GRANDCHILDREN TUTORING HANDBOOK€¦ · Grandparents & Grandchildren Project - Grandchildren tutoring handbook 4" Switchingon&andshuttingdown During the start up phase, help your

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PARTNERS » ENAIP FVG [IT]ACTIF CNT [FR]APOPSI [EL]CECOA [PT]CE.RI.S. [IT]COM. MORGIONGORI [IT]CVO [BE]EB-ONE [SW]GEZINSBOND [BE]GRAD BUJE [HR]ILEU [DE]LUJ [SL]MOISELLE LE BLANC [IT]OBSERVATOR [RO]SAO [FI]SCIENTER [IT]SCIENTER ESPANA [ES]SIOV [SK]VISC [LV]VDU [LT]TALLINN UNIVERSITY [EE]TNOIK [PL]VOC. TRAINING S.A [EL]ZAWIW [DE]

Grandparents & Grandchildren Project - Grandchildren tutoring handbook

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GRANDCHILDREN TUTORING HANDBOOK Grandparents & Grandchildren Project

Authors Gilberto Collinassi – Net Learning ENAIP FVG Andrea Musi – Net Learning ENAIP FVG Barbara Lavalle - Net Learning ENAIP FVG Michela Biasutti - Net Learning ENAIP FVG Mara Galmozzi - AIM/Associazione Interessi Metropolitani

Original version ************************************************************ Version 07 By Net Learning ENAIP FVG Last update: march 2012 ************************************************************

Copyright © 2007 - ENAIP Friuli Venezia Giulia Via Leonardo da Vinci, 27 33037 Pasian di Prato (UD) – Italy Telephone: 0432 693611 – FAX 0432 690686 E-mail : mailto:[email protected] Web : http://www.geengee.eu


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Table of contents

The first approach to the computer page 3 Switching on and shutting down page 4 The operating system page 5 The mouse page 6 The permanent storage of your computer Hard Drive, USB pen drivers, Cds and DVDs page 8 The Internet page 10 The browser page 11 The Search engines page 12 E-‐mail page 13 Useful information about Gmail page 14


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The approach to the computer

In order to make the first approach to using a computer easier, for those who have never

had the chance to use one, it is necessary to proceed gradually and not to take certain

key aspects which may be critical for beginners for granted.

This brief guide provides some hints which you, as a tutor, should transfer to new Internet

surfers, to help them feel confident and enthusiastic in starting this nice adventure.

As a general rule, you always have to take into account that the inevitable technical

terms, often in English, will need to be explained in simple terms and repeated several

times so that they become part of a beginner’s vocabulary.

In addition, it is important to speak slowly and to pay particular attention to the

behaviour of your audience: often the elderly are reluctant to show their doubts so you

will have to understand when it is appropriate and the right moment to repeat a concept.

Base this decision on the careful observation of any facial expression or sign showing

unease or boredom.

Never forget to answer questions with the maximum clarity and simplicity. Put off

answering if the same topic is going to be dealt with in the latter part of the lesson.

It is a good habit to use real examples and metaphors to illustrate concepts which are

unfamiliar to the daily routine of the trainees: for example, you can compare a search

engine to a skilled librarian who is able to find the right book (the website) on Internet

(the library) according to the topic (the keywords).

While you are explaining, follow the guide, which has been distributed to the

grandparents, where they can find further information after the lesson and get greater

insight into the topics that have been dealt with.


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Switching on and shutting down

During the start up phase, help your trainee identify the right switch that turns on a

computer. Often, it is not easy to find on the metal and plastic box containing the

different components of the computer (case).

Right after the computer has been switched on, explain that the monitor also has a

switch, generally different from the computer’s. Show him/her how to find it on the

monitor and switch it on.

Monitor Case

Take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate how to properly shut down a

computer, through the procedure foreseen by the operating system (did you notice a

strange thing about Windows? To shut it down you need to click the “Start” button!).

Explain that turning off the computer by using the switch on the case can damage the

disk’s content and cause the loss of information.

Also explain also that sometimes the computer can get stuck and to shut it down there

is no other option than to use the “reset” button or the switch.


5

The operating system

Explain to the trainee that before starting work, it is necessary to wait a while so that

the operating system, the fundamental programme for the functioning of the

computer, concludes the preliminary operations for the correct upload in the

system’s memory. The operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux) perform the basic

functions, how to operate the screen, keyboard, mouse, memory, printer, and so on….

Then provide some general information on the Operating Systems, inspired by what is

listed below.

The most used operating system is Windows, of Microsoft. Windows has this name

because the interface (i.e. the layout it uses to show and request information to the

user) uses easily recognisable frames, called windows in fact, that “open” and “close”

according to one’s needs.

At this stage of the explanation, open a programme’s window and present it and

carefully describe the function of the button and then, only after that, show how it is

used by clicking on it. In fact, if you click on the button while you are speaking, you

could make it difficult for the listener to understand the action: always remember not

to let the description of the action coincide with the action itself.

Explain clearly what a window’s control bar is made up of: every window has a control

bar at the top and in the right corner there are always three buttons (see paragraph:

the mouse). They can have different shapes, according to the windows version

available:

- the first button (dash) minimises the window to an icon, i.e. it becomes a

small rectangle positioned in the bottom part of the screen

- the second (a single or double box) changes the size of the window: if it fills

the entire screen, it minimises it, otherwise, if the window is small, it

maximises it to fill the whole screen

- the third (symbol: X) closes the window in addition to closing the programme it

is associated to (and whose results were displayed within the window).


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Let the trainee practice closing and resizing windows so that he/she can get

acquainted with these operations.

The first window that appears when the start up phase (called “boot”) is concluded, is

the desktop. We use the metaphor “desktop” to allow the user to organize his/her

information within the disks as if they were sheets or folders on an office desk.

The computer shows some small pictures, called icons, on the desktop. Icons

represent links, i.e. doors to access the programmes used, or files which contain data

(for example pictures, documents, songs, spreadsheets, etc.) or folders, i.e.

containers which help keep the many files that after a while invade our desk tidy.

The mouse Moving easily from icons to windows means you

have become used to using the mouse, a specific

input device (a unit connected to the computer

which allows the latter to communicate and receive

information from the external world). Show the

trainee where the pointer (the arrow) that shows

the mouse’s position on the monitor is and show him/her how every movement of the

mouse corresponds to a similar movement of the pointer on the active window (i.e.

the one among those available on the screen which is “connected” to the mouse in

that precise moment).

Using the mouse can be difficult in the beginning, thus it is important to dedicate a

few minutes to helping the beginner place their hand in right position:

- the wrist, relaxed, remains on the desk;

- the palm of the hand has to rest softly on the lower part of the mouse (whose

shape has been studied on purpose);

- the index finger is ready to act by clicking (quickly pushing) on the left button

of the mouse;

The mouse, the most popular device to access the computer, is called “souris” in French, “raton” in Spanish, "maus" in German but only Italians, instead of calling it “topo” use the English word.


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- the mouse moves on the mousepad (the pad) in the four directions (up, down,

left, right) always remaining parallel to itself.

Keep an eye on the trainee when

he/she uses the mouse so that you

can adjust the position of their hand

if needed. Then calmly show the

function of the left button of the

mouse as will be explained later,

and let the trainee practice opening

and closing the windows a few

times. Try not to rush him/her.

By moving and positioning the pointer of the mouse on an icon, with a single left click

you can select the object. Or by double clicking you can open the programme, the file

or the folder represented by the icon.

Often there are buttons or small icons inside the windows which are highlighted when

the arrow moves over it. To carry out the function associated to the button a left click

is sufficient.

The right button of the mouse is used, after having acquired experience, to make a

contextual menu, containing many useful functions, appear.


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The permanent storage of your computer

Hard drive, USB pen drives, CDs and DVDs

When we use the computer, all the things we do (texts, drawings, and so on..) are in

the working memory of the computer. The working memory works only when the

computer is turned on, so before you turn off the computer we have to transfer our

work done on a permanent storage.

Permanent memory stores the informations and saves them even when the computer

is off.

When you write informations on the permanent memory it’s called "save" the

information.

Permanent memory is the name of the computer's main hard drive or hard disk.

It’s important to know how much space there is on the hard disk, because if the hard

drive is full, we risk losing the informations (documents, photos, and so on..).

The computer memory is measured in megabytes (MB). 1000 megabytes are used to

indicate the gigabyte (GB).

To indicate the size of very small documents we also use the kilobytes

(kB). 1000 kilobytes correspond to 1 megabyte.

The information stored in computers can be moved from one computer to another.

This possibility is one of the most important features of the computer, because it

allows you to share work, informations, pictures and so on…

To move, store or share informations we can use:

• External Hard Disk or memory pen, that is a jack that can be slipped into a

special socket on the computer, the USB port. This type of memory is known as

USB memory, USB stick or thumb drive.

• memory cards present in the cameras or in some phones.

• the email: you can send one or more files as an attachment. You can use it for

files, which aren’t to large, usually not larger than a few megabytes.


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Almost the computers have also an internal CD writer, that is a tool that allows you to

store informations on CDs and DVDs.

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

USB PEN DRIVER

USB PORT

As an exercise you can make looking forward your grandfather to an USB port on your

computer. Please make him also looking forward to the slot to insert the disk and the tray

or slot of the CD / DVD.


10

The internet

You can stimulate the interest of your listener by making some examples concerning the

countless activities that can be done, thanks to a computer, and in doing so you can base

examples on your personal experience. Now focus on the function, which in recent years, has

seen a never-ending development and diffusion: browsing in Internet.

Describe the Net with a few simple words. For example, “Internet is made up of a great

number of computers distributed in every corner of the earth, interconnected among them

mainly through telephone networks which are able to exchange information 24 hours a day,

every day, free of charge (telephone call costs for the connection excluded)”.

The large quantity of data accessible in Internet is divided into sites (similar to books in a

library): to untangle this jungle of information some programmes, the browsers, have been

developed. Thanks to the helping hand of search engines (which are able to distinguish the

sites according to their contents) they allow the users to find what they are interested in, any

time they want to.


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The browser

For a description of internet connection, from the opening of a browser and its main

functions, please refer to the guide to basic internet browsing given to grandparents.

At this stage of the lesson, the trainee has to master the mouse and take action. Remember

that when a person is in front of a pc for the first time, it is normal to have some concern and

anxiety, above all because of the fear of causing irreversible damage. Thus, don’t forget to

reassure the beginner by explaining that while he/she is working nothing whatsoever can

damage the computer or its data.

Calmly describe, using examples, that the Internet sites are characterised by a specific

address that identifies them unambiguously among billions of sites existing in the world and in

continuous evolution.

To reach and view a site which you know the address (refer to newspapers and TV, where

Internet addresses are usually provided) it is sufficient to type it correctly and carefully in the

address bar and hit the key “Enter”, at the right end side of the keyboard (point to it).

Once the first page of the site (home page) is displayed, the mouse can be used any time the

pointer turns into a “little hand” while moved within the page. Explain that the “little hand”

means that in that specific point there is a link that means you can go to another page within

the same site or that can open another site.

The first time the trainee starts “playing with” Internet and browsing would be the ideal time

to give them a list of interesting sites that they can practice typing into the addresses box. By

using the buttons they can also practice moving to and join pages already visited.

It is a good thing to dedicate at least 15 minutes to this exercise because it is a tricky moment

for the trainee: he/she will need your careful support, but try not to control the situation. Let

the trainee learn even through his/her mistakes. Be ready to intervene and help but

without invading their “space”.

Once some skill using the mouse and the Internet sites is acquired, you can move to search

engines.


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The search engines

Search engines are particular Internet sites, which offer the possibility to find the sites we are

interested in even though we don’t know their address. Different search engines exist: the

most popular nowadays is Google™ (www.google.com).

We recommend this search engine because it is available in all languages and because Google’s

home page is ideal for beginners as it is extremely simple and clear. It displays a white box

which is the search box: the key words chosen by the user according to the topic/subject

he/she desires to find can be typed in the box.

Insist (a lot!) on the difference between the address box of Internet Explorer, in which only

complete addresses can be typed (for example www.geengee.eu) and the search box of the

engine, in which words have to be inserted in the desired language, with spaces between them.

Make different examples to search, in order to demonstrate that the choice of words is

crucial: a term which is too general (for example “cake”) can lead to a huge amount of results

(more than 7.000.000 pages found!), thus making it impossible a profitable consultation. On

the contrary a series of words which is too long (such as “chocolate cake hazelnuts milk eggs

liquor almonds”) narrows down the search too much and it might not provide suitable results.

With experience the right “middle course” that allows the user to find the links to the relevant

sites in a few seconds can be developed (for example “cake chocolate hazelnuts”).

Invent examples. The search may start from a general term and then others which are more

specific are added later on to narrow down the search.

Ask your trainee to name you some topics he/she is interested in and choose the words to

search together, so that you can offer some suggestions.

Highlight that practice and experience are invaluable and no training or handbook can

substitute them.


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E-‐mail

Describe the principle which e-mail functioning is based on. In particular, remind the trainee

that in order to send and receive electronic letters it is necessary to have an Internet

connection.

Talk about the existence of programmes targeted at the management of e-mails, such as

Gmail. It is important to say that before using such programmes the user has to create his/her

own e-mail address.

To do so your assistance, or the one of an expert user, is necessary in order to be able to

create an account (or register, usually free of charge) by a provider (the company providing

the Internet connection and the mailbox). Afterwards you will have to configure the e-mail

programme and from that moment on the non-expert user will be able to receive and send

messages in a simple way.

It is important to remind the trainee that e-mail messages reach the inbox of the recipient very

quickly and at no cost (except for the short time of connection), but it doesn’t mean that

messages are read immediately: reading happens only when recipients decide to check the

content of their mailbox.

E-mail addresses can be easily distinguished from internet addresses because they contain the

special character @; patiently show the trainee how he/she can type @ and let him/her

practice. Insist on the fact that when typing an e-mail address it is important to be very careful

not to make mistakes (the space for example is never used), otherwise the message will be

delivered to the wrong recipient or, at best, will “bounce”.

It is a good rule to always insert the object of the e-mail to help the recipient distinguish

quickly between interesting e-mails and unwanted mail (the so-called spamming).

Dedicate some time to practicing sending and receiving e-mails: it is possible to send them

to your own e-mail address or to their fellow. Later, practice exploring the inbox, sent mail,

etc.


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At this point, remind your trainee that should he/she be away from home, for example on

holiday abroad, and he/she had the availability of a pc connected to Internet, he /she could

check his/her mailbox anyway.

If the e-mail address is for example johndoe@alice, he/she can assume that his/her provider is

alice; by opening the website www.alice.it, he/she will find a space specifically for e-mail with

two fields where the user name can be typed (in the example johndoe) and the password (i.e.

the code chosen while registering to protect the mailbox from unwanted accesses).

Once the provider has carried out the identification procedures, a page dedicated to the

mailbox will be displayed and from here on it will be possible to read the received e-mails and

answer messages.

In this case, consultation is on-line, and requires an active Internet connection during the

whole process of reading and writing messages.

Useful information about Gmail Gmail is a webmail service which is offered free of charge by Google. Thanks to Gmail you can

keep your messages, files and the most important pictures forever, search to find anything you

are looking for and above all, make the most out of an innovative way to read and organize the

messages as part of conversations. In Gmail there are small and discreet text

advertisements/ads. Ads and related information are relevant to your messages, so instead of

being obtrusive, they may even be useful for once.

Gmail also integrates a function of instant messaging rightly in the e-mail services thus you can

be constantly in touch with your friends when you are on-line by “chatting” with them. It is

easy, efficient and even fun to use. It is a completely brand new way to use e-mail. It is

Google’s philosophy applied to e-mail.

You have to explain that e-mail mailboxes have a maximum storage limit of messages and –

once you reach it – further messages will be refused. Thus it is a good rule to regularly check

how much space has been used and delete, if necessary, the unwanted messages.


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Check that the trainees have a sheet of paper and a pen available to immediately write the e-

mail address and the password they have chosen.

Explain clearly that the subscription procedure and the creation of an e-mail address is a

procedure that is made “once and for all”, to avoid grandparent having to repeat all signing in

steps every time he/she wants to check his/her mailbox.

If Gmail is used from a public computer it is a good habit NOT to allow the pc to remember

your data. In this way it will be possible to avoid that other people access your e-mailbox.

When you deal with the subject of attachments it would be good to have files the size of few

Kb (text or images) prepared on purpose not to waste time in searching an appropriate file in

the pc. It is important to help grandparents understand that the weight of attached files

shouldn’t be excessive.

When an address is written and the automatic completion appears it is important to select the

right contact just in case some contacts have similar names.

It is important to make grandparents understand that the management of contact’s address

book is fundamental. It allows the user to save time by memorising the addresses which will

be used in the future and collecting all messages a specific contact sent to us.

Immediately help the grandparents find useful labels and filters so that they will be able to

understand the importance of these tools, which at first sight could be seen as too complicated

or unnecessary.

Immediately associate a filter to a label and – if possible – send your trainee an e-mail message

from your e-mail account during the lesson.

In this way, with a real e-mail you will be able to help them understand how to create a label

and a filter collecting that message and others that you could send them in the future.

Explain to the grandparents that it is not necessary to empty the Trash. Messages will be

automatically deleted after 30 days. In this way e-mails moved to the Trash by mistake could

be restored.

It is necessary to explain that messages have to be regularly archived so that the inbox doesn’t

become too crowded and therefore difficult to look up/check.

Documents

GRANDCHILDREN TUTORING HANDBOOK€¦ · Grandparents & Grandchildren Project - Grandchildren tutoring handbook 4" Switchingon&andshuttingdown During the start up phase, help your