Duration and cost of the Course

  • There are 5 two-hour lessons.
  • The charge for this course is $65.00 which includes the cost of the manual.

You will receive

  • the Student Handbook and the manual "An Introduction to Computers" and
  • a set of exercise files to be used in completing the activities described in the manual.

    Desk top computer users: If you are using a SeniorNet computer during lessons, you will need to have a USB Flash Drive (also called a memory stick, pen drive or thumb drive). Your coach will copy the exercise files onto it for you. Then you can carry the exercise files between your home computer and the SeniorNet computer.

    Lap top computer users: If you are using your laptop computer during lessons, then the exercise files will be copied into the Documents folder of your computer's hard drive.
    If your laptop computer has a screen that is less than 15½" diagonally it is unsuitable for classroom use and you will need to use one of our desktop machines during lessons.
    Your computer must have a working copy of Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010 in order for you to do our Introductory and Skills courses.

This Introductory Course

  • is suitable for students who have computers with either Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP(SP3) operating systems.
  • is designed to help you learn the essentials of using a computer.
  • is a pre-requisite for the next course, "Computing Skills."
  • starts with basic skills of operating a computer.
  • includes the basics of writing, editing, formatting and saving.
  • uses the program Microsoft Word 2007 or Microsoft Word 2010.
    Microsoft Word is a component of Microsoft Office.

You will learn how to

  • turn the computer on and off correctly
  • understand the functions of the keys on the computer keyboard
  • understand the basic functions available on the menus, ribbons and toolbars
  • control the movement of the mouse pointer across the screen
  • use the mouse to "click" and "double-click"on objects on the screen
  • use the mouse to select text – words, sentences and paragraphs
  • use the mouse to drag selected text from one place to another
  • locate and use the utility and games programs
  • write, format and edit simple documents
  • control whether you move or copy text
  • save a document onto a disk or USB Flash Drive
  • retrieve a document from a disk
  • delete an unwanted document from a disk
  • change the font, size and colour of text
  • copy text from one document to another

What comes after the Introductory Course?

"Computing Skills" (9 weeks) will review and greatly extend your foundational computing skills beyond those of "Introduction to Computers".

"Computing Skills" is a pre-requisite for all other courses.