The Learning Barn

Free Software Downloads

2011-10-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

It was requested in my last Computer basics class, a list of software that could be downloaded. There are So many programs available on the internet for downloading. This is a small, simple list of my personal requirements (which I will continue to update):

Picasa - to modify pictures (or create an online picture-share where your friends/family can view your uploaded pictures)

WinAmp - to play music. Windows Media Player comes installed on your computer, this is simply an alternative.

Adobe Reader - keep updated with the latest version of reader, required to view PDFs

AVG - Free anti-virus software. Could be used in combination with other software you've purchased to protect your machine.

Personal Ancestral File - Free genealogy software

Internet Browsers: Your computer comes installed with Internet Explorer. However you could also use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

Anti-SpyWare protection: both SpyBot and Adaware are simple programs to remove spyware from your computers. These are not anti-virus programs and are not to replace your virus software. You can download both and use all in combination.

Media Websites

2011-03-24T23:33:00.001-07:00

I get a lot of questions about where to find "stuff" on the internet, such as media options for watching TV or listening to music.
The thing to remember is that you can Google anything - you can actually type in the field, "radio stations", or "online radio stations" or "online streaming radio". If you don't know, Google it!

The websites that I showcase in my Computer Basics classes are the ones that I visit. They might not be the ones that you like, but they're what I use. Again, Google for more options!

Pandora - Pandora is online music. It does not play a specific song, it creates a station for you. So, say you're in the mood for Paul Simon, you create a Paul Simon station. It plays some Paul Simon songs, but also music in the same genre. So you'll get some Credence or Bruce Hornsby or James Taylor. All music that sounds like Paul Simon. Pandora is great for listening to a Type of music in the background. If you want to create multiple stations you can Create an Account (using your email address) and then you can have a Paul Simon station, a Louis Armstrong station, or whatever you want. You can have 10+ stations (more if you pay a minimal fee).

YouTube is amazing for all things video. YouTube provides it's own search engine in the top of the screen - so you can search for videos of the Nicholas Brothers or Piano Players or kitten being crazy. Whatever you want to watch. There are educational videos, personal videos that people upload of their own family, music videos (you will likely be able to find a specific song you want to hear). And of course, all things obscure like old TV shows, or pictures of people driving snow-plows. If a video has been created, it will be on YouTube.

Hulu.com for watching TV shows and some movies. Watch old Lost episodes, or an episode you missed last week. Watch old movies! They do not have every movie, but like YouTube, there is a search engine when you go to the site, so you can look through TV shows and Movies available. You have to have a good internet connection (dial-up will likely not work) in order to "stream".

Questions? Let me know. Please leave me a comment or send me an email.

~Joanna

How do I change my Homepage (in Internet Explorer)?

2011-03-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Your Home-page is the first website that should open when you get "on" the internet (meaning, the first site that comes up when you click on the Big Blue E). Click HERE for more on What a homepage is.

If you would like to change your Home-page,

First, you must GO to the website that you want to be your home-page. For example, if you want your homepage to be Google, you must first GO to the Google website. For the purposes of this example, we'll use Google.

Go to Google's website. Type in google.com in your Address Bar.

Make sure you are at the Google website - where the logo is big and sprawling across the screen, like below. You do not want to be at a results page, where there are results of a search; you do not want to be a the Login page of your Google email. Make sure you are only at google.com.

Double-check that your page looks like the below picture.

2. Left-click the Little Tiny Arrow next to the Home button.

This will give you a drop-down menu. The first option on that menu is to Add or Change Home Page. Left-click on this with your mouse.

You will get this window:

Left-click the button next to where it says "Use this webpage as your homepage".
Left-click the button that says YES.

This will CHANGE your Home-page to Google.
Which means the next time you click your Big Blue E, Google will be the first page that opens up. And also that when you click the Home button, below, Google will be the website that you go to (no matter where you are on the internet).

If you want to change your webpage to something other than Google, use the same instructions:
1. GO to the website that you want to be your homepage.
2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Home button.
3. Click the radial button to "Use this website as my home-page"
4. Click YES to make that change.

Questions? Please leave me a comment or send me an email.

Want to print this page? Click HERE. Once you click on the link, go to File-Print. I'm sorry the images are not so great yet. Even us educators need to figure things out from time to time. I'll try to make better.

~Joanna

What is a Homepage?

2011-03-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

It is very important to KNOW WHERE YOU ARE when you are working on your computer. Remember that any time you click on an icon, file, or a folder, the title of WHERE YOU ARE will appear in the Upper Left-hand corner of that window. For example, when you click on that Big Blue E, you have opened your internet browser. You are now (hopefully) "on" the internet.

When you click on the Big Blue E, you will either arrive to a webpage (meaning the lower part of the page will display Something, like MSN or Google or Charter (if you're local to Southern Oregon). If you are NOT on the internet, the bottom of the page will say something like "page cannot be displayed".

No matter what, WHERE YOU ARE will be displayed in the top left corner. For example, this page says "Home, Welcome to Charter.net" - which means I am on the webpage that is Charter. And I am using the program, the Big Blue E, that is actually called Windows Internet Explorer. Say it again, the browser/software/program that I used to Get On the internet is called Windows Internet Explorer, and the website that I'm on is Charter. Look at how it's written below in the top-left corner.

When you FIRST click on that symbol, the Big Blue E, the First page that appears is your Home Page. This is different for everyone. Your homepage is YOUR homepage, literally. It's your "home". It should be the page you visit most often.

It also means that when you click the Home button on your ToolBar, no matter where you are on the Internet (whether you are looking at dresses at Old Navy, or you're researching Anne Rice), if you click that Home button, you will go "home". And that "home", is YOUR home-page.

Your computer will be set to a specific Home-Page when you buy it. It depends on the type of computer you have (maybe your homepage will be HP "Hewlitt-Packard" if you bought an HP machine). Or it might depend on where you bought your computer. Some companies might have a local company they promote; for example, if you buy your computer at some places here in the Rogue Valley, your homepage might be set to Charter because they're trying to promote Charter's Internet Service.

Point is, your Home Page is the FIRST page you go to when you click that E.

If you want to change your home-page to something else, like Google, or your Email, click Here for instructions.

Welcome

2011-03-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is just my intro post, must do. To say hello!

I've been considering a blog on Computer Basics for some time. There are So many blogs out there; so much information. All you have to do is "Google" your question, and a myriad of responses will result. But the problem is, what if you don't know how to "Google"? This is what I encounter in my Computer Basics classes.

We start from the very beginning on computer technology. Because I teach community education, this is largely a "Senior" demographic. Now, ya'll, don't get upset if you see me use the word "Senior" or "Baby-boomer" up here - that's just part of it. Email me, comment on me, express your frustration that I put you in a demographic box... but truth be told, the majority of those seeking community education are those who have looked elsewhere for computer literacy (often their own children) and found a world of tech's who speak a foreign language.

If you've taken my classes, and hopefully you have or you wouldn't be here, you know that I'm different. It's why you come back. It's why my voice-mail stays full. I am not a "Senior", but I've been addressing this Computer Basics world for a long time and hopefully, I've learned a few things. All because YOU TEACH ME! When I started, I assure you, I was a bumbling idiot, not too far different from those tech's speaking Greek. YOU've been the ones to educate me on HOW to teach, how to explain, how to make it real and meaningful and NOT SCARY.

Because computers are not supposed to be scary. They're fun! They really, truly are.

And if you know me, you know I ramble. So I'll stop.

Welcome to my blog. I hope you learn a thing or two. And if not, comment and let me know WHAT you need to know!

~Joanna