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ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
How to get started...
THE COMPUTER!
What are the components of a computer?
CPU - (pronounced as separate letters) or central processing unit: this is the brain of the computer which performs the computer's calculations.
floppy disk - a round disk with a coating like that of a cassette for recording music on which computer information is stored. The disk is inside a square plastic case. Disks are inserted into a slot (called the disk drive) in the CPU where the computer can read the information.
hardware - the physical components of a computer system, such as the monitor, CPU, printer or keyboard.
keyboard - like a typewriter with some extra keys, this is how you communicate with the computer-tell it what to type or compute.
monitor - (sometimes called the screen): The screen where the computer displays what you're typing.
printer - prints documents from the computer onto paper. There are several types of printers, including daisy wheel, dot matrix, ink jet and laser printers. Each uses a different process.
mouse - a small box attached to the computer with a cord that is used to move items on the screen or to draw.
Programme, application or software - instructions relating to certain functions like typing or financial management that tell the computer what to do. Some common types of programs are word processing programs (like Word Perfect or Word Star), spreadsheets (like Lotus or Excel), databases (like Dbase or Q&A), or page layout (like Pagemaker or QuarkXpress). Programs are often stored on floppy disks.
With this basic equipment you can do a lot of things! You can: write reports and letters, create and maintain a mailing list for a newsletter or members of your group, create budgets and keep track of finances, produce a newsletter or bulletin, organize a Resource Centre and store information about books, periodicals, etc., initiate contact with groups or individuals and reply to letters using personalized form letters.