Lesson 1: Introduction and Browser

Lesson Outline

In this lesson we cover the following areas:

Computer terminology

This includes the different parts of a computer, language around interacting with a

computer and information on screen.

Getting used to Trackpad

Learn how to move the cursor, how to scroll and how to click

Getting on to the internet

Using a browser, searching on Youtube and logging in to email

Setup

Before starting the class make sure all the laptops are on, connected to the internet and either plugged to the power or with battery enough to last for 1 hour.

Computers must all have an account created and the password of such accounts known by the instructor. Best is setting up the same account (name and password) for all the laptops.

Do the attendance!

Content

Introductions

Introduce yourself to the class and have them introduce themselves. Ask them to outline

how much experience they have with computers which will help you to work out the speed

that you will be able to teach at.

Try and error

Just open a browser yourself and type this text. This should take you to this place.

Read what it says, or even try to get a volunteer to read it for all the class.

This is so important before starting the course itself. The instructor must translate to the students the idea of making errors as the way to improve. They should not be afraid at all of making mistakes during the course but the opposite: not making them means they are not trying to solve a problem and keep learning.

Computer Terminology Dictionary

At the start of the lesson you should give the students pens and paper each to write down

the computer terminology that they learn throughout this lesson. You should encourage them

to write down key words as they learn them in this format.

Introduce them the names of a laptop’s basic parts: Screen, Keyboard and either trackpad (Mac) or Mouse. Trackpad to us.

Open the Desktop

Ask usestudents to login into the computers. Share passwords(s) with them.

Note here that if they are using a trackpad (Mac) it might be difficult for them to do a ‘click’ once the password is written. Tell them to ‘hard push’ the bottom left corner of the trackpad.

Once they all are logged in explain them the different parts of a Desktop:

For a Mac

Now ask them to move the cursor over the desktop and click on the browser (Chrome) Incon.

Distribute a printed copy of this document to the users, and explain one by one all the steps explained on it. Share your screen to all of them (with a projector or big screen) and make sure that everyone is doing all the steps. Be especially careful with the buttons, left and right click, as I’ve noticed that some of them seem to be afraid of clicking ‘hard’ the trackpad.

Of course at this point scrolling up and down can not be explained. We can work on this in the next section when the users start using the browser.

Surfing the internet

Ask the users to open google chrome. At this stage of the course, a browser is nothing else than an open window to the internet.

Now ask them to navigate to youtube and to search for a video they like.

Explain to them what's the difference between searching in google and searching inside youtube.

Also while the students are on youtube is a good moment to practice the scroll up and down.

Open a new tab

Once they get how scrolling up and down works, ask them to open a new tab. Instead of directly showing how to do it, ask a student to guess how we open a new window to the internet.

Show them clearly where the + symbol can be found.