Course Content
1. Hardware and Software
This section will deal with computers (and other peripherals) and their components. It is imperative that we understand what constitutes a computer in order to understand how to work with them. Understanding the parts that make up a computer will lead to an understanding of how a computer works as a whole. In this section, we will "demystify" the inner workings of a computer, which we usually don't fully understand. Once you have deconstructed the inside of the computer in its entirety, you will feel more confident to continue your quest for digital skills because you will understand the so-called "tangible" parts of the machine and will be able to better locate the different operations on one's computer or other devices. This section will not deal with the inner workings of all the different electronic devices that exist (smartphones, tablets, games consoles etc.) as there are too many of them. However, they all have very similar components and functions to a computer. In this section, we will introduce the basics of hardware and software as well as the basics of connectivity.
2. The basics of problem-solving
This part deals with the basic tasks to be done with a computer to avoid issues or to solve basic problems we can encounter when using a computer: searching for space (disk) on the computer, making sure the computer's software is updated… These topics combined will enable you to use the computer independently and with confidence.
3. Business Tool: Microsoft Office
How can we talk about the basics of ICT without mentioning the Microsoft Office Suite! Microsoft Office is a set of office applications tools. It can be used on a computer, tablet or mobile. Among these tools, it offers several possibilities, each with its own use and particularities: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Note or Outlook. This software allows you to work faster and more efficiently on your business tasks and to improve your own documents. In the field of “office” tools, Microsoft Office is the must-have suite for most companies or home users, even if we have to pay for it. However, there are other free alternatives such as Open Office (including LibreOffice) which can also be a solution for beginners. But, later on, using this free option may create compatibility problems between certain document formats. In addition, the functions are limited compared to Microsoft Office. The Google collaborative tool (GoogleDoc, GoogleSheet…) is also one of those free alternatives that can be a good compromise between the two. By the way, if you want to know more about this last tool, it will be developed in another module!
Final Quiz
References
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5.1
3.2 Microsoft Excel
Now, we move on to Excel! This is a data processing tool. With Excel, you can clearly display your data in spreadsheets and charts. It is easy to use and saves you from having to buy business management software. This tool is a real time-saver and essential for monitoring cash flow, calculating costs, and more generally, for any custom calculation document (management, organisation, schedules, budget follow-up, etc…).
As an entrepreneur, this software will be perfect to do your accounting for example!
To learn the basics of Excel, we suggest you watch this video. It will give you the keys to better understand how this tool works.
Now that you know more about Excel, it’s time to put into practice all the knowledge you learned in the video!
Activity: Discovering Microsoft Excel (20min)
The goal of this activity is to get you to manipulate this tool by creating a table, its data, and simple formulas! If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to review parts of the video.
- Locate Microsoft Excel on your computer and create a new document.
- Activate the cell whose address is A2.
- Write “Month” and press “Enter”.
- In the following cells, enter the corresponding contents :
- Sales price
- Quantity sold
- Complete the entry with the following values in the table (from B3:B14 to C3:C14):
January | 20 | 578 |
February | 20 | 409 |
March | 22 | 478 |
April | 22 | 509 |
May | 22,50 | 389 |
June | 22,50 | 698 |
July | 22,50 | 700 |
August | 22 | 589 |
September | 22 | 468 |
October | 22 | 423 |
November | 23 | 535 |
December | 23 | 674 |
- Lay out the text in the cells and adjust the size of the columns.
- Add the borders.
- Save the file as “Accounting”.
- Enter the “January” Text in cell A3 and automatically complete the series until December.
- Sort the table from the highest to the lowest selling price.
- Rename the Sheet1 to “Turnover 2021”.
- Write “Monthly turnover” in D2.
- Write “=B3*C3” in D3. This will give you the monthly turnover. Do the same for the other months.
- In B16, write “Annual turnover”.
- In C16, calculate the annual turnover with a formula.
- In B17, write “Average annual turnover”.
- In C17, calculate the average annual turnover with a formula.
Additional exercise: Mail Merge (15min)
Too easy? Want to go further? No problem! We have an additional tutorial on the function Mail Merge! This exercise combines both Word and Excel. It will allow you to automate the creation of letters, labels, envelopes… For a considerable saving of time!