Creating a Free Email Account

Creating a Free Email Account

Prerequisites:  Students should know how to use a mouse and keyboard. No typing or internet knowledge expected.

Course Description: Students will learn about email and create their own free email account.

Free Email Options:
Gmail by Google - www.gmail.com
Hotmail - www.hotmail.com 
Yahoo! Mail - www.yahoo.com

Yahoo en español - espanol.yahoo.com

There are many more!  Other free email options:

Top 16 Free Email Services according to About.com

Internet Searching

Internet Searching

Prerequisites:  Students should know how to use a mouse and keyboard. No typing or internet knowledge expected.

Course Description: Students will learn how to use a browser to search and navigate the internet.  Students will become familiar with typical websites and learn how to find out who the ‘author’ is of information online.

Expected Outcomes:  Students will …

• Be familiar with different browser choices and know the difference between an operating system, a website, a search engine, and a browser.
• Be able to open a browser from the Start Menu or desktop.
• Locate the address bar and type in a web address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
• Be able to go back, forward, refresh, stop, and go back to the home page.
• Be able to use a search engine to do a key word search.
• Learn a few tricks to searching using Google search engine (define: etc).
• Be able to search within (Ctrl-F) a webpage to find information.  
•  Be able to open a link in a new window or a new tab, minimize window.
• Be able to select and print only a small selected part of a webpage.
• Know what the difference between a blog and a website is. (what little difference there actually is).
• Know the difference/implications of authority for .com, .edu, .org.  Have tools to answer the question: Is the information on this website reliable? 
•  Be briefly introduced to basic online safety and privacy issues. Have access to online safety information and Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online.
• Be briefly introduced to www.lincc.org /online resources (LINCC library website) and www.ipl.org (Internet Public Library). 

Helpful Links:

The Internet Today  (terms to know)

Google Searching Cheatsheet (from Google)

Further Learning:
Internet Basics Tutorials from GCFLearnfree.org 
Google Guide (make searching easier) 
Internet Safety (Important) 
Internet Safety for Kids

Introduction to Computers

Curriculum:

Introduction to Computers

Prerequisites: No knowledge of computers is required.

Course Description: Students will be given a basic overview of computers including hardware, operating
systems, software and computer programs and the internet. Students will learn how to turn on a
computer, use a mouse, open and close a program.

Expected Outcomes: Students will be able to…
• Turn on and shut down a computer.
• Identify the main parts of a computer.
• Know the difference between an operating system and a browser.
• Use a mouse. (click, double click, right click, scroll, drag and drop)
• Know the keys: Backspace, Enter, Shift, Caps Lock, Ctrl, Alt, Esc, Function Keys, and Space bar.
• Be familiar with the desktop and start menu. Open and close a program from the desktop and
Start menu. Minimize/mazimize a window.
• General knowledge of what a memory stick, USB Port, CD/DVD, and headphones are. Be able to
plug memory stick or headphones,etc. into computer.
• Discuss what printers, scanners, web cameras, digital cameras, PDA, and MP3 players are.


Links:

What are Computers?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Introduction-to-computers

Main Parts of a Computer:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Parts-of-a-computer

Mouse Practice Exercises:
http://www.seniornet.org/howto/mouseexercises/mousepractice.html

Words to Know:
Operating System: The software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications/starting programs, and controlling peripherals (devices attached to a computer, ex. printer, camera, etc.). Examples: Windows., Linux, MaxOSMS-DOS.

Web Browser: A program with a graphical user interface for displaying HTML files, used to navigate the World Wide Web. A program used to view HTML documents/websites. Examples: Internet Explorer,Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome.

Search Engine: a computer program that retrieves documents or files or data from a database or from a computer network (especially from the internet). Examples: Google (www.google.com), BING(www.bing.com), Yahoo (www.yahoo.com).

Learning More:

Additional Computer Skills from SeniorNet (http://www.seniornet.org/):
http://www.seniornet.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=152&Itemid=36

Tutorials from Learning Express (online resource provided by Canby Public Library):
www.lincc.org
Click on Online Resources tab. Scroll down to Learning Express. Click on Learning Express Link. Click on Popular Software Tutorials. Learning Express will ask you to create a free account.  You may also need your library card number to access the software outside of the library.

GCF Learn Free.org online courses: 
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/
Courses include Computer Basics, Microsoft Excel, Facebook, Licrosoft Office, Internet Basics, and Google.

For face to face local help, sign up for any of the other computer classes the Canby Public Library offers.