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THE KEYBOARD, KEYBOARDING, THE MOUSE, AND

ERGONOMICS OF COMPUTING

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COMPILED BY HOWIE BAUM
 Input Devices
• Keyboard
• Mouse.
The most commonly used input device is the keyboard
on which data is entered by manually keying in or
typing certain keys. A keyboard typically has 101 or
105 keys.

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THE QWERTY KEBOARD !
MOST
KEYBOARDS
HAVE KEYS
ARRANGED IN 5
GROUPS:

1. Alphanumeric

2. Number line
or keypad

3. Function keys

4. Modifier keys

5. Cursor-
movement
keys

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USING THE INSERTION POINT TO ADD TEXT - The insertion point is
the blinking vertical line in your document. It indicates where you can
enter text on the page. You can use the insertion point in a variety of
ways.

Blank document: When a new blank document opens, the insertion point
will appear in the top-left corner of the page. If you want, you can begin
typing from that location.

As you type, “Wordwrap” lets the text go automatically to the next line.

Type: My name is (and your name)

9/5/2023 8
USING THE KEYBOARD
Number and Letter keys

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 The Backspace key will move the cursor to
the left and erase any letters in that direction.

Backspace
Key

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 The Delete key will erase any letters to it’s right
and it can delete folders, pictures, and other items
as well.

Delete Key

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The directional, or arrow keys, let you move the cursor
anywhere in your document and it doesn’t remove any
letters, as it moves.

Directional
Keys

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WHEN YOU PRESS THE CAPS LOCK KEY, IT CHANGES ALL OF THE
LETTERS INTO THEIR CAPITALIZED FORM, LIKE THESE.

Press it again, and the letters go back to lower case.

Caps
Lock Key

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Holding down either of the 2 Shift keys will produce a
capital letter or more of them, if it’s held down.

Shift Key Shift Key

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 The Windows Key will bring up the start menu
whenever it is pressed.

You will also see it at the bottom, left side of the

Windows 10 screen

Windows
Key

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The Enter key lets you move down a line in a document.

When you are on the Internet and put in a subject or

e-mail address to be found, it becomes a “GO” button.

Enter Key

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Modifier keys: The SHIFT, ALT(alternate) and CTRL(control) keys are called
modifier keys as they modify the input of other keys.

In other words, if a modifier key is held down while pressing another key, then the
operation or action of the second key is changed in some way.

For example, if the key “c” is pressed it will simply type a letter “c”(small c).

But if the key “c” is pressed with the modifier key “CTRL” it will copy something that
is highlighted. Again, if the key “c” is pressed with the modifier key “SHIFT”, then it
will type a letter “C” (Capital C).

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 Alternate Key
• Also called the ALT key and is on both sides of the
space bar
• Executes commands with other key(s)

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The Alternate (Alt) key can also be used to assist persons with a disability, who can use a
keyboard but have trouble using and controlling a computer mouse, when working in a
computer program.

The upper view below, is the standard Ribbon at the top of the Microsoft Word program page.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lower image shows what that Ribbon looks like, once the Alt key is pressed. A person
can press a letter or number on the keyboard, and it will bring up the menu of what was
requested and put letters and/or numbers on that and each page, so the person can select
tools they want.

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 TAB KEY
• Each time you touch the Tab key, it moves the cursor/insertion
point to the right 5 spaces, in case you want to indent the first line
of each paragraph in a text document.

• If you want to go back 5 spaces, hold down the Shift key and then
the Tab key. You can also use the Backspace key to do this.

Tab

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The Tab key is also very handy
when you are filling out an
application or other type of form
that is asking you to fill in your name
and other information into a lot of
small rectangular windows, called a
Text Box.

Once you have filled out information

in one of the windows, press the Tab
key and the cursor will jump to the
next window so you don’t have to
pick up your mouse and point to
each of the windows.

An example is when you might apply

for a library card at the Public Library
of Cincinnati and Hamilton County:

https://www.cincinnatilibrary.
org/account/application.aspx 21
The Home key will go to the start of a sentence.

The Control (Ctrl) key and the Home key will go to the top of
the document.

The End key works the same

way but to the end of each one.

You can also move up or down with Page Up and Page Down.

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 Home Row Keys Review

WHEN YOU ARE READY TO LEARN HOW TO TYPE EFFICIENTLY, START BY

PUTTING YOUR FINGERS ON THE HOME ROW OF KEYS.

NOTE THAT THE “F” AND “J” KEYS ON THE HOME ROW HAVE SMALL BUMPS
OR LINES ON THEM, SO YOU CAN BE SURE WHERE TO PUT YOUR INDEX 24
FINGERS.
 Posture & Position at the Keyboard

Wrists off the keyboard

If you really want to learn how to type faster, without looking at the keys, it
takes some learning, patience, and practice. If so, outside of class, check
out this good video : https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/typing/typing/1/ 26
 THE MOUSE
First, we’ll learn how to use the mouse.

The mouse allows you to interact

with the information on the screen,
by moving the cursor arrow to
different places on the screen.

Note that most people who use the

mouse are right-handed.

About 10% of people are left-handed.

Changes can easily be made in the

computer operating program, to make
the mouse into a left-handed mouse so it
can be placed on the left side of the
keyboard.

If you are left-handed, ask your

instructor to help you with this.
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 MOUSE TECHNIQUES
Using the mouse involves 5 techniques:
1. Pointing; Move the mouse to move the on-screen pointer.

2. Clicking; Press and release the left mouse button

once.

3. Double-clicking; Press and release the left mouse

button twice, with the 2 clicks made very fast

2 easy ways to remember whether to click once or twice.

“Click it once; if nothing happens, click it twice”

For ICONS - double click. For LINKS - single click

4. Dragging; Hold down the left mouse button as you

move the pointer.

5. Right-clicking; Press and release the right mouse button. 28

 LEFT MOUSE
BUTTON
For most things that
you will do with the
mouse or trackpad,
you will use the left
mouse button, to
select and/or open
an item, after you
have pointed at it.

RIGHT MOUSE
BUTTON
Sometimes, you will
find it handy to
right-click on a
screen.
The mouse will usually have a “Scroll Wheel” in the top area. Rotate it with
your index finger to move the page up or down for viewing (this is very
useful when surfing in Chrome or other browsers).

Note that turning the mouse wheel down, will move the page up.

As a neat and fun tip, you can zoom the type or image on your screen by holding
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down the Control (Ctrl) key and then move the mouse wheel !!
• Take some time to become
accustomed to moving your
mouse around on the table or
desk surface.

• Hold your mouse lightly on the

sides and do not press down or
click any of the controls.

• To move the mouse, gently

slide it across the table surface.

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 Clicking and Dragging (also called Drag and
Drop)

”Clicking and dragging" is a way to move certain

objects on the screen and to highlight text or
images.

To move an object, place the cursor over it, press

and hold down the left mouse button, then move
the mouse while still holding down the left mouse
button. When you have "dragged" the object to
the location you want, let go of the mouse button.

We can click and drag the red square on this page.

Which of MOUSERCISE
these 2
Mousercise
http://www.pbclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htm
programs is
the safest to https://www.seniornetli.org/content/mousing/mousercise.h
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use? tm
www.Google.com
POINTING TO AN
ACTIVE INTERNET
LINK

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INTERESTING KEYBOARD DESIGNS

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OLDER MICROSOFT ERGONOMIC KEYBOARD AND MOUSE, WITH CORDS

NEWER MICROSOFT WIRELESS, ERGONOMIC KEYBOARD, MOUSE, AND

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SEPARATE NUMBER KEYPAD
 ADOBE PORTABLE DOCUMENT
FORMAT (PDF)

PDF is an abbreviation that stands

for Portable Document Format.

It's a versatile file format created by

the Adobe company, that gives
people an easy, reliable way to
present and exchange text
documents - regardless of the
software, hardware, or operating
systems being used by anyone who
views the document.

It can easily be viewed using the free

Adobe Acrobat Reader software.

If you don’t have it in your computer,

you can get the free Adobe PDF
reader by typing in this link:

https://get.adobe.com/reader/ 41
 Good Working Postures
•Hands, wrists, and forearms are straight, in-line and
roughly parallel to the floor.

•Head is level, or bent slightly forward, forward facing,

and balanced. Generally, it is in-line with the torso.

•Shoulders are relaxed and upper arms hang normally at

the side of the body.

•Elbows stay in close to the body and are bent between

90 and 120 degrees.

•Feet are fully supported by floor or footrest.

•Back is fully supported with appropriate lumbar support

when sitting vertical or leaning back slightly.

•Thighs and hips are supported by a well-padded seat

and generally parallel to the floor.

•Knees are about the same height as the hips with the
feet slightly forward. 42
JOB WELL DONE !!!! 43
AND FINALLY, SOME COMPUTER HUMOR

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