Introduction

The objectives for these first two weeks are that everybody, irrespective of their prior experience of using computers, can:

• Identify the principal components of a computer, distinguishing between hardware and software, and within this category between what is called applications software (such as a word-processor or web browser) and an operating system (such as DOS or its graphical interface, WINDOWS)
• Use the mouse and the web browser Netscape to navigate their way to the IT-MA documentation, and be able to move between the various pages of that documentation. The fact that you have already got from the IT-MA home page to here is already a good sig n!
• Recognise the DOS prompt and be able to launch and close WINDOWS software applications.
• Be able to type a minimum of 20 words per minute and be able to identify the different keys of the keyboard and what they do.

Those who have never used a computer before will inevitably find themselves having to spend very much more time this week, and in the next couple of weeks, getting to grips with the basics than those who have such experience. Don't let yourself fall be hind at this early stage and do come to the workshops in week 1 if you feel at all anxious about getting started.

NB Each week's documentation follows a common format: an introduction detailing what objectives are being set; a note on relevant resources to help you; a series of numbered exercises to be undertaken; a section on your assessed assignment (week s 4, 7, 11 and 15); and a conclusion indicating what you should now be able to do and what to do if you can't.

Resources

For the novice in particular, but useful for all, there are the facilities offered by the Open Learning Centre. This has tutorial packages on:

• Personal computer (386/486) fundamentals: clearly explains the basic ideas and skills involved in using a computer. Supplemented by books/videos which can be read or watched in the library.
• ACCUTYPE 3: an introduction to touch-typing.
• Internet fundamentals
• TONIC 'The On-Line Netskills Interactive Course'
• DOS 6 fundamentals tutorial
• Various on WINDOWS

From the Computing Service the following documents are of use:

• Getting started with Windows 3.1
• Accessing the world-wide-web using Netscape for Windows.

The IT Skills Project have also developed a range of interactive lessons (available through Program Manager in the two Faculty laboratories). Start with that on Windows 3.1 Fundamentals.

Exercise 1: familiarising yourself with the hardware and software

For the complete novice we have prepared a gentle introduction to this topic.

Section 1 of Student's Guide to Word for Windows (hereafter Student's Word) also covers this topic and that of Exercise 3. It takes you from the basics of the PC as hardware through an introduction to the main elements of WINDOWS and of W INDOWS applications software (WORD, EXCEL and ACCESS).

Exercise 2: navigating through the unit documentation with NETSCAPE

Much of next week's exercises concern Netscape and the world-wide-web. In week 1, however, your task is limited to be able to load up Netscape and, using the mouse, navigate between the pages of IT-MA's documentation.

For those who have not used Netscape or any other web browser before first read the Computing Service's Accessing the world-wide-web using Netscape for Windows.

You can conceive of the web as a gigantic computer network through which you can gain access to documents, images and other media (hyper-media) in a non-linear or non-sequential fashion. The key underlying navigational concept is that of the Uniform Re source Locator (URL), which specifies both the address of a file and how to access it.

You may have noticed these URLs appearing in the Location box of Netscape as you move between pages. The home page (i.e. starting page) for IT-MA has the following URL:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/History/Safe/IT-MA/p001.htm

where (in sequence):

• http the access method (here Hypertext Transport Protocol; the other you'll come across is FTP, File Transport Protocol)
• www.bris the world-wide web server at Bristol (bris is the abbreviation for Bristol, but only for machines within Bristol)
• ac.uk indicates that www.bris is attached to the UK academic network (you'll see this on e-mail addresses as well)
• /Depts/History/Safe/IT-MA the directory (Depts), sub-directory (History), sub-sub-directory (Safe, a special type of directory which limits access to Bristol only computer-users) and sub-sub-sub-directory (IT-MA) in which the files are stored ( along the lines of a gigantic filing cabinet with each drawer a directory, and with folders (containing files) within each drawer as sub-directories)
• p001.htm file name (p001) and file extension (.htm, the latter telling you that this is a hypertext document)

Although you can travel between pages by clicking the mouse on highlighted text that has an underlying URL you can also call up web pages by typing the URL in the Location box.

To test this load up Netscape (it defaults to the Faculty of Arts Computing Laboratories home page) and type the following in the Location Box:

http://odur.let.rug.nl/ahc/welcome.html

which is the address of the home page of the Association for History and Computing which is physically located at Groningen University in the Netherlands.

Explore the site if you wish.

To return to Bristol and the IT-MA home page use the back arrow or type

http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/History/Safe/IT-MA/p001.htm

It's as easy as this. Be aware though that the web is busy full of folk browsing and, in particular, if you want access to US sites you need to think about when off-peak times will be in terms of GMT

Exercise 3: recognising the DOS prompt, understanding WINDOWS basics and be able to launch and close WINDOWS software

For the complete novice we have prepared another gentle introduction for this topic which you should work through. This applies also to the more experienced as this document contains everything you need to know at this stage.

Exercise 4: be able to type a minimum of 20 words per minute and be able to identify the different keys of the keyboard and what they do

Launch WORD. Don't worry about the word-processing side of this application at this point, just use WORD to practice your keyboard skills, paying special attention to:

• the function keys (F1-F12, where F1 launches Help and F10 the pull-down menus)
• how to get capital letters and how to access, through the Shift key, the second set of characters on many keys.

If necessary, refer to Student's Word, ch. 2.

Above all start learning the geography of the QWERTY keyboard. Until you do everything else will take for ever as you hunt around the keyboard trying to find where the ? or '' characters are. Twenty words a minute, with few typos, is a good aim for the end of your first week if you are a complete novice, with double that if you are more experienced with computers. Skilled word-processors regularly touch-type 150 words per minute with no typos.

Conclusions

By the end of this first week you should feel confident about your ability to go to one of the university's open access PCs, switch it on, wait for WINDOWS to load, launch NETSCAPE and go to the documentation for IT-MA.

You should have also acquired the basics of how to navigate between different pages of IT-MA's documentation. If you have also learnt how to travel to other URLs, both inside and outside of Bristol, so much the better.

Using WORD or NOTEPAD you should have practised getting your typing up to speed and be able to type 20 words per minute without undue errors.

Finally, you should know the difference between the WINDOWS desktop and the various software applications running under WINDOWS. You should be able to launch and close these applications.

To IT-MA home page
To Department of Historical Studies home page.

(c)R. Middleton 1997. Last Modified 4 September 2000.