COMPUTER SKILLS I

ECO_S1
Lec One

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Uz.Safaa Abdelsamad
COURSE OUTLINES
 Computers & Devices
 Desktop Icons and Settings

 Outputs

 File Management

 Networks

 Internet

 Security

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COURSE ASSESSMENT
 Lab + Course Works 25 Marks
 Attendance 10 Marks
 Midterm 10 Marks
 Final Exam 55 Marks
 Total Marks 100 Marks

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WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
COMPUTER?
 Computers are used at home, at work, and in
school; they’re embedded into our cars, phones,
and cameras.
 You use them daily to perform the tasks listed
above; but your future isn’t about just performing
single, unrelated tasks.
 The real power of the use of computers comes
when you begin to relate the tasks, understand
the technology used to perform them, use that
technology to collect information, share that
information with others locally and globally, and
then singularly or collectively use the information
to make decisions. 4
WHAT IS THE TECHNOLOGY
 Technology means a lot of things these days.
 The word "technology" brings to mind various
devices, such as laptops, phones, and tablets.
Technology may also make you think of the
internet, data, or advancements in the world of
engineering.
 This may be a narrow scope though, as
technology includes so many creative solutions
to many everyday problems humans have
faced all throughout history. So what is
technology?
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WHAT IS THE TECHNOLOGY
 Technology, is the application of scientific
knowledge to the practical aims of human life
or, as it is sometimes phrased, to the change
and manipulation of the human environment.

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WHAT IS THE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY?
 The definition of computer technology is
the design and construction of computers
to better help people at work, school,
home, etc.
 An example of computer technology is
the development of a software program
that allows people to accomplish work at
home which has been automatically
assigned from computers at their job
location. 7
BASIC DEFINITIONS - COMPUTER
A computer is an electronic device that
performs four basic operations: input,
processing, output, and storage . Together
these four operations are called the
Information Processing Cycle (IPC).

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BASIC DEFINITIONS - IPC
 Information Processing Cycle:

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BASIC DEFINITIONS - IPC
 Information Processing Cycle:
1. Input is the action of receiving data raw facts like a
user’s login ID number.
2. Processing is the manipulation done on the input
by a program (instructions), to convert the input
(data) into information (data converted into a
meaningful form). An example of processing could
be searching a database to confirm a login ID
number.

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BASIC DEFINITIONS - IPC
 Information Processing Cycle:
3. Output is the actual displaying of the information,
the processed data. e.g: This would be confirming the
entry of a valid ID.
4. Storage is saving the information for later use.
 Because these operations depend on one another,
the information processing cycle (sometimes
abbreviated as the IPOS cycle) is always performed
in this sequence.

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 BASIC DEFINITIONS - COMPUTER SYSTEM
 You’ll often hear the term computer system, which is
normally shortened to system. This term is more
inclusive than computer.
 A computer system is a collection of related
components that have been designed to work
together to meet the needs of the user .

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 BASIC DEFINITIONS - COMPUTER SYSTEM
COMPONENTS
 These components can be placed in two major
categories:
hardware and software.
 A computer system’s hardware includes all the
physical components of the computer and its
related devices.
 The components include:

 The system unit: the base unit of the computer made

up of the plastic or metal enclosure, the
motherboard, and the integrated peripherals.
 The motherboard is the circuit board that connects
the central processing unit(s) anchored on the 13

board and other system components.

BASIC DEFINITIONS - HARDWARE
 Integrated peripherals are the devices embedded
within the system unit case and generally include the
power supply, cooling fans, memory, CD drive, DVD
drive, and internal hard drive.
 Besides the system unit, the hardware also includes
the peripheral devices: components located outside
the system unit housing that are connected
physically or wirelessly to the system unit and
motherboard.
 Examples include keyboards, mice, monitors,
speakers, external webcams, external modems, and
external storage devices (Next Figure) 14
BASIC DEFINITIONS - HARDWARE

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BASIC DEFINITIONS - SOFTWARE
 A computer system’s hardware needs programs to
function.
 A program is a set of instructions that tells the hardware
how to perform an operation on the input data in the
processing phase of the information
processing cycle.
 Software, a more inclusive term, is the collection of
programs, and the associated documentation, that
directs the operation of the computer to complete a
desired end result.
 Software can be divided into two categories: system
software and application software.
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BASIC DEFINITIONS - SOFTWARE
1. System software is the collection of programs
written and configured to provide the infrastructure,
basic services, and hardware control that let other
programs function properly.
 The most important and well-recognized type of
system software is the computer’s operating
system (OS), which integrates and controls the
computer’s internal functions and provides the
connectivity for the user to interact with the
computer’s hardware. Common operating
systems include Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft
Vista, Microsoft Windows XP, Linux, and Mac OS.
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BASIC DEFINITIONS - SOFTWARE
2. Application software can be thought of as sitting on
top of the operating system. The programs that are
integrated to create application software provide
instructions that direct the computer’s hardware to
perform a task for the user.
 For example the programs to spell check, grammar
check, locate synonyms, and insert a header or footer
are combined with many other such programs to
create a word processing application.
 Typical examples of application software include word
processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, e-
mail, Web browser, and communication software.
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MAIN TYPES OF COMPUTERS
 Desktop/Tower computers:
 Are designed for home or office use. These
computers are used to run application programs
such as word processors, spreadsheets, databases,
presentations software, …etc.
 Desktop systems have units that are placed on a
desk, tower systems have units that can either be
placed on or underneath desk.

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MAIN TYPES OF COMPUTERS
 Laptops – are lightweight portable computers
with a built-in (thin screen) monitor, keyboard,
hard-disk drive, battery, and power supply
adapter.
 Laptops can easily be transported and
conveniently used in libraries, temporary offices
and at meetings. Laptop computers typically cost
more than desktop computers with the same
capabilities.

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MAIN TYPES OF COMPUTERS
 Tablets – are small portable computers that use
a touchscreen as their primary input device.
Most tablets are slightly smaller and weigh less
tan the average laptop.
 Early tablets touchscreens were designed to
work with light pens. Most modern tablets
support human touch inputs.

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MAIN TYPES OF DEVICES
 Smartphones – are phones with advanced
features like e-mail, internet, and e-book reader
capabilities, and/or a built-in full keyboard or
external USB keyboard.


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MAIN TYPES OF DEVICES
 Multimedia players: are electronic capable of
storing and playing digital media. Music and
videos are typically stored in internal disks or a
small memory card that can be inserted in
these handheld devices.


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MAIN TYPES OF DEVICES
 Digital cameras – are used to take digital photo
which are then stored on a SD (Secure Digital) or
CF (Compact Flash) card. Unwanted images can
be deleted directly on the camera.
 Most digital cameras also include smart LCD
screen that shows a live preview of the image,
which makes it easier to capture pictures. Also
include an option to record video.
 The digital photos are transferred from the
camera to a computer via a USB cable.

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