Welcome to the

Silver Surfers' Mini-Series     

This page has been designed for use during these training sessions. It is also available at any time, from any computer that is connected to the Internet. This means that you can go over the lessons between classes. Check out the group photos

A. Introducing the Mouse  

Start with Mousing Around

For practice in class try:-

• Clicking, dragging and drawing with the mouse
• A more advanced computer mouse & keyboard tutor
• Scrambled omelet instructions
• What's on TV tonight
• Watch six short animations of mouse skills
• Concentration is needed if you want to find the pairs
• Test your word knowledge and donate rice to the United Nations
• Virtual Jigsaw Puzzles - where you never lose a piece
• I'd rather be fishing
• I'd rather play Mini Golf
• Try the Skittles Game

Test your progress with the Mouse Quiz

For more practice you could try:-

• Try the Starting with computers course from My Guide
• Test out different painting schemes on our house
  Click on ENTER My Colour
• Have fun playing with spider
• Try your hand at table tennis
• Practice your mouse skills and take a virtual tour of Brisbane Street
• Keep up to date with the traffic conditions with traffic web cameras

B. Computer Keyboards

Type Faster can be downloaded from this link. It is a computer program that can help you to learn the basics of the keyboard. We will spend some time gaining keyboard skills at the beginning of Sessions 2, 3 and 4. If you have a computer at home try to spend some time between the training sessions developing your keyboard skills.

For more information about computer keyboards try:-

• Take a look at the computer keyboard
• An interactive tutorial on the keyboard for beginners
• Common questions about keyboards
• Learn to type online

C. Navigating web pages

Turning pages

• Remember When - Memories of Ipswich
• Read more about the world wide web

Juggling pages

• Take a virtual tour of Sanctuary Cove Resort. Click on Virtual Tour
• Solve your pest problem. Click on the map
• Simple saving tip sheets

Minimise this browser window and open a second browser by double clicking on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop. Now you have two browser windows open. The answers to the quiz questions will be found on the Home page of the library web site. Move between the two windows to answer the quiz questions.

• Juggling windows quiz

Web Forms

Checkboxes and Radio Buttons

• Find a park in Ipswich that has a dog off leash area
• Browse Ipswich history pages with check boxes and radio buttons. Click on Browse Topics

More complex forms

• Book an Info Coach session at the Ipswich Library
• Search for a retirement house on Bribie Island
• Find a convict ancestor. Type your surname into the search box.

D. Surfing the lazy way - following links

When you are browsing a web site, it is simply a matter of clicking on the most interesting or relevant links.

Take your pick from these:-

Information

• Will it ever rain again? Find a weather forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology.
  Select All Queensland Forecasts
  Select Ipswich
• Australian newspapers online
• Where can I recycle old computers?
• Watch the sea level rise along the Queensland coast

Recreation

• Sydney Morning Herald Crossword
• Want a holiday? Find a house to sit or swap
• Not steak and three veggies again! Find a recipe to spice up your table
• Take your photo with our new monitor web cam

Purchase

• Buy fruit and veggies to be delivered to your door
• Create your own personalised stamps
• Internet service provider connection for people with disabilities, the aged and veterans
• Broadband Guide enables you to search and compare Broadband internet plans
• Recycled computers for sale
• Higher rate of Telephone Allowance for seniors with home internet connection

E. Know where you're going - typing in web addresses

You can think of the World Wide Web as a network of electronic files stored on computers all around the world. HyperText links these resources together. Uniform Resource Locators or URL's are the addresses used to locate these files.

The information contained in a URL gives the ability to jump from one location on the Web to another with just a click of your mouse. When you click on a hypertext link in an HTML document, your web browser is actually sending a request to download a file stored on a remote computer.

You will see the current address in the Address Bar at the top of your browser window.

Most web browsers allow you to type a URL into the browser Address Bar. This enables you to access a particular web site.

Read more about web addresses

Test your progress with the Browser Quiz

F. E-mail essentials

• How e-mail works
• Learn about e-mail and Microsoft Outlook
• Spam and how to avoid it
• A short video on ways to recognise and avoid phishing scams.
• Spam updates from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

G. Where to from here?

Here are some sites which may help you to learn more about computers and the internet

• Internet tools and tips including how to use time on the Internet more effectively
• Read articles about protecting yourself online
• An internet tutorial that adds more information to this series
• Ten tips to make your computer experience easier
• Accessibility tutorials for Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 6
• A selection of fun and friendly animated videos. Put on the headphones and turn on the volume.
• Learn to search the world wide web
• Choose from these short video tutorials to learn more about using a computer
• My Web My Way accessibility features for the internet

H. Silver Surfers Feedback

Please take a moment to fill out our feedback form.