Computing Workshop

www.RockCreekComputing.com

Bill McArthur

Session 1 – 1/5/11

Day and Time: Wednesdays 6-7 PM in the Clubhouse.

Your Questions and Concerns:

• How to put photos into a computer and send them as email attachment.
• Using Skype, the Internet, pictures, downloads.
• Networking, photo albums, online storage/backup, virus protection.
• Social networking, using Google effectively, working with Excel, accessing WIFI.
• Backing up, music – iPod, cutting and pasting.
• Email.
• Secure FaceBook.

Topic 1: Computer files and folders.

A file is the same as a document: photo, letter, spreadsheet, application program, … . A folder is a place to store other folders or files. Files and folders have names and locations.

Physically, think of manila folders and pieces of paper. Click here for an example and click here for the analog on a computer. Note that within two different folders, duplicate names of files and folders can be used.

The location of a file or folder is specified by a path. For example, the file named “notes.txt” contained in the folder named “examples”, which is itself contained in the folder named “data” has the path “C:\data\examples\notes.txt” on a PC. (Apple and Linux computers use different ways of naming paths.)

Something to explore later is that items on the Internet are also organized into files and folders.

Topic 2: Communications via the Internet

· telephony (Skype)

dial and receive phone calls - synchronous

· video conferencing (Skype)

adding video to computer to computer phone calls - synchronous

· IM (Google, MSN, AOL)

instant text messaging - synchronous

· Twitter

140 character "Tweets" broadcast to "followers"; many use as a stream of consciousness - asynchronous

· FaceBook

social network of "friends" and "groups"; broadcast status reports, photos, videos; can use as a photo archive - asynchronous

· email

electronic analog of "snail mail" letters; can attach files - asynchronous

Questions: Please help to make this workshop relevant by submitting your computing questions and concerns either on paper or online for future discussions.

Thanks for your interest.