PC, Google Chrome and Google: User Guide

Internet : A system of interconnected computer networks – it is a virtual connection to share information, pictures, videos and more across different computers. Think of the internet as an open road that has all kinds of sites to see!

(Web) Browser : A computer program used to access the internet. Some of these programs include: Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. Think of your browser as the car that you drive on the road to explore and visit the sites.

Website (or Webpage) : These are particular locations on the internet that contain information such as text, pictures and more. Think of a websites/webpages as the sites that you are going to see on your road trip.

URL : The “address” for a website – what you type into the address bar to get you where you would like to go online. An example of a URL is : www.google.com . Think of the URL as the address for the sites you’d like to see on your virtual road trip.

Address Bar : The white box at the top of screen in your web browser that displays the URL of the website you are on. In order to visit another website, you type the URL into the address bar.

Home Page : The website that your browser automatically displays when you open your browser. The computers in the library have Yahoo.com set as their home page.

Google : Google is a search engine. You can use it to find websites on the internet. For example, if you want to know more about diabetes – you can search “Diabetes” in Google and it will display web pages that contain information about diabetes.

E-Mail : E-mail is way to send and receive messages through the internet. There are a variety of e-mail providers including: gmail.com, yahoo.com and hotmail.com.

PC : PC stands for personal computer. PC implies that the computer runs on a Windows operating system.

Operating Systems: There are two major computer system makers – Windows and Macintosh. When people refer to the operating system, they are usually referring to whether you are using Windows or Macintosh.

How to launch the internet on a PC:

Double click on the internet icon for “Google Chrome”

Once you double click on “Google Chrome” – it launches the web browser. From your home page, you will be able to navigate the internet including e-mail, shopping and facebook.

Your home page will look different depending on the browser’s settings.

It may look something like this (Yahoo’s Homepage):

Or it may look similar to this (Google’s Homepage):

Regardless of what your home page looks like – there are a couple things that will always be the same!

At the top of your screen there will be a white bar:

That white bar is the address box. You type the URL of the website you would like to visit into the bar. URLs usually start with http:// or www. and end with .com, .org, .gov or .edu.

For example, if you would like to visit Google – you would type Google’s URL (www.google.com) into the address bar. In order to type a URL into the address bar, just click on the address bar, delete whatever URL is already there and then type in the URL that you would like to visit.

If you would like to search the internet for

something in particular, go to www.google.com. When you get to Google, you can type search terms into the search bar which is located in the middle of the page, just under Google’s logo.

For example, if you would like to learn more about diabetes – you can type “Diabetes” into the search box. Click “Enter” on your keyboard in order to submit the search.

You can always include more than one search term. If you wanted to learn specifically about Type 1 Diabetes – you would type “Type 1 Diabetes” into the search box. Or maybe you just want to know about the symptoms so you might type “Symptoms of Diabetes”.

Once you submit the search, Google will display a list of websites that contain the relevant search information. It will display the name of the website as well as a little bit about the website.

For example, when you search Diabetes – “American Diabetes Association” comes up first. You can click on “American Diabetes Association” to go visit their website. The big blue text is the name of the website. The smaller green text is the URL of the website. The black text is a short summary of the website’s content.

Click on the name of the website – the big blue text – and google will take you to that website!

Name of the website

URL

Free Resources for Internet and Computer Instruction

Skillful Senior : Tutorials for basic computer skills such as typing, ergonomics and mouse skills.URL : www.skillfulsenior.com

Senior’s Guide to Computers : A variety of information sources on using computers and technology.

URL : http://www.seniorsguidetocomputers.com/

Microsoft Accessibility : Tips for making computer use more accessible such as making text bigger, turning up the volume and changing the screen’s lighting to make it more visible.

URL : http://www.microsoft.com/enable/aging/tips.aspx

GCF Learn Free : Tutorials for using the internet based on which specific internet browsing program you are using – covers Google Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

URL : http://www.gcflearnfree.org/internet

Important Websites for Seniors:

Administration on Aging: www. aoa.gov/ A part of the Department of Health and Human Services, aoa.gov is a repository for senior programs,

elder care rights information, and any other senior topic you can think of.

AARP:  www. aarp.org/ From the latest treatments for Alzheimer’s to the latest news headlines, aarp.org is crammed with

useful senior articles, videos and senior discounts. There is probably no other site as comprehensive. Even if you aren’t looking for anything specific, just browse the headlines—you’ll find something that

catches your eye.

National Institutes of Health Senior Health: www. nihseniorhealth.gov/ An easy to use site for senior health. Pick a topic by first letter. For instance, arthritis. Go to

Rheumatoid arthritis and you’ll find the basics plus risks, treatment options, videos and links for further reading.

Medicare: www. Medicare.gov This is the official U.S government site for Medicare.  Find doctors and medical facilities. Compare

drug and health plans. See if that test is covered. Under “Care and Support” you’ll find topics ranging from smoking cessation to prostate cancer screening.

Retired Brains: www. retiredbrains.com/ Find jobs; get advice on career transitioning; start your own business. There’s something for any job

seeker on retiredbrains.com.

Senior Match: www. seniormatch.com/ Looking for love? Or maybe you just want a companion? Sign up for Seniormatch.com’s free dating

service for those over 50. You may just find your spouse….or bridge partner.