Online Basics - BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT

The Awarding Body for IT

Online Basicswww.bcs.org/onlinebasics

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01

Online Basics www.bcs.org/onlinebasics

Workbook and learning record

BCS ID/ULN:

Centre name:

Centre ID:

Learner name:

Signature:

02

03


Table of contents

What is this workbook for? 05

Progress sheet 06

01 Getting started

Details 07 Getting started 08 Shut down the computer 09

Tasks 11 Getting started 12 Shut down the computer 13

02 The World Wide Web

Details 15 The World Wide Web 16 Evaluating information 16 Online security 17 Connecting to the Internet 18 Navigating 19 Downloading 20 Search engines 21 Social networking 22

Tasks 23 The World Wide Web 24 Evaluating information 24 Connecting to the Internet 24 Online security 25 Navigating 25 Search engines 27 Downloading 28 Social networking 28

03 Email

Details 29 Email accounts 30 Creating an email 31 Replying to an email 31 Forwarding an email 32 Mail attachments 32

Tasks 33 Email accounts 34 Creating an email 36 Replying to an email 36 Forwarding an email 36 Mail attachments 36

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05


What is this workbook for?

This workbook will be a record of what you learn in online basics. When you have finished all the tasks in this workbook and your tutor/assessor has signed it, you will get your online basics certificate.

The tutor/assessor is the person who will help you with this workbook and the online basics.

Workbook contents

01: Getting started

02: The World Wide Web

03: Email

You review one subject at a time. When you feel you have learned and understood what is in the subject, you must complete the tasks in the workbook. Some of these are questions about what you have just learned, and others are tasks that you carry out on a computer. You write the answers to these tasks in the workbook.

You can take your time at this.

Talking with your tutor/assessor about the workbook

When you have finished the tasks in each subject, show your workbook to your tutor/assessor. He/she will review your work and talk to you about it. Your tutor/assessor will complete a sign off sheet to record your progress.

On page six of the workbook you can put a tick in the boxes beside the items that you feel you now know.

The tutor/assessor must be sure that you understand each unit, and that it was you who carried out the tasks and the project.

How to get your online basics certificate

You can get your online basics certificate when your tutor/assessor has signed all of the subjects in your workbook. Your certificate will be sent to your tutor/assessor, who will present it to you.

If you have a question or a concern about online basics, please contact your centre.

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Progress sheet

Use this progress sheet as a checklist to ensure that you have learned all of the skills in each section. You can put a tick beside each part you have reviewed and understood.

Topic Reviewed and understood

01 Getting started Getting started Switching the computer on 08

The desktop 08

Shut down the computer Shut down the computer 09

02 The World Wide Web The WWW The Internet 16

Web pages 16

Evaluating information Evaluate information 16

Online security Understanding secure web pages, phishing, spam 17

Connecting to the Internet Home page 18

Navigating, web browser Web addresses, URL 19

Hyperlinks 19

Navigating using the toolbar 19

Printing web pages 19

Favourites and history 19

Downloading Downloading files 19

Search engines Using search engines 20

Social networking Understanding social networking sites, caution 22

03 Email Email accounts Internet Service Provider (ISP) 30

Email addresses 30

Messages Send an email 31

Reply to an email 31

Forward an email 32

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Getting started

Shut down the computer

Section 01

Getting startedDetails

08

Switching the computer on:

• Make sure the power lead from the computer is plugged in.

• Make sure that the monitor is also switched on. There might be another power lead for the monitor.

• Press the power button on the system unit. There is usually a green light next to the switch that comes on and shows that the power is on.

• The computer may take a while to start-up fully. This is called loading. On start-up the computer loads an operating system such as Microsoft Windows.

• The computer may prompt you to enter a user name and password in order to get further access to the computer. If you do not enter these correctly, the computer will not show the MS Windows desktop (shown below). Ask your tutor/assessor if you do not know the user name and password.

• After you have successfully entered the user name and password, you will see the MS Windows desktop. You will see small pictures which are called icons. Some of these are programmes which may be used for a specific purpose. Please note that your desktop may contain icons that are not shown in the screen below. Also, other operating systems may show a desktop that is different from the MS Windows desktop.

Getting startedDetails

Icons

09


Shut down the computerDetails

To shut down the computer follow these steps:

• Click the Start button.

• Choose Shut down from the start menu.

• Click OK button.

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Section 01

Getting startedTasks

Getting started

Shut down the computer

12

Getting startedTasks

Name two things that you must check before switching on the computer.

1:

2:

Switch it on now.

When the computer has finished loading, you will see a screen with small pictures (icons) on it.

What is this screen called?

13


Shut down the computerTasks

Now it is time to close all windows and to shut down the PC.

List the steps you need to follow to safely shut down the computer.

1:

2:

3:

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15


The World Wide Web

Evaluating information

Online security

Connecting to the Internet

Navigating

Downloading

Search engines

Social networking

Section 02

The World Wide WebDetails

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The World Wide WebDetails

Evaluating informationDetails

The Internet describes the global network of interconnected computers. The Internet has many features allowing information – such as emails, music, pictures, videos and much more – to be shared between computers.

The Internet can be used like a library, because you can find information on every subject you can think of. This information may come from professional organisations or just individuals who want to express their ideas and opinions about various topics. This section of the Internet is called the World Wide Web, or WWW for short.

The other important thing you can use the Internet for is electronic mail, or email for short. Email is a very popular communication tool for both professional and personal use. You can use it to write a message on one computer and send it over the Internet to another computer. You can even send pictures, videos and much more.

Information on the Internet is divided into parts called web sites. A web site is a set of pages, called web pages, about an organisation or subject, like a school, television station, country, holidays or anything!

Each web page is made up of different elements, like text, pictures, sound and video.

Anyone can create a web site. You will find sites on the Internet made by large companies, governments, schools, charities and people like you!

Although you can use the World Wide Web to obtain any information you may need, you may want to check the accuracy of this information. You can learn to evaluate the information on a web page by asking three key questions.

• Who is providing the information? Check the credentials and qualifications of the person or organisation that provides the information.

• How old is the information? Check that the information is up to date and still relevant.

• Is it opinion or fact? Check that the information is supported by fact and not just the opinion of the author. Check that the information is not biased or discriminatory.

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Online securityDetails

While using the Internet has become a daily activity for millions of people around the world, online security has become a very serious issue. People are now visiting web sites where they can buy and sell all types of goods, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In the vast majority of cases payment for the goods is done online, using a debit or credit card, where the customers are asked to enter their debit or credit card details into an online form and the cost of the goods is taken from their card.

To make this work successfully a secure method to enter debit or credit card details had to be developed so that debit or credit card details could not be seen or copied online by any unauthorised person. This was done by having secure web pages which encrypt your debit or credit card details as you enter them. Encryption involves scrambling information so that it cannot be read by an unauthorised person.

The connection to a web page is secure if the address of the web page starts with https, the “s” indicating that security is in use. Also a lock symbol should appear on the right of your address bar (or on the bottom right hand corner) of your browser.

Some web sites are private, like bank web sites. To visit these, you need to type a username and a password. A password is a word, number or name that you can remember easily.

When you type the letters or numbers that make up your password, they appear like stars. This means no one else can see what you are typing.

A username is the way an individual is identified on a network.

Bank web sites have certain pages that need to be secure. For example, these would be pages where you can see your account details or where you can enter personal details. These pages have https at the beginning of their web address.

Email is one of the most simple, efficient, and effective ways to communicate with other people. However, online security is also important when using email.

Phishing is an email message that claims to come from a bank, online payment service, online retailer or similar. It may ask you to update or verify your personal and financial details, such as, date of birth, login information, account details, credit card numbers, PIN numbers, etc. This information can then be used by the fraudster for personal gain. To avoid becoming a victim of this fraud you should never respond to email messages that request personal or financial information and never click on a link in such an email.

In recent years email has been targeted by fraudsters and unscrupulous advertisers as a low cost method of indiscriminately sending out millions of unsolicited email messages to unsuspecting recipients. This is called Spam. It is very difficult to control but can be reduced by using software filters.

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Connecting to the InternetDetails

To connect to the Internet you need an Internet Service Provider (ISP), who will probably give you a piece of equipment called a modem as part of the service. An ISP works in the same way as a telephone company. You pay them for connecting you to the Internet. Broadband is now the preferred choice for people accessing the WWW. You can have broadband access through your telephone line or even wirelessly from an ISP that supports wireless broadband access. There are usually several ISPs available, so choose carefully as they differ in price and service delivery.

Wireless broadband allows you to access the Internet through the air without the need for wires. A wireless-enabled laptop computer can be used to access the Internet as long as you are within an area where Wireless broadband is available. These areas are called hotspots. They can be found in hotels, pubs, airports, train stations, sports grounds, schools, libraries and office blocks.

While some hotspots are private and are not available to the public, others are free to use.

Wireless broadband is a very popular way to access the Internet because it is easy to setup, inexpensive to install and very unobtrusive as there are no wires or cables.

Your computer must also have special software to use the Internet and allow you to visit web sites. This software is called a web browser. It is usually already installed on your computer when you buy it.

Microsoft Internet Explorer is an example of a web browser. Every time you open Internet Explorer, the first web page you see is called the home page. You can change the home page to a web site that you like to use.

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NavigatingDetails

Every web page has its unique address that we use to find it. This address is called a Uniform Resource Locator, or URL.

Look at the URL displayed in the address bar. The table here shows you what the different parts of the URL mean.

As you move the mouse pointer around the page you will notice that sometimes it changes into a hand. This means that you have found a link to another web page. These links are called “hyperlinks”.

A hyperlink can be a word or a picture. If it is a word or a few words (a text link), it usually appears in a different colour and is underlined, like this:

Click here for more

When you place your mouse over a hyperlink, the address (URL) of the new web page appears on the status bar at the bottom of the page. Don’t worry if the URL is long and hard to understand. You don’t have to remember it!

Hypertext transfer protocol

http://www.bcs.org

This part tells the computer how to send information to and from your computer

World Wide Web

www.http://

Site name

bcs

This is the name of the web site on your screen

Domain name

.org

This tells you the type of web site and sometimes the country it comes from

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Your web browser has a number of features to help you navigate the World Wide Web, finding and saving the information you want. The most important of them are listed and described below:

The back button takes you back to the last page you have visited.

The forward button brings you forward again.

The home button brings you to the home page that is set up on your computer.

The search button brings you to a page that allows you to search the Internet for information.

The history button shows a list of all web sites visited recently.

The favourites button opens up a folder to save your favourite sites in. This means you can go to them quickly whenever you want.

The print button prints the web page you are viewing.

DownloadingDetails

You can save a copy of a file from the Internet onto your own computer. It could be some free software (freeware), a document, a picture or music. This is called “downloading” a file.

When you click on a download link, a window opens to ask you where you want to put the file on your PC. This could be in the My Documents folder or a personal folder you have made for yourself. You can see how quickly the file is copied in the download window.

If you have downloaded some software, you may have to install it before it will work. If you have downloaded a document or a picture, you must open the folder you saved it into and find it there.

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Search enginesDetails

A search engine looks through millions of web pages. There are many search engines on the Internet.

They all work in the same way. You type a word or phrase in a box called a search box on the page. For example, you can type in “houses for sale”. The search engine finds information about the subject for you.

Because the Internet is so big, you usually get more results than you need; in fact some of the results may be of no use at all.

You can refine your search to find what you want by adding some more words to the search box. For example, indicate where you want the house to be, or what size of house you want. This will narrow your search, and give you fewer results.

However this should bring you closer to what you really want to find.

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Social networkingDetails

In recent years social networking web sites have become very popular. These web sites focus on building social relations between people. These relationships may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them. Three of the best known social networking web sites are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

When someone wishes to join a social networking web site they are asked to fill out an online profile page with some of their personal details. When they are accepted as members, they can if they wish, share details of their profile with other members of the social networking web site and vice versa, so that members get to know each other. Some social networking web sites only have members that share a common interest or activity such as sports, politics, science, education, computer games, etc. These are known as, Internet forums, chat rooms, online computer game web sites. Other social networking web sites are broader in their interests.

A blog is a type of web site or part of a web site that can take the form of an online journal. It is usually maintained by an individual who updates the blog with entries on some particular subject of interest. Others can visit the blog, read the various entries with the most recent entries displayed at the top of the blog, and then, if they wish, enter comments about what they have read in the blog.

Because a social networking web site is made up of a community of people who do not know each other very well, caution is advised when sharing personal information. Some people may claim to be someone that they are not, and use this to their advantage for personal gain, such as preying on young people, stealing data and spreading computer viruses.

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The World Wide Web

Evaluating information

Online security

Connecting to the Internet

Navigating

Downloading

Search engines

Social networking

Section 02

The World Wide WebTasks

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The World Wide WebTasks

Evaluating informationTasks

Connecting to the InternetTasks

A web site is a collection of which are connected together by a series of links, called

. Each web page is made up of which can be of any

of the types we looked at in the last section. Some of the most common web page files are text, pictures,

sound, video and animation. The special software needed to view web sites is called .

is an example of one such web browser.

What three questions should you answer when evaluating information in a web page?

1:

2:

3:

What type of broadband would you use to access the Internet without using a cable?

What do you call the areas where wireless broadband is available?

• Switch on the computer again. Wait for it to fully boot up.

• Click on the shortcut icon to Internet Explorer on the PC desktop.

Once you are connected to the Internet, a web site page is loaded on your PC. What is the name given to this page?

Every web site has a particular code name or address.

• Look at the address bar at the top of the page to see the code for the home page you are looking at. This code is called a:

• Write the URL of the home page here.

• Show your course tutor/assessor how much work you have done.

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Online securityTasks

NavigatingTasks

• Look at the web page below. What two items indicate that the web page has a secure connection?

• Click in the address bar once, and type in the URL https://forms.bcs.org/online-basics and press the Enter key.

This is a private web site. You must enter a username and password to see the pages in this web site.

• In the username box type in online. In the password box type basics.

• Click the login button.

You will now see a new web page telling you about a concert with a ticket order form. You will fill in the following details into the form below.

• Select 2, from the Number of tickets drop down menu and select Sunday 8th from the Day drop down menu.

• When you have finished click the Submit button.

• If you have filled out the form correctly, you will see a screen that displays Ticket Order Confirmation. If you see this page, tell your tutor/assessor that you have filled in the form correctly.

• Click in the address bar once and type in the URL www.bcs.org/online-basics-information

• Place your mouse pointer over the text hyperlink Learn More, but do not click.

Look at the status bar at the bottom of the web page window. Describe what you see in the space below.

Click the hyperlink. Now you are surfing the net! When the page has fully loaded, what word is shown in the status bar?

Look at the address bar again. Write the URL you see in the address bar in the space below.

Look at what you wrote in the last question. What do you notice?

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Note that every single web page has its own web address.

To return to the last web page you visited, you do not need to type the URL again.

• Look for a button on the navigation toolbar with an arrow pointing to the left.

What is shown in the address bar now?

• Return to the web site titled “Welcome to the Online Basics Workbook Website”.

• If you can’t find it using your back button, click in the address bar and type the address https://forms.bcs.org/online-basics

• Click the ‘Who is Online Basics for?’ link which is located beneath the text More Information. What is the first word in the list?

• Return to the web page titled “Welcome to the Online Basics Workbook Website”. If you can’t find it using the back button, type

in https://forms.bcs.org/online-basics and press Enter.

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Search enginesTasks

What is a search engine?

• Tell your tutor/assessor that you are ready to search the Internet for some information. Ask for the address (URL) of a search engine.

• Type this URL into the address bar and press the Enter key.

• In the text box, type the word “holidays”. Click on the search button.

How many results (articles) did the search engine find?

• Now click into the text box after the word “holidays” and type the word “Spain”. Click on the search button or press the enter key.

How many results did the search engine find this time?

Why was the number of results different the second time?

Look at the search results. Click on one that seems interesting. Read over the article and write down an interesting sentence from the page.

What button do you click to go back one page?

How many times must you click it to get back to the search engine’s home page?

You are now on the search engine’s home page. Delete the text “holidays Spain”. Type in the name of your favourite newspaper. Enter the name of the newspaper in the space below.

Click on the search button or press enter. Write one headline from the newspaper in the space below.

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DownloadingTasks

Social networkingTasks

• Return to the web page titled “Welcome to the Online Basics Workbook Web Site”. If you can’t find it using the back button, type in https://forms.bcs.org/online-basics and press Enter.

• Click on the link, Download an Online Basics Document, located beneath the heading More information.

• Follow the instructions on the screen and download the document to your My Documents folder.

• Minimise the browser (Internet Explorer) window.

• Open the My Documents window from the desktop.

• Open the Online Basics document which you have just downloaded.

How many pages are in the document?

Read the first paragraph. When was BCS created?

• Close the document.

• Close the My Documents window.

Click in the address bar once, and type in the URL http://www.linkedin.com/ and press the Enter key. This is an example of social networking site. What is this site used for?

What is a blog?

What is the name of the fraudulent activity that involves an email message being sent out claiming to come from a legitimate organisation such as a bank, requesting the recipient to update or to verify their personal and financial information such as date of birth, login information, account details, credit card numbers?

• Shut down the computer.

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Email accounts

Creating an email

Replying to an email

Forwarding an email

Mail attachments

Section 03

EmailDetails

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Email accountsDetails

Email stands for electronic mail. Email is a digital messaging service. When you send an email to someone, it goes into their email box. This is a space on a computer owned by the ISP called a mail server. When your friend logs on to the Internet they can see and open your email message.

You can send copies of documents saved on your computer to a friend with an email. The file is attached to the message and is called an attachment.

Attachments are very useful, but you must be careful sending and receiving them. It is important to save and scan attachments before opening them. This will allow you to check for and delete any potential virus.

Large files take a long time to send and receive, so it is best to send small attachments.

Viruses are small programmes that may be sent along with email attachments. They can cause substantial damage to your computer.

You can protect your computer from viruses by being careful. Be wary of emails from people you don’t know. Even if you know the sender, be wary of attachments you are not expecting. Sometimes emails with viruses can be sent without the sender even knowing. You can also protect your computer from viruses by having an antivirus programme installed on your computer. This program will search for and remove any viruses from your computer.

Email addresses, like postal addresses are needed to make sure that emails reach the right person.

The email address tells who the email is for, and where their mail box is: who@where

For example: david @ mymail .com

Name of person at Organisation name Domain name

Remember that email addresses can contain letters, numbers, underscores, and dots.

For example: [email protected]

There are two types of email account:

Email accounts provided by the ISP Your ISP may provide you with an email account when you sign up to their service. This account allows you to manage your emails on your own computer using an email application such as Outlook Express. ISPs may also provide access to your email account using any computer that has Internet access and a web browser. This is very useful for accessing your email when you are travelling.

Web based email accounts For most people, a free account is better than one you have to pay for! Most free email providers offer a service that enables you to store email, contact information, appointments and much more safely and securely. It is also very convenient as you can check your Web mail from any location that has an Internet connection. However, because it is a free service, if someone else has already created an address that has the same name as you, then you cannot create a duplicate address. So, if your name is John Doe and ‘[email protected]’ was already taken, then you would have to create an alternative address, such as ‘[email protected]’.

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Creating an emailDetails

Replying to an emailDetails

1. Click the “Compose” button; sometimes this is called “new” or “new mail”.

2. Type the email address of the person that you wish to send the email to in the “To” box (field).

3. Enter a few words to explain what the message is about in the subject box (field).

4. Write your message in the large text area.

5. Click Send when you are ready.

You can send a message back to the sender without typing in the email address again. It simply goes back to the person who sent it. If you want to reply to an email:

1. Click the “Reply” button on the webmail page.

2. When the message window opens again, you will see that the email address field is already filled in.

The Subject field has the letters “RE” in front of the original Subject you had entered. You can choose to include the original message or delete it before typing your reply.


Some of the free webmail providers are:

Hotmail http://www.hotmail.com Yahoo Mail http://www.yahoo.com Gmail http://www.gmail.com

When you log on to your webmail you will see some common features of email applications.

Inbox folder This is where the messages you have received are kept. To view a message you have received, click it.

Compose (New mail) button You click on this button to open a new message window.

Sent Messages folder This folder stores copies of all messages you have sent.

Address Book This is a list of all the email addresses you frequently use.

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Forwarding an emailDetails

Mail attachmentsDetails

Sometimes you receive an email which you think you might like to send on to someone else. You can forward the whole email very easily.

1. Open an email.

2. Click the “Forward” button on the webmail page.

3. When the message window opens the “To” field is blank, ready for you to enter the new email address.

The subject field will have the letters “FW” in front of the original subject.

You can add your own comments at the top of the email, so that the person who receives it will know why you are sending it to them.


Sometimes you might want to send attachments (photos, documents etc) to friends and family.

1. Open a new email.

2. Click the “Attach” button on the webmail page.

3. Locate the document you wish to send.

The document will now appear as part of your email.

4. Click send when you are ready.

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Email accounts

Creating an email

Replying to an email

Forwarding an email

Mail attachments

Section 03

EmailTasks

34

Email accountsTasks

What does the word email stand for?

When you send an email, where does it go?

What is an attachment?

Name two things to be careful about when sending or receiving attachments.

1:

2:

Using the example below, list the four components of an email address. Look at the one below to help you.

[email protected]

1:

2:

3:

4:

Which combination of keys on the keyboard allow you to type the @ symbol?

35


We are now going to setup a web based email account. You can use this account on any computer that has access to the Internet; for example, at home, in an Internet café, a library, a hotel etc.

• Ask your tutor/assessor to give you the address of the web site of an email provider. Open your web browser, and type this URL into the address bar.

• Click on the Register button, as you are a new user and must therefore set up a new account. Enter your name and address where requested.

• Think of a username. This will be the first part of your email address.

• Enter this in the username text box, using lowercase letters.

• Now you must choose a password to ensure that no one else can get access to your email.

• Enter this into the password textbox.

Why do stars appear when you type your password? Write the answer in the space below.

• Click on the Register button again to submit your new account.

• End your email session for a moment, by clicking on the Sign out button. Now sign in again.

• This time you can just enter your username and password in the correct boxes and you will be able to use your email account. Do this now.

• Match each email item to the correct definition.

Inbox Dispatch email messages.

Compose A list of contact details.

Send messages An area that stores emails sent to you.

Address book Create an email.

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Creating an emailTasks

Replying to an emailTasks

Forwarding an emailTasks

Mail attachmentsTasks

• Click on the Compose button. You will now send an email to your tutor/assessor.

• Ask your tutor/assessor for an email address and enter it in the “To” field.

• Enter “tomorrow’s meeting” in the Subject field.

• Type: “I’m sorry that I can’t go to the meeting on Tuesday night.”

• Send the email.

• Print the sent email, or ask your tutor/assessor to print it for you.

• To see if you have any new messages you must open your inbox.

• Your tutor/assessor will give you two more email addresses. Send an email to each of these. Write short messages.

• For example, tell a friend that you are enjoying the course, or ask if they would like to go to the cinema. Put your name at the bottom of the emails.

• Ask your tutor/assessor to send an email to you so you can reply to it.

• Reply to the email and answer the tutor/assessor’s question.

• Print the sent email, or ask your tutor/assessor to print it for you.

• Now you will forward an email to someone else.

• Ask your tutor/assessor for an email address to do this.

• Forward the email to the address with the comment: “Do you think that this is right?”

• Now you will send an attachment to someone else.

• Ask your tutor/assessor for a file to use as an attachment and an address to send it to.

• Create a new email.

• Ask your tutor/assessor for an email address.

• Attach the document with the comment “Does this look ok?”

Screen shots reprinted by permission from Microsoft Corporation

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