Using a mouse and keyboard
Session plan: 1 hour
Suggested resources:
●Learn My Way ‘Using a mouse’ resources -
●Learn My Way ‘Using a keyboard’ resources -
●‘The quick brown fox’ hand-out‘
●‘Alice in Wonderland’ hand-out
Session aims:
●Increase confidence in using mouse and keyboard to control a computer
●Make using a computer an enjoyable experience
Learning objectives:
●Demonstrate using a mouse to click, double click and click & drag
●Demonstrate using a keyboard to type letters, numbers and extended characters
Extension activities:
●Learn My Way course: Using a mouse
●Learn My Way course: Using a keyboard
Section 1: Using a mouse Duration: 25 minutes
Duration / Content / Method / Resource
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Introduction
●Introduce yourself. Housekeeping (e.g. health & safety). Explain what we’ll be covering in this session.●Ask learners if they have an overall goal for using a computer (e.g. registering with a job site).
●Encourage learners to chat about how they feel about computers, what’s stopped them from using them in the past. /
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Performing mouse clicks
●Introduce learners to the mouse, shows how to hold mouse appropriately. Explain that moving the mouse moves the pointer (also known as the ‘cursor’) on the screen.●Explain what the left click is and demonstrate how to do it. E.g. select an icon on the screen, move it, then drop it somewhere else. Then move it back again. Learners are invited to try it.
●Explain double clicking and demonstrate how to do it. E.g. launching a web browser from the desktop. Learners are invited to try it. /
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Mouse practice
●Learners practice using mouse with a variety of online resources available from the Learn My Way ‘Using a mouse’ page.●Learners should be able to open a browser from the desktop but you may need to enter the URL for them, as they may not yet be familiar with the keyboard.
●Recommend: ‘Draw a stickman’, ‘Sheep game’ and ‘Solitaire’. / /
Section 2: Using a keyboardDuration: 35 minutes
Duration / Content / Method / Resource
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Typing letters, numbers, symbols. Using additional keys, such as Shift, Enter, Space
●Introduce learners to the keyboard, letters, numbers, space, enter and shift.●Explain how some keys have more than one use and that sometimes we need to press two keys at once.
●Learners to practice using a keyboard using the ‘Just Your Type’ online resource available from the Learn My Way ‘Using a keyboard’ page. The tutor should open the page for learners.
●Learners can repeat the activity until they feel more confident finding and using different keys / /
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Typing practice
●Show learners where to find a notepad programme on the computer and how to open it.●Learners to practice keyboard skills by copying ‘The quick brown fox’ hand-out. Explain that this uses every letter of the alphabet.
●More confident learners can progress to copying the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ hand-out. Explain that this uses capital letters, extended characters, and paragraphs. / / ‘The quick brown fox’ hand-out
‘Alice in Wonderland’ hand-out
/ Recap
●Ask learners how they feel after this session. Are they more confident in using a mouse and keyboard?
●Suggest that learners complete the Learn My Way courses ‘Using a mouse’ and ‘Using a keyboard’ before the next session. /