Browsing and Finding Information

Some simple ideas to help you explore on the internet:

·        Your postcode and locality (maps, aerial views, local information)

·        Finding out what’s on at a cinema or theatre

·        A journey by train

·        Information about an interest that you have

To use Google:

·        Click START (bottom left hand corner of the screen)

·        Click Internet Explorer (mention other web browsers) or:

·        Find Internet Explorer (IE) icon on Desktop and Double-click

This Opens IE window and will show the default Home Page for the pc that you’re using.

This opens up a Google search page.

What is Google? It’s a search engine that helps you find other websites that might have the information you’re looking for.

What you type in the Google window will determine what it finds.  Often you need to be very specific as Google searches for websites from all over the world, although by selecting the button ‘pages from the UK’, Google will only find sites based in the UK.

It’s good to identify the subject, the location (if known) and a specific word that identifies your query eg. booking, tickets, opening times, etc.

---

Exercise 1: Finding out what’s on at a theatre

(eg. Theatre Royal, Newcastle).

Try writing ‘Theatre Royal’ in the Google search box.  What happens?

If you just put ‘Theatre Royal’, you’ll get sites for Theatre Royal’s all over the country. If you add ‘Newcastle’ to the text, then it will give you the website for the Theatre Royal in Newcastle.

 

Try both options and see what comes up.

If you add ‘What’s on’, see what results you get back.

 

Remember, all Google does is give you website addresses that might be what you’re looking for.  The next step is to find which of the options given are the most useful.

 

·        The results give you a headline in blue.  Is this what you need?

 

Read the text in black to see if that helps and if you’re looking for a particular organisation, then look for a web address (usually in green, below the black text and pre-fixed by www.) that has the name of the place, company or organisation you’re looking for in the web address itself eg. www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Challenge 1:  Can you find what’s on at the Sage Music Centre in Gateshead on one weekend in September?  Can you see how to book tickets?

---

Exercise 2. Go back to the Google page or re-type in the web browser window www.google.co.uk

 

Try typing in your post code in the Google window and see what comes up. Often the first result is Google maps. Click on this.

 

A map will appear of the area where you live.

You can zoom in or out of the map using the controls on the left hand side of the map. You can also select an aerial view.

Saving Images or Pictures from a website

Often (but not always), it’s possible to save pictures from the web to use for other purposes.

First make sure you have a folder to put in any images you want to copy.

To create a new folder

·       Right-click on the desktop

·       Select NEW then FOLDER

·       Then immediately write a name for the folder

To save a picture from the web.

·       Find the picture you want to copy

·       Right-click on the picture

·       Select COPY

Then go to your folder and open it.

·       Right-click in the folder

·       Select PASTE

This will copy the picture into your folder.

You can now open the picture by double-clicking on it or use it in a document.

If the picture is very small it may be un-useable in a document

How to set up and use Facebook

http://sites.google.com/site/facebooktlc/setting-up-a-facebook-account

Setting up PRIVACY SETTINGS

http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/

Signing up

Go to www.facebook.com

Input your details into the Sign Up form

Click Sign Up

Input the words into the text box for the security test.

You will receive an email from Facebook asking you to confirm that you have signed up. Click on the link in that email to complete your sign up.

After clicking the link in the email, you will then be logged into Facebook and you can begin to set up your Facebook account.

Getting Started

Step 1

You will be asked “Are your friends already on Facebook?”. If you think they are, then enter your email address and email password into the boxes provided.

Facebook will then search your email contacts and find anyone who already has a Facebook account. You don't have to use the same email address you used to sign up with.

If you see any of your friends in the list, then you can add them by clicking 'Add friend'

Step 2

Fill in your profile information. This will be info such as which school you went to, which company you work for etc. You can always skip this step if you want.

Step 3

Now you can upload an image from your computer to use a profile picture. Or if you have a webcam set up, you can take your picture directly into Facebook. Again, you can skip this step if you like, and you can add a profile picture later.

Using your Facebook

Home

If you haven't added any contacts, then your homepage (www.facebook.com/home.php ) will be empty.

Try searching for people you know by typing their name into the search box either in the middle of the screen, or in the top right corner of the screen.

You will find that there may be more than one, if not hundreds of people on Facebook who have the same name as someone you are searching for.  To help narrow your search down, use the filter boxes to input additional information such as the persons 'Location', 'School/University' and 'Workplace'.

If you find someone you know, and you would like to add them as a friend, just click 'Add as Friend'.

Facebook will then notify that person that you would like to add them, and they will have to confirm this when they receive the notification. You can also send a personal message along with the invite.

Profile

Try going to http://www.facebook.com/profile.php This is your profile page, which will display the information you allow other people to see.

Click on the 'Info' Tab on your profile. Here you can input extra information, such as your hometown, relationship status, political views etc. You can also add contact info such as telephone and email.

Never put information here that you aren't comfortable with people knowing. You can adjust privacy settings on any piece of information by clicking the padlock symbol and selecting a different option.

Status Update

In the box on your profile that says 'What's on your mind' you can type anything you want and it will be displayed as your Status Update. That way anyone who is your friend on Facebook can see what you've written. This is handy for communicating to a lot of people at once.

Add Photos

If you want to add photographs you must first upload a profile picture, other wise Facebook will assume you don't have any images to upload.

To add a profile picture, if you haven't already, simply go to your profile and click the link that says 'Upload a photo' which should be located underneath the default Facebook profile image.

Once you've done that, a new tab will appear next to the 'Wall' and 'Info' tabs. This one will be labelled 'Photos'. Open the Photos tab.

Click on 'Create a Photo Album'

Give the album a name and, if you like, location and description.

Click 'Create Album'

You will then be able to select photos from your computer

Select all your photos, or just specific ones by clicking the check box on each photo.

Then click 'Upload'

You can now add captions to your photos if you like.

Click 'Save Changes'

If you want your friends to see that you have uploaded new photos, then choose Publish, if you don't, then choose Skip.

How to add your contribution

This is where we want you to take part. 

• First add yourself to the Contributors list by sending an email to digi50@media19.co.uk asking to be a Contributor
• Then you can SIGN IN using the following information
  Username: contributor          Password: digi50

This will take you back to the DiGi50+ website

Find your name in the list of Contributors, click on it and then you can start adding text and photographs by clicking New Post.

If you can't see the list, click the small arrow next to Contributors 

Remember you need to SIGN IN before you can add anything to the site

We want to see your pictures and read your stories about:

 

Memories, the good things about living in the country, countryside issues, events, festivals and gatherings, favourite views, walks or places , your village, rural interests, pastimes and hobbies or pictures and memories from the past

 

Take photos or Scan old prints from the past (and that includes anything pre-digital) to show how things have changed or a favourite memory.

Remember to write something about the pictures, tell us your stories about life out in the country.

 

Adding Pictures

      Remember to SIGN IN
Click your name in the list on the left
Click New Post
You can add a title in the top text box and write in the larger box. 
You can also add pictures in this box - USE INSERT > IMAGE

·         Click Insert (top left hand corner just below 'Google sites’

·         Select Image

·         Then Browse for the picture you want.

·         Once your picture appears in the small box in the Browse window, click OK.

 

The image will now appear in your 'post' where you can adjust the size (S M L) and the alignment (L C R) by clicking on the picture and using the toolbar as shown in the image below:

This may appear at the top of your picture

 

You can also add a link to a web page by choosing Insert > Link then pasting in the web address.

 

·         Once you've written your post, click the Save button at the
top right of the page

·         To change or add anything to your post select Edit Post

·         To create a completely new entry click the New post button as before

·         To make a comment on someone elses contribution, you need to open the story by clicking on the story title and then write in the comments box. 

 

Remember to SAVE when you've finished
(it’s at top right hand corner of the page)