INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

COURSE CODE: COM 111

DURATION: 45 HOURS (1 HOUR LECTURE AND 2 HOURS PRACTICAL)

UNIT: 2

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course is designed to develop in students,

rudimentary skills needed to identify the components,
explain the functions and application of different computer
software. Students will also learn how to operate a
computer.

GOAL: This course is designed to enable students acquire the

knowledge and skills required to operate a computer and
its applications

OBJECTIVES:
1.0 Explain concepts of computer
technology
2.0 Discuss computer components
3.0 Discuss computer security threats
4.0 Discuss computer operating systems
5.0 Explain the use of computer in data
processing and presentation
6.0 Browse the internet using the
computer
UNIT: 1

TOPIC: BASIC CONCEPTS OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: -
  Whiteboard
 Maker
 Posters
 Projector
 Computer

TEACHING METHODS: -

 Lecture
 Demonstration
 Group discussion
 Audiovisual

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT: -

 MCQ
 Essay
 Group presentation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:

1.1 Define a computer

1.2 Explain basic parts of a computer
1.3 List/explain types of computers: Super computers, Mainframe, Personal
computers and Mini computers
1.1 Classify computers according to: Capacity, Operating systems, Purpose
and Generations
1.2 COMPUTER

Introduction

Computing is probably best introduced on the basis of its purpose,

which is the processing of data into information. The term data is a
symbolic representation of fact about people, objects, places e.t.c.
which are raw or undesired in their present form and need to be
transformed after undergoing a series of processes into information. A
Computer should have the ability to process different type of data not
just mathematical data, ability to store data, ability to retrieve and
ability to communicate the results to the outside world.

Definition

A Computer is a machine that follows instructions in order to process

data, solve a specific problem or accomplish a particular task. The
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2001) defines a computer as an
electronic machine that can store, organize and find information, do
calculations and controls other machines. Thus a Computer can
defined as an electronic device that can accept input data, processes
the data according to specified instructions, stores the data, retrieves
the stored data and produces output in a desired format (Information).

A Computer is also defined as an electronic device that can perform

activities that involve Mathematical, Logical and graphical
manipulations. Generally, the term is used to describe a collection of
devices that function together as a system.

It performs the following three operations in sequence.

1. It receives data & instructions from the input device.

2. Processes the data as per instructions.

3. Provides the result (output) in a desired form.

Data: It is the collection of raw facts, figures & symbols.

Eg : Names of students and their marks in different subjects listed in

random order.

Information: It is the data that is processed & presented in an

organized manner. For example: When the names of students are
arranged in alphabetical order, total and average marks are calculated
& presented in a tabular form, it is information.

Program: Set of an instruction that enables a computer to perform a

given task.

Advantages of Computers

1. High speed: Computers have the ability to perform routine

tasks at a greater speed than human beings. They can perform
millions of calculations in seconds.

2. Accuracy: Computers are used to perform tasks in a way that

ensures accuracy.

3. Storage: Computers can store large amount of information. Any

item of data or any instruction stored in the memory can be
retrieved by the computer at lightning speeds.

4. Automation: Computers can be instructed to perform complex

tasks automatically (which increases the productivity).

5. Diligence: Computers can perform the same task repeatedly &

with the same accuracy without getting tired.

6. Versatility: Computers are flexible to perform both simple and

complex tasks.

7. Cost effectiveness: Computers reduce the amount of paper work

and human effort, thereby reducing costs.
 Limitations of Computers

1. Computers need clear & complete instructions to perform a task

accurately. If the instructions are not clear & complete, the
computer will not produce the required result.

2. Computers cannot think.

3. Computers cannot learn by experience.

Generations of Computers:

S/ Generation Component used

No
1 First Generation (1946- Vacuum tubes
1954 )
2 Second Generation (1955- Transistors
1965)
3 Third Generation (1968- Integrated Circuits (IC)
1975 )
4 Fourth Generation ( 1976- Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits
1980) (VLSI)
5 Fifth Generation(1980–till Ultra Scale Integrated Circuits
today) (ULSI)
Micro Processor (SILICON CHIP)

1.3 BASIC PARTS OF A COMPUTER

The computer system consists of three units:

1. Input device
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
3. Output device
 Block diagram of a Computer

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT

MEMORY UNIT

INPUT DEVICE ALU OUTPUT DEVICE

CONTROL UNIT

The various functions of these units can be summarized as:

Unit Function

S/ UNIT FUNCTION
No
1 Input device Reads information from input media and
enters to the computer in a coded form
2 CPU i. Memory unit : Stores program and
data
ii. Arithmetic Logic unit : Performs
arithmetic and logical functions
iii. Control Unit : Interprets program
instructions and controls the input
and output devices

3 Output device Decodes information and presents it to

the user

Central Processing Unit: It is the part of the computer that carries out the
instructions of a computer program. It is the unit that reads and executes
program instructions. Hence it is known as the―brain‖ of the computer. The
CPU consists of storage or memory unit, Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and
control unit.

(a) Memory Unit: It is also known as the primary storage or main

memory. It stores data, program instructions, internal results and
 final output temporarily before it is sent to an appropriate output
device. It consists of thousands of cells called ―storage
locations‖. These cells activate with ― ‘off-on’ or binary digits
(0,1) mechanism. Thus a character either a letter or numerical
digit is stored as a string of (0,1) Binary digits ( BITS). These bits
are used to store instructions and data by their combinations.

(b) Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU): It is the unit where all
Arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction etc.) and logical
functions such as true or false, male or female are performed.
Once data are fed into the main memory from input devices,
they are held and transferred as needed to ALU where
processing takes place. No process occurs in primary storage.
Intermediate generated results in ALU are temporarily placed in
memory until needed at later time. Data may move from primary
memory to ALU and back again to storage many times before the
process is finalized.

(c). Control Unit: It acts as a central nervous system and ensures

that the information is stored correctly and the program
instructions are followed in proper sequence as well as the data
are selected from the memory as necessary. It also coordinates
all the input and output devices of a system.

Parts of Computer

Whether it's a gaming system or a home PC, the five main components
that make up a typical, present-day computer include:

1. A motherboard
2. A Central Processing Unit (CPU)
3. A Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), also known as a video card
 4. Random Access Memory (RAM), also known as volatile memory
5. Storage: Solid State Drive (SSD) or Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
In terms of construction, each of these main components are attached to
the motherboard and then put into a protective case—resembling the
clean, polished look most of us are accustomed to seeing. Sure, most
computers have their own distinct design - and different brands of
hardware installed - but the components listed above are standard across
all computers.

Important: A quick note before we dive into the details—I’m listing and
talking about the different components of a computer. This is by no
means intended to be an invitation to disassemble your computer, nor is
it a set of instructions to do so. Without the proper knowledge, you can
severely damage your computer, and importantly, doing so is unsafe.

1. The Motherboard
All components of a computer communicate through a circuit board
called the motherboard, as was mentioned above.

Function of Motherboard

1. Think of the motherboard as the glue that holds everything

else together.
2. This is where input/output devices such as a keyboard, mouse,
and speakers get plugged in.
 The motherboard’s video card and Central Processing Unit are
contained in an integrated (built-in) chipset, shown in the picture
above:

2. The Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU is often called the "brain" of a computer, thanks to its

direct plug connection to the motherboard, and communication with
the entire computer’s other components.

Function of CPU
1. Whenever you write a line of code (in Python, Java, C++, or any
other programming language), it's broken down into assembly
language—which is a language that the processor can
understand. It fetches, decodes, and executes these instructions.
2. And that’s where the CPU comes in—all the processes a
computer handles are taken care of by the CPU.
3. The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
It's not uncommon to hear gamers obsess over the next new
graphics card, as these graphic cards make it possible for
computers to generate high-end visuals like those found in the
many different types of video games.
In addition to video games, though, good graphics cards also come
in handy for those who rely on images in order to execute their
craft, like 3D modelers using resource-intensive software.
Function of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Graphics cards often communicate directly with the display monitor,
meaning a $1,000 graphics card won't be of much use if there isn't
a high-end monitor connected to it.
4. Random Access Memory (RAM)

What it is: RAM, also known as volatile memory, stores data

regarding frequently accessed programs and processes. (It's called
volatile memory because it gets erased every time the computer
restarts.)

Function of RAM

RAM helps programs and games start up and close quickly.

5. Storage

All computers need somewhere to store their data. Modern

computers either use a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive
(SSD).

What it does: HDDs are made of an actual disk onto which data is
stored. The disk is read by a mechanical arm. (HDDs are cheaper
than SSDs, but are slowly becoming more and more obsolete.)

SSDs (think SIM cards) have no moving parts and are faster than a
hard drive, because no time is spent waiting for a mechanical arm
to find data on a physical location on the disk.

The Components of Computer

1. System Unit (CPU)

2. Monitor/Screen
3. Keyboard
4. Mouse
5. Speaker
6. Microphone
7. Headphone
https://review.chinabrands.com/chinabrands/seo/image/
20181025/2018102507544896798-1.jpg
1.3 TYPES OF COMPUTER

Computer can be classified based on purpose, physical size, mode of

operation and generation.

Types of computer Based on Purpose

There are two types of computer under this classification namely: -

1. General-Purpose computer: - a computer that has the ability to

store different instructions and thus can perform variety of processing
operations such as; payroll, inventory control, analysis of statistical
data, word processing, graphic designs and so on.

2. Special-Purpose computer: - as the name implies, it is designed to

handle one specific task. Thus, the instructions are burned into the
machine and cannot be programmed by the user. The computers that
control processes in oil refineries and spacecraft are all special purpose
computer.
Classification Based on Mode of Operation

Computers are designed to process digital data, analogue data or both

digital analogue, thus classifying computers as digital, analogue or
hybrid.

1. Digital Computers: - these are computers that use a detailed

programmed of instructions stored within their memory to
translate the result of arithmetic and logic operations into
characters, numbers and symbols that can be readily understood
by the user. As a consequence, more than 90% of the computers
used today are digital computers mostly used as teaching aids in
schools and in scientific researches to analyze data and generate
mathematical model.
2. Analogue Computers: - these are computers that can process
data that is in form of continuously varying signals or quantities
such as voltage, pressure temperature e.t.c and can assume an
infinite number of levels during variation. Devices used in
chemical, manufacturing and oil industries for process control,
temperature and pressure monitoring are of analogue nature.
The results are continuously generated for display or for
conversion to another desired form.
3. Hybrid Computers: - these computers combine the features
and characteristics of both analogue and digital computers.
These computers uses analogue/digital converter which is a
special device that convert analogue data to digital data and vice
versa. Hybrid computers have been used to stimulate guided
missile system process control as well as in the design of
aircrafts.

Classification Based on Physical Size

When we classify computers using the physical size, speed of

operation and memory capacity, we have four possible classes namely;

1. Super-Computers (Monsters): - these are the current

generation of mainframe computers. They are specially designed
 high capacity computers that perform extremely complicated
tasks and complex calculations. They are used in space
exploration, oil exploration, worldwide weather forecasting,
simulation study, aircraft designs, complex simulations dealing
with nuclear as well as researches in the scientific fields. E.g.
Cray-1 Supercomputer.
2. Mainframe Computers: - these are very large and costly
computers that are capable of processing large amount of data
at very fast speeds. They also have great storage capabilities
and can access billions of characters of data stored in auxiliary
storage devices such as magnetic disks. Mainframes are housed
in special rooms and can often serve more than one user at a
time because they are able to support large networks of
individual terminals. Banks, Telecommunication companies,
commercial companies and governmental agencies all uses
mainframe computers. E.g. System370.
3. Mini-Computers: - these are also known as midrange
computers and fall between the micro-computers and the
mainframes in their processing speed and data storing capacity.
The mini-computers are used for task narrower than what
mainframes can handle but wider than what micro-computers
can handle. Fairly large companies or departments use mini-
computers either for specific purpose or general data processing
such as accounting. E.g. System AS400.
4. Micro-Computers: - these are the smallest and most
specialized in the classes of computers. With the introduction of
the microprocessors in 1971 by the Intel Corporation, the micro-
computer comes into being. In 1974 ALTAIR 8800 the first micro-
computer utilizing a microprocessor was introduced. By 1977,
the Apple computer company and IBM computer company
introduces Apple personal computer and IBM compatibles
respectively. A micro-computer is usually dedicated to one
person and handles one application at a time. Hence, it is
popularly known as Personal Computer (PC). They are also
 referred to as desktop computers because they can conveniently
be placed on top of a desk. They come in various shapes and
sizes;
a) Desktop PCs: - those in which the system unit or main housing
sits on desk with keyboard in front and the monitor often on top.
b) Tower PCs: - those in which the system unit, a “tower” often
sits on the floor besides a desk. It is usually taller or narrower
than the desktop PC.
c) Laptops/Notebooks: - are computer systems that can be
carried about on shoulder straps or placed on the laps. They
weigh between 5-8 kg and can be AC-powered, battery powered
or both.
d) Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs): - are also called
handheld computers, organizers or palmtops. They combine
personal organization tools – scheduled planners, address books,
to-do-list and so on with the ability to send e-mails and faxes.
Some PDAs have touch sensitive screens and can connect to
desktop computers for sending or receiving information. The
PDAs have all their units joined together as one compact unit for
less weight and size.

Generations of Computer

The first electronic computers were produced in the 1940s. Since then
a series of tactical breakthrough in electronic has occurred. With each
major breakthrough, the computers based upon the older form of
electronics have been replaced by a new “generation” of computers
based upon the newer form of electronics. These “generations” are
classified as follows: -

1. First Generation Computers (1946-1956): - the first

generation of computers was based on the vacuum tube
technology and represents the computers built between 1946
and 1956. Through this period electronic valve reigned supreme.
Mauchly and Eckert produced the first commercially available
 computer – the UNIVAC-1 that was delivered to the US Census
Bureau in 1951 and was the first computer system dedicated to
business data processing other than engineering or military
work.

Computers of the first generation were all very large, occupied

very large room space, and use thousands of vacuum tubes, the
same kind that were used Television of that era. Because of their
design, their role in business was limited by three factors; their
big size, too much heat generated and their highly unreliable
operation. Mauchly and Eckert later formed the electronic control
company which eventually was taken over by Remington Rand
Corporation now International Business Machine (IBM) the
leader in computer hardware industry today.

2. Second Generation Computers (1959-1963): - the second

generation of computers began in 1959 with the appearance of
computers based on the transistors. Three scientists led by
William Shockley working at Bell laboratories invented the
transistor in 1948. The transistor led to significant changes in the
development of the computer and was used to replace the
thousands of vacuum tubes in the first generation computers,
resulting in a drastic reduction in the size of the computers,
higher reliability and processing speed, much lower cost and
laser energy requirement. Early second generation computers
are IBM 1401, MARK III, and LEO & ATLAS.

During this period, most computers were programmed using

assembly language (coded statements that summarized machine
instructions). But with the development of smaller and faster
computers, commercial computer programming languages like
COBOL and BASIC began to develop.

3. Third Generation Computers (1964-1972): - shortly

following the invention of the transistor was a breakthrough by
electronic engineers who were able to define transistors by
 means of “photolithography” resulting in what is known as
Integrated Circuit (IC). Computer based on Integrated Circuit
technology become known as third generation computer.
Integrated Circuit consists of hundreds, even thousands of
interconnected transistors and capacitors all etched or imprinted
on silicon chip. Further development led to improvements in
packing density miniaturization and reliability. They include small
scale integration (SSI), medium scale integration (MSI) and very
large scale integration (VLS).
By this period, more and more applications of computer were
being discovered, and the field of computing which was
developed by inventors from different university professors was
now in the hands of a group of professionals known as Computer
Scientists. A feature of the third generation computers was the
mini-computer that smaller organizations could afford to acquire.
E.g. Old IBM 360 computer.
4. Fourth Generation Computers (1974-1989): - further
impressive developments were made in integrated circuit
manufacturing. An engineer, Dr. Tedd Hoff conceives the idea
of placing the calculation, logic/arithmetic circuits on a single
silicon chip. The result of this idea was the creation Central
Processing Unit (CPU) of the computer system as a single
chip. This single chip was called a Microprocessor.
Intel Corporation introduced their first microprocessor in 1971. It
contained all the major logical circuitry of a computer on one
chip and was called a “Computer on a Chip”. The
microprocessor has led to extremely powerful machines, which
occupy small space i.e. the micro-computer. The first
commercially available micro-computer called ALTAIR 8800 was
built in 1974.
5. Fifth Generation Computers (1990-Present): - the fifth
generation computers also referred to as the state-of-the-art
computers (to describe the level of sophistication that
computers has reached), are computers concerned with
knowledge-based oriented processing. We are aware that
the computer is an unintelligent device and is not capable of
reasoning and taking decision on its own.

However, in the fifth generation computers, scientists are

working round the clock to give a computer a brain so that it can
reason like human being. This is the area of computing known as
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Neural Networking. Artificial
intelligence is the capability of a device to perform functions that
are normally associated with human intelligence such as
reasoning, learning and self-improvement. The use of Logical
inference and Artificial Intelligence has led to Expert Systems
for Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM).

Personal Computers

Personal Computer: A personal computer has a Monitor (VDU),

a keyboard, Disk Drive (s), printer and CPU. The CPU of PC has a
mother board with several chips mounted on a circuit board. The
major components of the circuit board are: Microprocessor, RAM
and ROM chips and other supporting circuits.

Microprocessor: The Microprocessor chip is like a brain of

human being which contains circuits and registers to perform
arithmetic, logic and control functions. i.e it contains ALU & CU.
These chips will be able to retrieve data from the input output
devices, store, manipulate and process a byte of data at a time.
There is an address bus which is built into these chips to
determine the storage locations (of RAM) of the data and the
instructions of the program.

Over the years, different microprocessors were developed and

the first in the series is INTEL 8080. The other processors are
8088, 80286, 80386, 80486, Pentium I, II, III and Pentium 4. The
 Pentium 4 can execute any piece of code that ran on the original
8088, but it does it about 5000 times faster.

Clock Speed: The speed with which the instruction is executed

or number of pulses per second is called the clock speed. It is
measured in terms of million pulses per second (MHZs).

The following table gives the differences among the different

processors that intel has introduced over the years:

S/ Microprocess Date Transistor Clock speed Date width

No or
1 8080 1974 6,000 2 MHZ 8 bits
2 8088 1979 29,000 5 MHZ 16 bits 8 bits
bus
3 80268 1982 134,000 6 MHZ 16 bits
4 80368 1985 275,000 16 MHZ 32 bits
5 80468 1989 1,200,000 25 MHZ 32 bits
6 Pentium I 1993 3,100,000 60 MHZ 32 bits 64 bits
bus
7 Pentium II 1997 7,500,000 233 MHZ 32 bits 64 bits
bus
8 Pentium III 1999 9,500,000 450 MHZ 32 bits 64 bits
bus
9 Pentium 4 2000 42,000,000 1.5 MHZ 32 bits 64 bits
bus
10 Pentium 4 2004 125,000,000 3.6 MHZ 32 bits 64 bits
‘Prescott’ bus

Peripherals: The input, output and secondary storage units like floppy
drives, keyboard, mouse, etc., are called peripherals.
Classification of PCs: PCs are mainly classified on the basis of primary
memory (RAM), Microprocessor, clock speed and peripherals. The
classification is presented in the following table:

S/ PC RAM Microprocess Clock Peripherals

No Type or speed
1 PC 64 KB 8088/8086 8 MHZ Floppy Drives,
key
board and
printer
2 PC-XT 1 MB 8088/8086 18 MHZ Floppy Drives,
Hard Disk Drive,
Key board
and printer
3 PC - AT 1 MB- 80286/80486 25 MHZ Floppy drives,
32MB and above Hard
disk, Keyboard,
Mouse and
Printer

1.4 CLASSIFICATIONS OF COMPUTERS

Definition

An operating system is a powerful, and usually large, program that controls

and manages the hardware and other software on a computer.

All computers and computer-like devices require operating systems,

including your laptop, tablet, desktop, smartphone, smart watch, and router.

Types of operating systems

Operating systems usually come pre-loaded on any computer you buy. Most
people use the operating system that comes with their computer, but it's
possible to upgrade or even change operating systems. The three most
common operating systems for personal computers are Microsoft Windows,
macOS, and Linux.

Modern operating systems use a graphical user interface, or GUI

(pronounced gooey). A GUI lets you use your mouse to click icons, buttons,
and menus, and everything is clearly displayed on the screen using a
combination of graphics and text.

Each operating system's GUI has a different look and feel, so if you switch to
a different operating system it may seem unfamiliar at first. However,
modern operating systems are designed to be easy to use, and most of the
basic

The following are operating systems of Computers

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft created the Windows operating system in the mid-1980s. There

have been many different versions of Windows, but the most recent ones are
Windows 10 (released in 2015), Windows 8 (2012), Windows 7 (2009), and
Windows Vista (2007). Windows comes pre-loaded on most new PCs, which
helps to make it the most popular operating system in the world.
Check out our tutorials on Windows Basics and specific Windows versions for
more information.

macOS

macOS (previously called OS X) is a line of operating systems created by

Apple. It comes preloaded on all Macintosh computers, or Macs. Some of the
specific versions include Mojave (released in 2018), High Sierra (2017), and
Sierra (2016).

According to StatCounter Global Stats, macOS users account for less than
10% of global operating systems—much lower than the percentage of
Windows users (more than 80%). One reason for this is that Apple computers
tend to be more expensive. However, many people do prefer the look and
feel of macOS over Windows.
Linux

Linux (pronounced LINN-ux) is a family of open-source operating systems,

which means they can be modified and distributed by anyone around the
world. This is different from proprietary software like Windows, which can
only be modified by the company that owns it. The advantages of Linux are
that it is free, and there are many different distributions—or versions—you
can choose from.

According to Stat Counter Global Stats, Linux users account for less than 2%
of global operating systems. However, most servers run Linux because it's
relatively easy to customize.
To learn more about different distributions of Linux, visit the Ubuntu, Linux
Mint, and Fedora websites, or refer to our Linux Resources. For a more
comprehensive list, you can visit MakeUseOf's list of The Best Linux
Distributions.

Operating Systems for Mobile Devices

The operating systems we've been talking about so far were designed to run
on desktop and laptop computers. Mobile devices such as phones, tablet
computers, and MP3 players are different from desktop and laptop
computers, so they run operating systems that are designed specifically for
mobile devices. Examples of mobile operating systems include Apple iOS and
Google Android. In the screenshot below, you can see iOS running on an
iPad.
Operating systems for mobile devices generally aren't as fully featured as
those made for desktop and laptop computers, and they aren't able to run all
of the same software. However, you can still do a lot of things with them, like
watch movies, browse the Web, manage your calendar, and play games.

Software & Operating Systems

Most software applications are designed to work with just one company's
operating system, like just Windows (Microsoft) or just macOS (Apple).

A piece of software will clearly say which operating systems it supports and
will get very specific if necessary. For example, a video production software
program might say it supports Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7, but
does not support older versions of Windows like Windows Vista and XP.

STUDENTS ACTIVITY
TOPIC: COMPUTER

At the end of this lesson, the learner will

STUDENT be able to:

 Define a computer
 List/explain types of computers according
to;
OUTCOM
Super computers, Mainframe, Personal
E computers and Mini computers
 Classify computers according to: Capacity,
Operating systems, Purpose and
Generations

TASK:

 Brain storming on steps involves in mobilizing & community out-reach

 Demonstrate on community mobilization
 Role play

UNIT: 2
TOPIC: COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: -
  Whiteboard
 Maker
 Posters
 Projector
 Computer

TEACHING METHODS: -

 Lecture
 Demonstration
 Group discussion
 Audiovisual

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT: -

 MCQ
 Essay
 Group presentation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
2.1 Identify/explain the hardware of a computer
2.2 Identify/discuss the software of a computer
2.3 Differentiate between hardware and software of a computer
2.4 State the functions of hard and soft ware of computers

MAJOR COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER

A computer is made up of Hardware, Software and People-ware. The

hardware refers to all physical electronic and mechanical components of the
computer that can be seen and touched. A software on the other hand is a
detailed step-by-step instructions supplied to the hardware to perform a
particular task. Software is also called program and it is very important to
the computer without which the computer cannot function.

A computer cannot operate itself as such it requires human being to run it.
The people – computer users, computer professionals (analysts,
programmers, operators, maintenance, engineers and so on) are termed as
people-ware.

2.1 Computer Hardware

Computer hardwires are the physical parts or components of a

computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, computer data storage,
graphic card, sound card and motherboard.

By contrast, software is instructions that can be stored and ran by

hardware.

The process of computing can be broken down into four basic

operations; Input, Storage, Processing and Output. These four basic
information process operations of the computer corresponds to the
four basic units of hardware i.e. Input devices, Storage devices,
Processing devices and Output devices.

Example of Hardware is as follows. Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor, Printer,

USB, CD Drive, RAM, Hard Drive, Joystick, Scanner, DVD, CPU,
Motherboard, Etc.
1. Input devices: - Are used to provide data including instructions
for the computer. The most common input devices found with
today’s PCs are the keyboard and the mouse. However,
depending on what you will be doing with your PC, you may need
other input devices like the image scanner, digital camera,
joystick, touchpad, touch screen, light pen, and microphone e.t.c.
Because they are outside the computer, they are referred to as
Peripheral devices.

2. Output devices: - are devices that enable the user of a

computer system to see or obtain physically the results of his
processed data. This result or output can be in softcopy or
hardcopy form. The most common output devices are the
printers and the visual display unit (VDU). Whereas the printer
gives a hardcopy output, the visual display unit gives a softcopy
 output. Other output devices include the thermal printers, graph
plotters and voice synthesizers for voice output.

However, multifunctional printers are also available and combine

several capabilities such as printing, scanning, copying and
faxing.

3. Central Processing Unit (CPU): - The CPU provides the

circuits that implement the computer's instruction set—its
machine language. It is composed of an Arithmetic-Logic Unit
(ALU) and Control Unit (CU). The ALU is the reasoning centre
of the processor just as the cerebrum is the centre of thought
and decision of the brain, on the other hand the CU direct
processor’s activities in relation to the various devices attached
to it just as the cerebellum in the part of the brain that controls
the vital organs of the body.

4. Memory & Storage Devices: - Computer memory is divided

into main (or primary) memory and auxiliary (or
secondary) memory. Main memory holds instructions and data
when a program is executing, while auxiliary memory holds data
and programs not currently in use and provides long-term
storage. Auxiliary memory units are among computer peripheral
equipment. They trade slower access rates for greater storage
capacity and data stability. Auxiliary memory holds programs
and data for future use, and, because it is nonvolatile (like ROM),
it is used to store inactive programs and to archive data. Early
forms of auxiliary storage included punched paper tape, punched
cards, and magnetic drums. Since the 1980s, the most common
forms of auxiliary storage have been magnetic disks,
magnetic tapes, and optical discs. Magnetic disks are coated
with a magnetic material such as iron oxide.
2.2 Computer Software

Software can be defined as programmed instructions stored in the

memory of flash drives of computers for execution by the processor.

Software components in contrast with the Hardware components are

the non-physical components of a computer system and refer to all
instructions that tell a computer what to do. Software comprises the
entire set of programs, procedures, and routines associated with the
operation of a computer system. The term was coined to differentiate
these instructions from hardware—i.e., the physical components of a
computer system. A set of instructions that directs a computer's
hardware to perform a task is called a program, or software program.

Example of application software is as follows. Chrome browser allows

browsing websites and the internet. Media Player allows videos and
audios to play, Microsoft Word allows for writing documents.
The two main types of software are System Software and
Application Software.

1. System software:

System software allows operating, controlling and extending the

processing capability of a computer. This software is necessary
to run hardware and application software. They are the interface
between the hardware and the end users. Usually, computer
manufacturers develop system software. The common
programming languages to develop system software are C, C++,
and Assembly language.

Some examples for system software are operating system,

compilers, assemblers, interpreters and device drivers. An
operating system performs task management, memory
management, file handling and hardware management and
many more. The compilers and interpreters convert a high-level
program into machine understandable machine code. An
assembler converts the assembly language program to machine
code. The device drivers control and monitor the functionalities
of specific devices such as printers.

2. Application software:

Application software is designed to achieve a specific user

requirement. Some application software is as follows. Word
documents allow creating documents. Spreadsheet allows
maintaining financial details. Database Management Systems
(DBMS) helps in maintaining data in databases.

Moreover, there is application software designed to support

particular organizational tasks. Business organizations use
Human Resource Management system to record employee
details. A school or a university uses a Library Management
System to insert records of new books, burrower’s details etc.
 Apart from these types, there is another software type called
utility software. This type assists the tasks of the computer.
Some examples of utility software are antivirus programs, file
and disk management tools.

Software is typically stored on an external long-term memory device,

such as a hard drive or magnetic diskette. When the program is in use,
the computer reads it from the storage device and temporarily places
the instructions in random access memory (RAM). The process of
storing and then performing the instructions is called “running,” or
“executing,” a program. By contrast, software programs and
procedures that are permanently stored in a computer's memory using
a read-only (ROM) technology are called firmware, or “hard
software.”

2.3 Differences Between Hardware and Software of a Computer

Introduction
The main difference between hardware and software is that the
hardware refers to physical components of a computer while the
software refers to a set of instructions given to a computer to perform
a certain task.

The components of a computer are mainly divided into two sections.

They are hardware and software. Hardware refers to the tangible and
physical components of the computer. CPU, motherboard, mouse,
keyboard, printer, and monitor are some hardware components. On
the other hand, software is a set of instructions to perform a specific
task. The software should be loaded into hardware to perform a task.
Software works as the interface between the user and the hardware. In
brief, both hardware and software are essential for the computer to
produce a useful output.
Relationship between Hardware and Software
Hardware and software are dependent on each other. Both are
required for the computer to produce a useful output.

Difference between Hardware and Software

1. Definition
Hardware refers to the physical elements of a computer or
electronic system. Software refers to a collection of instructions
that tells the computer how to perform a task. This is the main
difference between hardware and software.

2. Categories
The hardware has four main categories: input devices, output
devices, secondary storage devices and internal components.
Software is mainly divided into system software and application
software.

3. Tangibility
The hardware is tangible while the software is intangible.

4. Method of Constructing
Furthermore, the hardware is developed using electronic and
other materials. Software is developed by writing instructions
using a programming language.

5. Replacement
When a hardware component is damaged, it can be replaced
with a new component. When software is damaged, it can be
reinstalled using a backup copy. Malware such as virus and
worms can damage software.
6. Initialization
The hardware starts functioning once the software is loaded into
the system. To use software, it should be installed into the
computer.

7. Examples
Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Printer, Hard disk, CPU, RAM, and
ROM are few examples of hardware. MS Word, Excel, MSSQL,
MySQL, Photoshop are some example of software.

Conclusion
Both hardware and software are necessary for the proper functioning
of the computer. Software cannot be utilized without hardware while
hardware cannot be utilized without software. The difference between
hardware and software is that hardware refers to physical components
of a computer while software refers to a set of instructions given to a
computer to perform a certain task.
2.4 Functions of Hard and Soft Wares of Computers

Input Devices

Devices used to provide data and instructions to the computer are

called Input devices.

Some important input devices are; Key board, Mouse, Scanner, MICR,
Web camera, Microphone etc.

1. Keyboard: The Key board is used for typing text into the
computer. It is also known as standard Input device. A computer
keyboard is similar to that of a type writer with additional keys.
The most commonly available computer keyboard has 104 keys.

There are different types of keys on the keyboard.

The keys are categorized as:

i. Alphanumeric keys, including letters & numbers.

ii. Punctuation keys, such as colon (:), semicolon (;) Question
mark (?), Single & double quotes (‗,‖)
iii. Special keys such as arrow keys, control keys, function
keys (F1 to F12), HOME, END etc.

Keyboard
2. Mouse: It is a device that controls the movement of the cursor on a
monitor. A mouse will have 2 buttons on its top. The left button is
the most frequently used button. There will be a wheel between the
left and right buttons. This wheel enables us to smoothly scroll
through screens of information. As we move the mouse, the pointer
on the monitor moves in the same direction. Optical mouse is
another advanced pointing device that uses a light emitting
component instead of the mouse ball. Mouse cannot be used for
entering the data. It is only useful to select the options on the
screen.

3. Scanner: It is an input device that can read text or illustrations

printed on paper and translate into digital form. The main
advantage of these scanners is that the data need not be entered
separately resulting in saving lot of time. Scanners are of two types:
Optical scanners and MICR
i. Optical scanners:
a. Optical Character Recognition (OCR): In this,
characters are read with the help of a light. This is used in
office atomization, documentation in library etc.
b. Optical Mark Recognition (OMR): It is a technology
where an OMR device senses the presence or absence of
a mark such as a pencil mark. OMR is used in tests such
as aptitude tests.

c. Optical Barcode Recognition (OBCR): Barcode

readers are photoelectric scanners that read the bar
codes or vertical zebra striped marks printed on product
containers. This is used in super markets, bookshops etc.
 ii. MICR: This is widely used in banks to process the cheques.
This allows the computer to recognize characters printed
using magnetic ink.

4. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR): : It is a character

recognition technology used primarily by the banking industry to
facilitate the processing of the cheques. MICR characters (cheques
No., Acc.No.etc) are printed in special ink usually containing iron
oxide. When a document that contains the ink needs to be read, it
passes through a machine which magnetizes the ink and there will
be a reader sorter unit which translates the magnetic information
into characters. MICR provides a secure, high speed of scanning and
processing information. It scans about 2600 cheques/min.
Output Devices

Any device that is capable of representing information on a computer

is called an Output device. Output devices receive information from
the CPU and present it to the user in the desired form. Some important
Output devices are: Monitor, Printer.

1. Terminal/Monitor: It is similar to TV screen- either a

monochrome (black & white) or colour – and it displays the
output. It is also referred as Visual Display Unit (VDU). Several
types of monitors are in use. Some of them are Colour Graphic
Adapter (CGA), Enhanced Graphics Adaptor (EGA) , Video
Graphics Adapter (VGA) and Super Video Graphics Adapter
(SVGA). The screen sizes differ from system to system. The
standard size is 24 lines by 80 characters. Most systems have
provision for scrolling which helps in moving the text vertically or
horizontally on the screen.
 Terminal/Monitor

2. Printer: A printer is used to transfer data from a computer onto

paper. The paper copy obtained from a printer is often referred
as ―printout‖. The different printers and their speeds are as
follows:

S/ Type Mode of Printing Speed

No
1 Dot –CPS printer Prints the Matrix 200/300 to
character in dotted 700
pattern through printer
ribbon using either 24
pin or 9 pin
2 Ink Jet printer Work by spraying Slow 90 CPS
ionized ink
3 Laser printer Also called page printer. 6 to 12 PPM
Uses laser beam to
produce an image.
4 Line printer Prints lines at a time 300 to 600 LPM
instead of single
characters.
5 Plotter Produces drawings or
graphs through pens
which are filled with
different colours.
(CPS: Characters Per Second; PPM: Pages Per Minutes; LPM : Lines Per
Minute)

Memory of the Computer

Memory or storage capacity is one of the important components of a

computer. Any storage unit of a computer system is classified on the
basis of the following criteria:

1. Access time: This is the time required to locate and retrieve

stored data from the storage unit in response to program
instructions.
2. Storage capacity: It is the amount of data that can be stored in
the storage unit.
3. Cost per bit of storage.
Units of memory: The computer stores a character in the storage
cells with binary (0,1) mechanism.
Thus the basic unit of memory is a bit (binary digit – 0, 1). To store a
character, a computer requires 8 bits or 1 byte. This is called the ―
word length‖ of the storage unit. Hence the storage capacity of the
computer is measured in the number of words it can store and is
expressed in terms of bytes.
 The different units of measurement are:
8 Bits = 1 Byte
210 (or) 1024 Bytes = 1 Kilo Byte (KB)
210 (or)1024 KB = 1 Mega Byte (MB)
210 (or)1024 MB = 1 Gega Byte (GB)
Conversion:
ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
This code has given alphabets like some numbers which can be
converted to Binary form.
A- 65 …….Z – 90 and a – 97 ………. z – 121
By using these codes the alphabets can be converted to digital &
hence to Binary form.
Types of Memory: A computer memory is of two types
1. Primary Memory ( Internal storage)
2. Secondary Memory ( External storage)
Primary Memory: Primary memory is also called internal memory and
is an important part of a computer. It is the main area in a computer
where the data is stored. The stored data can be recalled instantly and
correctly whenever desired. This memory can be quickly accessed by
the CPU for reading or storing information. Primary memory is further
classified into two types: Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read-
Only Memory (ROM)

i. RAM: Random Access Memory is also known as read/write

memory as information can be read from and written onto it.
RAM is a place in a computer that holds instructions for the
computer, its programs and the data. The CPU can directly
access the data from RAM almost immediately. However, the
storage of data and instructions in RAM is temporary, till the time
the computer is running. It disappears from RAM as soon as the
power to the computer is switched off. i.e it is volatile memory.
ii. ROM: It is called Read-Only Memory as information can only be
read from and not written or changed onto ROM. ROM is the
‗built-in‘memory of a computer. It stores some basic input –
output instructions put by the manufacturer to operate the
computer. The storage of data and instructions in ROM is
permanent. It does not depend on the power supply. i.e it is non-
volatile memory.

Secondary memory: The primary memory which is faster (and hence

expensive) is generally not sufficient for large storage of data. As a
result, additional memory, called the ―auxiliary‖ or ―secondary
memory‖ is used. It is also referred as ―backup storage‖ as it is used
to store large volume of data on a permanent basis which can be
transferred to the primary memory whenever required for processing.

Data are stored in secondary storage in the same binary codes as in

the main (primary memory) storage. Some of the devices of secondary
storages are Floppy Disk, Hard Disk, CD-ROM, DVD and Flash drive.

1. Floppy Disk: It is also referred as ―Diskette: and is made of

flexible Vinyl material. It has a small hole on one side called
―Right protect notch‖, which protects accidental writing/deleting
the information from the disk. There is a hole in the centre
through which the spindle of drive unit rotates the disk. The disks
are available in two sizes of 5.25 and 3.5 inches and these could
be either lowdensity or high-density floppies. Storage capacity of
floppies are measured in kilobytes (KB) and megabytes (MB). The
details about the storage capacities of the floppies are presented
below:
 Floppy Disk Storage Capacity Size (Diameter)

Low Density 360 KB 5.25 inches

High Density 1.5 MB 5.25 inches

High Density 1.44 MB 3.5 inches

Extended 2.8 MB 3.5 inches

2. Hard Disk: The hard disk can hold more information than the
floppy disk and the retrieval of information from hard disk is
faster when compared to floppies or tapes. A hard disk is fixed
inside the CPU and its capacity ranges from 20 MB onwards. The
hard disk is made up of a collection of discs (one below the
other) known as platters on which the data is recorded. These
platters are coated with magnetic material. It is less sensitive to
external environmental disorders and hence the storage in hard
disk is safe. A small hard disk might be as much as 25 times
larger than a floppy disk. Storage Capacity of hard disks varies
from 20 MB to several Gega bytes like 80GB, 160GB.
3. CD-ROM: CD-ROM stands for Compact Disk–Read Only Memory.
It is used to store a wide variety of information. Its main
advantage is that it is portable and can hold a large amount of
data.. The storage capacity of most CD-ROMs is approximately
650 MB or 700 MB. CD-ROMs have the following variations:
i. CD-R (Compact disc Recordable): Data can be written onto
it just once. The stored data can be read. Data once
written onto it cannot be erased.
ii. CD-RW (Compact disc Rewritable): It is also called erasable
CD. Data once written onto it can be erased to write or
record new information many times. To use a CD-ROM, a
device called CD drive is needed.
4. DVD: DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc. It is similar to a CD-
ROM, except that it can store larger amounts of data. The storage
capacity of a DVD is at least 4.7MB. DVDs that can store up to
17GBs are also available. Because of their capacity, DVDs are
generally used to store a very large multimedia presentations and
movies that combine high quality sound and graphics.

5. Flash Drive: It is a small, portable device that can be used to store,

access and transfer data. Due to its small size, it is commonly called
Pen drive. It is also called USB drive. We can read, write, copy,
delete, and move data from computer to pen drive or pen drive to
computer. It comes in various storage capacities of 2GB, 4GB, 8 GB
etc. It is popular because it is easy to use and small enough to be
carried in a pocket. This device is plugged into the USB port of the
computer and the computer automatically detects this device.

STUDENTS ACTIVITY
TOPIC: COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER

At the end of this lesson, the

STUDENT learner will be able to:

 Identify/explain the hardware of a

computer
OUTCOM  Identify/discuss the software of a
computer
E
 Differentiate between hardware and
software of a computer
 State the functions of hard and soft
ware of computers

TASK:

 Brain storming on steps involves in mobilizing & community out-reach

 Demonstrate on Computer
 Role play

UNIT: 3

TOPIC: COMPUTER SECURITY

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: -
  Whiteboard
 Maker
 Posters
 Projector
 Computer

TEACHING METHODS: -

 Lecture
 Demonstration
 Group discussion
 Audiovisual

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT: -

 MCQ
 Essay
 Group presentation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
3.1 Explain computer security threats
3.2 Identify common computer security threats
i. Computer virus threats
ii. spyware threats
iii. Hackers and predators
iv. Phishing threats
3.3 State ways of preserving the computers from security threats.
3.1 COMPUTER SECURITY THREATS

Introduction
Once the realm of IT security professionals, computer security is now
an issue and concern for all business people. Recent high profile
security breaches such as those at eBay which exposed over 140
million users’ details, the Target retail chain in the US which resulted
in 100 million credit card details of customers being stolen by
criminals, and a US bank which lost over US $45 million within 24
hours. Nearer to home we have seen the Clare based Loyalty build
company suffer a security breach late last year which exposed credit
card details of customers and earlier this month the news headlines
highlighted how police disrupted a criminal gang’s virus network
which they used to steal over $100 million.

Cyber-crime is now big business and criminals are looking to steal

information such as financial details, credit card information, personal
details, or any other information which they can sell or trade. These
criminals are becoming more and more sophisticated and employ
many different methods of attacking companies’ computer networks.

One of the primary weapons in their arsenal is the computer virus.

While email has been the main method for the spread of these recent
computer viruses, it is not the only method. A computer virus can
enter a network by USB device, Internet download, visiting an infected
website, instant messaging or messaging in social media platforms,
file transfer and file sharing programs, or by remote users connecting
directly to the corporate network with an infected PC. Once a
computer virus gets into a network it can spread from computer to
computer in multiple ways.

Definition
A VIRUS is a set of instructions (or program) or software prepared to
destroy a package and data.
A virus kills data and program files. Although the purpose for
developing such software’s is not known, they appear to be basically
developed for a check against the ―piracy‖ of program packages.
Functioning of viruses
Viruses reside in executable files such as .COM or .EXE. Thus when PC
is switched on, the virus enters the RAM through .COM
(COMMAND.COM) file and starts destructive work of killing data and
program files. Whenever the PC is switched off, they again go back to
the executable files.
 More than 1000 computer viruses have been identified. They are
classified as:
i) File Allocation Table (FAT) based viruses
ii) Key board viruses and
iii) File based viruses

Some of the well known viruses are:

Joshi, Die_Hard-2, Jerusalem, Generic, Brain, May_5th, Gumnam, World
peace etc.,

VACCINE: It is a software developed for removing the viruses.

In DOS version, there are in-built programs to guard against computer
viruses. These are anti-virus programs for both DOS and WINDOWS
and a memory resident virus-safe program that guards against the
introduction of files that may be affected by virus.
Some of the anti-virus vaccines are:
NASHSOFT, UTSCAN, AVG, AVIRA, Meccaf etc.

3.2 COMMON COMPUTER SECURITY THREATS

Computer security threats are relentlessly inventive, masters of

disguise and manipulation, these threats constantly evolve to find new
ways to annoy, steal and cause harm. Below are some of the common
computer security threats:

i. Computer Virus Threats

Perhaps the most well-known computer security threat, a

computer virus is a program written to alter the way a computer
operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user. A
virus replicates and executes itself, usually doing damage to
your computer in the process. Learn how to combat computer
virus threats and stay safe online.

Latest (MOST DANGEROUS) Virus & Malware Threats in 2020

Published on: March 22, 2020
Viruses and malware are constantly evolving, becoming more
advanced and more dangerous by the second, making it
extremely difficult to keep your data protected. Unless you’re
properly protected (which most people aren’t), you’re at risk of
becoming a victim of the latest computer virus threats and
malware attacks.

Cybercriminals are relentless and will stop at nothing to hack

your computer or phone to steal your most valuable data —
including bank details, personal photos, and sensitive ID card
information. This is why you must have a working antivirus
installed on your PC, Mac, Android, or iPhone. I recommend
Norton 360 for low-cost, secure protection against all cyber
threats.

The most Dangerous Computer Viruses and new Malware

Threats in 2020

1. Clop Ransomware
Ransomware is malware which encrypts your files until you
pay a ransom to the hackers. “Clop” is one of the latest
and most dangerous ransomware threats. It’s a variant of
 the well-known CryptoMix ransomware, which frequently
targets Windows users.
Before beginning the encryption process, the Clop
ransomware blocks over 600 Windows processes and
disables multiple Windows 10 applications, including
Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials —
leaving you with zero chance of protecting your data.

The Clop ransomware has evolved since its inception, now

targeting entire networks — not just individual devices.
Even the Maastricht University in the Netherlands became
a victim of the Clop ransomware, with almost all Windows
devices on the university’s network being encrypted and
forced to pay a ransom.

2. Fake Windows Updates (Hidden Ransomware)

Hackers have been increasingly sending emails that
instruct readers to install urgent Windows OS updates. The
emails trick readers into installing the “latest” Windows
updates, which are actually ransomware ‘.exe’ files in
disguise.
The ransomware contained in these emails is known as
“Cyborg”. It encrypts all of your files and programs and
demands a ransom payment to un-encrypt the files.
Unfortunately, many email service providers and basic
antivirus software aren’t able to detect and block these
emails. This is why you must be using an antivirus that
provides proper internet security, protecting you from
dangerous emails.

3. Zeus Gameover
Zeus Gameover is part of the “Zeus” family of malware
and viruses. This piece of malware is a Trojan — malware
 disguised as something legitimate that accesses your
sensitive bank account details and steals all of your funds.
The worst thing about this particular variant of the Zeus
malware family is that it doesn’t require a centralized
“Command and Control” server to complete transactions —
which is a flaw found in many cyberattacks that authorities
can target. Instead, Zeus Gameover can bypass centralized
servers and create independent servers to send sensitive
information. In essence, you cannot trace your stolen data.

4. RaaS
“RaaS” — also known as “Ransomware as a Service” — is a
growing industry in the underground hacker community.
People without the knowledge to carry out a sophisticated
ransomware attack can pay to hire a professional hacker or
team of hackers to perform the attack for them.

The growth of the underground RaaS industry is worrying,

as it shows how easy it is to infect people with ransomware
despite the bad actors having no previous experience with
designing or coding malware.

5. News Malware Attacks

Cybercriminals often use current news stories and global
events to target people with malware.
One example is hackers using the wave of the COVID-19
(Coronavirus) outbreak to target individuals with malware.
Hackers send out emails that are disguised as legitimate
information about the outbreak. Readers are prompted to
click a link to learn more about the information, but the link
 contains malware that copies the files on your device and
steals your personal information.
Research currently focuses on the spread of this malware
in Japan. Still, it will become an issue worldwide during any
kind of newsworthy outbreak.

6. Fleeceware
Fleeceware continues to charge app users large amounts
of money despite users deleting those apps. Recent
research has found that over 600 million Android users
have downloaded “Fleeceware” onto their device in the
past few years.
Although Fleeceware doesn’t pose a considerable security
threat to a user’s device and data, it’s still very common,
and it’s a shady practice by app developers wanting to
cash in on unsuspecting users.

7. IoT Device Attacks

As the popularity of IoT (Internet of Things) devices grows
in 2020 — things like smart speakers and video doorbells
— hackers are looking to exploit these devices for valuable
information.

There are multiple reasons why hackers choose to target

IoT devices. For one, most IoT devices don’t have enough
storage to install proper security measures. These devices
often contain easy-to-access data such as passwords and
usernames, which then can be used by hackers to log into
user accounts and steal valuable information, such as
banking details.
Hackers can also use internet-based cameras and mics to
spy on and communicate with people — including young
children via smart baby monitors.
 These devices can also act as weak points in a
corporation’s network, meaning hackers can gain access to
entire systems through unsecured IoT devices — spreading
malware to other devices across the network.

8. Social Engineering
Humans are possibly the weakest link in any security
protocol. This is why cybercriminals are now turning to
human psychology and deception to try and gain access to
personal information.
The hacker will start by contacting a company or service
provider and pretend to be a specific person. They’ll ask
questions regarding the victim’s account and trick the
customer support team into handing over pieces of
sensitive information. Then, they’ll exploit that information
to gain access to a person’s account and data, including
payment details.
Although this isn’t a type of malware per se, social
engineering is an alarming trend, as it doesn’t require
hackers to know about coding or malware development.
Instead, all the attacker needs is to be convincing and
allow human error and complacency to reward them with
the data they need.

9. Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking malware is designed to use a person’s
computing power to help “mine” cryptocurrencies, such as
Bitcoin. Mining requires a huge amount of computing
power to generate new crypto coins, which is why hackers
are attempting to install cryptojacking malware on
computers and mobile devices to help with the mining
process — slowing down the user’s device considerably.
Although cryptojacking attacks dropped significantly in
previous years — mainly due to the sharp fall in the value
 of cryptocurrencies, this trend remains a threat. As
cryptocurrency prices continue to rise through 2020,
cryptojacking malware attacks will continue to be lucrative
for cybercriminals.

10. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Attacks

As more tools become available to developers who want to
program AI scripts and software, hackers will be able to
use this same technology to carry out devastating
cyberattacks.
Although cybersecurity companies are using artificial
intelligence and machine learning algorithms to help
combat malware, these technologies can also be exploited
to hack devices and networks on a massive scale.

Cyberattacks can often cost cybercriminals a lot in terms of

time and resources. So, with the expansion of AI and
machine learning technologies, we can only expect hackers
to develop highly-advanced and destructive AI-based
malware in 2020 and beyond.

Defending computer from Cybercrime

Sensitive data, bank details, sentimental photos, private
messages
Using basic antivirus software and maybe some other
cybersecurity tools to protect computer. But the truth is that
most antivirus programs don’t keep you 100% protected from
new malware — computer may likely still be vulnerable to the
latest virus threats.

To keep computer device and all the data safe, there is need to
be using the best antivirus for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS device.

ii. Spyware Threats

Spyware is unwanted software that infiltrates your computing
device, stealing internet usage data and sensitive information.
Spyware is classified as a type of malware — malicious software
designed to gain access to or damage your computer, often
without your knowledge.

1. Cool Web Search (CWS)

Cool Web Search may hijack any of the following: Web
searches, home page, and other Internet Explorer settings.
Recent variants of Cool Web Search install using malicious
HTML applications or security flaws, such as exploits in the
HTML Help format and Microsoft Java Virtual machines.

2. Gator (GAIN)
Gator is an adware program that may display banner
advertisements based on user Web surfing habits. Gator is
usually bundled with numerous free software programs,
including the popular file-sharing program Kazaa.

3. 180search Assistant
180search Assistant is an adware program that delivers
targeted pop-up advertisements to a user’s computer.
Whenever a keyword is entered into a search engine or a
targeted Web site is visited, 180search Assistant opens a
separate browser window displaying an advertiser's Web
page that is related to the keyword or site.

4. ISTbar/AUpdate
ISTbar is a toolbar used for searching pornographic web
sites that, when linked to, may display pornographic pop-
ups and hijack user homepages and Internet searches.

5. Transponder (vx2)
 Transponder is an IE Browser Helper Object that monitors
requested Web pages and data entered into online forms,
then delivers targeted advertisements.

6. Internet Optimizer
Internet Optimizer hijacks error pages and redirects them
to its own controlling server at http://www.internet-
optimizer.com.

7. BlazeFind
BlazeFind may hijack any of the following: Web searches,
home page and other Internet Explorer settings. BlazeFind
may redirect Web searches through its own search engine
and change default home pages to www.blazefind.com.
This hijacker may also change other Internet Explorer
settings.

8. Hot as Hell
Hot as Hell is a dialer program which dials toll numbers in
order to access paid pornographic Web sites. Hot as Hell
may disconnect a user’s computer from a local Internet
provider and reconnect the user to the Internet using an
expensive toll or international phone number. It does not
spy on the user, but it may accrue significant long distance
phone charges. It may run in the background, hiding its
presence.
9. Advanced Keylogger
Advanced Keylogger, a keystroke logger, has the ability to
monitor keystrokes and take screen shots.

10. TIBS Dialer

 TIBS Dialer is a dialer that may hijack a user’s modem and
dial toll numbers that access paid, pornographic Web sites.

How to Identify Computer Spyware

i. Computer are subjected to endless pop-up windows.
ii. Computer are redirected to web sites other than the one you
typed into your browser.
iii. New, unexpected toolbars appear in your web browser.
iv. New, unexpected icons appear in the task tray at the bottom of
your screen.

iii. Hackers and Predators

People, not computers, create computer security threats and
malware. Hackers and predators are programmers who victimize
others for their own gain by breaking into computer systems to
steal, change or destroy information as a form of cyber-
terrorism. What scams are they using lately? Learn how to
combat dangerous malware and stay safe online.
A threat is a possible danger that might exploit a vulnerability to breach
security and therefore cause possible harm. Sometimes, employees and
users create threats for their organizations by not following and performing
secure computer practices.

People, not computers, create computer threats. The basic difference

between computer hackers and predators is that computer predators
victimize others for their own gain. Where, computer hackers are
unauthorized users who break into computer systems in order to steal,
change or destroy information, often by installing dangerous malware
without your knowledge or consent. While their clever tactics and detailed
technical knowledge to help them access information you really don’t want
them to have.

How Computer Hackers and Predators hunt for victims?

Properly trained employees are the first line of defense against a cyber-
attack. Therefore, employees’ lack of cyber security knowledge can pose one
of the greatest risks to an organization’s network security.

No wonder that anyone who uses a computer connected to the Internet is

susceptible to the threats that computer hackers and predators pose. These
online villains typically use Phishing scams, spam emails and other
techniques to deliver malicious files to your computer and compromise your
computer security.

Computer hackers can also try to access your computer and private
information directly if you are not protected with a firewall. So, installing
quality firewall solutions and antivirus protection should be deployed in an
organization to prevent from being a victim to such malicious activities.

Usually disguised with a fake identity, predators can lure you into revealing
sensitive personal and financial information, or much worse.
What Computer hacker and predator can do?
The hacker or computer predator always seeks to somehow deploy the
malicious file to the victim’s computer or personal computing device like
mobile phones. The deployed malicious file helps them to transmit your
personal and financial information without your knowledge and permission or
a computer predator may attack on the private information you unwittingly
revealed. In either case, they may:
i. Hijack your usernames and passwords.
ii. Steal your money and open credit card and bank accounts
in your name
iii. Ruin your credit.
iv. Request new account Personal Identification Numbers
(PINs) or additional credit cards.
v. Make purchases.
vi. Add themselves or an alias that they control as an
authorized user so it’s easier to use your credit.
vii. Sell your information to other parties who will use it for
illicit or illegal purposes.
How to protect yourself from Hackers and Predators?
There are many things we can do to protect our critical information, whether
it is belong to an organization or it’s personal. Security threat awareness is
the first line of defense, so regular training for the employees should be
conducted to train them to encounter the threat at its initial stage before it
can harm or affects the organization’s data. Preventing hacker to access the
computer is the basic rule to prevent such threats; it can be done through
many ways that may include:
i. Use a 2 way firewall.
ii. Update your operating system regularly.
iii. Increase your browser security settings.
iv. Avoid suspicious Websites or allow access to only trusted
Websites.
v. Carefully evaluate free software and file-sharing
applications before downloading them.
vi. Practice safe email protocol.
 vii. Don't open messages from unknown senders.
viii. Immediately delete messages you suspect to be spam.
ix. Make sure that you have the best security software
products installed on your PC.
x. Use antivirus protection.
xi. Get anti-spyware software protection.
An unprotected computer is an easy target for computer hackers and
predators. To take it a step further, protect your computer from hackers by
using different systems that can monitor the ins and outs of each
communication and information traffic to detect any suspicious activity.

Previously undetected forms of malware can often do the most damage, so

it’s critical to have up to date virus protection.

iv. Phishing Threats

Masquerading as a trustworthy person or business, phishers

attempt to steal sensitive financial or personal information
through fraudulent email or instant messages. How can you tell
the difference between a legitimate message and a phishing
scam? Educate yourself on the latest tricks and scams.

Email Phishing scams are carried out online by tech-savvy con

artists and identity theft criminals. They use spam, fake websites
constructed to look identical to real sites, email and instant
messages to trick you into divulging sensitive information, like
bank account passwords and credit card numbers. Once you take
the phisher's bait, they can use the information to create fake
accounts in your name, ruin your credit, and steal your money or
even your identity.

How Phishing Threat a Computer

 This style of identity theft is extremely widespread because of
the ease with which unsuspecting people share personal
information. Phishing scams often lure you with spam email and
instant messages requesting you to "verify your account" or
"confirm your billing address" through what is actually a
malicious Web site. Be very cautious. Phishers can only find you
if you respond.

How will I know if I've been phished?

Phishers often pretend to be legitimate companies. Their messages may

sound genuine and their sites can look remarkably like the real thing. It can
be hard to tell the difference, but you may be dealing with a phishing scam if
you see the following:

i. Requests for confidential information via email or instant

message
ii. Emotional language using scare tactics or urgent requests
to respond
iii. Misspelled URLs, spelling mistakes or the use of sub-
domains
iv. Links within the body of a message
v. Lack of a personal greeting or customized information
within a message.

Legitimate emails from banks and credit card companies will often include
partial account numbers, username or password.

How can I protect my computer from phishing?

When the computer is arm with information and resources, been wiser about
computer security threats and less vulnerable to phishing scam tactics. Take
these steps to fortify the computer security and get better phishing
protection right away:
 i. Do not provide personal information to any unsolicited
requests for information
ii. Only provide personal information on sites that have
"https" in the web address or have a lock icon at bottom of
the browser
iii. If you suspect you've received phishing bait, contact the
company that is the subject of the email by phone to check
that the message is legitimate
iv. Type in a trusted URL for a company's site into the address
bar of your browser to bypass the link in a suspected
phishing message
v. Use varied and complex passwords for all your accounts
vi. Continually check the accuracy of personal accounts and
deal with any discrepancies right away
vii. Avoid questionable websites
viii. Practice safe email protocol:
 Don't open messages from unknown senders
 Immediately delete messages you suspect to be
spam

Make sure that you have the best security software products installed on
your PC for better phishing protection:

i. Use antivirus software protection and a firewall

ii. Get antispyware software protection

An unprotected computer is like an open door for email phishing scams. For
a more potent form of protection, use a spam filter or gateway to scan
inbound messages. Products like Webroot Secure Anywhere® Internet
Security Complete thwart dangerous malware before it can enter your PC,
stand guard at every possible entrance of your computer and fend off any
spyware or viruses that try to enter, even the most damaging and devious
strains. While free anti-spyware and antivirus downloads are available, they
just can't keep up with the continuous onslaught of new spyware strains.
Previously undetected forms of spyware can often do the most damage, so
it's critical to have up-to-the-minute, guaranteed protection.

3.3 Ways of Preserving the Computers from Security Threats

Computer Security – Threats & Solutions

i. Install Anti-Virus Software. ...

ii. Ensure that the anti-virus software is up to date. ...
iii. Employ a firewall to protect networks. ...
iv. Filter all email traffic. ...
v. Educate all users to be careful of suspicious e-mails. ...
vi. Scan Internet Downloads. ...
vii. Don't run programs of unknown origin. ...
viii. Implement a vulnerability management program.

Given the numerous ways a computer virus can spread, how can a company
ensure that its network is protected?

Install Anti-Virus Software.

Ensure that reputable anti-virus software is installed on all computers. This

should include all servers, PCs and laptops. If employees use computers at
home for business use or to remotely access the network, these PCs should
also have anti-virus software installed.

Ensure that the anti-virus software is up to date.

Everyday new computer viruses are being released and it is essential that
businesses are protected from these viruses by keeping the anti-virus
software up to date. If possible, companies should look at policies whereby
computers that do not have the most up to date anti-virus software installed
are not allowed to connect to the network.

Employ a firewall to protect networks.

As computer viruses can spread by means other than email, it is important

that unwanted traffic is blocked from entering the network by using a
firewall. For users that use computers for business away from the protection
of the company’s network, such as home PCs or laptops, a personal firewall
should be installed to ensure the computer is protected.

Filter all email traffic.

All incoming and outgoing email should be filtered for computer viruses. This
filter should ideally be at the perimeter of the network to prevent computer
viruses. Emails with certain file attachments commonly used by computer
viruses to spread themselves, such as .EXE, .COM and .SCR files, should also
be prevented from entering the network.

Educate all users to be careful of suspicious e-mails.

Ensure that all users know to never open an attachment or to click on a link
in an email they are not expecting. Even when the email is from a known
source, caution should be exercised when opening attachments or clicking
on links in emails. Criminals use the trust placed in an email contact you
know to trick you into clicking on a link or attachment.

Scan Internet Downloads.

Ensure that all files downloaded from the Internet are scanned for computer
viruses before being used. Ideally this scanning should be done from one
central point on the network to ensure that all files are properly scanned.

Don’t run programs of unknown origin.

It is important that you use a trusted source for your software requirements.
This is to ensure that all software installed can be accounted for and that its
sources can be confirmed to be legitimate. Apart from ensuring that the
correct licensing agreements are in place, using a trusted supplier can help
reduce the risk of software infected with a virus compromising your business.
All users should be educated to never run a computer program unless the
source is known or has originated from a person or company that is trusted.

Implement a vulnerability management program.

Most computer viruses and worms try to exploit bugs and vulnerabilities
within the operating system and applications that companies use. New
vulnerabilities are introduced into networks every day, be that from installing
new software and services, making changes to existing systems or simply
from previously undiscovered vulnerabilities coming to light. It is important
to regularly review your network and the applications running on it for new
vulnerabilities. Any discovered vulnerabilities should be rated and prioritised
regarding their criticality and the potential business impact they could have.
Once this has been done, a plan on how to manage those vulnerabilities,
either by patching, upgrading, or managing the vulnerability using tools such
as firewalls or Intrusion Detection Systems should be put into place.

Make regular backups of critical data.

It is important to ensure that regular copies of important files are kept either
on removable media such as portable drives or tape to ensure you have a
trusted source for data in the event that the network is infected with a
computer virus. Not only will this ensure that important data is available in
the event of a computer virus infecting the company’s network, backups will
also enable the company to restore systems to software that is known to be
free from computer virus infection. For added security you should store these
backups securely offsite. That way should a major disaster happen to the
business, e.g. the building goes on fire, the data will remain safe in the
secure offsite location and can be restored quickly in a new facility

Develop an Information Security Policy.

The creation and publication of an Information Security Policy is key to

ensuring that information security receives the profile it requires in the
organisation and is the first critical step in securing the company’s systems
and data. It is important that senior management support the Information
Security Policy and that all users are made aware of their roles and
responsibilities under this policy.

Monitor logs and systems.

Regular monitoring of network and system logs can assist in the early
identification of a computer virus infecting the network or other attacks by
criminals. Unusual traffic patterns or log entries could indicate that the
network has been infected or that its security has been compromised. As
well as monitoring for suspicious traffic and events, it is important that logs
for other devices are checked regularly to ensure that the network remains
protected. Log files for the backups should be checked regularly to ensure
that the backups succeeded, likewise the log files for anti-virus software
deployed should be regularly checked to ensure that all PCs are running the
latest version of the anti-virus software.

Develop an Incident Response Plan.

Knowing what to do when a computer virus enters the network or when you
suffer a security breach is critical to minimise the damage they may cause,
both to the business and also to customers and suppliers. The incident
response plan should outline the roles and responsibilities that people have
in the event of a computer virus infecting the network or indeed any other
type of security breach. This plan should be drawn up and agreed between
all relevant parties before an incident occurs. Remember, the worst time to
develop a security incident response plan is in the middle of such an
incident.

Restrict end user access to systems

Where possible, end users should not be given administrative privileges to

their workstations. Most computer viruses can only run in the context of the
user that is logged into the system, i.e. they only have the same permissions
as the user running the program. If that user has their access restricted, then
the virus will be similarly restricted. Unfortunately many applications
designed for the Windows platform require the end user to have such
privileges; however these users should be the exception rather than the rule.

Cyber criminals poses a very real and constant threat to every business. It is
important that businesses recognise this threat and take the appropriate
steps, such as those outlined above, to reduce the likelihood and minimize
the threat.
 STUDENTS ACTIVITY

TOPIC: COMPUTER SECURITY

At the end of this lesson, the learner

will be able to:
STUDENT
 Explain computer security threats
 Identify common computer security
threats
OUTCOM i. Computer virus threats

E ii. spyware threats

iii. Hackers and predators
iv. Phishing threats
 State ways of preserving the computers
from security threats

TASK:

 Brain storming on steps involves in mobilizing & community out-reach

  Multiple Choice Questions
 Essay questions
 Role play

UNIT: 4

Practical Session 1

HOW TO OPERATE A COMPUTER (WORD PROCESSING, DATA

PROCESSING, AND DATA PRESENTATION

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: -

 Whiteboard
 Maker
 Posters
 Projector
 Computer

TEACHING METHODS: -

 Lecture
 Demonstration
 Group discussion
 Audiovisual

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT: -

 MCQ
  Essay
 Group presentation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.4 Boot a computer and explain systematic process of booting a computer
1.5 Identify the uses of Microsoft Word package
1.6 Type a page (word processing) in Microsoft Word format on the
computer
1.7 Explain how to protect a document with a security password
1.8 Identify different software programs on the computer and their specific
usage
1.9 Explain the use of Microsoft Excel in data processing
1.10 Enter data using Microsoft Excel (Data processing)
4.1 BOOT A COMPUTER AND SYSTEMATIC PROCESS OF BOOTING A
COMPUTER

BOOTING THE SYSTEM

Introduction

Booting is the process of getting the computer system ready in order

to start accepting commands. The booting process loads the
operating system into computer’s main memory (RAM). This booting
process is repeated each time the computer is turned on. The
program that does the booting is usually installed in the hard disk.

Working with personal computers

Drives of the computer: A computer can have Floppy Disk Drive along
with Hard Disk drives in the system. These are referred as follows:

Floppy Disk Drive: A or B

Hard Disk: C
Booting of the Computer: Booting imply ―activating‖ the computer for
working. Thus, when the computer is switched on, the operating
system residing in the floppy or in the hard disk is transferred into the
primary memory. After this, the computer is ready to accept the
commands at user terminal. If OS is not existing either in floppy drive
or in the hard disk drive, ― non-system or disk error‖ is flashed on the
screen. The booting of the computer is carried out with a software
which resides on ROM chip called BIOS ( Basic Input Output System).
Thus when a PC with system disk either in Hard-Disk Drive or Floppy
Drive is switched ―on‖, the screen finally displays one of the following
symbols with a blinking cursor at its end:

a) A :\> this imply that the computer is booted through Floppy drive
`A‘and is ready to accept DOS commands. The symbol ―\>‖ is
referred as DOS prompt from where DOS commands can be
entered.
b) C :\> It imply that the PC is booted through the Hard-Disk Drive
`C‘.

Booting is essential whenever the system is locked or switched-off. A

PC can be booted through two ways: a) Cold Booting b) Warm Booting.

a) Cold Booting: It is only switching OFF the system and after some
time again switching ON.

b) Warm Booting: It is carried out by pressing the following three

keys simultaneously: Ctrl + Alt + Del. It is preferable to cold
booting as it safeguards the system from sudden power
fluctuations resulting out of switching ON and OFF the system.

MS-DOS

MS-DOS is a collection of programs and other files. It is a single user

and single programming environment.
MS-DOS is designed to provide a method of organizing and using the
information stored on disks, application programs, system programs
and the computer itself.

Files and File names: A file is a collection of related information. The

files should have suitable names for their identification in later use.

Rules for naming the files:

1. File names should be of one to eight characters in length with an

option of one to three character extension

2. File names can include any one of the following characters: A to

Z (or a to z) 0 to 9, $, &, #, @. %, ( ), { } The characters which
are not allowed are: :, ; + / \ * as these have special meaning

3. A period (.) is used to separate the first part of a file name from
the extension. (LETTER.TXT, RAMA.WK1, etc.)

4. When a file name includes an extension, it should be referred

along with its extension and not only with the first part

5. Reserved devices names are not allowed. (COMMAND.COM,

DATE, etc.

Types of files in DOS: -

There are different types of files you can create in your computer,
according to the usage. To differentiate each file, the computer will
give an extension to identify the different types of files you have
created.

Executable Files: The files with extension of either .COM or .EXE are
called executable files. These files are directly executed by typing their
names (without the extension) by the computer. A file with .COM
extension refers to COMMAND file name and the other with .EXE
extension refers “EXECUTABLE” program file.

Batch Files: the file containing a series of DOS commands, which are
executed automatically one at a time in the order entered, is known as
the batch file. A batch file has the extension .BAT. If the batch file is
given a special name AUTOEXEC.BAT, it is automatically executed
when the computer is switched on or during booting.

Backup Files: These are backup files of a file and have

extension .BAK. These files are such that their contents cannot be
altered (edited). These files are created while working with WORDSTAR
package for typing a document.

System Files: These are program files developed for system control.
They have .SYS extension.

Directory: It is a collection of files, size, date and time of creation of

files. The relation between files, directories and disk is similar to the
relation between papers, filing folders and filling cabinets. Just as a
cabinet contain papers and other folders, a directory may contain
directories also. The main directory of a drive is called Root Directory
into which several directories and sub-directories may exist.

Types of DOS commands: There are two types of commands:

Internal and external

INTERNAL DOS COMMANDS: Internal commands are those

commands which manage files. They are loaded into the memory of
the PC when PC is booted. These are stored in a large file with file
name COMMAND.COM, when a PC is booted.

1. DIR: Dir displays continuously the directory of file names, file

size, date and time of creation. C:\>dir a:

This command displays the list of files and directories from the
drive A i.e. the floppy drive. It can be specified with two options:

i) Dir/p: It pauses the listing of the directory whenever the

screen is full. The next screen load of files can be displayed
by pressing any key.
ii) Dir/w: displays the files of the directory in a five column
format. Only file names and their extensions will be
displayed without the date and time of creation. The total
number of files and remaining bytes are listed.

In addition, DIR can also be specified with wildcard

characters (such as * or?) to list files sharing a common
element in the file name or extension.

Eg: DIR STATS.* : lists all files with STATS and other
combinations along with the extensions.

DIR *.COM : lists all files with extension .COM

2. DEL: Deletes a specified file. Syntax: DEL {filename}

Del stats deletes the file ―stats‖.

 Del stats.* deletes all extensions of the file ―stats‖.

Suppose you want to delete a file COMPUTER.DOC on A drive, the

command will be: C:> DEL A: COMPUTER.DOC 

3. COPY: The COPY command is used to copy files from one place
to another. The way to execute copy command is to type COPY
leave a space followed by the source file name again a space
followed by destination file.

Syntax: copy {Drive name} <source file> {Drive name} <target file
name> e.g

1. COPY STATS MATHS copies a file ―STATS‖ with the name ―MATHS‖ on the
same drive

2. COPY PATH A: ENTO copies a file ―PATH‖ from the current drive to
drive ―A‖ with the file name ―ENTO‖.

3. COPY A: MATHS C: STATS copies a file ―MATHS‖ form drive ―A‖ to

drive ―C‖ with the file name ―STATS‖

4. COPY A: MATHS.* C: STATS.* copies all extensions of file ―MATHS‖

form drive A to drive C with name ―STATS‖.

REN: The REN command is used to rename the old file with another name.
The way to execute Rename command is to type REN leave a space followed
by the old file name again followed by a space and new file name.

E.g: Suppose if you want to change the name of a file MATHS.TXT to

STATS.TXT the following command will work: C:\> REN MATHS.TXT
RESULT.TXT
1. DATE: It displays current date and asks for new date in (mm)-
(dd)-(YY) format. If no date is to be changed, the old date can be
retained by pressing ―enter‖ key. Syntax: C:\> Date
2. TIME: displays current time and asks for new tine and if no new
time is to be entered, pressing ‘enter’ retains the old time
Syntax: C:\> Time
3. VER: displays the version of DOS
4. CLS : when you want to clear the screen, type in the following
command:

C:\> CLS 

EXTERNAL COMMANDS: External commands are small file programs

used for doing specific jobs.

Some of the useful commands:

1. SORT: It sorts the files in alphanumeric order: either A to Z or Z

to A

DIR| SORT (or) DIR/ON: Displays all the files in A to Z order

DIR| SORT/R (or) DIR/O-N: Displays all the files in reverse order
(i.e Z to A)

2. FORMAT: Formatting a (new) disk imply organizing the new disk

into magnetic tracks and sectors that are readable by DOS. The
PC copies files only on a formatted disk. However, if an old disk
is formatted, all the existing files on it would be erased. Hence
this command should be used carefully.

FORMAT a: formats disk in drive ―A‖

3. VOL: This command displays the volume label of the current disk

4. LABEL: It is used to create, change or delete the volume label on

the disk
5. PATH: It is used to provide access to files located on other
directories or on other disks.

Thus while in ―C‖ drive, one can directly invoke files of DOS,
WORDSTAR (WS) (or) LOTUS directories by giving the following
command:

PATH = C:\DOS; C:\WS; C:\LOTUS

This command is generally listed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT files for

its execution when the PC is booted

6. MD: It is used to make a new directory (or sub-directory) which is

subordinate to the current (or root) directory. It is specified as
follows:

C:\> MD\STATS (or) MD STATS : This command makes (creates) a

new directory with the name ― STATS‖.

7. CD: It is used to change from one directory to the other. If we

have to work with files in the directory ―STATS‖, the directory
has to be changed to ―STATS‖

Ex: C:\>CD\ STATS (or) CD STATS : This command changes the

root directory to the directory ―STATS‖.

8. RD: It removes or deletes a directory. To remove a directory, it is

essential to first delete all the files in the directory.

To remove the directory STATS, the command is C:\> RD STATS

9. TREE: It displays the directories and sub-directories existing in a

drive with a ‘TREE’diagram. The difference between TREE and
DIR commands is that: DIR displays all files with its size, date
and time of creation. It also displays only directories with symbol
<DIR> (without files and sub directories in that directory)
 whereas, TREE displays directories and sub directories in a drive
without files.

SHUTTING DOWN THE COMPUTER

When you’re ready to turn off the computer, use the Shut Down
command on the start menu. Using the Shut Down command
ensures that programs are closed properly. It prompt you to save your
work if haven’t done so already, and removes any temporary files the
program may have created. This ensures that all your work is saved
properly, and prevents your hard disk from becoming cluttered with
temporary files.

4.2 Identify the Uses of Microsoft Word Package

MICROSOFT WORD

MS Word is a word processor that is part of the Microsoft Office suite

and powerful tool to create professional looking documents. Microsoft
Word package is the most common word processor at present with the
following features: -

1. Word Wrapping
2. Spell checking and grammar
3. Protecting documents
4. Editing facilities
5. Page preview facility
6. Mail merging
7. Auto correct
8. Help through office assistant
9. Find and replace facility etc

How to Start Microsoft Word

1. Double click on the Microsoft Word icon on the desktop (if

available) OR
2. Click on start button on the task bar
3. Click on All Programs
4. Click on Microsoft Office
5. Click on Microsoft Word

Features of Microsoft Word Screen

i. The Microsoft Office Button

ii. The Quick Access Toolbar

iii. The Ribbon

iv. Mini Toolbar

The Microsoft Office Button

The Microsoft Office button performs many of the functions that were
located in the File menu of older versions of Word. This button allows
you to create a new document, open an existing document, save or
save as, print, send (through email or fax), publish or close.

Quick Access Toolbar

The quick access toolbar is a customizable toolbar that contains
commands that you may want to use. You can place the quick access
toolbar above or below the ribbon. To change the location of the quick
access toolbar, click on the arrow at the end of the toolbar and click on
Show below the Ribbon.

You can also add items to the quick access toolbar. Right click on any
item in the Office Button or the Ribbon and click on Add to Quick
Access Toolbar and a shortcut will be added to the Quick Access
Toolbar.

The Ribbon
The Ribbon is the panel at the top portion of the document. It has
seven tabs: Home, Insert, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review,
and View that contain many new and existing features of Word. Each
 tab is divided into groups. The groups are logical collections of features
designed to perform functions that you will utilize in developing or
editing your Word document. Commonly used features are displayed
on the Ribbon, to view additional features within each group, click on
the arrow at the bottom right of each group. Each of the tabs contains
the following tools:
Home: Clipboard, Fonts, Paragraph, Styles, and Editing.

Insert: Pages, Tables, Illustrations, Links, Header & Footer, Text, and
Symbols

Page Layout: Themes, Page Setup, Page Background, Paragraph,

Arrange

References: Table of Contents, Footnote, Citation & Bibliography,

Captions, Index, and Table of Authorities

Mailings: Create, Start Mail Merge, Write & Insert Fields, Preview
Results, Finish

Review: Proofing, Comments, Tracking, Changes, Compare, Protect

View: Document Views, Show/Hide, Zoom, Window, Macros

How to Create a New Document

Click the Microsoft Office Button and Click New or Press CTRL+N
(Depress the CTRL key while pressing the “N”) on the keyboard. If you
wish to start from a blank document, click Blank. If you wish to start
from a template, you can browse through your choices on the left, see
the choices on center screen, and preview the selection on the right
screen

Symbols Displayed on the Text Area

1. Insertion Point – is the blinking vertical bar that is located in

the upper left corner of the text area. It indicates where text or
other items like graphics will be inserted in a document
2. I-Beam – is the symbol that a mouse pointer changes to when it
is moved over the document window

Note: To enter text into a document simply click the insertion point
where the text will begin and start typing.

Saving Document

Click the Microsoft Office Button and Click Save or Save As

(remember, if you’re sending the document to someone who does not
have Office 2007, you will need to click the Office Button, click Save
As, and Click Word 97-2003 Document), or Press CTRL+S (Depress
the CTRL key while pressing the “S”) on the keyboard, or Click the File
icon on the Quick Access Toolbar

Opening A Document

Click the Microsoft Office Button and Click Open, or Press CTRL+O
(Depress the CTRL key while pressing the “O”) on the keyboard, or if
you have recently used the document you can click the Microsoft
Office Button and click the name of the document in the Recent
Documents section of the window

Editing a Document

MS-Word allows you to edit a previously saved document or the one

you are currently typing. But to edit a saved document you must first
open the file that contains the document and you can insert or delete
text

Typing and inserting Text

To enter text just starts typing! The text will appear where the blinking
cursor is located. Move the cursor by using the arrow buttons on the
keyboard or positioning the mouse and clicking the left button. To
change any attributes of text it must be highlighted first. Select the
text by dragging the mouse over the desired text while keeping the left
mouse button depressed, or hold down the SHIFT key on the keyboard
while using the arrow buttons to highlight the text.
  Deselect the text by clicking anywhere outside of the selection
on the page or press an arrow key on the keyboard.

Inserting Additional Text

Text can be inserted in a document at any point using any of the
following methods:
1. Type Text: Put your cursor where you want to add the text and
begin typing

2. Copy and Paste Text: Highlight the text you wish to copy and
right click and click Copy, put your cursor where you want the
text in the document and right click and click Paste.

3. Cut and Paste Text: Highlight the text you wish to copy, right
click, and click Cut, put your cursor where you want the text in
the document, right click, and click Paste.

4. Drag Text: Highlight the text you wish to move, click on it and
drag it to the place where you want the text in the document.

5. Deleting Blocks of Text

Use the BACKSPACE and DELETE keys on the keyboard to

delete text. Backspace will delete text to the left of the cursor
and Delete will erase text to the right. To delete a large selection
of text, highlight it using any of the methods outlined above and
press the DELETE KEY

To change the font typeface:

 Click the arrow next to the font name and choose a font.

 Remember that you can preview how the new font will look by
highlighting the text, and hovering over the new font typeface.

To change the font size:

 Click the arrow next to the font size and choose the appropriate
size, or
 Click the increase or decrease font size buttons.

Font Styles and Effects

 Font styles are predefined formatting options that are used to
emphasize text. They include: Bold, Italic, and Underline. To add
these to text:
 Select the text and click the Font Styles included on the Font
Group of the Ribbon, or

 Select the text and right click to display the font tools

Change Paragraph Alignment

 The paragraph alignment allows you to set how you want text to
appear. To change the alignment:
 Click the Home Tab

 Choose the appropriate button for alignment on the Paragraph

Group.
 Align Left: the text is aligned with your left margin

 Center: The text is centered within your margins

 Align Right: Aligns text with the right margin

 Justify: Aligns text to both the left and right margins.

Adding Tables
 To create a table:
 Place the cursor on the page where you want the new table

 Click the Insert Tab of the Ribbon

 Click the Tables Button on the Tables Group. You can create a
table one of four ways:
 Highlight the number of row and columns

 Click Insert Table and enter the number of rows and columns
 Click the Draw Table, create your table by clicking and entering
the rows and columns

 Click Quick Tables and choose a table

Graphics Word 2007 allows you to insert special characters, symbols,

pictures, illustrations, and watermarks.

Symbols and Special Characters

 Special characters are punctuation, spacing, or typographical
characters that are not generally available on the standard
keyboard. To insert symbols and special characters:
 Place your cursor in the document where you want the symbol

 Click the Insert Tab on the Ribbon

 Click the Symbol button on the Symbols Group

 Choose the appropriate symbol

Illustrations: Word 2007 allows you to insert illustrations and into a

document.
 To insert illustrations:

 Place your cursor in the document where you want the

illustration/picture

 Click the Insert Tab on the Ribbon

 Click the Clip Art Button

 The dialog box will open on the screen and you can search for
clip art.

 Choose the illustration you wish to include

Pictures:
 To insert a picture:
  Place your cursor in the document where you want the
illustration/picture

 Click the Insert Tab on the Ribbon

 Click the Picture Button

 Browse to the picture you wish to include

 Click the Picture

 Click Insert
Numbering Pages: To give your pages numbers

1. Click insert menu

2. Click on page numbers
3. Select your page number position (use the up/down arrow beside
the box under position)
4. Select suitable alignment position
5. Click OK
4.3 Type a page (word processing) in Microsoft Word Format on
the Computer
WORD PROCESSING
Definition: Word-processing is essentially typing, editing, and
manipulation of a document in a desired form.

Units of the Document:

Since word-processing is concerned with preparation of a document (in
a desired form), it is essential to know the units of the document:
1. Character: It refers to the alphabets, numerical digits,
punctuations and other special symbols which are commonly
used in the text.
2. Word: A word is group of characters that are separated from
other group of characters by some delimiters like, comma, full
stop and space.
3. Sentence: A sentence is a group of words preceded and followed
by appropriate delimiting characters.
4. Paragraph: It is a group of one or more sentences, paragraphs
are separated by leaving blank lines between them.
5. Pages: It is the amount of text that can be printed on one page of
a paper.
6. Chapters: It is a collection of pages
7. Documents and files: It is a group of chapters. Usually, a
complete document may be very short such as a memo (or
letter) or very long such as a book consisting of several chapters.
These documents are referred as ―Files‖.

Features of Word-processing:
1. Word-wrap
2. Cursor control
3. Editing
4. Formatting
5. Spell-check
6. Thesaurus
7. Macros
8. Printing
9. File management
10. Mail merge printing

Word-wrap: In word-processing packages, the text can be

continuously typed and the computer automatically starts a fresh line
when a line is filled up. As soon as the length of a sentence exceeds
the right margin, the corresponding word is automatically adjusted in
the following line. This is called ―word-wrap‖. A paragraph is created
only when carriage control is externally given for a sentence.

Cursor Control: The four directional keys of the keyboard ( ) helps in

locating the text for editing in much the similar manner as that of a
pointer or pencil.
Editing: Words or lines can be entered (inserted) or deleted in any
part of the text with proper alignment. Similarly, there is a facility to
‗recover the text which is deleted by mistake or accidentally. Another
important facility is that any ‗word can be replaced by a new word
throughout the file, wherever the old word appears. In addition to
these, a block of text (which is frequently used) can be prepared and
moved or copied wherever desired in the file.

Formatting: The text formatting refers to the way the text is desired
to appear on a page. This includes following functions;
 Setting left and right margins
 Paragraph settings
 Line spacing
 Selecting font specifications such as underline, bold, italics,
superscripts and subscripts
 Setting foot-notes
 Number of lines per page
 Printing page numbers and headings for ‗Header‘ and ‗Footer‘
 Table of contents
 Indexing the text

Spell-check: Word-processing packages provide checking of spellings

facility
Thesaurus: It provides synonyms (or words with similar meanings)

Macros: A macro is a character or word that represents a series of

keystrokes. The ability to define macros allows us to save a lot of time
by replacing common combinations of keystrokes.

Printing: It gives a ‗hard copy of the text. The printing can be

controlled after printing a fixed number of pages or can be resumed
from any specified page number.
 File management: This facility allows to create, delete, move &
search for files.

Mail merge printing: This facility helps in printing same ―original‖

letter with different addresses, so that each letter is ―original‖ and not
a carbon copy.

Word-processing Packages: Several word-processing packages are

available. Some of these are listed below:
1. Msword (soft word)
2. Wordstar
3. Chirator
4. Norton editor
4.4 Explain how to Protect a Document with a Security Password

How to Protect Your Microsoft Word Documents

Want to lock down an important Word document? Here's how to add a
password, make documents read-only, and other tricks for protecting
your most sensitive files.
You've written an important or sensitive document in Microsoft Word. And
you want to keep it private or at least secure. Perhaps you want to make
sure that only you and certain people can read or edit it. Maybe you want to
restrict the types of modifications that someone can make to the document.
Perhaps you want to ensure readers of the document that this is the final
version. You can do all that and more if you know which tools to use in Word
and how to use them.
The latest Office 365 version of Microsoft Word serves up several options for
securing your document. You can set a document to open in read-only mode
to prevent accidental edits. You can encrypt your document so no one can
access it without the right password. You can limit the content that can be
edited within a document and the way it can be edited. You can add a digital
signature to make sure no one can tinker with the document. And you can
mark a document as final so people know it hasn't been changed since you
last saved it. For these tricks, I'm using the latest Office 365 version of
Word. The options I cover here basically work the same in Word 2016, 2013,
and 2010. However, the ability to mark a document as final and make it
read-only are two separate options in Word 365 and one single combined
option in the other versions of Word.
Protect Document
To get started, open a document in Microsoft Word that you want to protect.
Click on the File menu and then click on the button to Protect Document.
From the Protect Document menu, select the first option to Always Open
Read-Only.
 Read Only

Save the document and then reopen it. Word flashes a message that the
author would like you to open this as read-only, unless you need to make
changes. Click Yes to open the document in read-only mode. Of course,
anyone can say no and open the document in edit mode. The goal is to make
it easier for people to open the document as read-only to mitigate the
chances of making unintended changes.

Encrypt with Password

To disable the read-only option, open the document in edit mode. Click on
the File menu and select Protect Document. From the Protect Document
menu, select the option to Always Open Read-Only. Stay at the same
screen and again click on the Protect Document button. This time, select the
option to Encrypt with Password.
Create a Password

At the Encrypt Document window, create a password and click OK. Be sure to
use a complex but memorable password. If you forget the password,
Microsoft offers no way to retrieve or reset it, which means you won't be able
to access the document. Type the password again to confirm it. Click OK.
Resave and close the document. Reopen it. Type the password to access the
document. Click OK.
 Remove the Password

To remove the password, click the File menu and select Protect Document.
Click on the option to Encrypt with Password. At the Encrypt Document
window, delete the dots that obscure your password. Click OK. Resave and
close the document. The next time you open it, you won't be asked for a
password.

Restrict Editing
Click on the File menu and return to the Protect Document button. Select the
option to Restrict Editing.
Your document then displays a Restrict Editing pane on the right for
formatting and editing restrictions. Here, you can give people permission to
read your document, as well as select what they can edit and how.
 Formatting Restrictions

Check the box to limit formatting to a selection of styles to prevent people

from changing the formatting of your document through Word's styles
feature. Click on the link for Settings. In the Formatting Restrictions pop-up
window, all styles are allowed by default. You can keep that as is, change it
to the Recommended Minimum, or change it to none. If you're not sure which
setting to pick, choose the one for Recommended Minimum.
You can also check any of the three options under Formatting to allow
AutoFormat to override the restrictions, block the ability to switch themes, or
block the ability to switch QuickStyle Sets. If you're not sure, leave these
three settings unchecked. Click OK to close the Formatting Restrictions
window.

Editing Restrictions
Under Editing Restrictions, check the box to Allow only this type of editing in
the document. Click on the drop-down menu underneath. You can now pick
from among four options: Tracked changes turns on Track Changes for any
reader of your document and restricts all other types of
editing; Comments allows readers to insert comments in your document but
make no other modifications; Filling in forms lets readers fill in forms
you've created but not change those forms; and No changes (Read
only) puts your document in read-only mode so no changes can be made.
Select the option you want.

Exceptions

If you check the option for Comments or No changes (Read only), you can
create exceptions for anyone to be able to edit certain parts of your
document. In the Exceptions section, check the box for Everyone and select
any parts of the document that you want anyone to be able to edit.
 Enforce Protection

Finally, click on the option for Yes, Start Enforcing Protection. Type and then
retype a password and click OK. Resave and close the document. Reopen it.
The editing controls on the Ribbon are now grayed out. Click in any section
of the document that you allowed for editing, and the controls become
accessible.

Turn Off Protection

To turn off the protection, click on Review tab and click on the icon for
Restrict Editing. Click on the Stop Protection button at the bottom of the
Restrict Editing pane. Type the password and click OK. Then uncheck the
options for Formatting and Editing restrictions that appear on the top right.

Add a Digital Signature

Click on the File menu and return to the Protect Document button. Select the
option to Add a Digital Signature. This tells people who read your document
that you and no else signed it, indicating that you were the last person to
revise and save it.

Signing Certificate
To create a digital signature, you'll need a signing certificate. The first time
you do this, Word flashes the message: "To sign a Microsoft Office document
you need a digital signature, would you like to get one from a Microsoft
partner now?" Click Yes. A Microsoft support page pops up to help you find a
digital ID. Try the links for the various providers to get a digital ID. Then, click
on the link at the webpage to Add or remove a digital signature in Office
files. Scroll down the page to learn how to add a digital signature.
After you have the digital ID, return to the Protect Document button and
again click on the option to Add a Digital Signature. At the Sign window, fill
out the necessary fields and click the Sign button. You may be asked to
confirm the digital signature. Click OK.
Your document is now digital signed and made read-only. Word explains that
the document has been signed and marked as final and that if anyone
tampers with it, the signatures become invalid. Anyone who opens the
document will see the notice of your digital signature.

Mark as Final
Finally, if you can't or don't want to use a digital signature, you can still mark
the document as final. Click on the File menu and return to the Protect
Document button. Select the option to Mark as Final.
A pop-up message tells you: "This document will be marked as final and then
saved." Click OK. Another message appears and tells you: "This document
has been marked as final to indicate that editing is complete and that this is
the final version of the document. When a document is marked as final, the
status property is set to 'Final' and typing, editing commands, and proofing
marks are turned off. You can recognize that a document is marked as final
when the Mark as Final icon displays in the status bar." Click OK.

Edit Anyway
When someone opens the document, a message pops up at the top:
"MARKED AS FINAL. An author has marked this document as final to
discourage editing." An Edit Anyway button also appears. If someone clicks
on that button, he or she can still edit and resave the document. But then
the document would show you as the author and the other person as the one
who last modified it. So the ultimate goal here is not to stop someone from
editing the document but to tell readers that the document is final and that
you should appear as both the author and the person who last modified it.
Video on how to protect a document (https://youtu.be/kclxXiIe4lc)

4.5 Identify Different Software Programs on the Computer and

their Specific Usage

Applications Platforms and different types of Software

Today I will talk about applications or software programs which we

install on the computing devices to enhance their compatibilities.
Applications are the types of programs which perform specific tasks for
the users. We can install new applications, update an existed
applications and as well remove the installed applications from our
system. Now, let’s look for the different platforms and different types
of the software applications.

Platform is simply a hardware on which Operating system and all the

other applications run. There can be three kinds of platform
applications.

1. Desktop platform applications are kinds of applications which can

run on the desktop Operating systems like macOS, windows OS,
Linux OS etc.
2. Mobile platform applications which run on Mobile Operating
systems like Androids OS, iOS, Blackberry OS etc.
3. Web-based platform applications are those types of applications
which run online or we can simply say that these applications are
a types of cloud computing.

The following figures shows the above mentioned three

different platform applications.
Figure: Desktop Applications

Figure: Mobile Applications

Figure: Web-based Applications

Different Common types of Applications

There can be huge numbers of applications available today and

these applications are classified into the following major types.

1. Productivity Softwares
2. Collaborative Softwares
3. Utility Softwares
4. Specialized Softwares
Productivity Softwares

These softwares are used to do special productive tasks for

users such as writing documents, managing personal
information, giving presentations, storing data, and sending e-
mail. The following Table shows different kinds of productivity
softwares, their purposes and their examples.
Collaborative Softwares

Collaborative softwares help people communicate and work with one

another, and it helps computers share information. The following table
lists the collaboration software types, their purpose and examples.
Utility Softwares

Utility softwares are basically not in the Applications category because

these don’t do anything directly for the users using computers.
Instead, utilities help keep the computer running smoothly and help
manage and distribute files. The following table shows different types
of utility softwares, their purposes and examples.
Specialized Softwares

These applications are designed to do specific tasks for specific

peoples. These can include software for people in professions such as
computer-aided design (CAD), medicine, science, and finance, as well
as games and entertainment applications. The following Table shows
different kinds of specialized softwares, their purposes and their
examples.
 This was all about the application platforms and application types and
their uses with examples. I hope that you have enjoyed the reading.

4.6 Explain the use of Microsoft Excel in data Processing

MS -EXCEL
Spreadsheet is a software that helps to substitute the paper
worksheets in the offices. Spreadsheet displays data in the form of
rows and columns. An intersection of row and column is known as a
cell.
MS-Excel is a window based spreadsheet developed by Microsoft
Corporation. It includes all features of a spreadsheet package like
recalculation, graphs & functions. It also provides many Mathematical,
Financial & Statistical functions. Thus it is used in many scientific and
engineering environments for analyzing data. Excel can even hold
graphic objects like pictures & images.

Some important features of MS-Excel:

1. Window based application: Excel like all other applications has
Toolbars, Shortcut Menus, Auto correct, Online help and Wizards.
2. Workbooks: Workbooks are the files in which worksheets related
to a project are held.
3. OLE support: Object linking and Embedding is a feature through
which Excel can contain any object like a document, a picture
etc.
4. Maintaining high volume of data: Excel can contain large volume
of data. A worksheet can contain 65536 rows and 256 columns. A
single cell can contain a maximum of 255 characters. One
workbook can contain a maximum of 256 worksheets.
5. Availability of functions: Several Mathematical, financial &
statistical functions are available in an Excel package.
6. Availability of Charts & Graphs: MS-Excel allows users to
view data entered as tables in a graphical form as charts, which
helps the user to easily understand, analyze data & compare
data.
7. Data Analysis Tools: MS-Excel provides a set of data analysis
tools called Analysis Tool pack.
8. Sorting capability: Excel has the capability of sorting any data
in Ascending or Descending order.
9. Auto fill feature: Excel has the feature which allows to fill cells
with repetitive data such as chronological dates or numbers and
repeated text.
Getting started with Excel:
An Excel document is called a workbook. By default, Excel workbook
contains 3 worksheets designated as sheet 1, sheet 2, sheet 3. The
extension name of excel workbook is .xls.

We can start excel in many ways:

1. Start  Programs  Microsoft office  Microsoft Excel  hit enter.
2. Start  Run  Type Excel  hit enter
3. Double click on the Microsoft application Icon.

Components of the Excel window:

An Excel window has several unique elements identified in the figure
below:
 Rows, columns & cell: In a worksheet rows are numbered from
top to bottom. The columns are labeled with letters from left to
right. Rows are numbered from 1 to 65,536 and columns labeled
from A to IV (256 columns).
 Title bar: The title bar contains the name of the program
Microsoft Excel and the default name of the workbook Book1 that
would change as soon as you save your file and give another
name.
 Menu bar : The Menu bar contains menus that include all the
commands you need to use to work your way through Excel such
as File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Data, Window and Help.
 Tool Bar: Tool Bars are usually shortcuts for menu items.
Standard and formatting toolbars are displayed by default.
 Active cell: The cell in which you are currently working.
 Formula bar: displays the contents of the active cell.
 Name box: displays the cell address of the active cell. Column
letter followed by the row number. Ex: B6
 Worksheet area: The middle portion of screen which occupies a
major area is called worksheet area. In this area, information or
data (i.e.) either textual or numerical can be entered and the
 results can be displayed. A worksheet is a large work area of
65,536 rows and 256 columns.
 Status bar: located at the very bottom of the screen displays
brief information about activating features within the worksheet
area.
 Sheet tabs: appear above the status bar displaying the names of
the worksheets.

Standard Toolbar
The Standard toolbar, located beneath the menu bar, has buttons for
commonly performed tasks like adding a column of numbers, printing,
sorting, and other operations. Excel let's you customize the toolbar or
even display multiple toolbars at the same time. The Standard Excel XP
toolbar appears in the
figure below.

4.7 Enter data using Microsoft Excel (Data Processing)

Video on data processing using Microsoft excel (https://youtu.be/v-
jbOGNAaII)
Every time a user has to add a new record, he/she will have to select
the cell in the next empty row and then go cell by cell to make the
entry for each column.

While this is a perfectly fine way of doing it, a more efficient way would
be to use a Data Entry Form in Excel.
Below is a data entry form that you can use to make entries to this
data set.
Data Entry Form in Excel
Using a data entry form in Excel needs a little pre-work.
You would notice that there is no option to use a data entry form in
Excel (not in any tab in the ribbon).
To use it, you will have to first add it to the Quick Access Toolbar (or
the ribbon).
 Adding Data Entry Form Option To Quick Access Toolbar
Below are the steps to add the data entry form option to the Quick
Access Toolbar:
1. Right-click on any of the existing icons in the Quick Access
Toolbar.
2. Click on ‘Customize Quick Access Toolbar’.

3. In the ‘Excel Options’ dialog box that opens, select the ‘All
Commands’ option from the drop-down.

4. Scroll down the list of commands and select ‘Form’.

5. Click on the ‘Add’ button.

6. Click OK.
7. The above steps would add the Form icon to the Quick Access Toolbar
(as shown below).

8. Once you have it in QAT, you can click any cell in your dataset (in
which you want to make the entry) and click on the Form icon.
Note: For Data Entry Form to work, your data should be in an Excel
Table. If it isn’t already, you’ll have to convert it into an Excel Table
(keyboard shortcut – Control + T).

Parts of the Data Entry Form

A Data Entry Form in Excel has many different buttons (as you can see
below).
Here is a brief description of what each button is about:

New: This will clear any existing data in the form and allows you to
create a new record.
Delete: This will allow you to delete an existing record. For example, if
I hit the Delete key in the above example, it will delete the record for
Mike Banes.
Restore: If you’re editing an existing entry, you can restore the
previous data in the form (if you haven’t clicked New or hit Enter).
Find Prev: This will find the previous entry.
Find Next: This will find the next entry.
Criteria: This allows you to find specific records. For example, if I am
looking for all the records, where the candidate was Hired, I need to
click the Criteria button, enter ‘Hired’ in the Status field and then use
the find buttons. Example of this is covered later in this tutorial.
Close: This will close the form.
Scroll Bar: You can use the scroll bar to go through the records.
Now let’s go through all the things you can do with a Data Entry form
in Excel.
Note that you need to convert your data into an Excel Table and select
any cell in the table to be able to open the Data Entry form dialog box.
If you haven’t selected a cell in the Excel Table, it will show a prompt
as shown below:

Creating a New Entry

Below are the steps to create a new entry using the Data Entry Form in
Excel:
1. Select any cell in the Excel Table.
2. Click on the Form icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.

3. Enter the data in the form fields.

4. Hit the Enter key (or click the New button) to enter the record in
the table and get a blank form for next record.
Navigating Through Existing Records
One of the benefits of using Data Entry Form is that you can
easily navigate and edit the records without ever leaving the
dialog box.
This can be especially useful if you have a dataset with many
columns. This can save you a lot of scrolling and the process of
going back and forth.
Below are the steps to navigate and edit the records using a
data entry form:
1. Select any cell in the Excel Table.
2. Click on the Form icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.
3. To go to the next entry, click on the ‘Find Next’ button and
to go to the previous entry, click the ‘Find Prev’ button.
4. To edit an entry, simply make the change and hit enter. In case
you want to revert to the original entry (if you haven’t hit the
enter key), click the ‘Restore’ button.
You can also use the scroll bar to navigate through entries one-
by-one.

The above snapshot shows basic navigation where you are going
through all the records one after the other.
But you can also quickly navigate through all the records based
on criteria.
For example, if you want to go through all the entries where the
status is ‘In-progress’, you can do that using the below steps:
1. Select any cell in the Excel table.
2. Click on the Form icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.
3. In the Data Entry Form dialog box, click the Criteria button.

4. In the Status field, enter ‘In-progress’. Note that this value

is not case sensitive. So even if you enter IN-PROGRESS, it
would still work.
Use the Find Prev/Find Next buttons to navigate through the
entries where the status is In-Progress.
Criteria is a very useful feature when you have a huge dataset,
and you want to quickly go through those records that meet a
given set of criteria.
Note that you can use multiple criteria fields to navigate through
the data.
For example, if you want to go through all the ‘In-progress’
records after 07-08-2018, you can use ‘>07-08-2018’ in the
criteria for ‘Date’ field and ‘In-progress’ as the value in the status
field. Now when you navigate using Find Prev/Find Next buttons,
it will only show records after 07-08-2018 where the status is In-
progress.

5. Use the Find Prev/Find Next buttons to navigate through

the entries where the status is In-Progress.
This works as an asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that can
represent any number of characters in Excel. So if the status
contains the ‘progress’, it will be picked up by Find Prev/Find
Next buttons no matter what is before it).

Deleting a Record
You can delete records from the Data Entry form itself.
This can be useful when you want to find a specific type of
records and delete these.
Below are the steps to delete a record using Data Entry Form:
1. Select any cell in the Excel table.
2. Click on the Form icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.
3. Navigate to the record you want to delete
4. Click the Delete button.

While you may feel that this all looks like a lot of work just to
enter and navigate through records, it saves a lot of time if
you’re working with lots of data and have to do data entry quite
often.
 STUDENTS ACTIVITY

TOPIC: How to Operate a Computer (Word Processing, Data

Processing, and Data Presentation

At the end of this lesson, the learner will be

able to:

 Boot a computer and explain systematic process

STUDE of booting a computer

 Identify the uses of Microsoft Word package
NT
 Type a page (word processing) in Microsoft Word
format on the computer
 Explain how to protect a document with a security
password
 Identify different software programs on the
computer and their specific usage
 Explain the use of Microsoft Excel in data
processing

TASK:

 Demonstrate on computer

UNIT: 5
Practical Session 2 (Slides and hand-outs with Microsoft Power
point)

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: -

 Whiteboard
 Maker
 Posters
 Projector
 Computer

TEACHING METHODS: -

 Lecture
 Demonstration
 Group discussion
 Audiovisual

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT: -

 MCQ
 Essay
 Group presentation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
5.1 Explain how to use Auto, Content, Wizard, design template, blank slide
or existing presentation to create slides
5.2 Explain how to insert objects and graphs into slides
5.3 Explain how to create hand-outs and the rationale behind it

5.1 How to use Auto, Content, Wizard, design template, blank slide
or existing presentation to create slides
A PowerPoint has two methods for creating a slide presentation:
• Choose a theme template
• Create a blank presentation (this method is covered in Unit 3)
PowerPoint software has built in and free online pre-designed
templates that contain various color schemes and pre-arranged
elements in a slide, e.g text and graphics. Select a template and
PowerPoint will format the entire presentation according to that
template.
Steps to choosing a theme template:
1. Open PowerPoint.
2. At the PowerPoint window, click the File tab, and then click New.
3. The Available Templates and Themes screen will appear, click on
an available template or download a free template from the
office.com online templates.
4. Once you have selected the desired template, it will be displayed
in normal view.

New slides can be added as needed.

A theme template can be added to a presentation before, during or
after you have added the presentation content.
To apply various templates to a presentation, click the Design tab,
then click on the desired template in the themes group.

Create a New Slide

Whether you are using a pre-made theme template or working from

your own design, it is very easy to insert a new slide.
1. In the slide pane click on the slide where you would like the new
slide to appear below.
2. Click on the New Slide button located on the Home tab in the
Slides group.

3. The new slide should appear below the selected slide. If you want
to add a new slide between two, select the first of the two slides
and click New Slide.
4. Notice the New Slide button contains a New Slide button arrow.
Click on the arrow to view different slide layouts. Another way to
change the slide layout is by clicking on the Layout button
located in the Slides group. The slide layout option determines
the position of the objects on a slide. Simply click on the layout
you want to use and it will appear in the slide pane.
Create Slide Content

Entering text and images into your presentation slide is easy and fun.
When using the theme template the first slide to appear in Normal
view is called the Title Slide.

The title slide is the slide that is used to introduce the presentation to
the audience. It has two text placeholders for text: title text
placeholder and sub-title text placeholder. Placeholders are the
building blocks for a PowerPoint slide.

To insert text in a placeholder, left click inside of the textbox and begin
typing. Once you have entered text, click outside the text box to see
how your text looks. The placeholder then becomes an object.
An object is any item on a slide that can be manipulated. Objects are
the building blocks that make up a slide. A text object can moved
around and repositioned on a slide.

A object is selected when there is a gray, bold outline around the

object, and when the cursor turns into a cross. Around the selected
object are small white circles that are called sizing handles. You can
drag the handles to position the object.

To apply formatting to text inside an object, select the text with your
cursor, then click on the Home tab and in the Font group add text
attributes such as bold, underline, and italics. The Paragraph group,
located next to the Font group, contains commands that allow you to
change the alignment of text, insert numbers or bullets to lists, and
indent text.

You can also edit your text by accessing the Font dialogue box by
clicking the Font group dialogue box launcher. (The dialogue box
launcher is the small button containing a diagonal arrow that displays
in the lower right corner of the group.) The Font dialogue box includes
special effects such as: double strikethrough, superscript and
subscript.

Another quick and easy way to format slides is by using a slide master.
A Slide Master will reduce the steps needed to format all the slides in
a presentation. Any changes made in the slide master will affect all
slides in the presentation. This allows for consistency in any
presentation.

When you choose a theme template PowerPoint automatically adds a

Slide master. To format the slide master click the View tab and then
choose Slide Master located in the Presentation View group.

A slide master appears in the slide pane and in the Outline/Slide pane.
The largest thumbnail in the pane is the slide master and the other
thumbnails represent associated layouts. Click on the master slide or a
specific layout to apply formatting or themes. Once formatting changes
have been made click on Close Master View to return to the normal
view.
For more information on Slide Masters take this link to Microsoft Tips
for using Slide Masters. Multi-Level Bulleted Lists

PowerPoint allows information to be displayed as multilevel bulleted

lists. Bulleted lists are used in PowerPoint to display levels of
importance within the presentation. Various slide layouts in the Slide
Layout task pane contain bullets. To add multi levels to a bulleted list
you need to choose the appropriate layout.

The first-level bullet will be displayed under the title placeholder. Once
you have typed your text next to the first-level bullet press Enter on
your keyboard. The new first-level bullet automatically appears.
Press Tab on your keyboard and the first-level bullet becomes a
second level bullet. Press Shift + Tab this will decrease the indent
and bring the bullet back to first level.

Another method to add levels to your presentation is by clicking the

decrease list level or increase list level buttons on
the Paragraph group in the Home tab.

You can customize the bullets in your presentation by selecting the

Bullets and Numbering dialogue box from Paragraph group located in
the Home tab. Select the bullet text, click on the drop down arrow
next to Bullets or Numbering, click on Bullets and Numbering, then
choose the from the pre-designed bullets.
Now that you are able to create a presentation let us move on to view and
save presentations.

5.2 How to insert objects and graphs into slides

Insert Objects
Topics include:
• Clip Art
• SmartArt
• Adjust Clip Art
• Create a Text Box
• Adding Shapes
• WordArt

Clip Art

PowerPoint provides many ways to insert clip art or graphic into a slide.
(Note: It is important to be certain that you have the legal right to use clip
art, photographs, sounds, and movies in your slide show). You can import
files saved in several different formats or add your own graphic or
PowerPoint has its own gallery of Microsoft clip art images. To insert a clip art
image choose a slide layout that has a content placeholder. Click the Insert
Clip Art button in the placeholder.
The Clip Art Task pane displays on the right side of the screen.

Enter a word that describes the clip art that you want in the text box labeled
“Search for,” and click Go. Graphics that are similar to the word that you
entered in the search box will appear in the task pane. Use the scrollbar to
browse through available clip art.

Click once on the clip art you would like to insert. Your clip art will appear on
the current slide, with sizing handles visible and the Picture Tools Format tab
will open.

The Picture Tools Format tab allows for color adjustment, cropping a picture,
adding lines around the picture and compressing a picture. By hovering over
each command in the available groups, the quick tip screen will appear
identifying the command that the icon represents.

Around the image, are sizing handles. They allow you to move and resize the
image on the slide.

Adjust Clip Art

To change the shape of a picture:

Step 1:

i. Move your cursor over the picture and click once to select it.
ii. You will see a number of small circles appear along the edge of
the picture.
iii. These circles are called “sizing handles.”
iv. There is also one green circle, which is used to rotate the image.

Step 2:

i. Click on one of the sizing handles that appears on a side of the

picture, hold the mouse button down, and drag the handle to
change the shape of the picture.
ii. Your pointer will be a double-sided arrow when you are directly
over a sizing handle.
iii. You are distorting the picture by stretching or squishing it.

Step 3:

i. Release the mouse button when you have achieved the desired
shape.

To change the size of a picture:

Step 1:

i. Move your cursor over the picture and click once. You will see
the sizing handles described above.

Step 2:

i. Click your cursor on one of the sizing handles that appear on the
corner of the picture.
 ii. Hold the mouse button down and drag the picture to make it
smaller or larger.
iii. Using these corner handles maintains the original proportions of
the image (it does not stretch or squish).

Step 3:

i. Release the mouse button when you have achieved the desired
size.
ii. The size of a picture can also be changed by adjusting the aspect
ratio which is the relationship between the height and width of
an object.
iii. To change the aspect ratio of an object right click on the object
and select Size and Position.
iv. The Size and Position dialogue box will appear. Click on the size
tab. Check that the Lock aspect ratio box is selected.

To move a picture:

Step 1: Move your cursor over the picture.

Step 2: Click the mouse button, hold the button down, and drag the picture
to change its location.

Step 3: Release the mouse button when you are satisfied with the location
of the image.

Adding Shapes

By clicking on the Insert tab and then Shapes in the Illustrations group you
can draw a variety of shapes, straight lines, free-form lines, or pre-designed
shapes and lines.

Once you have inserted Shapes on a slide you can then enhance the shape
by adding color to the shape, an outline, an effect, or any of the preset styles
available in the Shape Styles group located in the Illustrations section of the
Insert Ribbon.
Adding SmartArt

Sometimes when you are working with text the normal text attributes of
bold, italics, underline and colour are just not enough to capture the
audience’s attention. SmartArt allows you to create really dynamic illustrated
text! There are 7 basic types of SmartArt to choose from.

When you choose to add a SmartArt object you will work in two panes. As
you add text on the left side pane, the text is transferred into SmartArt
design. You can add or remove bulleted points to suit your own needs.
Use the features on the SmartArt Design ribbon to customize the colours and
appearance to suit your presentation. The SmartArt design can be moved,
adjusted and resized in the same fashion that a graphic can be adjusted.

Create a Text Box

When building presentations in PowerPoint, you will most often insert text in
a slide’s placeholders. However, when you want a label, an object, or have
control over where text is positioned you may want to use Text Boxes.

Click the Text Box button in the Text group of the Insert tab. Then click
and drag on the slide to create a text box. Enter the text then apply
formatting.

WordArt

WordArt creates decorative text that can be used to add interest to a

document. When WordArt is inserted in a presentation, it becomes an object
that you can move and rotate in any direction. To add WordArt to your
presentation click on the WordArt button located in the Text group of the
Insert tab. Click on the style of your choice from the WordArt Gallery window
which appears.
Type the text you want in the “Type your Text Here box” that displays on the
slide. Notice the Drawing Tools Format tab becomes available. Use the
commands in the Format tab to further enhance your WordArt.

Once formatted drag the WordArt to a location on the slide that is suitable
for your presentation.

5.3 How to create hand-outs and the rationale behind it

In your PowerPoint presentation, open your Notes Master. The Notes

Master controls global formatting for your Notes Pages the same way
the Slide Master controls your slides.

The Notes Master is similar to the Slide Master (your time-saving best friend)
in that you can change the font family, color and size. You can also adjust
the size of the slide on the Notes Pages and change page orientation.
Here is also where you can add your company logo to every slide to comply
with corporate information distribution policies. Here, and only here (NOT on
your live slides, please).

However, the Notes Master is quite unlike the Slide Master in that you have
few formatting options outside of what I’ve mentioned. Although you can
visibly add shapes and lines, or remove the slide border in the Notes Master,
the changes will not show on your Notes Pages. A bit of false advertising, but
you can always add those elements to the individual Notes Pages.

Next, enable page numbers if they aren’t already. Only in the case of
handouts and phone-only presentations do I recommend page numbers.

Now, we’re going to refine every slide into a handout page. Click “Close
Master” and go to the first slide, then go to View → Notes Page.
For every slide, format the notes you wrote using bold, numbered lists, and
here, bullet points are ok. Make it narrative, for the readers’ benefit.
Remember, you are not there to guide them, so write your notes in a
professional yet conversational manner.

Feel free to remove some slides (like section headers) if a separate printed
page won’t provide any value.

Consolidate some slides if you feel a single idea is too sparse for one slide.
Let’s say you have three slides using the same chart because you have three
separate insights to present. Remember, you want to pace your live
audience one idea at a time. Example below:

For the handout, I can consolidate and add number annotations to take them
through corresponding points in my notes without using up 3 whole pages.
See the Notes Pages view below:
Note: all of the extra images and annotations you add to the Notes Page will
only display in Notes view.

When you’re finished, go to Print → Print to PDF → Print Layout → select

Notes Pages.

You’re done! It will take a few tries to get the final product right, but once
you get the hang of it, you’ll never sweat the handout request again!
Benefits for the presenter

1. They allow you to cut down on the amount of material you cover
in your presentation and so not commit information overload.
2. They allow you to stop worrying about forgetting what you want
to say.
3. Audience members will have a concrete reminder making your
presentation more memorable.
4. Audience members can easily contact you later.

Benefits for audience members

1. They allow audience members to relax about having to note

down what you’re saying.
2. If they like taking notes, they’ve got a place to do it.
3. If they’re inspired by your topic, they’ve got more information on
it.
4. If they want to refresh themselves later on what you covered
they’ve got a place to go.

Tips for Presentation Handouts

1. Prepare your handouts in plenty of time

Don’t leave it till the last moment to create your handout. I’ve
been guilty of this. We’re most concerned about the actual
presentation and not making a fool of ourselves up on the stage
so you work on what you’re going to say and the slides, and then
30 mins before your presentation you realise you should have a
handout and hurriedly put something together. Handouts are
much too important to be relegated to an afterthought.

2. Don’t just print out your slides

This is lazy and not effective. If your slides are bullet-point slides
(not recommended) then they will often be cut-down sentences
 which will no longer make sense to the reader a week later. And
if they are visual slides (recommended) then they’re also unlikely
to make sense without additional text. If you’re presenting with
visual PowerPoint slides, one of the easiest ways of creating a
handout is to type the text of the handout in the “Notes” pane of
the PowerPoint edit screen. Then print your slides as “Notes”.
You’ll have an effective handout.

3. Ensure your handout reflects your presentation

An audience member should be able to relate the handout to the

presentation they’ve just attended. If you use the Notes pane of
PowerPoint as I’ve suggested above this will happen naturally as
you’ll be guided by the visuals you’re using in the presentation.
You handout should have the same title as your presentation and
should follow the same structure so that audience members can
easily find the information they want.

4. Add more information

Presentations are not a good format for transferring a lot of

information. However, they are good for inspiring people to find
out more about a topic. That extra information can be in the
handout. And if you’re the sort of person who wants to tell the
audience everything you know about the topic… you can put it in
the handout.

5. Include references

If you’re citing research do include the references in the

handout. For most presentations (scientific presentations to a
scientific audience would be an exception), don’t clutter up your
presentation or your slides with references. But do be able to
say: “The reference for this research is in your handout.” Let
your audience know where they can find out more: books,
websites, blogs etc.

6. Consider creating an action sheet

 Handouts are a great place to help people put ideas from your
presentation into action. You could either list a series of actions
that people can take, or provide a worksheet that people fill in on
what actions they will take as a result of your presentation. Have
people fill in the action sheet near the end of your presentation.

7. Make your handout stand-alone

The handout may be passed onto people who were not at your
presentation. Or an audience member may look at it a year from
now when they’ve forgotten most of your presentation. Make
sure that it will make sense to them. For people who weren’t
present include brief credibility-establishing information about
you.

8. Provide white space

Some people like to take notes during a presentation. Provide

plenty of white space (or even some blank pages at the back) so
that they can take notes on the handout and so keep all the
information related to your presentation in one place.

9. Make your handout look professional

The handout is the concrete reminder of your presentation. It

may also get passed onto other people who were not at your
presentation. So it should enhance the perception people have of
you:

i. Have someone proofread it

ii. Create a consistent look and feel with your brand (this may
include a logo and colors)

10. Consider what additional resources you can provide for

your audience
 You’re not limited to paper. My bioethics teacher friend who
presents at bioethics and education conferences across the
globe provides each of her attendees with a DVD with lesson
plans and resources.

11. Consider creating a webpage

Cliff Atkinson suggests creating a “home page” for your

presentation in his book The Backchannel. If you don’t have a
website, you could create a squidoo lens or a Facebook Fan
page. Or if you’d like to do more than that, create a wiki website
(try pbworks or wikispaces) or use blog software. Both of these
can be done for free and just a little technical courage
(techphobics shouldn’t try this). All of these options allow readers
to comment on what you’ve written, so it’s a great way of
continuing the conversation with audience members. For
instance, audience members can ask you questions they weren’t
able to ask at the time.

If you decide to go the web way, you can cut down the hard copy
handout to one page with the most important points from your
presentation, your contact details and the web address.

12. Distribute the handout at the beginning of your

presentation

This is a perennial topic of debate amongst presenters. Some

people are concerned that if they distribute the handout first,
people will stop listening and start leafing through it. The
problem here is not the handout, it’s that your presentation is
not engaging enough.

Not distributing it till after the presentation suggests that you

think you know best how people should pay attention to your
information. Let your audience decide for themselves.

Recent research suggests that providing handouts to university

students before the lecture does not harm their learning.
 Update: In the comments to this post, Cathy Moore, Mike Slater
and Adam Lawrence have identified three good reasons for
distributing your handout after your presentation. I’ve
highlighted these reasons in a new post: Three good reasons to
distribute your handout after your presentation.

13. Do tell people if it’s not in the handout

Finally, if you go off on a tangent in reply to a question, do let

them know that the answer is not in the handout.

STUDENTS ACTIVITY

TOPIC: COMPUTER

At the end of this lesson, the learner will be

able to:
STUDE
NT  Explain how to use Auto, Content, Wizard, design
template, blank slide or existing presentation to
TASK:

 Demonstrate on computer

UNIT: 6

(PRACTICAL SESSION 3)

HOW TO BROWSE USING THE COMPUTER AND THE INTERNET

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: -

 Whiteboard
 Maker
 Posters
 Projector
 Computer
TEACHING METHODS: -

 Lecture
 Demonstration
 Group discussion
 Audiovisual

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT: -

 MCQ
 Essay
 Group presentation

LEAARNING OBJECTIVES
6.1 Explain what the Internet is and its uses
6.2 Provide the full meaning of www
6.3 Explain / identify a browser on the computer
6.4 State the importance of emails and personally open an e-mail account
6.5 Connect with friends on social media
6.6 Carry out an assignment using online educational materials with
search engines like Google, Chrome, etc
6.7 Download and save online resources on a computer etc.
How to Download and Save Any Article as a PDF, or Print or Email or
video
These instructions will allow you to download, save and print any
article as a PDF.

1. Click on the article of interest.

2. Click on the “print” icon Print icon just below the article title.

3. You will see three choices in the upper left. Choose “PDF” to
download and save the article. Alternatively, you can choose
“Print” or “Email” to perform those operations.
 4. If you prefer to save or print the article without the images, in
the upper right check the box “Remove Images”.

5. Once you have saved a PDF, you are welcome to use your Adobe
Acrobat PDF-editing tool to add your land grant university logo,
or your contact information.

6.1 Internet and its Uses

NETWORKING
A network is an arrangement that enables two or more computers to
communicate (talk) to each other.
Types of Networks
Networks can range from a small group of computers linked together in
a class room to thousands of computers linked together across the
globe. Depending on the geographical location, networks can be
classified as
a) LAN (Local Area Network)
b) MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
c) WAN (Wide Area Network)

Local Area Network: If a network is confined to a single location,

typically a building, it is called a LAN e.g Set of interconnected
computers within an office.

Metropolitan Area Network: A metropolitan area network is a

network that is larger than a LAN, it connects the computers
distributed across multiple buildings, e.g the computers in all branches
of an office within a city.

Wide Area Network: When a network is located over wide areas such
as cities, states, countries or even continents, it is called a WAN e.g
i. Computers in different branches of a Globalized company.
ii. Internet
INTERNET
The internet is a global connection of computers. These computers are
connected via a huge network of telecommunication links. The internet
allows you to access to a whole resource of data and information
stored at different sites (called hosts) and locations around the world.
The communication links which inter connect each host computer use
a common method of transmission known as TCP/IP, which stands for
Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol.

Internet connection helps us to:

1. Read information on a wide range of topics
2. Send or receive E-mail
3. Down load useful programs such as virus detectors, file
compression, decompression utility etc.,
4. Share your opinions and your knowledge on a variety of topics
through various new groups.
5. Chat with other people anywhere in the world
6. View interesting video‘s listen to music or wander through a 3-D
world.

Requirements for connecting to the Internet:

a) Modem: A modem is a peripheral device that allows a computer
to connect and communicate with other computers. Modem
stands for Modulator Demodulator.
b) Web Browser: A browser is a software program that is necessary
in order to view web pages on the web. Ex: Internet Explorer,
Netscape Navigator, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft outlook express
etc.
c) Telephone line: A telephone line is required to transfer data from
one computer to another. The computer is connected to a
modem, which, in turn, connected to a telephone line.
 d) Subscription with Internet service provider (ISP): ISP‘s are
companies that provide access to the internet. We need
subscription with any ISP to get an Internet connection.
Some of the ISPs in India are VSNL, MTNL, Sify, Specrta
Net etc.

6.2 The Full Meaning of www

World Wide Web (WWW):
 It refers to the collection of information accessible on the
internet.
 The web is similar to a library. It consists of millions & millions of
pages of text, pictures, sounds and animation on various topics.
 These pages, called web pages are stored on different computers
that are connected to the internet.
 The web pages have links between them i.e when we click a
certain word or picture in a page, it will take us to another page.
 These words or pictures that help to move from one page to
another are called hyperlinks.
 A collection of related web pages is known as a web site. A web
site can be accessed by means of a unique name assigned to it.
Internet was initially designed for the transmission of text basing on
the protocols mentioned.
In order to transmit a graphically designed web page complete with
pictures embedded sound and animation a special language was
designed which is referred to as Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML).
HTML uses special text codes to define the various elements of a web
page.
 The WWW support a protocol called Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
(HTTP).
 All internet Servers cannot support HTTP and so the web can be
regarded as a subset of the larger internet.
 HTTP provides a method of transmitting a professionally laid out
page over the text based internet.
 Uniform Resource Locator: (URL): Each web site has a unique
address commonly referred to as a URL. A URL specifies the exact
location of the web page on the internet.

A typical web address or URL looks as http://

www.microsoft.com/catalog/navigation.asp
Explanation of the example URL:

S/ URL Element Explanation

No
1 http Identifies protocol necessary to retrieve
the file.
2 www Indicates that the site is on the world wide
web
3 Microsoft Indicates the name of the web site
4 .com Indicates the domain type of the web site
5 .com Specifies the path of the file stored on the
/catalog/navigation.asp web server‘s hard disk

6.3 Browser on the Computer

Alternatively referred to as a web browser or Internet browser, a
browser is a software program to present and explore content on the
World Wide Web. These pieces of content, including pictures, videos,
and web pages, are connected using hyperlinks and classified with
URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers). This page is an example of a web
page that can be viewed using a browser.

There have been many different web browsers that have come and
gone over the years. The first, named WorldWide Web (later changed
to Nexus), was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. However, the first
 graphical browser and widely used browser that help bring popularity
to the Internet was NCSA Mosaic.

List of current Internet browsers

1. Google Chrome
2. Microsoft Edge
3. Microsoft Internet Explorer
4. Mozilla Firefox
5. Opera
6. Apple Safari
7. Amazon Silk
Where can I download a different browser?
Note: The following links open in a new window. Once downloaded, you'll
need to open your download folder and start the install for the browser to be
installed on your computer. See: Where are the files I downloaded using my
web browser?
• Google Chrome download
• Mozilla Firefox download
• Opera download
• Apple Safari download
Tip
As long as your computer meets the browser requirements, your computer
can have more than one (or all) of the above browser installed.

What happens when you first open a browser?

When you first open your Internet browser, if you're connected to the
Internet it loads your homepage or show a start screen with your favorite
pages. Once open, you can browse the Internet by following hyperlinks or
use a search engine to search for what you would like to find.

Note: If you changed your browser settings, it may also open the last
opened web pages or all the tabs you had opened when it was last closed.
What things to do when bored on the Internet?

What is needed for a browser to work?

A browser needs a computer, smartphone, or tablet that meets the system
requirements with a working Internet or intranet connection that allows it to
connect to other computers. If there is no Internet connection, you'll get an
error.

Why do I get errors in my browser?

While using the browser it may encounter many different errors. Typically
you'll get an HTTP status code as an error. For example, while browsing you
may get a 404 error, which indicates the page you're attempting to access
no longer exists. See the following list for a full list of HTTP status error codes
and their meanings HTTP information and HTTP status codes.

Getting around in a browser

Each browser has a navigation toolbar that helps you find your way around
the Internet. As seen in the images below, the navigation toolbar has
undergone significant changes to streamline its appearance and
functionality. However, the toolbar is likely never going to lose the
navigation arrows and address bar.
Overview of browser bar buttons, menus, and functions

As we mentioned in the previous section, over time, many Internet browser

buttons and options have either been moved or done away with completely.
Consequently, some of the options mentioned below may not be
immediately visible on your browser.

Tip: In certain browsers, pressing the Alt key on your keyboard shows
hidden options.

Settings (menu)
Nearly all modern browsers today have moved advanced options and
features in the upper-right or left corner of the browser window. Each
browser's menu button is different:

For example, Internet Explorer uses (gear icon), Chrome uses

(kebab menu), Firefox uses (hamburger menu), and Opera uses

the icon.

How to access Internet browser setting back

The back button visits the previous page that referred you to the page you
are currently viewing. This button often resembles an arrow pointing to the
left.

Forward

The forward button moves you forward a page. It only works if you have
previously used the back button. If you have not gone back, and your
browser shows a forward button, it will be grayed out.

Stop

The stop button no longer exists in the majority of modern web browsers.
However, its function (to stop a web page from loading) may still be
executed by pressing the Esc key.

Refresh (reload)
As you browse the Internet the browser cache's data it downloads, meaning
they store some or all parts of each page you visit on your computer. This
feature is useful as it allows users to not have to download the full page each
time they visit the same site. On some sites, you may want to refresh the
page to get the latest version (e.g., on a news site). The Refresh button can
also be used to reload a page that has failed to load because of an error.
Note: Press the F5 key or Ctrl+R to refresh the page from the keyboard. If
the F5 key is not working, you can also do a force reload by pressing Ctrl+F5
in Windows or on an Apple computer press command+R.

Home
The Home button is used to return users to their default web page; the same
page that loads when the browser is first opened.
• How to change my browser's homepage.
• How to make Computer Hope your homepage.

Search

In the past, the Search button open, the default search page or execute a
search on the text found in the address or URL text field. Today's browsers
have what is called an omnibox, which is a search function built into the
address bar.

Full Screen

This function is used to make the browser window a fullscreen; temporarily

removing the toolbar, buttons, and address bar. Often, this view mode may
be toggled on and off by pressing the F11 key on your keyboard.

History

This feature allows users to view the pages that have been visited since the
browser history was last cleared or created. All your saved pages are stored
in your Internet cache.
• How do I view my Internet browser's history?
• How do I clear my Internet browser history?

Note: The shortcut key for history for most browsers is Ctrl+H.

Favorites (bookmarks)
This folder stores websites or pages chosen by the user. The term "Favorites"
is used with Microsoft Internet Explorer; in other browsers this may be known
as bookmarks or a hotlist.

• How to create an Internet favorite or bookmark.

Print

This feature, although no longer a button and may be accessed through the
main settings menu or pressing Ctrl+P on the keyboard.

How to print a web page

Font (size)

This button no longer exists but was used to increase or decrease the size of
a font; an option now covered by the zoom feature.

Zoom

On modern browsers, holding down the Ctrl key and pressing either the "+"
(plus key) or "-" (minus key) zooms in or out, increasing and decreasing the
size of font and images. To reset the zoom function to its default size, press
Ctrl+0 (zero) at the same time.

Mail

Used to open a user's preferred e-mail program; Today, this option is no

longer found in browsers.

Edit

Used to open and edit the web page you are currently viewing in an HTML
editor. Today, no longer found in browsers.

6.4 Importance of Emails and Personally Open an E-Mail Account

E-Mail
E-mail or electronic mail is a service for sending or receiving messages
electronically through a computer network. The electronic mail uses various
technologies that support electronic transmission of text, data and graphics.

Some of the features of E-mail are

1. It is much faster than the normal mail. Messages can be sent
within a matter of seconds to any part in the world.
2. It can be sent to many people at the same time
3. E-mail is cheaper than a phone call and an ordinary mail
4. It can access information and file libraries on request
5. E-mail user can have a mail box which is accessed through a
computer terminal
6. An E-mail message consists of two parts
a) A header specifying the address of the sender and the
address of the receiver
b) The text of the message
7. The mailing system allows selecting messages for reading,
displaying, saving, deleting, forwarding and replying.
8. Mailing list can be created to send the same message to a group
of people

E-Mail Address: An E-Mail address consists of three parts

1. The person‘s Login name
2. @ sign
3. Domain name
A domain represents organization, network, and country name
e.g [email protected] in this Statistics is the user name and his account
is in the domain hotmail.com. Both the names are separated by the
@symbol.

Search Engines:
Search engines are utilities used to search for information on the web. A user
interface is provided where you can enter the word or phrase you are
searching for. The search engine looks for the keywords we have entered
and returns the results of the search, providing links to relevant Web sites
for us to choose from. Some commonly used search engines are MSN, Alta
Vista, Google, Yahoo! search and Info seek etc.

6.5 Connect with Friends on Social Media

6.6 Carry out an Assignment Using Online Educational Materials with
Search Engines like Google, Chrome, etc
6.7 Download and Save Online Resources on a Computer etc.

STUDENTS ACTIVITY
TOPIC: How to Browse Using the Computer and the Internet

At the end of this lesson, the learner will be

able to:

 Explain what the Internet is and its uses

STUDE  Provide the full meaning of www
 Explain / identify a browser on the computer
NT
 State the importance of emails and personally
open an e-mail account
 Connect with friends on social media
 Carry out an assignment using online educational
materials with search engines like Google,
Chrome, etc
 Download and save online resources on a
computer etc.

TASK:

 Demonstrate on computer

References:

1. Tutorials, Point. Www.tutorialspoint.com, Tutorials Point, 21 July 2018.

2. Tutorials, Point. Www.tutorialspoint.com, Tutorials Point, 21 July 2018.

3. Computer Hope, 29 Dec. 2017.