PC Basics

Courseware Training Materials

Foundation / Intermediate level computer training materials for delivering training to your students, staff or clients. A courseware site licence allows you to train an unlimited number of people, at your training center using these teaching resources

Training Course Outlines

THE INTERNET

Electronic mail (e-mail)
Instant messaging (IM)
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds
Blogging (web logs)
Podcasts
E-commerce
E-banking
E-government
E-learning
Teleworking

SHARING ON THE WEB

Online communities
Social networking websites
Internet forums
Chat rooms
Online computer games
Publishing and sharing content online.
Sharing photos, video and audio clips.
Precautions when accessing online communities

HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Ergonomics
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Lighting issues when using a computer
Screen and keyboard positioning
Seating issues when using a computer
Recommended computer usage techniques
Make sure that cables are safely secured
Make sure that power points are not overloaded
Computer recycling options
Computer energy saving options

SECURITY ISSUES

Computer logon user name (ID) and password.
Password policies
Off-site backups
Why do you need to backup your computer?
Organizing your computer for better backups
Complete vs. incremental backups
What is a firewall?
Computer viruses

LEGAL ISSUES

What is copyright?
Copyright Issues when copying files
Site licenses are used by larger organizations
Checking software licence status
Product registration and activation.
What is an ‘end-user license agreement’?
Checking the ‘end-user license agreement’ within Office 2003 software
Checking the ‘end-user license agreement’ within Office 2007 software
Types of licence agreement
What is shareware?
What is freeware?
Open source software
Data Protection and Privacy Issues
Data Protection Legislation
Data protection legislation relating to data controllers
Data protection legislation relating to data subjects

HARDWARE

Hardware
Types of computer
Parts of a computer

SOFTWARE

What is software?
What is an operating system?
Difference between the operating system and application programs
Examples of software applications
Accessibility options
Voice recognition software
Screen reader software
Screen magnifier software
On-screen keyboard

COMPUTER PERFORMANCE

Factors affecting computer performance
CPU Clock speed
RAM size
Hard disk speed and storage
Free hard disk space
De-fragmenting files
Multitasking considerations
CPU speeds

MEMORY

What is computer memory?
RAM
ROM
ROM-BIOS
Video (graphics) memory

DATA STORAGE

Measurement of storage capacity
Types of storage media
Internal hard disks
External hard disks
CDs
DVDs
USB memory sticks
Memory cards
Network drives and on-line file storage
Floppy disks (diskettes)

INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES

What are input devices?
Keyboard
Mouse
Scanners
Tracker balls
Touch pads
Joysticks
Web cams
Digital cameras
Microphones
What are output devices?
Traditional computer monitor
Flat screen computer screens
Projection devices
Speakers and headphones
Speech synthesizers
Printers
Different types of printer
Laser printers
Color laser printers
Inkjet printers
Dot Matrix printers
Some devices are both input and output devices.

NETWORKS

LAN (Local Area Network)
WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)
WAN (Wide Area Network)
Client/server networks
Internet
World Wide Web (WWW) vs. the Internet
Intranets
Extranets

DATA TRANSFER TERMINOLOGY

Downloading from & uploading to a network
Data transfer rate measurement
Broadband vs. dial-up Internet connection services
Internet connection options
Features of a broadband Internet connection