers to communicate. The Internet Most Internet users connect to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). An ISP is an organization that supplies connections to the Internet for a monthly fee. One of the more popular segments of the Internet is the World Wide Web, also called the Web, which contains billions of documents called Web pages. A web page is a document that contains text, graphics, sound, or video, and has built-in connections, or links, to other Web documents. Web pages are stored on computers throughout the world. A Web site is a collection of Web pages. You access and view Web pages using a software program called a Web browser. The two most popular Web browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. A computer user can use the Internet to access a wealth of information and shop for goods and services. In addition to being a user of information, a user also has the ability to provide information to other connected users around the world. Users can provide personal and business information, photographs, items for sale, and even live conversation. A computer user can create a Web page and publish it, which is the process of making the Web page available on the Internet. Computer users create Web pages for a variety of reasons: Some Web sites are called photo communities because they allow you to create an online photo album, and they store your digital photographs free of charge. If you are a small business and you would like to advertise and take orders on the Web, you can sell your products at an electronic storefront. If you simply want to communicate with others on the Web, you can use e-mail, chat rooms or instant messaging. A chat is an interactive typed conversation that takes place on a computer. You chat with others in Chat Rooms, which are organized by topics. Instant messaging (IM) is a service that notifies you when one or more people are online and then allows you to exchange messages with them or join a private chat room with them. Many Web sites offer calendars and address books so that you can share your apointments and contacts with others. Today, millions of people use the Internet to provide personal and business information, photographs, items for sale, and even live conversation.
What Is A Computer?
The CPU or System Unit
