A PC Foundation

Is this course for you?

The PC Foundation course is designed for anyone who wants to master the essentials of using a personal Computer with Windows 95 or 98 in the shortest possible time. It starts at the absolute basics, but by the end of the course you will be able to manage your work on the PC as well as use the Internet to send and receive e-mail and explore the World Wide Web The course includes the following elements:

Lesson 1: PC Essentials Lesson 8: Getting Help
Lesson 2: The Windows display Lesson 9: Open and save files
Lesson 3: Windows basics Lesson 10: Internet overview
Lesson 4: Move and resize windows Lesson 11: Web site overview
Lesson 5: Run Programs Lesson 12: Outlook Express 1
Lesson 6: Use folders Lesson 13: Outlook Express 2
Lesson 7: Create/delete folders
Pre-defined curricula What you will need to enrol

Lesson 1: PC Essentials top list 
Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Start the PC
  • Use the mouse
  • Load floppy disks
  • Load the CD drive
  • Shut down safely
  • Use the Reeltime College Playbar
    		•  You don't have to be a computer expert to do useful work! The Screen Preview for this lesson shows you the essentials of how the PC works and how you control it. The key to running the interactive tutorial is using the College Playbar. The second part of the Screen Preview introduces the Playbar and it's key features, and is the preview to the interactive tutorial for the lesson.

    Lesson 2: The Windows display top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Use the mouse
  • Find you way round the Windows display
  • Move and resize the taskbar
  • Display ToolTips
  • Open the Start menu
  • Change the taskbar options
  • Change the folder display options
    		•  Windows is by far the most common system for working with computers. Once you've learned about Windows you'll be able to work on just about any personal computer. Because all programs designed to work with Windows have many features in common, you'll have a good basis for understanding any Windows program. This course is based on Windows 98; other versions of Windows are very similar.

    Lesson 3: Windows basics top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Use multiple layer windows
  • Minimise all windows
  • Switch off AutoArrange
  • Select an icon
  • Move an icon
  • Open and close a window
  • Minimise and resize a window
  • Use the right mouse button to display the shortcut menu
  • Use the double-click technique to open a window
    		•  This lesson carries on from lesson 2 and looks at the basics of the Windows desktop. Here we focus on selecting and moving icons and windows on the desktop.

    Lesson 4: Move and resize windows top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Move a window
  • Resize a window
  • Make a window active
  • Control the view in a window
  • Display large icons in a window
  • Use the scroll bars
  • Use the taskbar menu to select Cascaded or Tiled views
    		•  The Windows desktop is the starting point for a Windows session - you can see at a glance what is available and easily pick it up. However, like real desktops, you have a choice of keeping everything well organised, with everything in its place. Otherwise you can end up with stacks of paper and clutter. In computer terms this would be, dozens of windows open, the windows on top obscuring those underneath. In this lesson we look at organising your windows on the desktop.

    Lesson 5: Run Programs top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Run a program from the Start menu
  • Change the volume control
  • Change the tone control
  • Adjust the volue from the taskbar
  • Display the Accessories menu
    		•  So far in this course we've been concentrating on keeping in control of the desktop and you need to be able to do that before you can produce useful work. That involves using programs to carry out specific tasks - such as editing text, creating drawings, playing videos as well as using programs which control how your computer behaves. In this lesson we look at how to start programs using the Windows program which adjusts the volume and tone settings for your computer.

    Lesson 6: Use folders top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Control the view options for a folder
  • Display the toolbar button controls
  • Delete an object
  • Undo an object
  • Display the properties for an object
  • Display status bar information
  • Display and use the Address bar
  • View a folder as a web page
  • Change the view for all folders
    		•  So far we have concentrated on controlling the behaviour of the windows and other objects on the desktop without worrying too much about what they do and how to use them. In this lesson we start to look at how to organise your own work on the desktop by using folders, in much the same way that you might use folders in a filing cabinet. In particular, Windows allows you to control how things appear in folders so you can choose what your work will look like on the desktop, and get the best match for the way you prefer to work.

    Lesson 7: Create/delete folders top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Open a folder
  • Close folders
  • Create a new folder
  • Create a document icon
  • Move items
  • Delete folders
  • Use the Recycle Bin
    		•  When you start creating your own work you'll need to be able to organise it in a sensible way - just like a conventional filing cabinet. You need to know where to put things and how to find them later on. In this lesson we look in more detail at creating your own folders and how to move, copy and delete files.

    Lesson 8: Getting Help top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Display ToolTips for a taskbar button
  • Get Help at a dialogue box
  • Open the Windows Help application
  • Navigate by clicking on book icons
  • Change the width of the Contents panel
  • Select the Help index
  • Look up information for a topic
  • Use the Help window buttons
  • Find information
  • Print help information
    		•  You have probably realised that although Windows is simple to use, there is a great deal to learn about, especially if you are starting from scratch. Windows is very flexible and there are usually several ways to achieve a result. Luckily, you don't have to memorise everything because Windows has its own built-in help information. In this lesson we look at the Windows Help system, how to use it and how to find information about specific topics.

    Lesson 9: Open and save files top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Start a new document
  • Rename a document
  • Open a document from the menu
  • Open a program from the menu
  • Open a document file
  • Dialogue box features
  • Selecting a file to open
    		•  When you work with Windows you use programs like text editors, graphics programs and so on. Even with very different applications like these, many of the procedures are standard. In this lesson we look at opening and saving files, and take a look at the relationship between files, applications, documents and file formats, and how files are organised on disk.

    Lesson 10: Internet overview top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Open a sample web site
  • Use Links to navigate a web site
  • Return to the Home Page
    		•  The Internet allows you to communicate with other people through your computer. For example, you can exchange electronic mail, files, pictures and even music. You can search for information and join newsgroups where you can communicate with other people who share your interests. You can also publish information using a web site. In this lesson we look at a sample web site to introduce some of these Internet activities and see how to navigate around web pages.

    Lesson 11: Web site overview top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Control the Web browser window appearance
  • Understand Web site basics
  • Use hyperlinks
  • Use the browser navigator buttons
    		•  The way to get access to information published on the World Wide Web is with a 'Web Browser', a software application designed specifically for exploring or 'surfing' the web. In this lesson we a look at web browsers and explore a typical web site using Microsoft's Internet Explorer software.

    Lesson 12: Outlook Express 1 top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Recognise an e-mail address
  • Create an e-mail message
  • Send a message
  • Start Outlook Express
  • Open the Inbox
  • Display Sent Items
  • Compose a new message
  • Send copies
  • Use the Outbox
  • Send and Receive messages
    		•  Electronic Mail or E-mail is one of the cheapest and most convenient means of communicatiing with both individuals and organisations. For example many web sites have e-mail facilities so you can enquire about goods, services and so on. In this lesson we look at using Microsoft Outlook Express to compose, send and receive messages.

    Lesson 13: Outlook Express 2 top list 
    Learn how to... Tutor's summary
  • Check for messages
  • Replay to a message
  • Add an attachment to a message
  • Send an attachment
  • Look at an attachment
  • Saving an attachment
    		•  This lesson follows on from the previous one and looks at how to check for incoming mail using Microsoft Outlook Express. One of the benefits of e-mail is that you can attach files to a message and send it across the internet. In this lesson we look at how to reconise when a message has an attachment, how to read attachments and how to send them to others.

    Pre-defined curricula

    Like all courses at the Reeltime College this course comes supplied with a number of predefined curricula designed to help you go straight to the subjects you're most interested in. Curricula supplied with this course include:

    1. Standard curriculum (all lessons)
    2. Understanding the PC
    3. Windows basics
    4. Internet & e-mail
    5. Personal curriculum (designed by you)

    What will I need to enrol?

    This is what you need to get the most from the course:

    1. A Pentium-class PC with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 or XP.
    2. Sound card and loudspeakers or headphones
    3. A CD-ROM drive (or DVD drive) either on the PC or accessible over a local network.
    4. Approximately 10 Mb spare disk capacity. If you have another 30 Mb spare, you can choose to copy introduction movies onto the hard disk.
    5. If you download the course handbook, you'll need approximately 2 Mb spare for the download.
    6. The course assumes you have a copy of the target software (Excel 5) correctly installed on your computer. If not, you'll be able to watch the movie segments, but not complete the hands-on segments.

    You can enrol on the course by using the Reeltime software, which also allows you to preview the course content off-line. For more information, go to the How to join Reeltime College  page.

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