Computers |
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By the end of this lesson, you should be able to do each of the following without consulting notes or other resources:
Before
coming to class on Wednesday, you should complete the following assignments: Write a paragraph of the strategy section of your “Life Plan.” Our class activities this week include the following: Think Fast:
Explain how knowing how to use a computer can help you to succeed during and
after your college career. Presentation:
Computers (Professor Canada) Discussion: During
this time, we will discuss the insights and questions that have emerged
during the “Think Fast” exercise and presentation on computers. Think Again: Using
Microsoft Word, create a Web page that contains your “Life Plan.” Conferences: While
the rest of you are working on the “Think Again” exercise, I will meet with
two of you in one-on-one conferences.
During this time, I will review some of your writing, orally quiz you
on lesson objectives, and field your questions. Announcements: We
will wrap up this lesson with announcements regarding upcoming lessons, as
well as other relevant subjects. Make sure you know the meaning and significance of each of the following:
You can
pursue the objectives in this lesson further by consulting the resources
listed below: The Easy Way to a Web Site features step-by-step instructions for creating and posting Web pages. Netscape allows you to download its browser and Web-authoring software for free. TechEncyclopedia provides definitions of more than 14,000 computer terms, including "search engine" and "portal." UCIS, UNCP's computer office, can help you set up and
use your e-mail account and obtain Internet access in your residence hall.
Updated August 28, 2002
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IntroductionHaving completed two lessons on personal development, we turn now to several lessons on study skills. In the first of these lessons, you will learn or review some basic information designed to help you make effective use of computers during your time in college. Remember, we do not meet on Monday, which is Labor Day. On Wednesday, please bring a diskette to Dial 149, where we will set up your UNCP computer accounts and discuss using e-mail and building World Wide Web sites. DiscussionThe BasicsA computer is a piece of electronic equipment that helps us calculate, write, design, and do dozens of other things. The term for computers themselves, along with accessories such as modems, is "hardware." To do things such as write papers and analyze data, we need software. Most computers come with some software already loaded on them, but many people also buy software separately and load it on their computers. A computer has both a hard drive, where software and documents are stored, and a disk drive, which you can use to store documents on diskettes. UNCP has a number of student computer labs, including one in Dial 128 and another on the second floor of Sampson-Livermore Library. In many cases, when you come to one of these labs, you will find many of the computers already on. If not, push the rectangular button on the front of the computer hard drive. You may also need to turn on the monitor by pressing the round button on the front of it. If you do not yet have a user name and a password, you can log on to a campus computer during the first week or two of classes by typing “stuacct” in the user name box and nothing in the password box. After a few seconds, you will see several little pictures, or icons, on the screen. By using the mouse, a palm-sized device to the right of the keyboard, you can launch software that will allow you to type a paper, browse the World Wide Web, read and send e-mail, or perform one of many other functions. Just slide the mouse until the arrow on the screen appears over the icon of the software you want to use and then press the left button on the mouse twice quickly. When are done working and have exited the program you were using, click on “Start” in the bottom-left corner of the screen and then click on “Shut Down.” You then will see a dialogue box, a box with a message or question to which you need to respond. Choose “Log on as a different user” and click “OK.” The InternetMany Americans have heard of the Internet, but fewer actually know what it is and how it works. The Internet is an international network of computers connected by wires such as telephone lines. Schools, businesses, government offices, and many homes use the Internet to communicate with one another. You have access to the Internet when you work in one of this university's computer labs. You also may have access at home or in your residence hall. If not, you can obtain access once you have three things. First, you need a computer and a modem, a device that allows you to connect your computer with the Internet. Many new computers have built-in modems. Second, you need a browser, a piece of software that allows you to view information on the Internet. Many new computers also come with a browser, usually Internet Explorer. You also can download another popular browser, Netscape Navigator, from the Internet for free. Finally, you need to subscribe to an Internet Service Provider, or ISP, such as America Online or Carolina Online. The Internet also allows organizations and individuals to post information about themselves so that others can see it. For example, many companies maintain World Wide Web sites, where visitors can read information, see pictures, and click on links to get more information. You can visit these sites by typing their addresses, or URLs, in the box near the top of the screen and pressing the “Enter” key. If you do not have a user name and a password for using campus computers, the first site you will want to visit is the site for University Computing and Information Services (http://www.uncp.edu/ucis). Once here, click on the link for obtaining a new account and follow the directions. Make sure you write down your user name and password. You can set up your own World Wide Web site by reserving space on a server. To understand how this process works, imagine that you wanted to store some articles you have written at a library so that people could come and read them. First, you would need to obtain permission from the librarians, who would assign you a folder where they would store your articles. Whenever you finished a new article, you would put a name on it and send it to the librarians, who would then place it in your folder. When people wanted to read one of these articles, they would need to know the address of the library, the name of your folder, and the name of the specific article they want to read. When they supplied this information, the librarian would give them the article they want. The World Wide Web works the same way. First you need to identify an Internet company (librarian) and ask permission to save Web pages (articles) on its server (library). The company (librarian) then assigns you a directory (folder) where it will store your Web pages (articles). As you create each Web page (article), you give it a file name (name) and publish it on the server (send it to the library). When people want to read your Web page (article), they need your URL. The URL consists of the domain name of the server (address of the library), name of your directory (name of your folder), and the filename of the particular Web page (name of article). The standard format for a URL looks like this: www.geocities.com/markcanada_uncp/index.html, in which each component stands for something different:
Finally, you will want to know how to use e-mail, which people at separate locations can use to send messages to one another In general, each of these people has an e-mail address, which usually looks something like this: mark.canada@uncp.edu. The first part of the address (mark.canada) specifies the individual user, and the rest of the address refers to the server (@uncp.edu), which is a computer that can store a lot of information. Many universities, such as the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, have servers, as do large corporations and Internet providers such as Carolina Online. When you send a message to someone on e-mail, your message goes through that person's server, where that person then can retrieve it. You should already have a UNCP e-mail account and address, which looks something like this: mac001@uncp.edu. If you do not, call University Computing at 521-6260. You also can obtain a free e-mail account from one of various Internet companies, such as Yahoo! and Excite. ConclusionIn this lesson, we have discussed one of the many tools that can help you succeed in college and in life. In our next lesson, we will look at strategies that can help you absorb and retain information. |