Welcome to Surfing for Seniors, an introduction to the Internet, presented by the Senior Technology
Series of Computer Life.
This material is based on the instruction and experience of Carrie Theriault.
Some of the different approaches we use when we work with seniors is to help them feel
comfortable with their computer.
We like to make our classes and our instructional time with them fun and enjoyable, much the
same as you may have been intimidated when you first learned to drive a car, learned
to use hardware or equipment even in your kitchen to cook or to bake with, or a new
tool in your garage, okay, to use a new saw.
Computer can feel that same way, but if it's done in the right atmosphere and if it's made
to be fun, and if you know that it's okay to take your time, then you can really enjoy
it and you can learn to use it as a very, very efficient tool, it can be a lot of fun
in your life.
When you have completed this video, you will be able to navigate within the desktop, use
the keyboard, mouse, icons and taskbar, connect to your Internet server, navigate through
your Internet provider's home page, send and receive email, utilize searches within the
World Wide Web.
Developed from Ms. Theriault's own experience with seniors, this video instruction is designed
specifically for the 50-plus audience.
Remember, take your time and feel free to stop the tape at any point.
If you're not comfortable with your computer, you may need to play this tape and practice
many times.
Let's start with the tool you'll use most while surfing, it's called a mouse.
Now a mouse is a handheld piece of hardware which is attached to your computer.
It works similar to the game that you find at fairs, supermarkets, department stores,
where all of the toys are inside the glass case.
You have to maneuver the claw to pick up the toy inside the case.
Since you cannot reach your hand inside the case, you must use the tool by maneuvering
the lever.
A mouse is somewhat the same, you can't reach inside the screen to move things in your computer,
but you can use the mouse.
The mouse moves around on a small ball found on the underside.
You generally have two buttons on your mouse, the left and the right.
The mouse is made to fit in the palm of your hand.
Rest your hand on rounded top and push.
You will see how the pointer on your screen moves around.
If you rest the pointer over the start button found in the lower left-hand corner on the
taskbar and press down firmly with the palm of your hand so that the mouse will not slip
out of your hand, using your pointer finger, rest it on the left button, press down, and
you will see a menu pop up.
Ease up on the mouse so you can easily slide it, then slide it over to a part of the desktop
where there is space.
Allow your pointer finger to press down on the left mouse button and release.
Your pop-up menu should then disappear.
Treat the mouse button as if it were hot, sort of like the potato in the game Hot Potato.
You want to get rid of it or release it as soon as possible.
Click them once and let go.
Don't hang on them.
When you press on one of those mouse buttons, either left or right, you'll be given the
computer a command.
You want to be sure to give them sharp and concise commands.
Another tip, don't press on any mouse button until you have positioned the pointer exactly
where you want it.
If you're not careful, you'll issue a command that you might not want.
The mouse will assist you in accessing a certain program or file by highlighting the topic
when you pass your mouse button over it.
Here is an example of that function in your start pop-up menu.
The first screen you see after your computer boots up is called your desktop.
On your desktop, you will see miniature pictures called icons.
These icons represent the various programs, files, or hardware you have on your computer.
You should have an icon labeled recycle bin.
You may have an icon labeled my computer.
You may also have an icon labeled the internet.
The icon is the picture.
If you move the pointer on top of the icon and press the left mouse button down and don't
let go, you can move your icon anywhere on the desktop you'd like to go and drop it.
Nothing on the desktop is carved in stone.
Everything moves.
At the bottom of the desktop is a gray box called the task bar.
One purpose of the task bar is to allow us to see what task we are working on and what
program we are in.
Another purpose of the task bar is to give us a pop-up menu.
The button for that is labeled start.
If you click once on the start button found on the task bar, a menu will pop up, which
will allow us to go further into our programs.
If you go back onto the desktop where it is blank and click, the pop-up menu will disappear.
This is called clicking off.
Your start button should be on the left side of the gray task bar found at the bottom of
the desktop.
If you slide to the right, you will see some very small icons.
One may look like a speaker and another will give you the date and time.
If you run the pointer across any of these buttons or icons or dates and times on your
task bar, you will get a small yellow box which tells you a little bit more about that
particular item.
To close a window in Windows 95, move your pointer to the upper right-hand corner of
the window.
There, you will find a small X which marks the spot.
Place your pointer over the X, click once, and the window will close.
If you move your pointer slowly across the very top edge of the task bar, you will notice
that it turns into a two-headed arrow.
Hold your left mouse button down.
Do not let go.
We will do another drag and drop.
Hold the double-headed arrow down to the very bottom of the monitor screen and let go, and
your task bar will seem to disappear.
This simply is being minimized or made small enough not to show on the screen.
To bring it back again, fix the pointer on the very edge of the task bar you can see.
It will turn to a double-headed arrow.
Hold your left mouse button down, and this time, pull up.
You can pull halfway up the desktop if you want to, and you can see that you can make
the task bar as large as you want to.
Now that you are familiar with the navigation within your desktop, it's time to find out
how to get to your server.
No, your server is not the waiter or waitress at your favorite coffee shop.
The server is the company that is providing your access to the Internet.
There are a number of Internet providers that you can choose from.
There are local companies and national companies.
Think of it in terms of the difference between using a big city post office or a small rural
post office.
You will still be able to send and receive all of the same information.
It's just the access that's a little different.
For this video, we are using a local Internet provider called Cybershore.
We can dial up Cybershore in the same way we would dial up America Online, Microsoft
Network, CompuServe, or Prodigy.
One of the most common computer programs for accessing the Internet is called Internet
Explorer.
This is a program from Microsoft that allows you to connect to your server and browse through
a component of the Internet called the World Wide Web.
You may also hear this program referred to as a web browser.
Move your pointer to the Internet Explorer icon, which is a globe picture on your desktop.
Click on the globe, and that will bring you to the Internet.
Many servers provide software which gives you a shortcut button to access them.
This you will find as an icon on your desktop.
Place your pointer over the icon picture, which represents your server, and double-click.
This will open the home page for your server.
Give it time to set up.
The computer is downloading information from your server.
While your home page is setting up, you will see a globe and a small letter E spinning.
While this is spinning, the computer is still working to download your provider's home page.
If you place your pointer on the gray frame surrounding your screen, you will notice that
it turns into an hourglass.
Until that hourglass disappears and the globe icon stops spinning, don't touch your mouse.
Now, we're going to learn how to navigate within our home page.
Let's start at the top of the screen and work our way down.
At the very top of the screen, you will find at the far left an icon.
In the center, the name of your server.
On the right, three gray buttons.
The first gray button has a small minus sign on it.
The next one has two squares.
And the last button has an X, which is the close button.
Just below the title bar is the menu bar where you find the words file, edit, view, go, favorites,
and help.
Below that, you will find a toolbar that has icons with the words back, forward, stop,
refresh, home, search, favorites, print, font, and mail.
The next bar down is the address bar, which displays the address of the page you are at,
just like your own home address.
An address on the internet is also referred to as a URL, or universal remote locator.
Below the address bar is the links bar, which has buttons labeled links, best of the web,
web gallery, product news, and Microsoft.
The gray area we just talked about along the top, bottom, and sides is called the frame.
The internet pictures and screens will set up inside that frame.
The frame is not going to change.
It belongs to your computer.
The internet is a huge collection of data which people have taken the time to enter
into computers.
Someone may have taken time to enter data from the Smithsonian Institute.
Someone may have taken the time to enter data on Benjamin Franklin.
If someone has not put the data into a computer somewhere and made it accessible through the
internet, you will not be able to get the information.
It's the same as walking into the library and asking for a book.
If the library does not own that book, they cannot lend it to you.
The resources of the internet are not unlimited, but they are vast.
In order for you to find the information on the internet that you want, you send the address
to your server, and the server will go from computer to computer to find that information.
You can compare this to the Pony Express as it went from station to station to deliver
or receive information.
In this case, instead of a horse, your computer has a modem which helps it travel across phone
lines to other computers to access the information you want.
Let's take a closer look now at the toolbar icons and buttons in the frame.
First, find the icon on the right that says, mail.
Place your pointer over the icon and press your left mouse button.
A pop-up menu will appear.
Drag the pointer to read mail, release, and you will see an email window.
Look for the icon which says, new message.
Choose this to send an email.
A new window will open.
Inside the window, you will have to type in specific information.
The most important item is who you are sending the letter to.
Herein lies the need for an email address.
The email address and the URL or address for an Internet web page are not the same.
An email address is used to send and receive mail only, and address for the web page is
what your browser uses to find a particular page on the World Wide Web.
In the upper section of the window, look for the word, to, followed by a colon.
Enter the email address.
If you want to send a copy of this email to someone else, enter their address following
the CC colon.
Next, enter in the subject matter that you wish to cover by typing a brief sentence in
the subject area.
If you do not enter any information here, when you go to send the email, the computer
will ask why you did not enter any information here.
Down in the larger box is where you'll want to type your message.
Move your pointer into this box, and it will turn into an I bar for typing text.
Click the left mouse button and begin typing your message.
When you're done, go up to the toolbar to the button that has a flying envelope.
When you place your pointer on the button, a little yellow box will say, send.
Using your left mouse button, click on the flying envelope and your message will be sent.
One helpful tool in your email is the address book.
Click on the button that looks like an address book.
In the window that pops up, you will have an opportunity to enter names and email addresses.
To do this, select new contact, type in the name information and the email address.
And now you won't have to remember that person's email address.
The computer will remember it for you.
So the next time you send an email, you can click on the little index card picture next
to the word to, which will open your address book.
Choose from the names on the list by moving your pointer to the name which will be highlighted.
Then move your pointer to the to button and click.
Click OK on the bottom and your email will be addressed.
Type in your subject and message as before.
Again, to send, click on the flying envelope.
To ensure that the message has been sent and has left your computer, click on the little
blue box, which is your inbox, and you will reveal a list, including an outbox.
Still holding your mouse button down, move the pointer to the outbox and release.
If the addressee does not appear in the outbox, the message has been sent and now resides
in your sent mail file.
If the addressee is listed, your computer has not sent that email yet.
Depending on your internet provider, you may have to select a send and receive command
to fully execute sending the message.
To read email that people have sent you, select read mail from the mail menu.
Select the inbox.
You should have a list of email messages that you have received.
Open your pointer over the message you wish to read and double click to open it.
Once you have read the message, you may choose the reply button to send a message back.
To finish, go to the X to close the window.
With all of the vast information available on the internet, it is necessary to use a
program to help in retrieving the information you are interested in browsing.
The programs to aid you are called search engines.
The most popular search engines are called Yahoo, AltaVista, Excite, Lycos, Infoseek,
Webcrawler, and Magellan.
One of the largest and easiest to use is Yahoo.
Before we can start searching, we must understand what a links are, as they will help you to
connect from page to page within your area of interest.
On a web page, you will see buttons, banners, and underlined sentences.
All of these may link you to other sites when you position your pointer over them and click.
You will see an example of these links as we begin a search.
Your home page may have links to a number of search engines.
You may use your right scroll bar to scroll through and select the search engine you would
like to use.
For our purposes in this video, we have selected Yahoo.
In the Yahoo window, you will notice a small rectangular window with a gray button next
to it that says search.
If you do not see a blinking text cursor, use your mouse to position your pointer within
the small window.
When your pointer turns to an I bar, click your left mouse button and you will then be
ready to type in your search subject.
No matter what subject you might be interested in, you're sure to find some tidbit of information
about it within the internet.
In this program, we have chosen to get some more information about an embroidery style
called Swedish Huck.
First, let's type in embroidery and see where we get.
Once you have typed in your subject, click on the search button.
At this point, your internet search engine is looking for information regarding embroidery.
This may take some time, so be patient as your computer goes to work.
Yahoo has found some information for you regarding embroidery.
It is listed in order by category and by listing of individual sites.
You may choose from any of these links that interest you.
First, position your pointer over the underlined sentence that appeals to you and click.
You have now started your surfing journey.
Again, you may need to wait a while for the information to download to your computer.
Once the home page for the website you have chosen appears, you can go further or simply
print out the page for future reference.
Your internet browser has a feature that allows you to save a shortcut to your favorite sites.
To do this, simply move your pointer to the icon marked favorites and click.
When the menu pops up, select add to favorites and follow the cues.
That site will now be added to a list saved in your favorites file.
You may wish to print out a web page.
In order to accomplish this, select the print icon from the frame.
Choose print page and you will be able to retrieve a printout of that page from your computer.
By now, you should be able to navigate within your desktop.
Utilize the keyboard, mouse, icons, and task bar.
Connect to your internet server.
Navigate through your internet provider's home page.
Send and receive email and utilize searches within the worldwide web.
Now it's time to put it all together.
Let's begin by connecting to the server.
Place your pointer on the server icon and click.
Remember, it will take a few minutes for your computer to dial up your server, a little
bit more for your home page to set up.
Once the E sign stops spinning, you're ready to go.
Let's practice sending an email.
Locate the mail icon with your pointer and click.
Choose read mail and then select new message.
Address your email by clicking on the small index card.
Remember, this will access your address book and allow you to choose the recipient.
Enter a subject and then type your message.
When you are satisfied with your message, click on the flying envelope icon and your
email will be sent.
Close your email by clicking the X button in the upper right hand corner of the window.
Now it's time for some real net surfing.
This time, we'll get a little more specific in our search.
We will enter Swedish embroidery surrounded by quote marks.
This will tell the computer what kind of embroidery we are really looking for and will narrow
the search.
Wait a few seconds and voila, a title on Swedish Huck embroidery appears.
Click on the underlined subject and you will be connected to that website.
To save this website for future reference, click on the favorites icon and choose add
to favorites.
If you want to print out of the screen, select the print icon and soon you'll be able to
pick up a copy of the screen from your printer.
And that's all there is to it.
This video will help you get started.
There's still lots more to learn.
We hope you've enjoyed your first surfing experience.