UNIT 3

Information and Communication

Technology Skills
READERSVENUE.COM
 Session 1: Basic Computer
Operations
Computer Hardware and Software
A computer system consists of two main parts - The hardware and
the software. The physical parts that we can see and touch are called
hardware.
These are the keyboard, monitor, CPU, etc.
There is another important part i.e., the software. Though
we cannot see it, it makes the hardware work the way we
want.
The most important software in any computer is the Operating
System (OS). This is the software that starts working as soon as we
switch on a computer.
E.G - Ubuntu, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.
All the computer applications, such as browsers, games, Office
tools, etc., are also software programs that perform particular
functions.
Starting a Computer
To start a computer, press the Power button on the CPU.
Computer automatically runs a basic program called BIOS (Basic Input/Output
System) as soon as it is switched on. The BIOS first does a self-test. If the self-
test shows that the system is fine, the BIOS will load the Operating System.

Login and Logout

To make sure your computer is locked, you have login-IDs and passwords.
When you login to the computer with your login-ID and password, the
computer knows that you are an authorised person and allows you to work on the
applications in the computer.
Once you finish working, you must log out or sign out so that no one else can see your
work.
 Using the Keyboard
Keys labeled from F1 to F12 are function keys.
Control keys: Keys, such as Control (CTRL), SHIFT, SPACEBAR, ALT,
CAPS LOCK and TAB, are special control keys that perform
special functions depending on when and where they are used.
Enter key: You use the ENTER or the RETURN key to move the cursor to the
beginning of a new line. In some programs, it is used to send commands
and to confirm a task.
Punctuation keys: Punctuation keys include keys for punctuation marks, such as
colon (:), semicolon (;), question mark (?), single quotation marks
(‘ ’), and double
Windows key: Pressing thisquotation
key opens marks the
(“ ”). Start menu
Navigation keys: Keys, such as the arrow keys, HOME, END, PAGE UP,
and PAGE DOWN are navigation keys.
Command keys: Keys, such as INSERT (INS), DELETE (DEL), and BACKSPACE
are command keys.
 Using a Mouse
Roll Over or Some actions can be done by simply rolling over or hovering over an
Hover: item. When you bring the mouse over a file in File Explorer, it will
show the details of that file.
Point and As you move the mouse on your desk, a pointer moves correspondingly
Click on your screen. The mouse allows you to select an item on the
screen. When you click a particular file, it gets selected
Drag and Drop To move an item, you need to click it, and then holding the mouse
button down, move the item to a new location. After you move the
item to the new location, you release the mouse button. This is called
drag and drop.
Double-click Double-clicking means to quickly click the left mouse button
twice. When we doubleclick on a file, it will open the file.
Session 2: Performing Basic File
Operations
Files and Folders All information stored in a computer is kept in files. Different types of
files store different types of information. Each file is given a file name and
has a file name extension that identifies the file type.
A folder is a location where a group of files can be stored.

Creating a File Open text editor, Write your ideas, give this a name
and .txt extension, click SAVE
Creating a Folder
To create a folder:
(a) Choose a location where the folder has to be created for example ‘Desktop’.
(b) Right-click and then choose the ‘New Folder’.
(c) Type the name of the folder as ‘Demo’.
Session 3: Computer Care and
Maintenance
Computers and mobiles are very expensive. When we take good care of them on a
regular basis, we can use them for a longer time. This will help us save money as we do
not need to buy new devices too often.
Basic Tips for Taking Care of Devices
Keyboard: First we should not eat anything over a keyboard. Crumbs can damage
the internal parts of a keyboard. You can clean a keyboard with a soft
brush.
Screen: You can wipe the screen with a soft cloth to remove any finger marks.
Be careful drinks:
with food and
Avoid keeping glasses of water or cups of coffee near a computer. Any
eating and liquid spilt over an electronic device can spoil it beyond repair.
Handle Handle and move your laptop carefully and avoid dropping or banging it
devices against a hard surface.
carefully:
Keep the computer cool: We should be careful when using a laptop while sitting
in bed and
make sure that the fan in not covered.
Do not overcharge your battery: Sometimes we keep a device plugged in for
charging even
after it is fully charged. This reduces the battery
life.
Always plug in devices carefully: Any device being connected to a laptop or
computer such as a
USB drive or headphones, should be done gently.
Do not run too many When too many programs are running at the same
We need to prepare a plan or a schedule for maintenance to keep the computer
programs at
running in a time: time, the computer can become slow and even crash.
perfect condition for a long time. This can include:
Prepare a Maintenance Schedule
 (a) Daily Maintenance
i. Clean up your e-mail inbox
ii. Download e-mail attachments and save in proper folders
(b) Weekly
Maintenance
i. Clean your
keyboard
ii. Clean your monitor
iii. Dust CPU and printer
iv. Backup your data to an external drive
(c)Monthly Maintenance
i. Transfer photographs to computer and delete from drive
ii. Organise photos into folders or albums
iii.Clean up ‘Download’ folder
iv. Uninstall unused programs and apps
 (d)Yearly/Annual Maintenance
(a)Clean up contacts list on social media accounts
(b) Clean up e-mail contact list
(c) Update your operating system
(d) Check for expiry of anti-virus software and renew

Backup Your Data Backing up data means to save the information present on your
computer on another device, such as CD/DVD drives

Scanning and Sometimes computer viruses can enter a computer from such
Cleaning Viruses attacks we can install anti-virus software. This will prevent any
viruses from entering and will also clean any viruses that may enter
our system before they affect the data.
Increasing Computer Performance
If we have been using a computer for a long time we have a lot of unnecessary files and
data, such as temporary files and images. When they use too much hard-disk space, the
performance of the computer goes down. It is important that we keep cleaning by
removing any extra files.
Removing SPAM from your Computer
Sometimes we get mails from companies who are advertising a product or
trying to attract you to their website. Such mails are called SPAM.

Session 4: Computer Security and

Privacy
If information stored in a bank’s computer gets leaked it can cause many people to lose a
lot of money. Hence, it is essential to keep computers secure and our data safe.
Threats to Computer
(A) Theft: Theft means stealing of information or hardware. These maybe of three types:
• Physical: Where a person may steal your desktop computer orlaptop.
• Identity: Where a hacker steals your personal information and assumes your
identity. Using this false identity, the hacker can gain access to your account information
or perform illegal activity.
• Software Piracy: This is stealing of software and includes using or distributing
unlicensed and unauthorised copies of a computer program or software.

(B) Virus: Viruses are computer programs that can damage the data and software
programs or steal the information stored on a computer. Major types of viruses are Worms
and Trojan Horse.
• Worms: These are viruses that replicate Worm virus themselves and spread to all
files once they attack a computer. This makes it very difficult to remove them.
• Trojan Horse: A Trojan Horse disguises itself i.e., it appears to be a useful software
program but
once it reaches a computer it starts behaving like a virus and destroying data.
• Online Predator: Online predators are people who trap you into inappropriate
relationships. They may be older people posing to be your age, bullying you into
doing illegal activities online and sometimes face to face.
• Internet Scams: Sometimes you may receive very attractive offers saying you have
won a huge money in a lottery and that you can claim the prize by depositing a certain
amount of money. When you deposit the money using credit card or online banking,
you not only lose the deposit money but your card / account information may be
misused later.
Protecting your Data
To protect our data from theft and viruses we can take the following measures:
(a)Use passwords to login to your computer:
Use passwords that are difficult to guess. Passwords are difficult to hack if they are a
mix of small and capital letters ,numbers and special characters. This would prevent
unauthorised people from using your computer.
(b) Install Anti-virus and Firewall:
Anti-viruses and Firewall monitor the data coming in and out of a
computer and prevent and viruses from entering. Anti-viruses can
also detect and clean viruses that may have entered a computer.
(C) Encrypt Data:
This is usually done by banks and companies in which important customer information is
stored. This would force users to use a decryption password (or key) before starting the
computer thus preventing unauthorised usage.
(d) Secure sites:
Give details of your credit card or bank account only on secure sites. See in the
address bar of the browser. If the site addressstarts with https://and a lock symbol,
then it is safe to give your credit card and bank details