MTN SOUTH AFRICA, THROUGH MTN SA FOUNDATION

IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF CAT AND IT DIGITAL

BOOKS.

As an organisation rooted in technology, we believe in providing a new

bold digital world to communities we operate in. This unique digital
book provides the fundamental knowledge necessary for a sound
grounding from which to make practical use of the complete and
indispensable application-oriented information regarding Computer
Applications Technology (CAT) and Information Technology (IT). It is a
foundational reference for today’s secondary school learners and
teachers alike – as well as for the next generation of CAT and IT
students.

Computer Applications Technology Grade 10 Theory Book

ISBN: 978-1-928388-60-9
First published in 2019 © 2019. Copyright in the text remains with the
contributors.

Restrictions
You may not make copies of this book in part or in full – in printed or
electronic or audio or video form – for a profit seeking purpose.

Rights of other copyright holders

All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that materials
included are not already copyrighted to other entities, or in a small
number of cases, to seek permission from and acknowledge copyright
holders. In some cases, this may not have been possible. The
publishers welcome the opportunity to redress this with any
unacknowledged copyright holders.
Contents

Term 1

Chapter 1 Concepts of computing

Introduction

Unit 1.1 Information and communication technology

ICT systems used in everyday life
Activity 1.1

Unit 1.2 Data and information

The GIGO principle
The information-processing cycle
Activity 1.2

Unit 1.3 Computers and ICT

Activity 1.3

Unit 1.4 Types of computers

Multi-purpose devices
Dedicated (embedded) devices

Unit 1.5 Economic benefits of computers

 Activity 1.4

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Term 2

Chapter 2 Using a computer

Introduction

Unit 2.1 Operating a computer

Switching the computer on
Using the mouse
Using the keyboard
Using the desktop
Activity 2.1
Getting to know Windows
File management
Activity 2.2

Unit 2.2 Posture and ergonomics

Social implications: Correct typing posture
Ergonomics
Prevention
Activity 2.3

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 3 File management

Introduction

Unit 3.1 Basic concepts of file management

Folders
File path
Activity 3.1
Organising files and folders
Using a file manager (This PC)
Activity 3.2

Unit 3.2 File types

Text files
Document files
Locked document files
Web pages
Archives and compressed files
Presentation files
Spreadsheet files
Database files
Image files
Animation files
Video files
Sound files
Portable document format (PDF)
Activity 3.3

Revision activity
At the end of the chapter

Chapter 4 File and print management

Introduction

Unit 4.1 File management skills

Creating shortcuts
Taking screenshots
Activity 4.1

Unit 4.2 File compression

Compressing and decompressing files and folders
Activity 4.2

Unit 4.3 Print management

Adding a new peripheral
Changing the default printer
Basic printing
Printer queue management
Activity 4.3

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 5 Hardware

Introduction

Unit 5.1 What is hardware?

Ports and connectors
Adapters and convertors
 Activity 5.1

Unit 5.2 Input devices

Common input devices
Pointing devices
Activity 5.2

Unit 5.3 Output devices

Common output devices
Activity 5.3

Unit 5.4 Storage devices

Concepts used in storage capacity
Common storage devices
Capacity and robustness of storage devices
Connecting peripherals
Activity 5.4

Unit 5.5 Green computing

Going green when printing
Activity 5.5

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 6 Extended hardware concepts

Introduction

Unit 6.1 More about input devices

Pointing devices
 Digital camera
Scanning and reading devices
Video input devices
Audio input devices
Biometric input devices
Activity 6.1

Unit 6.2 More about output devices

Audio output
Other output
Activity 6.2

Unit 6.3 Storage media and devices

Activity 6.3

Unit 6.4 Processing devices

Motherboard
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Memory
Activity 6.4

Unit 6.5 Caring for your PC and storage devices

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 7 Computer software

Introduction

Unit 7.1 Basic software concepts

 Application software
Accessories
System software
Activity 7.1

Unit 7.2 Operating system

The role of the operating system
The operating system and GUI
Different operating systems
Mobile operating systems
Activity 7.2

Unit 7.3 Being more secure

Create a password
Other authentication methods
Activity 7.3

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 8 Extended software concepts

Introduction

Unit 8.1 Types of software

Freeware, shareware and proprietary software

Unit 8.2 System software

Drivers

Unit 8.3 Licensing and licensing agreements

 Software licensing and licence agreements
Software piracy
Activity 8.1

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 9 Introduction to networks and networking concepts

Introduction

Unit 9.1 Concepts used in networks

Activity 9.1

Unit 9.2 Uses of networks

Aims and objectives of networks
Advantages and disadvantages of networks

Unit 9.3 Social implications: Networks

Viruses
Licensing contracts
User policies
Ownership of electronic material
Activity 9.2

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Term 3

Chapter 10 Types of networks: PAN/HAN

Introduction

Unit 10.1 PAN/HAN

Wired and wireless networks
HANs and PANs

Unit 10.2 Creating a PAN/HAN

Requirements
Connecting to the internet
Activity 10.1

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 11 The internet and world wide web

Introduction

Unit 11.1 The internet

Internet address

Unit 11.2 The world wide web

Important concepts used with the world wide web
Using a web browser
What is the difference between a web page and a website?
URLs, URL shortener and the address bar
Links
Navigation buttons
Tabbed browsing
Activity 11.1
Unit 11.3 Search engines
Searching for information
Basic browsing and searching techniques
Refining your search

Unit 11.4 Downloads and uploads

Downloading
Uploading
Activity 11.2

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 12 Internet communication

Introduction

Unit 12.1 Electronic communication devices

E-communication using a PC or mobile device
Activity 12.1

Unit 12.2 Email as a form of e-communication

Components of an email address
ISP versus webmail
How email works
Activity 12.2

Unit 12.3 Basic emailing

Email interface
Sending emails
Replying to emails
 Hyperlinks in emails
Etiquette in emails
Activity 12.3

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Chapter 13 Social implications: Email and internet

Introduction

Unit 13.1 Social implications: Email and internet safety

Computer crimes
Activity 13.1
Safe internet and email use
Activity 13.2

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Term 4

Chapter 14 Information management

Introduction

Unit 14.1 Concepts used in information management

Unit 14.2 Practical Assessment Task (PAT) overview

Techniques used in information management
Activity 14.1
Unit 14.3 Sifting data
Information versus knowledge
Sifting information
Activity 14.2

Unit 14.4 Processing data

Knowledge versus insight/decision making
The importance of information manipulation
Data handling using a spreadsheet
Processing data using a spreadsheet

Unit 14.5 Presenting data

Graphs and tables
Reports
Slide show presentation
Finalising the PAT
Activity 14.3

Revision activity

At the end of the chapter

Glossary
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 1.1 Information and communication

technology
Unit 1.2 Data and information
Unit 1.3 Computers and ICT
Unit 1.4 Types of computers
Unit 1.5 Economic benefits of computers

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Understand ICT systems and how they are used in everyday life.
Distinguish between data and information.
Give examples of data and information used.
Identify the main concepts of a computer.
Understand the difference between hardware and software.
Describe the information-processing cycle with reference to how it uses hardware
devices in each stage.
Describe the different types of computers and their uses.
Explain the economic reasons for using computers.
Understand the different social implications regarding the use of ICT.

INTRODUCTION
We use many different types of computers, or computer-controlled
devices every day. This can range from smartphones and calculators,
to the scanners used in supermarkets.
The history of computing goes back over 2 500 years to the abacus,
which is a simple calculator made from beads and wires, and is still
used in some parts of the world today.

In the following units, you will learn more about the different concepts
used in computing, the different types of ICT systems used, as well as
what the difference is between data and information. You will also look
at the various components of a computer and the different types of
computers available. Lastly, you will learn about the economic value of
computers.

UNIT

1.1 Information and communication

technology

ICT SYSTEMS USED IN EVERYDAY LIFE

ICT systems are often confused with computers; however, they are not
the same thing. Computers refer to the hardware that forms part of an
ICT system. The ICT system refers to the overall set-up, consisting of
hardware, software, data and the people that use it. It commonly
includes communication technology, such as the internet.
Information and communication technology (ICT) is a field that is
related to computers and communication networks. It can also be in
the form of audiovisuals, for example, film and digital productions.
Digital technologies use data, such as text, numbers, images, sounds
and videos. Computers use this data to show information.

In the past, these technologies used to be separate systems, but

recently, these technologies have become almost “one”. Computers
have become more like smartphones and smartphones have become
more like computers. ICT is the field that looks at all these technologies
as one.

An ICT system depends on computers, data and people to make the

system work. For ICT systems to function correctly, they need to
receive, store, retrieve, manipulate and transmit data. Data is often in
the form of text, numbers, sounds and images.

EXAMPLE OF AN ICT SYSTEM IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Computers, however, cannot act on their own; a computer needs
someone to give it (enter) the data that needs to be processed. To
understand how it works, look at the following example.

Supermarkets and chain stores use ICT systems for a variety of

reasons. In this example, we will look at the processes of receiving,
manipulating, storing and communicating data at a point-of-sale (POS)
system.
PROCESSES AT A POS SYSTEM
When you look at a supermarket’s ICT system from the cashier and
customer’s point of view, all you see is a stand-alone computer. This
computer is called a cash register. However, the cash register consists
of much more than that.

All items have a barcode, which is a pattern of narrow and wide

stripes that can be read by a barcode reader. The barcode reader is
used to scan the barcode optically and convert the stripes into
numerical data, which can automatically be transferred to the check-
out computer (i.e. the cash register). The barcode reader sometimes
beeps after scanning an item to signal to the cashier that the item has
been identified.

Figure 1.1: An example of a barcode

INPUT AND STORING DATA

When an item is scanned, the check-out computer checks for the
price of the item in the database. The running total of each item is
stored temporarily in the check-out terminal. (There may be other data
stored there as well, such as money that was taken out of the till
during the day.)
MANIPULATING DATA
After all the items have been scanned, the check-out computer
calculates the data to determine the total cost. If the customer pays
with cash and requires change, the cashier will enter the amount given
and the check-out computer will calculate any change that should be
given to the customer. This is an example of the computer receiving
data from the user.

TRANSMITTING DATA
When all the items are scanned into the check-out computer, the
customer can see information about the price of each item, which is
shown on a small display.

After all the items have been scanned, the total amount is shown. The
customer then pays and is given a printed till receipt showing all the
items that were bought and how much each item costs.
Figure 1.2: Cash register and receipt

COMMUNICATION
In some instances, a product’s data can also be sent to the shop’s
main computer for stocktaking purposes, as well as to the
manufacturer for their stock purposes.

Activity 1.1
1. Explain the term ICT. Do not just expand on the acronym.
2. What does POS stand for?
3. The following table shows a few activities that take place before
check-out. Match these activities with one of the following
 processes associated with a POS, as seen from the customer’s
point of view:
Receives
Sends
Stores
Retrieves
Manipulates

4. Imagine a world without ICT systems, or ICT-controlled devices.

ICTs have several advantages and disadvantages. Copy and fill in
the table below, and list three advantages and disadvantages of
ICT systems.
 UNIT

1.2 Data and information

In computing, it is very important to understand the difference between

data and information. This section will look at the differences between
the two and the importance thereof.

What do you think of first when you hear the word data? What comes
to mind is raw material, which refers to something that has not yet
been processed. Data needs to be processed before it can become
useful. Data can be in the form of text, words, numbers or symbols
which, if not put into some type of context, is pretty useless to us.

Information, on the other hand, is data that is processed and formatted

in such a way that we can actually use it. Both data and information
are important; it is through accurate data collection that people, such
as managers, have the necessary information to make informed
decisions. Let’s take a look at the following examples of data and
information:
As you can see from this example, the data appears to be a set of
random words and numbers. Only after the data has been interpreted,
organised and formatted, you can see that it is the contact details for
David Mahlangu.

Let’s look at the following example of how data can be converted into
useful information.

Animation

Make an animation similar to what is

shown in the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Rs57-PQyqaE You can also use
baking a cake as example. This
example will include the following as
data: flour, baking soda, salt, milk,
 eggs, icing sugar, the oven as the
computer and the cake as information.

DETERMINING HOW THE

LEARNERS DO IN MATHEMATICS

Mandla’s Mathematics teacher needs

to determine how the learners in her
class are performing. She must get
the test results (data) and the average
of each learner, as well as the
average mark for the entire class
(information).
There are five learners in the
Mathematics class and so far, they
have written three tests.

Table 1.1: Data about learners’ test

results for three tests
 Table 1.2: Maths results Term 1
(sorted from highest to lowest score
in percentage)

Tables 1.1 and 1.2 show the difference between data and information.
In Table 1.1, we cannot see how the learners are performing. However,
after the computer manipulated the test scores, we are given
meaningful information, as can be seen in Table 1.2. Remember, the
information we get out of a computer is only as good as the data that
is entered into it.

THE GIGO PRINCIPLE

GIGO is an acronym for Garbage In, Garbage Out. Simply put, it
means that bad input will result in bad output. It is very important to
remember the GIGO principle, because bad data will give you bad
information.

Using the example of the learners’ test results, if the teacher entered
the incorrect marks into the computer (i.e. bad data), the information
that she would get as a result, will also be incorrect.
It is quite possible for data to be interpreted incorrectly. This is often
the result of incorrect or incomplete data, or a lack of context.

THE INFORMATION-PROCESSING CYCLE

For you to understand how a computer works, you need to
understand the information-processing cycle. The stages in this cycle
repeat itself over and over again and is made up of the following:
Input: In the first stage of computing, the computer receives some
data or instructions to follow.
Processing: In the second stage of computing, the computer
follows the instructions programmed into it and manipulates the data
in some way.
Output: In the third stage of computing, the computer supplies the
new, manipulated information in some way. This information can be
displayed on the screen (for example, the message you see on the
screen while you type), or it can be sent to a different part of the
computer where it is received as input.
Storage: An optional stage is where data is stored. The data can be
stored permanently (on a hard drive), or temporarily (on RAM – i.e.
the computer’s short-term memory).
Communication: Another optional stage is communication, where
the output created is sent across a network to other computers.
While this step used to be rare in the past, most computer programs
perform some type of communication today.
An example of the information-processing cycle is shown in the
following figure:

Figure 1.3: The information-processing cycle

The information-processing cycle is a series of stages carried out to

get information from raw data. Although each of the first three stages
explained above (input, processing and output) must be taken in order,
the order is cyclic. The output stage can lead to the repeat of the
data-collection stage, resulting in another cycle of data processing.

Activity 1.2
1. Sizwe is in Grade 10 and received his school report. When he looks
at his report, this is what he sees:
 1.1 What is wrong with this report?
1.2 Which principle is referred to above?
1.3 Explain the difference between data and information.
1.4 Use the data from the previous page and create a report showing the
correct information for Sizwe. Use the table below to guide you:

2. Answer the following questions based on the scenario below.

Computers are electronic devices that manipulate data and turn it into useful
information. To see how this works, think about sending a WhatsApp message from
 a cell phone to a friend.
The diagram below shows the different stages in sending a WhatsApp message.

2.1 What process is shown in this diagram?

2.2 List the different stages from A to F.
2.3 What happens during Stage C of this cycle?
2.4 Indicate whether the following is input, output, or storage:
a. Typing a message to a friend on WhatsApp
b. Music that you listen to from your phone

c. Printing a file
d. Playing videos using your phone
e. Photos that you keep on your phone
 UNIT

1.3 Computers and ICT

Computers are electronic devices that receive data, manipulate the

data and then turn it into useful information, before storing it and/or
sending it to someone, or somewhere, to be read or acted upon.

The following figure tries to explain how a computer works. You can
see that the functions of a computer are similar to the stages of the
information-processing cycle.
Figure 1.4: General model of a computer

Looking at the figure, you will see that all basic computers consist of
four functions:
1. Input
2. Storage
3. Processing
4. Output

WHAT MAKES A COMPUTER A

COMPUTER?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=mCq8-xTH7jA

These four things are combined to make a computer work.

For a computer to function properly, it must consist of both hardware

and software, which both depend on each other. Without software, the
hardware of a computer will have no function and vice versa. Both of
these concepts are discussed in detail in the chapters to follow;
however, we will just briefly explain what each means.
Hardware: The physical components of a computer, also referred to as the
equipment of a computer.
Software: More commonly known as apps (applications) or programs and consists
of a list of instructions in a computer language that instructs the computer on what
to do.
Examples of hardware devices consist of the following:
Keyboard and mouse used for input
Monitors, printers and speakers used for output
Hard drives and flash disks used for storage
Routers used for communication

Figure 1.5: Computer hardware

Activity 1.3
1. What is a computer?
2. Match each concept in Column A with the correct definition in
Column B. Write only the number and the letter.
3. Answer the questions based on the diagram below.

3.1 Name the missing stages, as indicated by the letters below:

a. A:
b. B:
c. C:
3.2 List one example of each of the following:
a. Hardware
b. Software
3.3 Your teacher is busy printing out the term class reports. Which stage is this
in the information-processing cycle?
4. Complete the following table and identify two hardware devices
that your teacher will use for each of the missing stages. Motivate
why she would use those specific devices.
 UNIT

1.4 Types of computers

As you know, computers are devices used to process information.

There are several terms used to describe computers; most of these
terms indicate the size and the capability of the computer. The two
main categories of computers are:
1. Multi-purpose: These types of computers have an operating
system that can run many applications at the same time. Some
examples are devices, such as servers, laptops and smartphones.
2. Dedicated devices: These are devices that can only run one task.
Some examples are ATMs and processors embedded in devices,
such as refrigerators and motor cars.
Figure 1.6: Different types of computers

MULTI-PURPOSE DEVICES
Table 1.3: Different types of general-purpose computers
DEDICATED (EMBEDDED) DEVICES
Embedded devices are devices designed for a single purpose;
whether that purpose is to wake you up in the morning, control the
temperature of the air conditioning or help navigate. As such, these
devices are usually excellent at their specific tasks, but they are also
unable to do anything else. Embedded devices are designed to
perform specific dedicated computing tasks. Examples of these
devices are:
ATM machines
DVD players
Anti-lock braking systems
Digital watches
MP3 players
Drones
Airbag control systems

TYPES OF COMPUTERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7qOF5ffTDI8&list=PLOaNAKtW5HL
RZAyE8XkucMuGZpKKCLI88&index=
3
 UNIT

1.5 Economic benefits of computers

Over the years, it became impossible to imagine a world without

computers or computer-controlled devices, such as ATMs, cameras
and music players.

Computers have several economic benefits, such as:

Saving paper: Companies and individuals can save paper by working electronically
on computers. People can now send letters (emails), magazines and read books
electronically instead of having to print out hard copies. This also saves money and
time in the long run. Estimates have shown that there can be a 10 to 30%
decrease in paper usage if the correct technology is used.
Saving labour: Businesses can save money and labour (people) by using
computer-controlled devices to perform repetitive functions that require several
employees to perform.
Communication speed and costs: Telephone and postage costs can be
decreased drastically using computers and the internet. It also allows information to
be sent and received faster than in the past. For example, the use of email allows
instant communication with staff, clients and other individuals at any place or time.
The use of smartphones will help employers to keep in touch with their employees
regularly, which ultimately saves time and phone calls.
Efficiency: Instead of being swamped with paperwork or sorting out piles of
paperwork, files can be stored on computers. Retrieval of old documents is much
 easier when it is stored electronically. Also, computers can do the work of more
than one person in less time than normal employees.
Accuracy: Computers produce more accurate data or results than human beings.
This, however, depends on the quality of the input data. If the information entered is
incorrect, the results produced will most likely be incorrect. Computers can,
however, detect certain human errors and might highlight these errors.
Reliability: Computers that are maintained properly will be reliable in the long run.
It is safe to say that we can rely on computers to perform the tasks that they have
been programmed to do.

Activity 1.4

Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow.

SAVING PAPER

The largest bank in the USA, Bank of

America, greatly reduced its paper
consumption by making use of
electronic reports and forms, emails,
double-sided copying and by using
lighter-weight papers. As a result, it
saved tonnes of paper, decreasing the
consumption by 32%. (This is over a
billion sheets of paper!)
a. Give two examples of how computers benefit the economy by
saving paper. Motivate your answer.
b. List three ways of how computers have benefited the economy in
South Africa. Motivate your answer.

Case Study Thembisile and her smartphone

To understand how dependent we are becoming on smartphones, read the following
case study about a day in Thembisile’s life.
This is an example of a smartphone user, Thembisile, and how she uses her phone
throughout the day.
Every morning at 07:00, Thembisile is woken up by the alarm on her smartphone. This
alarm clock application has a function that plays soft music for five minutes before
she has to wake up. This actually prepares her brain to wake up. After that, the tone
becomes louder, which she cannot ignore. If she hits the snooze button, her alarm is
set to snooze five times for five minutes at a time.
After Thembisile has woken up, she checks her emails, WhatsApp messages, other
texts and her social media updates, such as Facebook and Twitter, which were set to
not send any messages to her between 21:00 and 07:00.
She then has breakfast, which she logs into her meal plan application. This indicates
the number of calories she consumed. She also adds toothpaste and soap to her
shopping list application.
Her calendar application shows that she is supposed to be at the gym in 30 minutes.
She gets into her car and mounts her phone on the hands-free device attached to the
windscreen of her car. She then switches her phone to GPS navigation, which works
out the best route to her three calendar appointments, i.e. gym, work and her 13:00
meeting.
At the gym, she uses her gym application and inputs her weight, height and energy
level into the application. This gives her an exercise routine she should focus on for
the session.
She realises she is running a little late for work, so she sends a quick message to her
manager using an instant message service (IMS), such as WhatsApp. Her normal
keyboard is replaced by SwiftKey, making it much quicker for her to type.
At work, Thembisile uses a note-taking application to make notes of the things she is
currently working on, as well as the scheduling application, which books and shares
new appointments. She then uses CamCard to scan the new business card she just
received so that the details are automatically saved in her contact list.
Before going to bed, Thembisile quickly looks at the day’s important news events on
her news application and plays some of the several games on her phone, such as
Pokémon, Candy Crush and Angry Birds.
At 22:00, her sleep application tells her it is time to sleep.
As you can see, Thembisile, and probably her entire family, are very active smartphone
users. Information is transferred, stored and conveyed in their everyday lives. This is
the direction that the world of technology is moving towards. It also shows us how
dependent we are becoming on computers, or computer-operated devices.
Answer the following questions about the case study that you have just read:
1. Give a brief description of a smartphone.
2. Identify four applications that Thembisile uses during the day.
3. From the case study, identify five things for which Thembisile uses
her phone. How does this improve her day-to-day life?
4. How does Thembisile’s employer benefit from using a
smartphone?
5. How does the SwiftKey keyboard differ from the normal keyboard
on a smartphone?

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Study the picture of a computer below and answer the questions
that follow:

a. Identify and name two input devices. (2)

b. Is device A an input device or an output device? (1)
c. What is the function of device B? (2)
2. Match the user in Column A with the type of computer in Column
B.
 (3)
3. Your school has bought a new computer for the
administration office. List two economic benefits of having a
computer in the office. Explain how the school benefits in each
case. (6)
4. a. Define what is meant by an embedded device. (2)
b. Give an example of an embedded device that will be found in a motor car.(1)
5. Look at the diagram below and answer the questions that follow:
 a. What stage of the information-processing cycle is taking place at 3? (1)
b. Does stage 6 represent storage or communication? Give a reason for your
answer. (2)
6. Your class teacher ticks off each morning who is present at school.
At the end of the term, she determines how many times each
learner in the class was absent. This number is included in the
learner’s term report. Using this scenario, explain the difference
between data and information. (4)
TOTAL: [24]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 2.1 Operating a computer

Unit 2.2 Posture and ergonomics

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Switch a computer on.

Use a mouse correctly.
Identify and explain the different icons when using a mouse.
Understand the different features of the desktop.
Use your desktop.
Explain the importance of the correct posture when working with a computer.

INTRODUCTION
As a modern-day learner, you have probably used, seen, or read about
computers. We use computers in our everyday lives, for example, in
banks, schools, shops, hospitals, and maybe the people in your home
use computers on a daily basis. Being able to use a computer is an
important skill to learn; not only for school or university purposes, but
also for the workplace.

In this chapter, we will introduce you to the practical side of using

computers.
 UNIT

2.1 Operating a computer

Operating a computer may not be as difficult as you think. In this unit,
we will focus on:
Switching a computer on.
Using the mouse correctly.
Using your desktop.
Applying basic file operations, such as opening, saving and printing a file.

SWITCHING THE COMPUTER ON

Guided Activity 2.1

To start up your computer, you need to do the following:
1. Make sure that the computer has been plugged into a power
socket.
2. To switch the computer on, press the Power button. On some
computers, this button lights up after the computer is switched on.
3. The computer will now boot. This is when the computer loads the
operating system and checks that all the components are in good
order.
4. After the computer has booted, a log on screen might appear.
Logging on allows registered users access to the computer. If you
are the only user of the computer, it will go straight to the desktop
screen once it is turned on.
5. If you share the computer with other users, you might have to log
in your details. You can do this by typing in your username and
password, and then pressing the Enter key. After the computer
accepts the login details, the desktop display will appear on the
screen.

Something to know

Note that login procedures may differ

with different systems.

Something to know

A computer uses your username and

password to verify your identity. This
prevents unauthorised access to your
computer and the information on the
computer. It also protects you from
anyone trying to invade your privacy, or
trying to delete or copy your
information.
USING THE MOUSE
The mouse is one of the main hardware devices used to control the
computer and interact with the GUI interface. Most mice are designed
to have a scroller and two buttons – i.e. a left button and a right
button, as seen in Figure 2.1.

When holding the mouse, rest your hand over it and place your index
finger on the left button of the mouse. You can rest your thumb and
pinkie (little finger) on the sides of the mouse. An example of how to do
this is shown in Figure 2.2.
Figure 2.1: Mouse
Figure 2.2: How to hold a mouse

Something to know

Remember to make sure that the

mouse is on a flat surface with the
buttons pointing forward.

By default, a mouse is set for a right-handed person with the primary

button on the left. You can change the function of the mouse buttons
from the default left click to a right click.

However, most left-handed people either use the mouse in their right
hand, or they place the mouse on the left-hand side of the keyboard
and use their middle finger for the left button.

To explain how the mouse works, we will be using the left button of the
mouse. The following table shows the basic things you need to know
about a mouse.

Table 2.1: Basics of the mouse

A mouse can do a variety of tasks, such as:

Selecting an item: To select something, move the cursor over the item, click once
with the left button and then you can let go.
Opening an item: To open something like a file, double click the left button. This is
usually how it works, but sometimes a single click will also open a program.
Through practice, you will learn when to use which one.
 Moving items: To move an item, you must drag and drop. You do this by pressing
down on the left button above the item, as you drag the mouse along. Once you
have placed the item where you want it, you can let go of the left button.
Scrolling up and down a page: This is done by rolling the scroll- or mouse wheel
up or down.

USING THE KEYBOARD

A keyboard is used for entering information, such as letters, words,
numbers and symbols into a computer. Pressing any key on the
keyboard is an input that the computer uses as data.

The basic keyboard, as seen in Figure 2.3, is called the QWERTY

keyboard.

A keyboard is used for entering information, such as letters, words,

numbers and symbols. Pressing any key on the keyboard is an input
that the computer uses as data.

Figure 2.3: QWERTY keyboard

USING THE DESKTOP
The desktop screen is the first thing you see when you switch the
computer on. It has a logical display surface and contains user-
interface objects, such as windows, menus and buttons. Its main
features are the start button, taskbar and icons. For you to use the
desktop, each computer has an operating system (OS). An operating
system is the system software that allows a user to communicate with
a computer in the following ways:
It manages a computer’s hardware, such as the input and output devices, network
devices, as well as storage devices.
It provides services to facilitate the operation and management of additional
software application programs.
It assigns the necessary memory.
It provides the graphical user interface (GUI), pronounced as “gooey”, which
allows a user to interact with and control software applications, or hardware
devices using graphical interface elements, such as windows, icons and
menus. This means that a program has graphical controls that a user can select
using a mouse or keyboard.

Something to know

Whenever you are working on, or

interacting with a computer, you are
called the user. And the way in which
 the computer interacts with you, is
called an interface.

The operating system has the following user interfaces:

Desktop: This is the main screen of the GUI and consists of a system of icons on a
screen.
Window: Used to display the contents of an application with which the user can
view and interact. It shows the information of each file, application, or folder in a
separate window on the screen.
Dialogue boxes/message windows: These are small or basic windows that are
usually opened by a program to indicate to the user that more information is
required.
Toolbars: These are a set of icons at the top of a window, which can be clicked to
perform certain functions.
List box: This allows the user to selected one or more items from a list. The user
must click the box next to the item to select it.
Checkbox: This is a small square box on the screen, which allows the user to click
it to indicate an answer, or to allow a setting.
Windows Explorer: Windows Explorer is a GUI component available in Microsoft
Windows that enables users to access, edit, copy, delete and manage data, files
and other content stored on a computer, or mobile device.

Figure 2.4 is an example of an operating system interface.

Figure 2.4: Example of an operating system interface

Something to know

With the new versions of Microsoft

Windows, Windows Explorer is the
default file manager, while Finder is
the default file manager on Apple
computers.

Figure 2.5 shows examples of some of the interfaces of an operating

system:
Figure 2.5: Different interfaces of an operating system

As most of you will start your computing experience with an operating

system called Microsoft Windows, we will use Windows throughout the
course.

Something to know

An icon is a picture that shows a file,

folder, or a program. Each icon is
 different for each type of file or
program.

With the desktop, you can use shortcuts to find folders, files, or
programs quickly. You can identify a shortcut by checking if there is a
curving arrow on the bottom left-hand side of the icon, as seen in
Figure 2.6.

Figure 2.6: Example of a shortcut

Let’s look in more detail at the desktop and icons that you can find on
a computer:
Figure 2.7: Desktop components

THE START BUTTON

The Start button can be found at the bottom left-hand corner of the
desktop. It allows you to open programs, files, or folders on the
computer. The Start menu appears when you click on the Start button.
From there, you can select the application, folder, or file you want to
open by clicking on it.

THE TASKBAR
The taskbar can be found at the bottom of the screen, as seen in
Figure 2.7. It shows a button for each open folder, file, or application.
When you click on any of the buttons on the taskbar, it will open the
file, folder, or application, and therefore, becomes an active window.

The taskbar also has the Start button on the left-hand side and the
notification tray on the right-hand side. You can perform certain
functions, such as change the time, volume, or connect to the Wi-Fi
by selecting the icons in the notification tray.

Activity 2.1
1. The following steps are performed when starting up, using and
shutting down a computer. The steps are in the incorrect order,
however. Arrange the steps in the correct order.
a. Enter the password
b. Switch on the monitor
c. Session begins
d. Switch on the power button
e. Click on Log out
f. Enter the username
g. Computer session ends
h. Switch off the monitor and power
i. Shut down computer
2. State whether the following are True or False. If false, give the
correct answer.
a. A password should always be secret.
b. The keyboard is the most important hardware device used to control the
computer.
c. The hour-glass icon shows that you must wait while the computer is doing a
task.
3. Match the terms in Column A with the correct description in
Column B:
4. Logging off and then switching off the computer when you are done
using it, is actually quite important. Answer the following questions
regarding this statement:
a. Give two reasons why switching off the computer after use is important.
b. Does logging off switch off the computer? Motivate your answer.
c. Briefly explain why it takes time for a computer to start up and shut down.

THIS PC, FILE MANAGER, MY DOCUMENTS AND RECYCLE BIN

After you click on the This PC, My Documents, or the Recycle Bin icon,
a folder will open in a window on the desktop.
This PC: When you open the This PC folder, it will give you information about the
different storage disks, external hard drives, or hard disks on the computer.
Figure 2.8: This PC folder

File manager: A file manager is an application that helps manage the file system
on a computer.
My Documents: When you open this folder by double clicking on the icon, you can
find your documents, music, pictures and other files. These files are stored in the
My Documents folder on the computer’s hard disk.
Recycle Bin: When you delete items, such as folders or files from the computer,
they are stored temporarily in the Recycle Bin. If you deleted a file by mistake, it
can be restored to its original folder from the Recycle Bin. The files or folders in the
Recycle Bin can also be permanently deleted by deleting them.

Something to know
 In older versions of Windows, This PC
is known as Computer.

ACCESSING APPLICATIONS
You can access the different applications on the computer by using the
Start menu. Click on the Start button and then scroll through the
alphabetical list. If you want to save time, you can limit the scrolling by
selecting any letter from the alphabetical list. From there, you can
choose the letter that the application begins with.

If you are still having difficulty finding the application that you are
looking for, type in the name of the application in the search box on the
taskbar.

GETTING TO KNOW WINDOWS

Zama needs to use Microsoft Word for a small project. Let’s look at an
example of how Zama uses Microsoft Word.

Guided Activity 2.2

1. To open Word, she clicks on the Start button and then moves the
mouse pointer onto the Word icon and clicks on it, as seen in
Figure 2.9.
Figure 2.9: Opening the Word application from the Start menu

2. Word will open in a separate window and the Word icon will appear
on the taskbar.
Figure 2.10: Word window

SOME THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT WINDOWS

The following section will look at the different features of windows,
using the Word window as an example.

The title bar is found at the top of the window and the name of the
open file can be seen on the title bar. Since the document is not
named yet, the title bar will be Document1-Word.

Figure 2.11: The title bar

To minimise the taskbar, click on the Minimise button on the top-right
corner of the window, as seen below.

Figure 2.12: The Minimise button

To enlarge the window or make it bigger, click on the Maximise button,

as shown below. This can also be done by dragging the window from
the title bar to the top of the screen.

Figure 2.13: The Maximise button

To close a window, click on the Close button (which is the x in the top-
right corner of the window), as shown below.

Figure 2.14: The Close button

FILE MANAGEMENT

OPENING A DOCUMENT AND SAVING DATA

Now we must open the document and save the data we need on
Word. Let us see how she does this.

Guided Activity 2.3

Do the following with the help of your teacher.
1. Open Word.
2. Type two short lines of the letter “a”, just so that you have typed
something. (To begin a new line, press Enter on the keyboard.)
3. The text will always appear on the left of the cursor when you type.
4. Now that you have typed the two lines, you can save the file. To
save the file, select FILE, then SAVE from the menu bar. When the
Save As dialogue box appears, save the file with the file name
‘Test’ in the File name field in the dialogue box.
5. Click the Save button, so that the file can be saved and then close
the dialogue box.
6. In the Word document, the name of the file will now be ‘Test’.
Close the window by clicking on the Close button on the title bar.
You can follow this example in the video on the right.
When you are done using the computer, you can switch it off by first clicking on the
Start button, then on the Power button where you choose Shut down to shut down the
computer.
 Video

Create a video showing the steps on

how to open and save data in a Word
document. These steps are explained
on the left (Steps 1 to 6).

Something to know

Remember, shutting down a computer

might differ from computer to
computer!

OPENING A FILE
In the previous example, you saved a document with the file name
‘Test’. Now let’s learn how to open the saved file.

Guided Activity 2.4

Let’s do the following:
1. Open Word. To open the required file, select File then Open from the
menu bar.
2. When the Open dialogue box opens, select Test.docx from the list
box.
3. Click the Open button, as highlighted in green in Figure 2.15, which
then opens the document in Word.

Figure 2.15: Open dialogue box

PRINTING A DOCUMENT
You will learn how to print documents when you study word
processing. Refer to Chapter 1: Introduction to Word Processing in the
Practical Book for more information.

Activity 2.2
Do the following at your computer:
1. Switch on the computer.
2. Find Word using the search box in the taskbar.
3. Use the mouse to open the Word application.
4. Type two to three sentences about why CAT, as a subject, is
important.
5. Save the file and then close it.
6. Open the file that you just saved in (5).
7. Print Preview the document.
8. Close the application.

UNIT

2.2 Posture and ergonomics

As computing takes over our lives more and more, typing is one of the
most important and necessary skills that you will ever learn.

Touch typing is all about making sure that each finger has its own
place on the keyboard. Because of that, you do not have to look down
on the keyboard while typing, which makes your typing speed much
faster.

Let’s look at the following benefits of being able to touch type:

Speed: This is the most obvious advantage of touch typing. On average, you can
easily reach typing speeds of 75 to 80 words per minute. Comparing that to the
average of ten words per minute of someone who does not touch type, you can see
that it is much faster.
 Time: If you increase your typing time, you obviously decrease the time it will take
you to complete a document. A person who types with two fingers at ten words per
minute, will take 17 minutes to type a 170-word document. Typing at 60 words per
minute will do the same document in four minutes.
Decrease fatigue: Typing is very tiring when it is done over long periods of time.
Learning to touch type reduces this exhaustion, as you do not have to focus on two
things at a time. It also prevents you from looking up and down the whole time,
placing less strain on your eyes, neck and spine.
Health: Touch typing is better for your health, because you do not hunch over and
look at the keys while using your fingers. This helps to reduce the strain on your
joints.
Accuracy: The better you can touch type, the less typing errors you will make,
because you are looking at what you type, and not having to look down and find the
right keys.

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS: CORRECT TYPING POSTURE

Posture is defined as the position in which a person holds his or her
body when sitting or walking. Sitting in front of a computer for long
periods of time, even with a good posture, can lead to tiredness or eye
discomfort.

Having the correct posture also helps you to type correctly and more
efficiently.

A tip for having a good posture when using the computer, is to position
yourself so that your belly button is in line with the letter “H” on the
keyboard. You can see an example of this in Figure 2.16.

Figure 2.16: Correct body posture

The following are elements for maintaining a good posture:

Body: Your back should be straight, upright and relaxed, but comfortable. For your
back to be supported, it should be aligned with the chair’s backrest. Do not lean too
far forward as this will cause discomfort later.
Feet: For your feet to feel comfortable, make sure that they are flat on the floor, or
on a foot rest.
Knees and hips: Push your hips as far back as they can go in the chair. As seen in
Figure 2.16, your knees and hips should form a 90° angle when sitting on the
chair. Also, make sure your knees do not touch the chair.
Arms, wrists, fingers and hands: Your arms should be placed horizontally in a
90° angle, your wrists should be in a neutral position and your fingers should be
placed on the home row.
Eyes: Your eyes should focus on the text that you are typing on the screen. To
position your screen, make sure it is slightly lower than your eye level.

Having the wrong posture when sitting in front of a computer, can

cause various health problems, such as:
 Posture-related injuries: Posture-related injuries include back and neck pain,
headaches, and shoulder and arm pain. Poor posture can affect your spine
alignment, causing problems with blood vessels, and ultimately leading to blood
clots and varicose veins. When your body is slumped over for long periods of time,
you are more likely to clench your jaw and tighten your facial muscles. This can
lead to jaw pain and headaches.
Computer-related overuse injuries: The muscles and tendons in the elbows,
wrists and hands can become painful with repetitive movement and bad posture.
Symptoms include pain, swelling, stiffness of the joints, weakness and numbness.
Eye strain: Eye strain is caused by focusing the eyes at the same distant point for
long periods of time, working with the screen too close to the eyes and looking at
the illuminated computer screen for too long.
Laptop-related injuries: Laptops were never meant to be used for long periods of
time. The fact that the screen and the keyboard are very close together, it can
cause eye strain, as well as a bad posture. Even carrying the laptop around can put
strain on your muscles and joints.

ERGONOMICS
Ergonomics is the study of the way in which humans work with the
goal of increasing productivity, comfort and safety.

When speaking of computer ergonomics, the focus is mainly on the

way in which people use computers, and how this can be improved to
make people more comfortable and reduce discomfort and injuries.

Key ergonomic guidelines for safe computer usage include:

 Sit up straight with your back perpendicular to the ground.
Your forearms should be at the same height as your mouse and keyboard.
Your feet should be placed firmly on the ground or on a foot rest.
The back and height of your chair, as well as the height of your armrests should be
adjusted to support your body in this position.
The monitor should be positioned at eye level and roughly 50 cm away from you.
You may need to place something under the monitor to increase its height.
The monitor should be tilted upwards to reduce glare.
You should stand up and take regular breaks.

PREVENTION
Prevention is always better than cure. Many people suffer from
posture-related injuries. Health problems related to poor posture and
ergonomics can be prevented in different ways.

To prevent a repetitive strain injury, you should:

Make sure your forearms are level with your mouse and keyboard.
Make sure the mouse is positioned close to the keyboard.
Take regular breaks and let your arms relax when you are not typing.

To avoid eye strain:

Make sure that there is no glare on the monitor.
Do not sit too close to the monitor.
Make sure that the monitor is placed at eye level (or slightly lower).
Take regular breaks to focus on far-away objects.
 Activity 2.3
Use the image below to answer the questions that follow.

1. Is this person using good posture?

2. Motivate your answer by using the numbers in the diagram to guide
you.
3. Explain why a good chair is important to assist you in maintaining a
good posture.

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. When you are working on a computer that is used by more than
one person, you will often be asked to enter a user name and
password soon after the computer has been switched on. Give
 two reasons why you should never share your password with
anybody else. (2)
2. Match the mouse action in Column B with the desired outcome in
Column A. Write down only the number from Column A and the
matching letter from Column B.

(4)
3. Answer the following questions about a GUI.
3.1 What does the acronym GUI stand for? (1)
3.2 What is the main screen of the Windows 10 GUI called? (1)
3.3 What is the function of an icon? (2)
4. What does the arrow in the bottom left corner of the icon below
indicate? (1)
5. Study the image of a Windows 10 desktop below

5.1 Label the parts of the desktop labelled A, B, C and D. (4)

6. Study the icon below and answer the questions that follow:

6.1 What application can be accessed by double-clicking the above icon? (1)
6.2 Explain to someone who is NOT familiar with Windows 10 how you would
use the application. (3)
7. Explain the difference between saving and closing a file. (2)
8. Give four tips to avoid eye strain when using a computer monitor.(4)
9. Use the image below to guide learners about having good posture
when using a computer.

9.1 Mention at least four points. (4)

TOTAL: [29]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
 CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 3.1 Basic concepts of file management

Unit 3.2 File types

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Understand the basic concepts used in file management.

Organise files and folders on the computer.
Identify the different file types.

INTRODUCTION
Having an effective computer filing system can make a huge difference
in your everyday life. Firstly, it helps to save time, but most importantly,
it helps you to be more organised.

In this chapter, we look at what file organisation is, how we can

achieve file organisation and the different types of files you can find on
your computer. You will also learn about the importance of file
management, and how you can organise, delete, restore, move, view
and sort files and folders. Furthermore, you will learn about the basic
accessories that Windows comes with, as well as how to install a
printer.
 Take note

Before you can start with this chapter,

you must have worked through the
chapter on how to use a computer.

UNIT

3.1 Basic concepts of file management

File management on a computer is similar to filing documents in a filing

cabinet. A filing cabinet is used to store paper files in cardboard
folders. In the same way, we can store files and folders on a computer.

Figure 3.1 shows the This PC folder with the sub-folder Music. This
folder contains sub-folders that are organised according to the name
of the artist or group. This is to give you an idea of how file
management looks on a computer. In Windows, folders are used to
organise files.
Figure 3.1: Folders used for file management

Folders are stored on a drive in a computer. Data is stored on and

retrieved from a disk drive. Each drive will indicate the type of storage
medium, for example, whether it is a hard disk, USB drive, CD, DVD,
or so on. Figure 3.2 shows an example of the different drives that can
be found on a computer.
Figure 3.2: Different storage media on a computer

The capital letters and colon indicate what type of disk it is. For
example, from Figure 3.2, you can see the following:
The C: Which is also known as the C-drive, usually refers to the hard disk drive
(HDD).
The D: Which is also known as the D-drive, usually refers to a CD or DVD drive.
Other letters are also used to indicate storage media, for example, in this case F:,
which refers to a removable disk (USB). Storage media, such as DVDs, USBs and
hard drives, do not save data to the disks on the computer.

FOLDERS
A Windows operating system organises its drives, folders and files in a
hierarchical folder structure. Files are stored on a computer inside
folders. Folders are used to organise a computer’s files so that it can
be found easier. A folder will contain sub-folders and then files.
In the following example, we will explain a folder by comparing it to a
tree. The structure is the shape of a pyramid, where each row of items
is linked to the items beneath it. Because of this pyramidal structure,
this hierarchical structure is also known as an “inverted tree”.

Figure 3.3 shows an example of an inverted tree.

Figure 3.3: Hierarchical tree

The different drives, such as the different hard drives, CD/DVD drive,
USB drives, as well as network drives, are found in the row below the
root. Folders linked to the specific drives are then shown in the next
row.

Any sub-folders and files found in the folder above are shown in the
next row. This pattern continues until the final row only contains files.
The highest level of the tree structure of a drive is, therefore, called the
root directory and is stored on the hard-disk drive of a computer. The
documents then form a sub-folder of the root directory C-drive, which
is written as C:\.

FILE PATH
A file path shows the location of where a file, web page, or other item
is located on the computer. The file path shows you to which storage
device the file is saved (i.e. the drive letter), in which folder and sub-
folders the file is saved, the name of the file and finally, the type of file
(given by the file extension).

For example, Jane has a music folder where she keeps her songs. Figure 3.4
shows an example of this file path.

Figure 3.4: Example of a file path

As Figure 3.4 shows, each file’s unique file path starts with the storage device
drive letter. After the drive letter, you will see the name of the file’s folders and sub-
folders. A back slash (\) is used to separate the drive letter, and the different folders
and files. Finally, the file path ends with the name and extension of the file.
 Windows file names have two parts; the first part is the file name and then a period
followed by an extension. A file extension or file name extension is found at the end
of a file name and shows what type of file it is in Microsoft Windows. The extension
is a three- or four-letter abbreviation that identifies the type of file. For example, in
the file name, Moonlight.mp3, the extension is mp3.

Something to know

When using file paths in Windows, you

must always use back slashes (and
NOT forward slashes). Windows uses
back slashes for paths, although
everything else seems to use forward
slashes.

Later in this chapter, you will learn more about the different file
extensions.

FINDING A FILE PATH

To find the file path of a folder, click on the address bar in File explorer.

Guided Activity 3.1

You can do this as follows:
1. Open the Computer window from the Start menu.
2. Browse to the folder for which you want the file path.
3. Click on the address bar to see the folder’s address.

Figure 3.5: Address bar

Guided Activity 3.2

If you want to know what a file’s unique file path is, you can find it using the
Properties window.
1. Open the computer window from the Start menu.
2. Look for the file you want the file path for.
3. Right click on the file and select the Properties option.
4. Click on the Security tab.
5. The file path is given at the top of the security tab as the Object
name.
Figure 3.6: Reading a file path from the properties window

FILE MANAGEMENT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=k-EID5_2D9U

Activity 3.1
1. Define the following terms:
 a. File path
b. Disk drive
c. Folders
2. Answer the following questions based on the file path below:
C:\Documents\School\Maths.docx
a. What is shown in the file path above?
b. To what does “C:\” refer?
c. A file name consists of two elements. What are they in this diagram?
3. Using the figure below, provide the file path to get to the file:
Communication.pdf.

Figure 3.7: Determining the file path for the file, Communication.pdf

ORGANISING FILES AND FOLDERS

Organising files on your computer is an important task, as it can
ultimately save you lots of time and effort! For you to find files and
folders on the computer, it must be organised properly. It is, therefore,
important for you to place files in folders and give them the correct
names.

In Microsoft Windows, this can be done in different ways. This section

will look at the easiest ways in which files can be copied or moved
between folders, renamed and deleted. You will also learn about how
to search for files on a computer.

Before you can start organising your computer, you first need to see
how the computer is currently organised.

USING A FILE MANAGER (THIS PC)

A file manager is a built-in application that is used to organise files and
folders. To open the file manager, double click on the This PC icon. The
This PC folder will open up in a new window. From here, you can start
working with the files and folders.

Guided Activity 3.3

Practise using the file manager on your computer by following the steps below:
1. Click on the Start menu button in the bottom-left corner of the
screen.
2. Once the Start menu opens, type in the word “explorer”. You
should see a File explorer option appear in the Start menu.
3. Click on the File explorer option, which will open the file explorer on
the computer.
4. Once opened, click on the This PC option in the left panel. Here, it
will show you the main folders. From here, you can explore the
computer’s organisational system by looking through the folder
structure.

Figure 3.8: Checking how the computer is currently organised

In the This PC screen, the storage devices are indicated by grey and
black icons, and include the drive letter in their name. The figure shows
that there are four storage devices – i.e. Computer (C:), Data (D:), USB
Drive (F:) and Recovery (E:). By double-clicking on any of these storage
devices, it will open, and you can browse the files and folders stored in
it. If you want to open any files or folders, you should double-click on
them.

After you have examined the different files and folders on the
computer, you can start organising them.
As you have learned, files are stored on a computer inside directories
(called folders in Microsoft Windows). These folders are used to help
organise a computer’s files so that files can be found more easily. Each
folder can contain any number of files or sub-folders. For example, a
music listener might create a Music folder with all her music files in it.

Figure 3.9: A folder containing a number of music files

A more organised music listener might have a Music folder as the first
folder, and then sub-folders for each artist. It might even have a sub-
folder for each style of music and then have folders inside of that for
each artist. This would make it much easier to find songs by a specific
artist.
Figure 3.10: Folders can contain both files and folders

HOW TO ORGANISE FILES AND

FOLDERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HDmwiJxzIrw
A similar strategy can be used on all storage devices to make it easier
to find important files and folders.

MANAGING FOLDERS AND FILES

An interesting way to organise folders

and files is shown in the following
YouTube video. This is just to give you
an idea of how you can do it. However,
in the end, you must use a system that
works for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uSnpAnhV2Jo

CREATING AND NAMING FOLDERS AND FILES

An important part of having an effective file structure is creating folders
and sub-folders to organise your files.

Guided Activity 3.4

To create a new folder:
1. Using the File explorer, go to the location where you want to create
a folder.
2. Open the Action menu by either right clicking, or by using the ALT-
F shortcut key.
3. Hold the mouse cursor over the New option and select the Folder
option.
4. Enter a name for the new folder and press Enter on the keyboard.

Figure 3.11: Creating a new folder

The same procedure can be used to create new files. However, instead
of selecting the Folder option, the file type you want to create should
be selected.

To create a new file:

1. Using the File explorer, go to the folder where you want to create a
file, for example, Documents.
2. Right click on an empty section of the folder.
3. Click on New, select the type of file that you want to create.
4. Enter a new name for the file.
5. Press Enter.

FILE NAMING, CONVENTIONS AND PROPERTIES

FILE NAMING AND CONVENTIONS

A file name is used to identify a file on the computer. This is the best
method of organising files and folders on the computer. Naming files
properly helps you to navigate and locate files and folders easily.

A file-naming convention (FNC) helps keep the computer clutter-free

and allows you to do the following:
Know the contents of a file before you open it
Navigate through long lists of files for the one that you are looking for
Store different versions of the same document by naming them according to date

Best practices for naming files:

Keep file names short, but meaningful.
Include useful information, such as the name of the project or document on which
you are working.
Include the version number (e.g. v1 or -v1) and the date if there is more than one
more version. Dates should always appear as yyyy/mm/dd to organise the files in
order.

Things to avoid when naming files:

Symbol characters, such as “\ / < > | “ ? [ ] ; = + & $ α β”
 Abbreviations that are not easy to understand
Simple words, such as “draft”, “current” or “document”.

FILE PROPERTIES
The File properties window shows you a range of information about a
file, such as its file type, size, author, title and when it was changed
last. The Properties window will also give you information on how you
can manipulate the file.

Guided Activity 3.5

To see the properties of a file, right click on the file name and then click on Properties.
1. The Properties dialogue box will give you information about the file,
as you can see in the figure below.
Figure 3.12: Properties dialogue box

Something to know

When giving the new file a name,

make sure that you do not accidentally
change the file extension. Changing
the file extension will prevent Windows
from opening the file correctly.
RENAMING FILES
The Rename command allows you to change the name of files. As with
Cut and Copy, there are three different ways to rename files.

Table 3.1: How to rename files

When naming files, it is important that you name the files clearly and in
an orderly way. The following are pointers to help you rename files and
folders in an organised way:
Avoid using a structure that is too difficult to follow.
Since files are organised alphabetically, you need to think about the way in which
you name files.
Make sure that you can identify similar files based on the file names.
Use the dash symbol to separate different items in a file name (for example, the
name and date).

Something to know
 Applying the keyboarding skills you
have learned will help you rename files
and folders much quicker.

COPYING FILES
When you copy a file, a duplicate of the file is created and stored on
the computer’s clipboard. This duplicate file can then be copied onto
any storage medium connected to the computer, using the Paste
command.

There are three ways that you can copy and paste files.

Something to know

Files are copied when you want to

share them, or back them up for
safety.
Table 3.2: How to copy and paste files

COPYING AND MOVING FILES

Use the section of the following video

to create an animation about showing
what it means to copy a file:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=F7mAoa0fOts&t=18s
MOVING FILES
When moving files, the file or files that you move are copied to a new
destination, but then deleted from its original destination. When doing
this, you have not created a copy file, but you have moved a file from
one folder to another folder.

Something to know

Files are moved when you want to

organise them.

To move files, you need to cut and paste them, and NOT copy and
paste them.

Table 3.3: How to move files

SEARCHING FOR FILES
If you are struggling to find a file on the computer, you can always
search for it. The search function allows you to look for any file that is
on the computer.

To search for a file in Windows 10, you can do the following:

1. Next to the Start button, you can type to search for the file you are
looking for.

Figure 3.13: Searching for files

2. In the example above, the user typed in the word “device”. You
can see the search results above the search box.

When searching for files,

 Use different search terms: For example, if you are looking for a spreadsheet file,
try using a different file name. You could have changed the file name while saving
the file.
Last application: If you used a specific application to open and edit the file, you
can click on File > Open > Recent. The file you are looking for might appear in the
list of files that you edited recently.
Move and rename the file: After you have found the file, you can give it a new file
name. Then, move it to a folder so that you can find it more easily at a later stage.
For example, if it is a new song that you downloaded, move it to the Music folder.

DELETING FILES
The Delete command enables you to remove files from the storage
device. This command can be used to either remove files that you do
not need anymore, or to make more space on the storage device.

In Microsoft Windows, deleted files are moved to the Recycle Bin. The
Recycle Bin is a temporary folder where deleted files are stored until
you remove them from the bin. Any files you delete will first be moved
to the Recycle Bin before they are permanently deleted.

The following tables show how you can delete files from the computer
and how these files can be deleted from the Recycle Bin.

Take note
 Do not delete any computer software
files, as this could cause the computer
to malfunction.

Table 3.4: How to use the Recycle Bin

Table 3.5: How to remove files from the computer permanently

Something to know

Files that are deleted from a flash drive

cannot be restored from the Recycle
Bin.
RESTORING FILES
If you cannot find a file on the computer, or you have deleted it by
mistake, you can still recover the file by restoring it from the Recycle
Bin to its previous version.

Something to know

Previous versions are, at times,

referred to as shadow copies.

Guided Activity 3.6

To restore files from the Recycle Bin, the following should be done:
1. Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking on the icon that is usually
found on the desktop.
2. Browse through the folder and select the file(s) or folder(s) that you
need to restore.
3. Right click on the file or folder and from the Action menu, choose
Restore.
4. The Recycle Bin will then restore the deleted file(s) or folder(s) to
their original location.

Activity 3.2
1. Which solution in Column B can be used to solve the problem in
Column A? Note that more than one action can apply to a
problem.
2. Identify the drive letter, folder, sub-folder, file name and extension in
the file paths below. Make a copy of the table below in your
workbook and fill in your answers under the correct heading in the
table:
a. c:\Games\Solitaire\Solitaire.exe
b. e:\Music\Pop\Jenni – Roses.mp3
c. c:\Program Files (x86)\Calculator.exe

UNIT

3.2 File types

Each file has a file extension identifying the type of file and how the
computer should interpret it. A .txt file is a simple text document that
contains words with no formatting. A .doc file allows for formatted text
with different fonts and images.

This section will look at the following file types:

Text files
 Document files
Locked document files
Web pages
Archives and compressed files
Presentation files
Spreadsheet files
Database files
Image files
Animation files
Video files
Audio files
Adobe Acrobat

TEXT FILES
There are two types of text files:
1. .txt (text)
2. .rtf (rich-text format)

Text files are files used to store plain text. Plain text refers to text that
has no special formatting, such as fonts, font sizes, images and so on.
In Microsoft Windows, text files are identified with the .txt file extension.
Notepad is a popular application in Microsoft Windows that is used for
opening and creating text files. Figure 3.14 shows an example of a .txt
file:
Figure 3.14: An example of a .txt file

Rich-text format (RTF) files can save more information than text files.
This includes different font types, such as BOLD, italic, as well as font
colour. RTF files cannot be opened in Microsoft Notepad, but can be
opened in Microsoft WordPad. Both these applications are installed
with Microsoft Windows for free.

DOCUMENT FILES
Although document files (.doc, .docx and .odt) are used to store
documents. It differs from text files and rich-text files because it can
store more complex information such as custom formatting options
and styles. Word processors – for example, Microsoft Word, Google
Docs and LibreOffice – can be used to create and edit document files.
Figure 3.15: Document files can store text with advanced formatting

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXT FILES

Jabulani is a Grade 12 learner who works almost every day on his computer on
various school assignments. He recently learned that, although two different files
may look the same when not formatted, for example a .txt file and a .doc file, the
data actually differs. This means that he cannot just change the file type of one file
to another and expect the document to open.

However, computer applications have improved quite significantly in that

applications, such as Microsoft Word or LibreOffice, can convert one file type to
another.
 Example 3.1
To save the file in a different file format using the Save As function, Jabulani does the
following:
1. By clicking on the Save As button, a dialogue box opens. This
allows him to select the type of file he wants to save his file as, for
example PDF, plain text, web page and so on.
The application then makes sure that the raw data is saved in the
correct way for that file format. An example of this dialogue box is
shown in Figure 3.16 on the next page.

Figure 3.16: Save As allows you to select the file type you want to use

LOCKED DOCUMENT FILES

Locked documents are documents with content that is difficult to
change, or modify once it has been created. Locked documents are
generally used in situations where you want to use the file in the format
in which it was saved. Examples of locked document files would be
contracts, formal letters and shop catalogues. The two most common
locked document formats are the .pdf (portable document format) and
.epub (E-PUB) file formats.

WEB PAGES
A web page is a computer file that relates to websites and web
servers. Web pages include information, such as the colours of text,
backgrounds and images. It also includes links to images and other
types of multimedia.

The two most common extensions for web pages are:

1. .html
2. .htm

The only difference between the two is that .htm is used as an

alternate to .html by a few web servers that do not accept four-
character extensions. Both extensions can be used on most web
servers.

ARCHIVES AND COMPRESSED FILES

Archives are types of files that can combine and compress multiple
different files into one file. For example, if you need to send 50 files in
an email to a group member, it will be much easier for you to combine
and compress the files into a single .zip file, before sending the .zip file
through email. This will make it so much easier for the other person to
download the file. The .zip file will also be smaller since all the files are
compressed into one file, making it easier to send and download. After
receiving the files, it can be decompressed and accessed normally.
The three main file extensions for archives are:
1. .zip
2 .rar
3 .7z

PRESENTATION FILES
A presentation file stores information using slides that can be shown
consecutively. Presentation files are used by teachers, businesses and
learners where the speaker discusses the topic using the content of
the slides. Slides are short, they can contain pictures and animations,
and are generally attractive. The three main file extensions for
presentations are:
1. .ppt
2. .pptx
3. .odp
Figure 3.17: A slide in a presentation

SPREADSHEET FILES
A spreadsheet file is a file that stores information in a large table.
Companies use spreadsheets when they need to analyse large
amounts of data, or do calculations. It is also used to show data, such
as checklists and class lists. The three main file extensions for
spreadsheets are:
1. .xls
2. .xlsx
3. .ods
 Something to know

Excel spreadsheets can have many

sheets. Each sheet is a separate page
that has its own data.

The spreadsheet file gets its .xls (and .xlsx) extension from the most
popular spreadsheet software – i.e. Microsoft Excel. Figure 3.18 is an
example of someone’s academic schedule.

Figure 3.18: Spreadsheets show data in tables

DATABASE FILES
Databases are similar to spreadsheets, except that the sheets, called
tables, are all connected to each other. For example, your school might
have a database for each grade with the full names of the learners,
names of their parents, their contact details, addresses and the
amount of school fees paid. Even though these items are listed in
different tables, they are still linked together. Because of this, at the end
of the month when the school needs to send out fee statements, the
database software can create a statement where your name and
surname, parents’ contact details and fees owed are all displayed on
the same page.

Figure 3.19: Databases can store related information in different tables

Most programmers use databases to store important data for their

software.

IMAGE FILES
There are five main formats used to store graphics:
1. .bmp (bitmap image)
2. .gif (Graphics Interchange Format)
3. .jpg or .jpeg (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
4. .png (portable network graphics)
5. .tiff (tagged image file format)

These image formats are used for cameras, scanning and printing.
Most of these file formats need not be compressed and are, therefore,
ideal for printing and web graphics. Photos taken by a camera, or
pictures created using software, for example, Microsoft Paint or Adobe
Photoshop, are often saved in one of these formats.

ANIMATION FILES
Animation files are files that interpret moving images. The two most
common animation file formats are:
1. .gif
2. .swf (Small Web Format Flash)

Although both these formats create animations, they do so in two

different ways. GIF animations show normal GIF images one after
another to create an animation; SWF files use programming to move
shapes on the screen, creating an animation.
VIDEO FILES
A video file format is used to store digital video data on a computer.
Video file formats are usually compressed to reduce the file size. Video
files are made up of a “container” and a “codec”. A codec is used to
compress and decompress the video where the video files are too big,
causing the video not to play, or be downloaded. Examples of codecs
include FFMpeg, DivX, XviD and x264.

A container is a set of files that stores information about the digital file.
For example, a container in a video file would be a combination of both
audio and video in a single file so that the file can play both audio and
video at the same time. Some common types of containers would be
AVI, FLV, WMV and MP4.

Figure 3.20: Different types of video file formats

 Something to know

The opportunity to create videos on

PCs and mobile devices are endless.
MP4 is one of the most common file
formats used. It uses a separate
compression for audio (m4a) and video
(m4v), and is mainly used for sharing
videos over the Web. MP4s are
generally small in size; however, they
have a high quality even after being
compressed. MP4 files are popular,
because they are compatible with both
online and mobile browsers.

SOUND FILES
Sound (audio) files are similar to video files, as they are compressed
before they are stored on a computer. They are used to store audio
files, such as music. Because of the popularity of using computers to
store music and videos, the .mpeg and .mp3 file types have become
very popular in recent years. Common audio file formats consist of the
following:
.aac (Advanced Audio Coding)
.flac (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
 .mp3 (Moving Picture Experts Group Layer 3 audio)
.wma (Microsoft Windows Media Audio).

PORTABLE DOCUMENT FORMAT (PDF)

Adobe Acrobat is an application developed by Adobe Systems where
you can view, create, print and manage files in a portable document
format (PDF). PDFs are a very good file format for saving books, or
published documents that can be easily sent to another user through
email, etc.

CONVERTING A DOCUMENT TO A PDF

You can convert a document to a PDF by doing the following:
1. Click on the file that you want to be converted into PDF format.
2. Click on the File tab and choose Save As.
3. Type in the file name.
4. Using the drop-down menu, click on the PDF under the Save As
type.
5. Click Save and the document will be saved in a PDF format.

Activity 3.3
1. Complete this activity by following these steps:
a. Create a sub-folder in My Documents. Name the new sub-folder: CAT
Grade10.
b. Open the Word-processing application. Copy and paste any picture from the
computer into the document.
 c. Save the file with the file name: Practice in My Documents.
d. Move the Practice.docx to the folder: CAT Grade10
e. Create a PDF of the Practice.docx file. Save the file in the same location.
f. Rename the PDF file to Practice_new.
g. Delete the file Practice.docx in the CAT Grade10 folder.
2. Answer the following questions about the diagram below.

a. How many audio files are there?

b. What type of file is “08.Internet and the world-wide”? What application can be
used to open this file?
c. “Image (16).png” can be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader. Is this statement
true? If not, provide the correct answer.
d. What type of program can be used to open “4.3 Handover (171129) (Waiting
for SME).pptx”?
e. What is the name of the file that Excel can open up from the diagram above?

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Each time Sipho saves a file, he saves it to the desktop of the
computer. His desktop is very cluttered and he has trouble finding
 the files that he needs. Advise Sipho on a more effective way to
organise his files. (4)
2. Which of the following is NOT a file extension used for graphics
files?
A. .bmp
B. .gif
C. .toff
D. .jpeg (1)
3. Fred has created a folder called “Grade 10 PAT” on a school
computer to save all his PAT files. He checks on the file properties
and finds that the location of the folder is c:\users\
fred\documents\Grade 10\Grade 10 PAT. Use the diagram to
answer the questions below:
 a. Write down the folder names of folders A, B and C. (3)
b. How many users have folders on this computer? (1)
2. Match the file extension in Column A with the associated file type
in column B. Write down only the letter of the file type (Column B)
next to the number of the file extension (Column A), e.g. 1C.
(Note: It is possible that the application from Column B may be
used more than once.)

(4)
3. Which shortcut key can you use to carry out the following
actions?
a. Rename a file (1)
b. Copy a folder (1)
c. Paste a document onto the desktop (1)
TOTAL: [16]
AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER
Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 4.1 File management skills

Unit 4.2 File compression
Unit 4.3 Print management

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Create shortcuts.
Use the Snipping Tool and Print Screen to take screenshots.
Compress and decompress files and folders.
Add new peripherals, such as a printer and mouse.
Change the default printer.
Explain what queue management is.
Print files.

INTRODUCTION
When you open an application using the menu system, it can
sometimes be time consuming. An easy way to save time is to create a
shortcut for an application or program that you use often. In this
section, you will learn how to create shortcuts, take screenshots, as
well as how to compress and decompress files.

Print management is the managing and monitoring of various print

tasks. Before learning how to print, you will learn how to add a new
peripheral device, as well as how to do basic printing and apply printer
queue management.

UNIT

4.1 File management skills

In this section, you will learn about basic computer management tasks
that you need to do when working on a computer.

CREATING SHORTCUTS
This section will look at how to create a shortcut on the desktop for
your favourite program, application, or website, for easy access. There
are different ways to create shortcuts and in this section, we will look at
some of these ways.

Guided Activity 4.1

Option 1: If you want to create a desktop shortcut for your favourite program or file,
do the following:
1. Right click on the .exe file.
2. Select Send To:
3. Click on Desktop (create shortcut) to create the shortcut.
A shortcut of this program will then be created on the Windows desktop.
Figure 4.1: Creating a shortcut for a program

If you select Create Shortcut (indicated with the red rectangle), the
shortcut will be created in the same location. In this example, the
shortcut will be created in the Music folder.

Guided Activity 4.2

Option 2: Another way of creating a shortcut would be to right click on

the desktop, and then select New and then Shortcut.
Figure 4.2: Creating a shortcut on the desktop

This will open the Create Shortcut wizard dialogue box.

Figure 4.3: Create Shortcut wizard dialogue box

This wizard will help you to create a shortcut on the desktop.

Something to know

This only works using the Google

Chrome browser; not in Edge or
Internet Explorer.

Guided Activity 4.3

Option 3: Lastly, we will look at creating a shortcut for your favourite website. The
method might differ for different operating systems. For this example, we will look at
creating a shortcut for a website using the Google Chrome browser.
1. Open your favourite website or web page.
2. Click on the Options button on the top right-hand side of the web
page, as seen in Figure 4.4:

Figure 4.4: Web browser shortcut

3. Go to More tools, from the drop-down menu and choose Create

shortcut.
 A dialogue box will appear asking you if you want to create the
shortcut.
4. Click on Create, and the shortcut will be placed on the desktop.

Something to know

Desktop shortcuts can save you time

to find a specific file, folder, or even a
website.

TAKING SCREENSHOTS
A screenshot is an image of how the computer screen looks the
moment you capture the screen. For example, it is a snapshot of
whatever is displayed on the computer screen at that time.

Different models of computers have different shortcuts on how to take

a screenshot. For most cases, you will press the ALT key and the
PrtSc (print screen) key on the keyboard at the same time to take a
screenshot of the selected window. PrtSc on its own takes a
screenshot of the whole desktop.

This image is then saved to the clipboard. The clipboard is a memory

space on the computer where data or graphics that are copied or cut
are temporarily stored.
 Guided Activity 4.4
To save the screenshot permanently, you can paste it into an application. In this
example, the application is Paint. Do the following:
1. Open Paint.
2. Select Edit then Paste from the menu bar of the Paint window. An
easier way to paste the screenshot will be to use the hotkeys
(Ctrl+V) and the image will be pasted into Paint.
3. You can then save the screenshot by clicking File and then Save As
from the Paint window’s menu bar.
4. You can use the hotkeys (Ctrl+S) and save the file with the file
name and file location you want, and then select Save.

Activity 4.1
1. Create a new folder on the computer. Name it Practice.
2. In the folder, create a shortcut to the following:
a. Favourite document in My Documents folder
b. Two of your favourite programs
3. Open the Practice folder. Take a screenshot with Print Screen
(PrtSc) of what is displayed on the screen.
4. Paste the screenshot in Paint.
5. Save the image as Practicescreen.jpeg.
6. Move this image to the Practice folder.
 UNIT

4.2 File compression

Compressed files can be referred to as archived or zipped files and can

contain many separate files in one large archive. This takes up much
less space than the original files. Decompressing files is pretty much
the opposite of compressing the files, which means to expand the
archived or zipped folder back into its original form. In Windows, you
can compress (zip) and decompress (unzip) files without installing any
extra programs or applications. In this section, you will learn about
compressing and decompressing files and folders.

COMPRESSING AND DECOMPRESSING FILES AND

FOLDERS

Guided Activity 4.5

To compress files or folders using Microsoft Windows, you can do the following:
1. From the Start menu, open This PC.
2. Select all the files and folders you want to include in the
compressed folder by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on
each file.
3. Right click on the selected items and from the drop-down menu,
choose Send To. Then select the Compressed (zipped) folder
option. This will create a zipped file, in the same location, in which
 the files are located. The file extension for compressed folders is
.zip.
4. Finally, enter a name for the compressed folder.

Figure 4.5: Compressing a folder

Something to know

By default, the new .zip file will have

the same name as the file or folder
that you compressed. However, if you
compress multiple files and folders,
the name of the .zip file will be the
same as the first file that you clicked
at the start of the compression.
DECOMPRESSING FILES OR FOLDERS

Guided Activity 4.6

To decompress files or folders using Microsoft Windows, you can do the following:
1. From the Start menu, open This PC.
2. Look for the .zip file that you want to decompress, right click on it
and choose Extract Files… A dialogue box will open. You should
choose the destination for the decompressed files.
3. Click on New Folder.
4. Name the folder.
5. Click Ok. The files will be extracted to the folder that you created.

Something to know

When zipping or unzipping files or

folders, the original files or folders are
never deleted. If you need to delete
these items, you will have to do it
manually.

File compression has the following multiple advantages:

Compressed files require less storage space. This allows you to fit more files onto
storage devices.
Because the files use less storage space, it can be transferred more easily and
quickly between storage devices. This is especially true when the files need to be
 transferred over the internet.
Because many files can be stored in one archive, it is easier to transfer the data
and to ensure that the recipient gets all the correct files.

However, compressed files also have some disadvantages, with the

most notable being:
Some compressed files need specific software to decompress them. Fortunately,
Windows 10 can decompress .zip files without requiring any additional software.
Compressing and decompressing files can take a bit of time, depending on the
level of compression and the size of the files that need to be compressed.

EXTRACTING ZIP FILES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nXAYWwiDvc8

Activity 4.2
1. When sending a file as an email attachment, the email program
cannot attach the file to the email. The following message is
shown, but you do not want to send it using Google Drive.
 a. Briefly explain how you can use an email to send a file as an attachment,
even though it is such a large file.
b. What is the file extension of the answer in (a)?
c. After sending the file to the recipient, how does the recipient have access to
the file?

UNIT

4.3 Print management

Print management allows you to install, view and manage printers.

Print management is managing and monitoring various print tasks.
Many software companies have proper print management software
that coordinates all the print jobs that need to take place.
ADDING A NEW PERIPHERAL
Some printers have software that must be installed before it is
connected to the computer. Always read the instructions that come
with the printer to see if this is the case. However, in most cases, you
can connect printers immediately.

Guided Activity 4.7

To install a new printer, do the following:
1. Connect the printer to the computer, turn it on and turn the
computer on.
2. Click Start and look for Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Add
Printer, and then choose the type of printer that you are installing.
3. This opens the Add Printer wizard, which will guide you on how to
add the printer.
Figure 4.6: Adding a new printer wizard

Guided Activity 4.8

To add a mouse,
1. Click on Start > Devices and Printers > Add a Device.
The Add a Device window will open.
2. The window will show you a list of devices that are available to
connect.
3. Click on the device that you want to connect to (in this case, the
mouse).
4. Click Next and follow the instructions.
CHANGING THE DEFAULT PRINTER
If you already have a printer added to your computer, this printer will
always be used as the default printer. However, if you have more than
one printer installed on the computer, you can change the default
printer.

Guided Activity 4.9

To change a default printer, you can do the following:
1. Click on Start.
2. Click on Control Panel and choose Devices and Printers.
3. Right click on the printer you want and from the drop-down menu,
select the Set as default printer.
After you have done this, the default printer will have a tick next to it to indicate that
this is the current default printer.
Figure 4.7: Changing the default printer

BASIC PRINTING
If you need to print a document or image, you can do so in the
following way.

Guided Activity 4.10

1. Select the document or image that you want to print.
2. Right click on the file and choose Print.
3. If a dialogue box appears, click OK, or the Print button.

The computer will immediately send the pages to the printer, which
should start printing the pages automatically.
 Something to know

To print a number of documents one

after the other, select all the items,
then right click on the selected items
and choose Print. The documents will
be printed in the order in which they
were selected.

PRINTER QUEUE MANAGEMENT

When a printer needs to print more than one document, it is placed in
a queue and printed according to the sequence that it was selected.

Guided Activity 4.11

To check what you are printing:
1. Click on Start.
2. Select Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
3. Double-click on the Default Printer.
The Printer window will open and this will show in the order in which the documents
will be printed.
Figure 4.8: Files in printer queue

Something to know

If you need to cancel or pause a print

job, you can right click on the file in
the printer queue window and select
the action you require.

Activity 4.3
Mimi has her own business and wants to buy a new printer, which she needs to
connect to her desktop. She is going to use her printer to print quotations and invoices
for her clients. She also needs to connect the printer to the desktop in the office.
1. Should Mimi buy a laser or an ink tank printer? Motivate your answer. Consider
the cost of the printer, as well as the printing cost.
2. Mimi’s focus is on the quality of the print-outs rather than cost. Which printer
should she buy?
3. After she has bought her printer, briefly explain to Mimi how she should connect
this printer to the desktop.
4. Explain why nothing is printing after Mimi has connected the printer to the
desktop.

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. The following icon appears on the desktop of a computer:

2. a. How can you tell that the icon is a shortcut?

b. What is the benefit of using a shortcut to an application? (1)
c. How would you launch the application using the shortcut? (1)
d. What is the name of the application to which the shortcut refers? (1)
3. a. What is the name of the Windows 10 tool that can be used to create a
screenshot? (1)
b. What is the difference between pressing PrtSc and pressing Alt together with
PrtSc (Alt +PrtSc)? (2)
4. The screenshot below shows the printers that are installed on Thalia’s computer.
 a. What is the name of the default printer? (1)
b. Describe briefly how you would make it the default printer. (2)
5. The screenshot below shows a list of documents waiting to be printed.

a. What is the name given to this list of documents? (1)

b. You have decided that you no longer want to print the Microsoft Word
document. Describe briefly how you would remove this document from the list.
(2)
c. You need special paper to print the full-page photo. You are only able to
purchase the special paper the next day. Describe briefly what you would do to
temporarily prevent the photo from printing. (2)
6. Samiya, a Grade 10 learner, has a folder called Grade 9, which is taking up a lot
of space on her computer. How could she reduce the amount of space the
folder takes up without deleting any of the files inside the folder? (2)
TOTAL: [17]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 5.1 What is hardware?

Unit 5.2 Input devices
Unit 5.3 Output devices
Unit 5.4 Storage devices
Unit 5.5 Green computing

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Define and describe what hardware is.

List the various types of ports and connectors.
Define input.
Discuss the types of input.
Discuss the common input devices used.
Define output.
Identify the different types of output.
Discuss the common output devices used.
Define storage.
Identify the different storage devices used.
Use different methods to connect peripherals.
Understand the importance of green computing and recycling.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever wondered what we would do without computers in this
day and age? Pretty much everything in this world works with
computers; from using an ATM, to buying groceries and making new
friends. We live in a world where, after you have bought a new
computer, taken it home and, before even unpacking it, there is an
advertisement for a new computer that makes yours now outdated.

According to Moore’s law (1970), computer processor speeds will

double every two years. For this to happen, a computer’s components
must be improved on a continuous basis.

Looking back to where computers started, you will realise that it was
not at all as complex or technologically advanced, such as the ones
we have today. In the early 1600s to 1800s, people started thinking of
building a device that could solve complex problems and calculations
easier and faster than what they could do manually. They wanted a
device that could add and subtract. As a result, the first digital
calculator that could add and subtract was built by the 18-year-old
Blaise Pascal in 1642.

As the years went by, newer and better calculators and computers
were built. One of the first complex machines that forms an important
part of the computer history, was the ENIAC, built for the US army
between 1943 and 1946. It was a very big computer that could do
thousands of calculations.
After that, computers started changing the world more and more as it
became smaller, faster and smarter.

UNIT

5.1 What is hardware?

HARDWARE BASICS

Have a look at this video to see a 3D

virtual tour of hardware:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=vG_qmtdBPTU

A computer consists of two major parts – i.e. hardware and software.

Hardware refers to all the physical parts or components of a computer,

such as the monitor, keyboard, computer data storage, graphics card,
sound card and motherboard. Software refers to the instructions that
can be stored and run by hardware.

There are many different kinds of hardware that can be installed inside,
or connected to the outside of a computer. To make it easier for you to
understand, we will divide it into the following categories:
Input devices
Output devices
Storage devices

PORTS AND CONNECTORS

Ports and connectors form an important part of a computer. Ports
allow computers to connect with different types of hardware, such as a
keyboard, mouse or monitor. Many devices use cables to connect to
the computer. Devices can also be connected using Wi-Fi (wireless),
or Bluetooth (short-range wireless).

The connector (plug) which is found at the end of a cable fits into a
specific port (socket) of the computer. These ports are usually found at
the back of the computer.
Figure 5.1: Port (1) and connector (2)

Table 5.1: Types of ports, common connectors and examples

ADAPTERS AND CONVERTORS
Almost every peripheral device uses an adapter to communicate with a
computer. With new technology, the type of computer ports and other
computing devices change. However, instead of buying a new
computing device, you can use an adaptor convertor to provide
additional compatibility and functionality.

Types of common adaptors include the following:

HDMI to VGA
HDMI to DVI

Activity 5.1
1. Define the concept hardware.
2. Match the port in Column A with the correct device in Column B.

3. Briefly explain when adaptors are used.

 UNIT

5.2 Input devices

Input devices are hardware devices that allow you to enter data into
the computer, or interact with the computer.

Remember, when entering data, you are actually giving the computer
an instruction to do something. In this section, you will learn about the
different types of commonly used input devices.

COMMON INPUT DEVICES

KEYBOARD
A keyboard is used for entering information into a computer, such as
letters, words, numbers and symbols. Pressing any key on the
keyboard is an input that the computer uses as data. There are
different types of keyboards, as shown in the table below.
Table 5.2: Different types of keyboards
 Something to know

The concept of pressing a key to type

text has been around for a very long
time. One of the early inventions,
which later became the typewriter, was
invented by Pellegrino Turri for his
blind girlfriend so that she could write
letters to him.

Something to know

The Oxford Dictionary acknowledges

both “computer mice” and “computer
mouses” as the correct plural forms of
the term. For the purpose of this book,
however, we will be using the plural
form “mice”.

POINTING DEVICES
Pointing devices are used to control the movement of the cursor on
the screen. The major pointing device is the mouse for the desktop
computer and the touchpad for the laptop.

MOUSE
The mouse is the second most important input device of a computer.
Using the mouse, you can move the mouse pointer or cursor on the
computer screen, allowing you to interact with the computer.

There are different types of mice, as shown in the following table.

Table 5.3: Different types of mice

FIRST COMPUTER MOUSE

Douglas Engelbart invented the first computer mouse in 1963. The mouse had two
wheels positioned at a 90-degree angle to each other to keep track of the
movement. The ball mouse was only invented in 1972 and the optical mouse,
around 1980.
 Figure 5.2: Engelbart’s mouse

Activity 5.2
1. Fill in the following crossword puzzle using the clues that are
provided.
Across
1. A type of wireless technology mice used
2. Physical component of a computer like a mouse

Down
1. Which type of keyboard is used to minimise muscle strain
2. Used to move the pointer on a screen
3. For entering information, such as letters, words, numbers and
symbols into the computer
4. Controls movement of the cursor
5. The standard keyboard
6. This allows computers to connect with different types of hardware,
such as a keyboard, mouse or monitor

UNIT

5.3 Output devices

Output devices receive data from a computer. The output device

converts this data to a display, projected image, or print-out.
COMMON OUTPUT DEVICES

MONITORS
A monitor, also known as a visual display unit (VDU), is the main output
device of a computer, as it represents data in a visual form.

Figure 5.3: An example of an LCD monitor

The size of a monitor is measured in inches diagonally from one corner

to the other.

Something to know

An inch is about 2.5 cm; therefore, a

22-inch monitor has a diagonal length
of 22 × 2.5 cm = 55 cm.
 Something to know

The resolution of a monitor is

measured in PPI (pixels per inch).

Another important aspect of a monitor is its resolution. The clarity of

text and images displayed on the monitor depends on the screen
resolution. Screen resolution is measured in pixels (which is short for
picture element). A pixel is a tiny dot of colour displayed on a monitor.
The more pixels there are, the more detailed the picture will look. The
screen resolution shows you how many pixels the screen can show
horizontally and vertically. It is written as 1 280 × 800, which means
that the screen can show 1 280 pixels horizontally and 800 pixels
vertically.

A third important characteristic is the refresh rate of a monitor. This can

be defined as how quickly the image on the monitor can be updated
with the newest information.

PRINTERS
Printers allow a computer to convert electronic data (soft copy) into a
hard copy (i.e. printed out on a piece of paper). Printers are generally
used to print large amounts of text and documents, and can also be
used to print graphics, such as photos.
For the purpose of this book, we will only look at the following four
printers:
1. Inkjet printer: This is a very popular printer that can combine black,
white and colour printing, all at the same time. These printers
operate by using cartridges that contain the ink. When the print job
starts, the ink heats up and flows through a set of tiny holes. The
heating process results in a small droplet of ink forming, which is
then released as a single dot, forming a part of the image or text.
This happens continuously until the whole image or text has been
completed. This is why inkjet print-outs are sometimes still a bit
wet. This type of printer can be seen in Figure 5.4 and are
commonly used in homes.
2. Ink tank printer: An ink tank printer uses the same technology as
an inkjet printer to print documents. The difference is that an inkjet
printer’s ink cartridges are replaced with ink tanks, which hold a
much larger volume of ink (up to 70 ml). The ink tanks can be filled
by the user when they are empty. Each colour is stored in a
separate tank and only the colour that is used up, has to be refilled.
Ink tank printers can print 1 000 pages or more. Ink tank printers
are suitable for printing documents where a large number of copies
are required.
Figure 5.4: Inkjet printer

INKJET PRINTER VERSUS LASER

PRINTER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=x4Igj5zkB9U

3. Laser printer: This is a common printer used in the workplace. It

can print a lot of sheets quickly and with high quality. A laser printer
works by directing a laser beam onto a drum, which forms a mirror
image of what has to be printed. This causes parts of the drum to
be magnetised. When the drum rotates, it picks up the ink powder,
called toner. The toner is then transferred to the paper, printing the
 letters or images on it with a hot roller bonding the toner to the
paper. An example of this printer can be seen in Figure 5.5.
4. 3D printer: 3D printing is the process of making a three-
dimensional (3D) solid model from a digital file. It works by
transforming a digital file into a 3D model by adding one layer of
material at a time.

Figure 5.5: Laser printer

Figure 5.6: 3D Printer

Print resolution is measured in dots per inch (DPI). This is similar to the
way pixels work on a computer. The printer settings can be adjusted to
increase or decrease the DPI. The higher the DPI, the more dots there
are, resulting in a high-quality print-out.

The following table shows the comparison between various kinds of

printers.

Table 5.4: Advantages and disadvantages of different printers

Activity 5.3
Lesedi’s dad got an inkjet printer for the house; however, it is not working and no
printing is taking place. It seems that there is no communication between the printer
and the computer.
Answer the following questions regarding the scenario:
1. Which connector do printers usually have?
2. Briefly explain why a printer is an output device.
3. List two advantages and two disadvantages of the printer that
Lesedi’s dad bought.
4. Explain one possible reason why the printer and computer are not
communicating.

UNIT

5.4 Storage devices

Something to know

There is a difference between storage

media and a storage device. Storage
media is anything that holds
information. It refers to the digital
medium that is used in the storage
devices, for example magnetic disks,
cards, barcodes, etc. A storage device
is a device that uses the storage
 medium and provides a physical
interface, such as a CD/DVD player, an
external hard drive, a USB flash drive,
etc.

Storage devices are used to store data. There are a variety of storage
devices with differences in storage capacity, speed, portability, as well
as functions. In this section, you will learn about the different types of
storage devices and how they are used – i.e. how much data needs to
be stored, how quickly the data needs to be transferred and how
portable the storage needs to be.

CONCEPTS USED IN STORAGE CAPACITY

Before we discuss storage devices in great detail, let’s quickly look at
the different capacities storage devices can have.

Data on computers is stored as numbers, which consist of only 0s and

1s. Computer memory is made up of electronic components, which
can either be on (1), or off (0). The smallest unit of data storage (0 or 1)
is called a bit. A number made up of eight bits (11111111) is called a
byte.
Table 5.5: Measuring capacity

COMMON STORAGE DEVICES

Nowadays, we are used to hundreds of gigabytes of storage capacity
in our computers. With looking at storage devices, there are three main
things to remember:
1. Storage capacity: This determines how much data can be stored
on the device.
2. Storage speed: This determines how quickly new information can
be written to the device.
3. Reliability: This determines the likelihood of the device breaking
down.

We will look at the following storage devices:

1. Internal hard drive (fixed)
2. External hard drive (portable)
3. SD card
4. Solid-state drive (SSD)
5. Flash drive

Table 5.6: Types of common storage devices

 LIFE SPAN OF A HARD DRIVE

Hard drives contain sensitive moving

parts and because of this, they can
fail. Data stored on hard drives should
always be backed up (stored on
another device). Modern hard drives
can last for more than ten years.
The following signs show that the
hard drive might be failing:
The computer is slowing down
There is a clicking or grinding
sound
The computer freezes frequently

Something to know

In January 2018, SanDisk (a flash disk

manufacturer) unveiled the world’s
smallest one Tb flash disk at the
consumer electronics show in Las
Vegas. Although this is still only a
prototype, it may eventually
 completely eliminate the need for
external hard drives.

CAPACITY AND ROBUSTNESS OF STORAGE DEVICES

The following table summarises the average capacity and robustness
for different types of storage devices, provided that they are used
correctly.

Table 5.7: The average capacity and robustness of storage devices

CONNECTING PERIPHERALS
A peripheral is an external device that is connected to a computer. A
PC on its own cannot function efficiently. It needs peripherals, such as
a mouse or keyboard for the PC to operate properly.

Peripherals can be both cabled (wired) or wireless, and uses USB,

Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. In this section, we will look at the different methods
of connecting peripherals.

Guided Activity 5.1

CABLED CONNECTIONS (USB)

To connect a keyboard with a USB cable, you can do the following:
1. Plug the USB cable of the peripheral device into the computer’s
USB port.
2. The computer will register the keyboard. You can then start using
the keyboard immediately.

WIRELESS CONNECTIONS (BLUETOOTH)

To connect a new peripheral using Bluetooth, you can do the following:
1. Open Settings.
2. The Settings window will open.
3. Click on Devices.
4. From the left panel, click on the Bluetooth & other devices tab.
5. Turn the Bluetooth toggle switch on.
6. Click on the Add Bluetooth or other device button.

Take note
 Install any drivers if prompted.

Figure 5.6: Adding a new peripheral using Bluetooth

7. Select the Bluetooth option.

8. Switch on the peripheral device.
9. A list of peripheral devices will appear. Choose the device and click
it to connect.
10. Click on the connect button to pair.
11. Click Done.

WI-FI
To connect a new peripheral using Wi-Fi, you can do the following:
1. Click on Start > Devices and Printers > Add a printer.
2. The Add a printer window will open.
3. Choose the Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer and follow
the instructions.
 Activity 5.4
1. What is the smallest unit of storage capacity?
2. Which one of the following options describes the type of devices
used to keep an electronic record of work done on a computer?
A. Input
B. Output
C. Processing
D. Storage
3. Fill in the missing word: There are 1 024 kilobytes in a __________.
4. Generally speaking, a hard drive has an average life span of three to
five years, depending on the brand, size and type of environment.
a. Do you agree with the statement? Motivate your answer.
b. List two ways that indicate a hard disk is starting to fail.
c. Briefly explain why an internal hard disk is more prone to damage compared
to a portable hard disk.

UNIT

5.5 Green computing

Green computing is about using computers in an environmentally

responsible and eco-friendly manner. Green computing aims to reduce
the use and impact of hazardous materials, maximise energy efficiency
and promote recycling of computers that are no longer being used.
Green computing tries to reduce the environmental effect of
computers, by making computers more efficient and making sure the
computers are built from biodegradable materials.

Some examples of green computing include:

Computers going to “sleep” after they have been inactive for a certain amount of
time.
Data stored on SSDs use considerably less electricity than data on disk drives.
Improved CPU architecture allows less electricity to create more power.
More efficient software requires less processing and storage space, which requires
less electricity.
Better resource allocation means unnecessary computers in data centres can be
turned off, saving a lot of electricity.

These improvements have already made significant improvements to

the energy use of computers.

GOING GREEN WHEN PRINTING

With printing, you need to understand the negative effect that printing
has on the environment. Currently, too much paper is been wasted for
printing; most printed copies are generally ignored or thrown away
after they have been used once. We should print documents when
necessary, and rather file and send documents electronically (for
example, through email). You can also save paper by printing on both
sides of the paper (double-sided printing), as well as by recycling
paper.
Disposing printer cartridges in the wrong way (throwing them out in the
environment) can cause serious damage to the environment. Rather,
find a disposal outlet that has special bins for this purpose, for
example, this type of outlet can be found at a local supermarket, such
as PicknPay.

Figure 5.7: Example printer cartridge recycling outlets

Activity 5.5
1. Explain the aim of green computing.
2. Describe three ways in which green computing can be achieved.
Use ONLY examples related to hardware and software.

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Match the ports in Column A to the connectors in Column B.
 (4)
2. Write down the missing numbers:
a. 1 Mb = ______ Kb (1)
b. 1 Tb = ______ Mb (1)
3. In some laptops, internal hard disk drives are being replaced by
SSDs.
 a. What do the letters SSD stand for? (1)
b. Mention one advantage of using an SSD. (1)
c. Mention one disadvantage of using an SSD. (1)
4. Mr Chotia has a small work-from-home business. He has a
computer that he uses to do basic accounting and keeps a record
of appointments with clients. He also needs to print out quotations
and receipts.
a. Mr Chotia has purchased a desktop computer. Other than a printer, list three
hardware devices that are essential for Mr Chotia to be able to use the
computer. (3)
b. Which of the devices mentioned in (a) above can be used as both an input
and as an output device? (1)
c. Mr Chotia has been advised to purchase a laser printer. Comment on this
advice. (2)
d. Mr Chotia loads a file with a customer receipt into a word processor. He then
prints out the receipt. Which of the above (file or print-out) would be referred
to as a hard copy? (1)
e. Mention two ways in which Mr Chotia could connect the printer to the
computer. Which method would you recommend? (4)
f. Mr Chotia is an environmentally aware member of the community. Mention two
ways in which he can save paper in his business. (2)
TOTAL: [22]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 6.1 More about input devices

Unit 6.2 More about output devices
Unit 6.3 Storage media and devices
Unit 6.4 Processing devices
Unit 6.5 Caring for your PC and storage devices

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Describe the different input devices.

Describe the different output devices.
Explain the different storage media and devices.
Explain what a processing device is.
Describe the different processing devices.

INTRODUCTION
Hardware devices can also come in the form of pointing devices,
scanning and reading devices, microphones and many more. In this
chapter, you will learn more about the different types of hardware
devices, their features and uses.
 UNIT

6.1 More about input devices

As you learned earlier, an input device is any hardware device that

allows you to enter data into or interact with the computer. This section
will focus on the following types of input devices:
Pointing devices
Digital cameras
Scanning and reading devices
Video input devices
Audio input devices
Biometric input devices

POINTING DEVICES
Pointing devices are used to control the movement of the cursor on
the screen. Two examples of a pointing device are the mouse for the
desktop computer and the touch pad for the laptop.
Table 6.1: Different types of pointing devices
DIGITAL CAMERA
A digital camera is designed to capture and store images on a
memory card. Digital cameras are available in different price ranges
and require no film.

Figure 6.1: An example of a digital camera

SCANNING AND READING DEVICES

SCANNING DEVICES
Scanning devices are commonly used in offices, schools and even
homes to scan documents, such as photographs and pages of text,
and then convert it into a digital format. It reads typewritten, computer-
printed or handwritten characters from ordinary documents and
translates them into a form that the computer can understand.
Table 6.2: Types of integrated scanning devices

READING DEVICES
There are several fields where reading or scanning technology is
applied. In this section, we will explain these in some more detail.

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) READERS

RFID is a form of wireless communication that uses radiowaves to
automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. These tags,
called RFID tags, have the advantage in that they do not have to be
positioned precisely relative to the reader, but can work within a few
metres away (more or less five metres) from the reader.

Although this technology has been available for many years, mostly to
track cattle, it has become a common technology for tracking
consumer products worldwide. These tiny tags can be added to any
product and can be scanned by an RFID reader. For example,
manufacturers use these tags to help track the location of each
product they produce until each is sold.

Figure 6.2: Type of RFID scanner

RFID tags come in various shapes and sizes, and may be covered in a
variety of materials, such as:
Rice-sized tags inserted underneath the skin of animals to identify
them
 Screw shaped tags to identify trees or wooden items
Credit-card shaped for use in access applications
Anti-theft hard plastic tags attached to merchandise in stores
Heavy-duty millimetre-rectangular transponders used to track
shipping containers, heavy machinery, trucks and railroad cars

Table 6.3: Types of readers

 UNDERSTANDING URLS

Have a look at this video to understand

how to use Zapper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=10&v=9SW1dnqctGA

Something to know

Before OCR technology, the only option

to digitise paper documents was to
retype them. This was a very time-
consuming process and had the
disadvantages of inaccuracy and
typing errors.

Example 6.1
Nowadays, you can use your phone to pay the bill, or even split the bill with a friend.
This is done by scanning the QR code on the bill with Zapper. First, you have to sign
up to the application and when the bill comes, use the application to pay the bill.
OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION (OCR) SCANNERS
OCR scanners, also called optical character readers, can recognise
almost any kind of typed, handwritten, or printed text inside images,
for example in scanned documents or photos, and convert it into
machine-readable text data.

Figure 6.3: An OCR scanner

The most popular application of OCR scanners is converting printed

paper documents into machine-readable text documents that can be
edited with a word-processing program. However, it can also be used
to sort magazines and letters, and therefore, speed up mail delivery, for
example.

VIDEO INPUT DEVICES

Video input devices allow you to capture media, such as pictures,
videos and sound, which can be stored on a computer, or on a
storage device and accessed whenever you need them. The following
are examples of common types of video inputs.
Table 6.4: Types of video input devices

AUDIO INPUT DEVICES

Audio input devices allow you to communicate with a computer using
your voice. Because of the world in which we live, you can now talk to
your friend in Spain via Skype, or video calling with the proper audio
input. Some examples are discussed in the table below.
Table 6.5: Types of audio input devices

VOICE RECOGNITION
Voice recognition, or speech recognition, is a type of computer
program that is able to interpret spoken instructions and respond to
them. In most cases, a microphone is necessary to be able to use the
software. This microphone can be a separate device (desktop
computer), or built-in (laptop and smartphone).

Computers using the Windows operating system include a speech-

recognition program included called Windows Speech Recognition.
Most smartphones have a built-in speech recognition software.

BIOMETRIC INPUT DEVICES

Biometric inputs measure a person’s unique physical characteristic,
with the most commonly used biometric being fingerprints. Other
biometrics are hand or palm geometry and retina, iris, or facial
characteristics. Behavioural characters include signature, voice,
keystroke pattern and a person’s manner of walking.

Biometrics can be integrated into any application that requires security,

access control and the identification and verification of people.

Something to know

These days, smartphones have built-in

voice recognition, which is designed to
decode your voice and carry out verbal
commands. The idea behind voice
recognition is for the user to save time
by designing software that can decode
the human voice, eliminating the need
for a keyboard. So, next time you are
driving, and you need to find your
friend’s location and text him
something, remember the following:
With Google, tap the microphone
symbol and state your command, for
example: “Search for no. 84, Charles
Street”, or “text Ronny”. The phone will
do everything else for you!
 Something to know

Biometric inventions, such as

fingerprint sensors and iris scanners,
are commonly used in big companies
and airlines to identify a person.
However, experts predict that soon
these biometric inputs will fall away,
and facial recognition will rule the
biometric security market.
Table 6.6: Different biometric devices
 Activity 6.1
1. Touch screens enable users to use their fingers to press keys
directly on the screen.
a. Give two examples of devices that use touch-screen technology.
b. What device can be used on a touch screen to draw or write on it? Also, give
a brief description of this device.
2. Briefly explain the function of scanning devices.
3. Barcode readers are used in a variety of environments.
a. List any two instances where a barcode reader can be used.
b. Explain briefly how a barcode reader works.
4. Video inputs measure a person’s unique physical characteristic,
with the most commonly used biometric being fingerprints.
a. Which type of reader uses the patterns found in the coloured ring of tissue
that is found around the pupil to identify the user?
b. List two places where this device is used.
c. What other scanner uses the eye as a form of identification?
d. Biometric devices are excellent in verifying a person’s identity. List two
advantages and two disadvantages.
 UNIT

6.2 More about output devices

Output devices are used to send information from a computer to

another device, or to you as the user. In this section, you will learn
about the following output devices:
Headsets and speakers
Multi-function devices
Data projectors

AUDIO OUTPUT
Audio output devices convert data on a computer into sound. This
allows you to listen to music, chat to friends, or watch a movie or
episode of a series on a computer.

Something to know

Smart speakers are a new technology

that is fast growing. It is currently
available as single-unit wireless
speakers with artificial intelligence
(AI) from Amazon, Apple, Google,
 Microsoft, or Samsung built into them.
This means that you can ask your
smart speaker, for example, to play a
song or playlist, to control the lights in
a room, or ask for a weather report,
and it will give you that.

Table 6.7: Types of audio output devices

OTHER OUTPUT
There are a variety of other output devices used with computers and
this section will look at some of these devices.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL DEVICES
Multi-functional devices are able to perform various functions of several
devices, but only takes the space of one, such as a four-in-one printer,
where you can print, copy, fax and scan using just the one hardware
device.

DATA OR DLP PROJECTOR

Projectors use a bright light to project the images that would be
displayed on a monitor on any flat surface, such as a wall or a screen.
This then replaces the image on the monitor and an enlarged
magnified image is shown on the screen, which can be viewed by a
group of people. Projectors are used in schools and offices, with
bigger projectors used in cinemas.

There are two types of data projectors:

1. Liquid crystal display (LCD) projectors
2. Digital light processing (DLP) projectors

Most projectors use DLP technology.

Figure 6.4: Example of a projector

Activity 6.2
Match the terms in Column A with the descriptions in Column B.
 UNIT

6.3 Storage media and devices

In the previous chapter on hardware, you learned that storage devices

all serve the same general purpose – i.e. to store data. In this section,
you will learn more about:
CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray
Memory cards
Card readers
Table 6.8: Types of storage devices

Something to know

CD/DVD drives in laptops are starting

to become obsolete. Nowadays,
manufacturers have started to leave
optical drives out, which enables the
laptops to be lighter and less
expensive.
 Activity 6.3
There are many storage devices that are available currently.
1. Which type of storage device is best used in a smartphone?
2. Briefly describe the storage device you mentioned in (a).

UNIT

6.4 Processing devices

When a computer receives data from an input device, for example the
mouse or keyboard, the data must be processed before it can go to an
output device, such as the printer or monitor. A processing device is
responsible for converting that data into useful information.

In this section, we will look at the following processing devices:

Motherboard
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read-only memory (ROM)

MOTHERBOARD
The motherboard can be compared to the skeleton of the human
body; it connects all the parts of a computer together. You can also
think of it as a mother that holds all her children (pieces) together.
The motherboard is a large printed circuit board connecting all the
different components in a computer, such as the CPU and RAM.

Figure 6.5: An example of a motherboard

There are also connectors on a motherboard allowing you to connect a

power supply to the computer and finally, it has a number of ports in
the back that allow you to easily plug in devices, such as keyboards,
speakers and monitors.

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)

Think of a computer as a human body with the CPU being the brain,
controlling everything the computer does.

The CPU is the part of a computer responsible for receiving and

carrying out computer instructions. It does this by making use of
millions (or even billions) of transistors, which can each be switched on
or off individually.

Something to know

Phones, tablets and other small

computerised devices also have
motherboards, often called logic
boards.

EXPLORING A MOTHERBOARD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Zjrayb7E9tI

Something to know
 Many people call their computers the
CPU – this is incorrect as the CPU is
only a chip found inside a computer.

Each CPU can be made up of multiple cores, which are independent

processing units that can complete tasks on their own. By adding
multiple cores to a CPU (which is then called a multi-core processor), a
computer can dramatically increase the processing power available to
it.

The speed of a CPU is measured in gigahertz (GHz), which shows

how many instructions can be performed in one second. One GHz is
equal to a 100 million hertz.

Figure 6.6: An example of a CPU quad core

The CPU was first developed during the 1970s at Intel, with the first processor, the
4004 processor, released.
 The type of processor determines the speed and its capabilities. In the past,
computer processors used numbers to identify and name the processor. For
example, the Intel 80486 (386) processor is faster than the 80386 (286)
processor. However, after the Intel Pentium processor was developed, processors
started getting names, such as Pentium, Celeron and Duron.

MEMORY
You learned about hard drives earlier on. Other than the hard drive,
there is the random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory
(ROM).
Table 6.9: RAM and ROM

Activity 6.4
This will be a group activity. The teacher will arrange you in groups. Each group will be
asked to research a specific processing device, such as:
Motherboard
CPU
RAM and ROM
Each group should give a description of the device. Their role (use) in a computer and
importance thereof. In order to do so, you need to do the following:
1. Each group must create a PowerPoint presentation with a maximum of eight slides
(containing a cover, content and reference slide) on research of the assigned
topic.
2. Each group will present the research done on the topic.
3. Your teacher will give you an assessment task to complete, based on the
information found by all the groups.

Something to know

The first writeable RAM was magnetic

core memory invented in 1951.

UNIT

6.5 Caring for your PC and storage

devices

You must always take care of your PC system and storage devices, as
some of the components and the information loss can be quite costly.
To take care of your PC, keep food and drinks away from it and keep
back-ups on a storage device, such as an external hard drive. Also
install an antivirus program and keep your PC clean. These are just
some examples of taking care of your PC.

Something to know

Always remove a flash disk or external

hard drive safely from the computer.
This can be done by right clicking the
Removable storage icon in the
Computer window and select Eject.
Yes, it might seem tedious, but in the
long run, it will help you by preventing
any data corruption.

For storage devices, examples would be that CDs and DVDs can get
scratched, making them unreadable. Flash disks are small and can
easily land on the floor. When stepped on, they can become damaged.
They can also be damaged by water and high temperatures, or other
environmental factors. Even normal wear can cause them to become
unusable.

Although external hard drives are normally resistant to damage, care

should be taken not to drop them as they contain small parts that can
easily be damaged.
Always take care of your computer, shut it down in the correct way
when you are done using it, so that the computer can last for a long
period of time.

Guided Activity 6.1

Do the following activity with the rest of your class mates. Your teacher will help guide
you in this activity.
To check the size of a hard disk and the space available on a plugged-in storage
device, the following should be done:
1. Double click on the My Computer icon in the Start menu.
2. From the My Computer window, right click on the icon that shows
the drive that you want to look at.
3. In this case, we will look at the Windows (C:) icon.
4. Right click on the icon.
5. Click on Properties from the drop-down menu, this will display the
properties of Windows (C:) in the dialogue box.
6. The dialogue box will show the disk space, available free space and
the capacity of the disk, as seen in Figure 6.7.
Figure 6.7: Properties window of Windows (C:).

REVISION ACTIVITY
For questions 1 and 2, write down the number of the question and the letter that
matches the correct answer, e.g. 9 C.
1. Which of the following devices is MOST likely to have a touch pad?
A. Desktop computer
B. Foldable keyboard
C. Laptop computer
D. Touch-screen monitor (1)
2. Which of the following is NOT a pointing device?
A. Trackball
B. Stylus
C. Digital camera
D. Joystick (1)
3. Petrus works in the office of a large company. One of his
responsibilities is to scan many documents and store them in
digital format on the company server. Some of the documents can
be up to 20 pages long. Should the company use a stand-alone
flatbed scanner, or a scanner included with a multi-functional
printer? Give a reason for your choice. (3)
4. Many people have a small RFID chip implanted in their pets. The
chip stores a unique identity number. If the pet goes astray and is
found by someone else, it can be taken to a veterinary practice
where the vet can use an RFID scanner to check who owns the
pet.
a. What do the letters RFID stand for? (1)
b. Mention one other use for RFID chips. (1)
5. Study the image below showing the components inside a desktop
computer’s tower.
 a. What is the function of the motherboard? (2)
b. Without referring to the human brain, explain what the function of the CPU(2)
is.
c. Computers have two types of memory, RAM and ROM. Compare RAM with
ROM by listing two differences between them. Write your answer in a table
format. (5)
6. List two devices that use memory cards as additional storage. (2)
7. CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs can all be used as storage media.
a. Which of these storage media has the lowest capacity? (1)
b. Which of these storage media would be most suitable to distribute a 3D
movie? (1)
8. In a number of places in this textbook, you will find images like the
one below that take you to a website or resource when scanned.
 a. This image looks like a barcode in two dimensions. What is it called? (1)
b. What software do you need to scan the image? (1)
c. Use a smartphone to scan the image. Write down the URL of the website that
it opens. If you do not have a smartphone, ask a friend or your teacher to
help you. (1)
9. Chris Hani Secondary School has installed a fingerprint scanner.
Staff have to use the scanner when they arrive at school and again
when they leave. The scanner software is used to keeps records
on staff attendance.
a. The fingerprint scanner is a biometric input device. Explain briefly what is
meant by biometric input. (2)
b. Name one other type of biometric scanner. (1)
10. Faizal has bought a portable speaker from an online shopping site.

The following specifications were found on the website:

 a. Faizal wants to use the speaker to play music that is stored on his
smartphone. How would he connect his smartphone to the speaker? (1)
b. Faizal wants to play music without connecting to his smartphone. Which two
storage media could he use? (2)
TOTAL: [29]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 7.1 Basic software concepts

Unit 7.2 Operating system
Unit 7.3 Being more secure

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Describe what software is.

Describe the types of software.
Describe the differences, advantages and disadvantages of each type of
software.
Describe what an operating system is and give examples thereof.
Describe what GUI is and give examples of some of the elements.
Explain basic PC security.

INTRODUCTION
In Chapter 1, you learned that software is a set of programs or
instructions that tells the computer and its hardware how to perform
specific tasks. Without software, most computers would be useless,
for example without Microsoft Word software it will be difficult to type
out assignments and use specialised fonts and WordArt.

In this chapter, we will look at the basic software concepts, different

software components and different types of software.
 Something to know

The term “software” was not used until

the late 1950s. In 1948, computer
scientist, Tom Kilburn, was responsible
for writing the world’s first piece of
software. Kilburn and one of his
colleagues created one of the earliest
computers, which was called the
Manchester Small-Scale Experimental
Machine (SSEM), also known as the
“Baby”. The SSEM used coded
instructions programmed into it to do
mathematical calculations. This piece
of software took 52 minutes to
correctly calculate 218, which is
262.144.
 UNIT

7.1 Basic software concepts

In this unit, we will look at the different concepts used in software. To

begin, however, we will look at the different types of software.

Software consists of the following two categories, which will be

explained in detail later on:
1. Application software: Application software allows you to perform
tasks, such as playing games, creating slide show presentations,
creating spreadsheets, and so on. There are many different types
of application software programs.
2. System software: This includes the operating system and other
software that controls and manages the operation of the computer.

WHAT IS SOFTWARE?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=grrYbJqnSzY
APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Whether it is creating a report for work, typing out an assignment for
school, messaging a friend, or just trying to find out where you can buy
the latest PlayStation, there is probably an application (app) that can
help you find what you are looking for. Unfortunately, there is no
application that explains what it is, or what it does. So, in this section
we will look at this term and how it has developed – and you do not
even need an application to read it!

As you have learned, computer software is a set of instructions that

tells a computer what to do and how to do it. Although the computer
cannot run without system software, application software is the most
useful type for computer users, as it helps us perform many of the
tasks that make us use computers in the first place, such as web
browsing, word processing and spreadsheet processing.
Figure 7.1: Different software applications

Over recent years, classifying applications according to computing

platforms has become more difficult. A platform is the combination of
hardware and software required to make an application run. In the
past, the type of software running on a computer depended on the
operating system, for example, some software works with a Windows
operating system; other software only works with an iOS or Unix
system. That has changed, however; new development in software
has resulted in many applications no longer relying on a specific
operating system, it runs on the web and can be accessed through a
browser.
TYPES OF APPLICATION SOFTWARE
The table below shows some of the different types of application
software installed on a computer. You should note that although
software is identified as a program, it can be anything that runs on a
computer.

Something to know

In a few years’ time, application

software will develop even more.
According to software developers, we
are likely to see less emphasis on
desktop PC software and an increased
emphasis on cloud and mobile
applications. Although this may benefit
users in terms of user-friendliness, it
can lead to potential privacy and
security risks.
Table 7.1: Examples and types of application software

Some application software, such as Wordpad, Notepad, Calculator,

Paint and the Snipping Tool, all come packaged with the system
software of the Microsoft Windows operating system. We will briefly
look at these basic programs and how they can be useful to you.

ACCESSORIES
Microsoft Windows includes a few programs, such as the Calculator,
Paint and Snipping Tool. You can start any accessory from the Start
menu. An accessory is any device or program that is not necessarily
required, but it can be added to a computer to perform an additional
function.
 Something to know

You can access these programs by

clicking on the Start menu and
searching for the program.

WINDOWS CALCULATOR
To use the Windows Calculator accessory you can do the following
activities:

Guided Activity 7.1

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type in calc.
3. Click Calculator from the search results.
The calculator will appear on your desktop.
Figure 7.2: The Calculator application

Guided Activity 7.2

To perform a simple calculation, you can do the following:
1. Use the keyboard to type in the required data.
2. Or, you can type in the data by using the mouse and clicking on the
buttons of the calculator.
3. Press the Enter key to get your answer.

Something to know
 Did you know that you can change the
type of calculator from standard to
scientific, or to a programming
calculator by clicking on the icon
on the left-hand side of the calculator.
So, next time you have some
homework that requires a calculator,
maybe this program could be of some
use.

SNIPPING TOOL
This tool captures all, or part of the computer screen as an image. You
can save this image, attach it to an email, or even paste it into another
application, such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Paint.

Guided Activity 7.3

To access this program, you can do the following:
1. Click on the Start menu.
2. Type in snip.
3. Click on the Snipping Tool from the search results.
To capture a snip, you can do the following:
4. In the Snipping Tool, select Mode. You can choose any of the following types of
snips:
Free-form snip
Rectangular snip
Window snip
 Rectangular snip

USING THE SNIPPING TOOL

You can learn how to snip the

computer screen by opening the QR
code shown below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=J6SO9zf_QL0

5. Select the area that you want to snip.

Figure 7.3: The Snipping Tool

6. After you have captured your snip, save the snip.
7. This is done by clicking on File > Save As.
8. Type a file name and then click on Save.

PAINT
Microsoft Paint is an accessory that provides virtual pens and brushes
to create art or even text.

Guided Activity 7.4

To use this program, you can do the following:
1. Click on the Start button.
2. Type in paint.
3. Click Paint in the search results.
The Paint window will then open and you can create your own canvas by clicking or
dragging the mouse, or by using the brushes.
Figure 7.4: The Paint tool

SYSTEM SOFTWARE
System software is the specific type of software that manages the
computer. Much like a traffic officer at a busy intersection, the system
software manages the flow of data and information in the computer.
This is done in the following ways:
Translating the instructions from the software to a language that the hardware can
understand
Sending these instructions to the correct hardware
Receiving information from the hardware (such as, the button press on a keyboard)
and sending it to the software
Allowing different applications to speak to each other
Making sure all the hardware and software on the computer are in a good condition
The operating system (OS) is the most important type of system
software as it manages all the other programs in the computer.

TYPES OF SYSTEM SOFTWARE

The table below shows some of the different types of system software
installed on a computer.

Table 7.2: Examples and types of system software

Activity 7.1
1. What is a platform?
2. Match the following software in Column A with the correct example in Column B:
 UNIT

7.2 Operating system

When you turn on a computer, it is nice to be able to move the mouse,

play music, or even browse the web with just a click. However, as easy
as it looks, there is a lot going on inside the computer and the real
mastermind behind handling all the necessary tasks, is the operating
system. Most desktops or PCs come preloaded with Microsoft
Windows while Macs are preloaded with Mac OS X. Other PCs and
desktops may use the Linux or UNIX operating systems.

Take note

Before everything else, the operating

system is the first thing loaded onto
 the computer. Without the operating
system, a computer is pretty useless.

Recently, operating systems are found in smaller computers and

devices that we use every day; from smartphones to wireless access
points. The purpose of an operating system is to organise and control
both the hardware and software to perform specific tasks.

Any device that has an operating system allows you to change how
the device works. This means that you can add a new security update,
a new application, or even install a new operating system (depending
on compatibility) whenever you want to. So, no need to throw your
computer away each time you need to add a new application or
update! As long as you understand how an operating system works,
you can change some of the ways in which it operates; the same
applies for your phone.

What exactly can an operating system do? In the following section, we

will take a brief look at the role that the operating system plays.

UNDERSTANDING THE
OPERATING SYSTEM
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=pTdSs8kQqSA&list=PL4316FC411
AD077AA&index=8&t=0s

THE ROLE OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM

The operating system of a computer manages all the software and
hardware of the computer. In other words, the operating system has
many different functions and jobs. In most cases, people generally
have a number of programs running at the same time on their
computers. These programs all need to access the computer’s CPU,
storage and memory. The operating system manages and coordinates
these processes so that the program gets what it needs to run.

THE OPERATING SYSTEM AND GUI

Operating systems are usually preloaded onto any computer you buy.
Most users use the operating system that comes with their computers;
however, this can be updated or even changed when required. The
most popular operating systems for PCs are Microsoft Windows, Mac
OS X and Linux.
Modern operating systems use a graphical user interface (GUI). This
interface allows you to use the mouse to click on buttons and the
keyboard to type text; while everything is shown clearly on the display
screen as graphics and text.

Each operating system has a different look; so, if you decide to change
operating systems at some point, it might initially feel weird and
unfamiliar. However, modern operating systems are designed to be
easy to use and the basic operating principles are the same.

Figure 7.5: GUI of a Microsoft Windows operating system

TYPICAL FEATURES OF A GUI
A GUI uses windows, icons and menus to perform commands, such
as opening, moving, closing and deleting files. Although most GUI
systems use the mouse to navigate, it can also use hotkeys and arrow
keys.

GUI elements are included, but not limited to the following:

Input controls: Checkboxes, option buttons, list boxes and dialogue boxes
Navigational components: Icons, menu usage and navigation
Informational components: Toolbars and message boxes

Figure 7.6: Examples of user interface elements

These operating system elements are grouped in tables and are briefly
discussed below.
Table 7.3: Input controls
Table 7.4: Navigational components
Table 7.5: Informational components

DIFFERENT OPERATING SYSTEMS

The three popular operating systems for PCs are:
1. Microsoft Windows
2. Mac OS X
3. Linux

MICROSOFT WINDOWS
Microsoft Windows is one of the most popular operating system.
Microsoft is calling Windows 10 “the last version of Windows”. This is
not because it is killing off Windows, but because it decided to rather
keep improving and updating Windows 10.
Figure 7.7: Windows user interface

MAC OS X
This is a range of computer systems created by Apple. All Macintosh
computers, better known as Macs, come preloaded with this operating
system. All their recent versions are known as OS X with, the latest
version that was released in 2018, called Mojave.
Figure 7.8: Mac “El Capitan” user interface

Something to know

According to StatCounter Global Stats,

there are only about 10% Mac OS X
users of global operating systems,
which is really low compared to
Windows users (about 80%). A reason
for this is that Apple computers tend to
be much more expensive; although
most people prefer the look and feel of
Mac OS X over Windows.

The iPhone and iPad both have the iOS 9 user interface.
LINUX
Linux is a group of open-source operating systems. This means that it
can be modified and distributed across the world by anyone. The
advantages of Linux are that it is free and there are many different
versions from which you can choose, for example, Linux Mint, Ubuntu,
CentOS 7, etc.

Figure 7.9: Linux user interface

Something to know

According to StatCounter Global Stats,

Linux users are less than 2% of global
operating systems. Most servers run
 on Linux, which makes it easier to
customise.

MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEMS

All of the previously mentioned information on operating systems is
pretty much designed to only run on desktops or laptops. Mobile
devices, such as phones, tablets and iPads differ from PCs or laptops
and, therefore, have different operating systems designed just for
them. Examples of these systems are Google Android, Apple iOS,
Nokia Symbian, BlackBerry OS, etc.

Most mobile operating systems are tied to specific hardware, with little
flexibility. It also does not have as many features as the operating
systems of PCs and laptops, and the different devices cannot all run
on the same software.

Mobile devices with communication abilities, for example smartphones,

have the following two operating systems: the main user-facing
software platform and a second lower-level proprietary real-time
operating system, which operates the radio and other hardware.

A mobile operating system starts when the device is powered on,

presenting a screen with various icons or tiles that provide specific
information and application access. It also manages cellular and
wireless network connectivity, as well as phone access.

Activity 7.2
Are the following three statements true or false? If false, provide the correct answer.
1. The operating system is a type of hardware.
2. Modern operating systems use a graphical user interface (GUI).
3. A menu bar gives you quick access to frequently used commands.
4. Which one of the following systems is an open-source operating system?
a. Linux
b. Windows
c. Mac OS
5. Look at the diagram below and answer the questions that follow.

a. What type of GUI element is shown in this diagram?

b. Explain the type of element shown. Give a brief description of this element.
 c. The diagram shows that the user was trying to connect to a peripheral device.
Is this statement true? Motivate your answer.
d. According to the diagram, what method of connection is being used (this will
be based on your answer in question c above)?

UNIT

7.3 Being more secure

Computer security is something every computer user should take very

seriously. A breach in security can cause major problems. This means
that you must do certain things to prevent and detect unauthorised
access to your computer. Unauthorised use refers to anyone that gets
access to your computer without your permission. In the worst-case
scenario, this can refer to hackers who break into computer systems
to steal, change or destroy information.

One of the steps you can take to be more secure, is to create a

password that allows access to your computer.

CREATE A PASSWORD
Computer passwords are used to help identify the correct user and
also prevent unauthorised use. A password consists of a string of
secret characters, numbers, or words that are used to verify the
identity of a user during the authentication process. It is used
together with a username, and is designed to be known only to the
user and allow that user to gain access to a device, application or
website.

You can create a password in Windows 10 by doing the following:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Type in Control Panel.
3. Open the Control Panel, and click on User Accounts.
4. Open User Accounts and choose Make changes to accounts.
5. Click on Add a new user in PC settings.
6. Choose Make changes to my account in PC settings.
7. Click or tap Sign-in options from the left.
8. In the Password area, click on the Add button.
9. Enter the new password correctly in both text fields, where
required.
10. In the Password Hint field, enter something that will help you
remember the password. Click Next.
11. Click on Finish to complete the password setup.

To access your computer, you need to key in the correct login name
and password. You must ensure to log off when you are done with
your computer so that no one else has access to your information.

TIPS FOR CREATING A

PASSWORD
 The longer the better – a minimum
of 12-characters is recommended.
Mix it up; use variations on
capitalisation, spelling, numbers
and punctuation.
Avoid names, places and
dictionary words.
Use a sentence that you will
remember, for example, your name
and date of birth.
Use the first letters of each word
as your password, for example,
“My name is Julia Mabula and I
was born on 13 March 2001!” The
password would then be
“MniJMaIwbo13M21!” – it
consists of 16 characters: letters –
upper- and lowercase, numbers
and symbols.

CAN’T REMEMBER MY
PASSWORD

Should you forget your password, click

on this QR code to find out how you
 can reset it:

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/h
ow-to-reset-your-windows-10-
password-when-you-forget-it/

OTHER AUTHENTICATION METHODS

The world of computers is changing every year. Nowadays, with the
touch of your finger, you can unlock your computer and phone.
Businesses that are really serious about their security use fingerprint
scanning, facial recognition, or an iris scanner to protect the
information on their computers.

Figure 7.10: Authentication safety measures

SCREEN LOCK PATTERN
Users can secure their smartphones or tablets by using a screen lock.
So, every time the user turns the phone on, or wakes it up from
standby mode, it requires a screen lock pattern. This can be in the
form of a pin, password, fingerprint scan and nowadays, users can
unlock their devices by scanning their retina.

More about the pattern:

It is a simple pattern that is drawn with the user’s finger.
It makes the device more secure and less accessible by others.
If you take privacy very seriously, using a pattern to lock the device can actually be
handy.

Activity 7.3
Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow:

The Mo-ho family used a desktop computer connected to a printer, keyboard and
wireless mouse at home for some time. Mrs Mo-ho has now started her own
catering business, which she runs from home and requires that she interact with
foreign clients.

1. List one essential output device, other than a printer, that she will
need to perform her duties.
2. List one essential input device, other than a keyboard and mouse,
that she will need to perform her duties.
3. Mrs Mo-ho stores sensitive sales information on her computer. She
uses a login ID, with her numeric birth date (2907) as the password
 to access her computer. However, she is scared that someone
might crack her password and gain access to her computer.
a. State two ways in which she could strengthen her password.
b. List one example of an authentication device, which could be used as part of
her computer system to gain access to her computer, as well as give her an
extra layer of security.

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Explain briefly what is meant by the term “software”. (2)
2. The image below shows a box that you will often use when
formatting paragraphs in the Microsoft Word processor.
 Write down the letter of the label that matches each of the following components:
a. Dialogue box
b. Close button
c. Option button
d. Check box
e. Combo box (5)
3. What do the letters GUI stand for? (1)
4. What is the function of a GUI? (2)
5. Johan often uses Microsoft Paint, the Calculator application and the
Snipping Tool to assist him with homework tasks. Which of the
applications would he most likely use to do the following:
a. Resize a photograph taken with his smartphone camera
b. Take a screen capture of an image found on a website for a project
c. Convert a temperature in degrees Farenheit to degrees Celcius. (3)
6. Explain the difference between application software and system
software. (4)
7. Match the number of the application software type in Column A
with the letter of the example in Column B.

(4)
8. Mention two functions of an operating system. (2)
9. Give the name of an operating system that is used for smartphones.
(1)
10. Rate each of the following passwords as “weak”, “strong” or “very
strong”:
a. N@t1onal2o19
b. Long2Montagu#Electric)Lego
 c. SamHolly (your dogs’ names) (3)
11. Mention two types of access control systems that are found on
smartphones other than a password or pin. (2)
TOTAL: [29]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 8.1 Types of software

Unit 8.2 System software
Unit 8.3 Licensing and licensing agreements

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Describe system software in more detail.

Identify the different types of system software.
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of system
software.
Describe drivers and utilities.
Understand the importance of computer security and software piracy.

INTRODUCTION
We have already looked at the basics of software and the different
types of software you can get. Remember, without the correct system
software, the application software and programs will not function
correctly on your computer.

In this section, we will look at software in a bit more depth.

 UNIT

8.1 Types of software

System software is designed to control and coordinate the tasks and

functions of computer hardware. System software also allows for
interaction between hardware, software and the user. You can say that
system software is like the “middle man”, it allows the software and
hardware to communicate, making the computer easy to work on.

Let’s look at the different types of software.

FREEWARE, SHAREWARE AND PROPRIETARY

SOFTWARE
We will now take a look at the differences between freeware,
shareware and proprietary software in the following table:
Table 8.1: Freeware, shareware and proprietary software
 Something to know

Keep in mind that there are safety

precautions you should know about
when downloading software for free
or even if you are paying for it. Nothing
stops the developer from bundling the
software with malware (virus, worms
or spyware) and still make you pay for
it. There is also a lot of freeware that is
completely useless or ineffective.
Always be aware of the importance of
practicing good software safety so that
you can choose the best software for
your needs.

OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE

When the program is developed, the developers must decide whether

they want to make its code proprietary or open-source software. The
following table explains more about open source software.
Table 8.2: Open-source software

OPEN-SOURCE OR
PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=5&v=2q91vTvc7YE
 UNIT

8.2 System software

You can update the Windows system with the latest software. Other
than a few drivers and Microsoft built-in programs, there is not much to
a Windows update, and this is where driver and software update tools
come into play. These utilities keep the Windows, PC, laptop or tablet
up to date on a regular basis.

We will now learn a bit more about drivers and utility programs.

Something to know

If the device drivers need an update

and the manufacturer is still around,
then the drivers are usually listed on
their web page. Sometimes, the
manufacturer might be out of business
and you can find out-of-date, or even
obsolete drivers on third-party
websites that specialise in this type of
business.
DRIVERS
Device drivers, more often known as drivers, are a group of programs
that allow the hardware and the operating system to communicate
with each other. Each hardware device has a specific driver that must
be installed on the computer to which it is connected.

If the wrong driver is installed, if the driver is outdated, or if there is no

driver installed at all, the hardware may not work properly, or it may not
work at all. If you are using Microsoft Windows and there are
compatibility issues, open the Device Manager to see what is
happening.
Figure 8.1: Device Manager

AUTOCONFIGURATION OF DEVICES
Autoconfiguration means to add devices to a computing device,
without the need of user-intervention or software-configuration
programs. In other words, you can connect the device to the
computer, and the device will automatically install the drivers and then
configure it in the system. The two types of autoconfiguration have
been explained below.
PLUG AND PLAY
Plug and play, also known as PnP, is a term used when an operating
system recognises a device and it installs the device driver
automatically. These devices allow the user to use the device
immediately after it has been connected to the computer. Hardware
examples would include keyboards, mice, monitors, etc.

HOT SWAPPABLE
This is the ability to plug a device into a computer while it is switched
on. It also allows you to use the device without having to switch off the
computer. An example of this type of device would be a mouse. A
mouse is a type of plug-and-play device, after plugging it in. It will
work immediately.

CLOUD STORAGE

Have a look at this article to see how

cloud storage works:

https://computer.howstuffworks.com/cl
oud-computing/cloud-storage.htm
UTILITY PROGRAMS
Utility programs or utilities allow you to perform computer management
and maintenance tasks. These programs are much smaller in size
compared to other software programs and can come packaged with
the operating system, or installed at a later stage. Examples of utility
programs are back-up software, disk clean-up, compression programs
and so on.

Backup software is a program that copies data to a different location

for in case you lose or delete the original data. You can then restore
this data from the back-up copy. Nowadays, people actually back up
their data on flash disks, hard drives and even the cloud.

Compression programs
Compression programs are used to compress or decompress files. In
Windows operating systems, examples of programs that decompress
and compress files would be 7Zip, WinZip and WinRAR.

Disk Clean-up is a program that removes unnecessary files and

temporary files. This can help speed up the performance of your
computer. In order to clean up your computer space, you can do the
following:
1. Click on the Start button.
2. Type in Disk Clean-up.
3. Click on Disk Clean-up. It will then show you the suggested files to
delete (refer to Figure 8.2).
4. If you agree with the evaluation, click on Clean up system files.
(Refer to Figure 8.2.)

Figure 8.2: Disk Clean-up

Using Disk Clean-up at least once a month can help improve the
performance of your computer!
 UNIT

8.3 Licensing and licensing agreements

SOFTWARE LICENSING AND LICENCE AGREEMENTS

When users pay for proprietary software, they pay for the rights to use
it while the software still belongs to the developer. When you install
proprietary software, you have to agree to terms and conditions in the
licence agreement. This is an actual agreement and can contain
information, such as:
The software cannot be modified or changed
Copies of the software cannot be made and distributed
The software cannot be installed on more than one device

The licence agreement is better known as the end-user licence

agreement (EULA) and has three types of agreements:
1. Single-user licence: This means that you can install the software
on only one computer or device.
2. Multi-user licence: This means you can install the software on
several devices or computers, which will be indicated in the licence
agreement.
3. Site licence: This licence allows you to install software on a number
of computers at the same site. This licence may be unlimited, but
may also be limited to a certain number of users at the same time.
This type of licence is often used by businesses and schools.
CREATIVE COMMONS
This is a set of copyright agreements that allows the public to freely
distribute and use copyright work. It is used when a developer wants
to give people the right to share, use and build upon a program that
they have created. Creative commons can be abbreviated to CC and
there are several CC licences that allow the user to do the following:
Copy the work – i.e. you can download, copy and photocopy the content that is
required.
Distribute the content, for example to teachers, schools and other educational
purposes.
Communicate the content, for example make it available on the school network.

Examples of organisations that use the CC licence are Wikipedia,

some YouTube channels, Boundless, etc.

SOFTWARE PIRACY
Piracy is the illegal copying, distribution or use of software. Illegal
copies are sold at a cheap price. When illegal copies are made and
distributed in the form of CDs or DVDs or another storage medium, it is
called software piracy. There are different types of software piracy:
Softlifting: When a software program with a legal licence is installed or copied with
the main purpose of providing it to multiple users, rather than to sell copies for
profit.
Client-server overuse: When more users, as stipulated in the licensing
agreement, are using a central copy of a program at the same time.
 Hard-disk loading: This happens when illegal copies of software are loaded onto
the hard disks of new computers to make the purchase more attractive.
Counterfeiting: The illegal duplication, distribution and/or sale of copyright
material with the intent of imitating the copyright product.
Online piracy: When proprietary software is downloaded from the internet.

Something to know

According to the Business Software

Alliance (BSA), about 36% of software
that is used is pirated. Software piracy
causes a lot of monetary loss for
developers, making the legal copies
more expensive.

Activity 8.1
1. Define the following types of software:
a. Freeware
b. Shareware
c. Open source
d. Proprietary software
2. Describe how one would go about using proprietary software,
without having to spend much money. Motivate your answer.
 One of Mr Itek’s children knows his
friend has software for Microsoft
Word. He wants to copy the software,
then install it on their home computer.

3. Is Mr Itek doing the right thing? Motivate your answer.

4. How would you categorise the way in which Mr Itek’s friend intends
on using the software?

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. The table below is comparing freeware, shareware and proprietary
software. Make a copy of the table in your workbook and fill in the
headings, as well as the missing information. (12)

2. Fairoza purchases a laptop that she can use to work on

assignments for her course at university. The laptop was supplied
with the Windows 10 Home operating system.
 a. She obtained a copy of Microsoft Office 2016 from a friend and installed it on
her laptop. Explain why she should NOT do this. (2)
b. If she wishes to continue using Office 2016, what type of licence does she
need? (1)
c. When she updates Office 2016 with a valid licence, she is asked to
acknowledge that she has read the EULA. What does EULA stand for? (1)
If she cannot afford to purchase a licence from Microsoft, she could install an
Open Source office suite.
d. What is open-source software? (2)
e. Give an example of an Open Source office suite that she could use. (1)
3. You have purchased a new printer. When you connect the printer to
your computer for the first time, you have to install a printer driver
that is on a CD provided with the printer.
a. What is a driver? (1)
b. Write down the missing words:
When you plugged in a new wireless mouse for the first time, the driver was
installed automatically by the operating system. This is known as plug and
play, or______ ______. (2)
c. What is a hot swappable device? (2)
4. Mention two utility programs that are part of the Windows 10
operating system. (2)
TOTAL: [26]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 9.1 Concepts used in networks

Unit 9.2 Uses of networks
Unit 9.3 Social implications: Networks

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Explain the different concepts used in networks.

Understand how networks are used.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of networks.
Identify the social implications that are associated with networks.

INTRODUCTION
A computer network consists of two or more computers and other
hardware devices that are linked together through communication
channels to share electronic communications and resources, such as
printers with various users.

Something to know

The Semi-Automatic Ground

Environment (SAGE) computer system
was invented by two MIT professors
during the 1950s and became
operational in 1961. Because of
America’s size, the speed of the
military attack planes and the
possibility of nuclear attacks by the
Russians, the US military decided that
they needed an air-defence system
that would identify and intercept
enemy planes before they could do
any damage.
SAGE was, therefore developed, using
techniques learned from World War II
radar development. Weighing over
250 tonnes, SAGE was one of the
largest computers ever built and
consisted of 23 bunkers all over the
US and one in Canada; each having a
SAGE computer that could track 400
planes. As it consisted of a network of
long-distance communications
technology through landlines and
ground-to-air radio links and
interactive display terminals, it could
differentiate between enemy and
friendly planes by keeping track of
flight plans. What made SAGE so
 extraordinary, is the fact that it was
the first network-based computer
system, laying the foundation for the
entire internet age.

In this chapter, you will learn about networks, the different concepts
used in networks, and the advantages and disadvantages of networks.
You will also learn how to use networks in an ethical and correct way.

UNIT

9.1 Concepts used in networks

Looking at the definition of a computer network in the “Introduction”,

you will remember that a computer network consists of two or more
computers and hardware devices linked together through
communication channels to share electronic communications and
resources with various users.

In computer networks, computing devices are called nodes and share

data with each other through data links. These links are sent over
cable media such as wires, optic cables, or wireless media such as Wi-
Fi. The connected computers also share resources, such as access to
printers, with the most common resource being the internet.

There are two common types of networks:

1. Home Area Network (HAN): A HAN is a very small network that
usually covers a single home or home office.
2. Personal Area Network (PAN): A PAN is similar to a HAN, but even
smaller! It refers to a network that is built for a single person and
contains all the devices connected to this network.

Most organisations, such as schools and businesses, have computers

that are connected to a central computer called the network server.
This server is the main computer that manages the communication
between all the other computers on the network. A network client
refers to the hardware or software that can access services made
available by a server.

Network administrators are the people that are part of a technical

support team, and who can modify and change the network according
to the organisation’s needs. The administrator can, for example,
remove computers from the network and restrict access to users,
preventing them from having access to confidential information.

There are various devices helping in the communication between

nodes, for example:
Switches: The main purpose of switches is to share information between specific
computers without involving the other computers in the network. This means that
these computers can continue doing what they are doing. Looking at the following
diagram, you will see that by using a switch, Computer A sends a message to
Computer B, without the other computers seeing the message. Those computers
can send other messages at the same time and without interference.
Figure 9.1: Messages sent using switches

Routers: Routers do most of the hard work in a network as they make the
decisions about all the messages that pass through the network. This means that
they analyse each piece of data and protect information from security threats
through a firewall. Routers also choose the route for the data to travel and decide
which computer gets priority.
Wireless access points: These points allow devices to connect to a wireless
network without cables. It can also give useful data about the devices on the
network.

Activity 9.1
1. Write the correct answer to the questions below in your book:
a. In computer networks, computing devices are called__________?
A. Computers
B. Nodes
C. Modems
D. Switches
b. A PAN is a__________.
A. Network that operates in a large area, such as across a country
B. Network built for a single person connecting all the devices
C. Very small network that usually covers a single home
D. Network that operates in a small area, such as a house, school or office
c. A switch is a device that_______.
A. Shares information between specific computers without involving the
other computers in the network
B. Makes the decisions about all the messages that pass through the
network
C. Connects a computer or network to the internet
D. Allows computing devices to connect to a wireless network without
cables
d. Ethernet___________.
A. Is a set of rules that define the way in which two networking nodes can
communicate
B. Is a type of data link protocol that defines the types of cables and
connections used to wire computers, switches and routers together
C. Connects a computer or network to the internet
D. Can remove computers from the network and restrict access to users
e. The people who can modify and change the network settings are called
the___________.
A. Network technicians
B. Computer nerds
 C. Network administrators
D. Gamers

UNIT

9.2 Uses of networks

So far, you have learned that networks can be used in a variety of

environments; from schools to businesses to homes. These uses (aims
and objectives) can be grouped into the following four main categories:
1. Sharing resources
2. Connecting people
3. Organising information
4. Access to entertainment

In this section, we will look at the different uses of networks, as well as

their advantages and disadvantages.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF NETWORKS

Networks have become something that we can barely live without. In
this section, we will take a look at some of their main uses.

SHARING
One of the primary objectives of a network is to share information.
Although networks are designed to share information, they do much
more than that; they also share the resources linked to the computers
on the networks. This includes access to the internet, files, hardware,
people and money.

Figure 9.2: People connected to networks

The most common reason for creating a home, school, or office

network is to provide all the computers connected to that network,
access to the internet. In South Africa, the internet is an expensive
resource. By sharing the internet between many people, it becomes
slightly more affordable and people who would previously not have had
access to the internet, can now gain access.

Something to know
 According to the United Nations (UN)
agency that oversees international
communications, more than three
billion people all over the world are
using the internet. This number
increased from 738 million in 2000, to
3.2 billion in 2015. This is fantastic,
right? So now, people from South
Africa can send a file, text or image
from their computers to someone
anywhere in the world with just the
click of a button.

The second most common reason for creating a home or office

network is to provide access to shared files. In many offices, a central
computer or server is used to store shared files and anyone who needs
access to these files, can access them through the server.

Homes and offices also use networks to share hardware, such as

printers and scanners. This allows many people to use a single printer
or scanner without too much hassle or causing any problems.

NETWORKING TO SUCCESS!

At some point you must have come

across the terms cloud, cloud
computing, or cloud storage, but what
exactly is this cloud?
In simple words, the cloud is the
internet and refers to all the things
you can access remotely through the
internet. If a file or folder, or pretty
much anything that is stored on the
cloud, is stored on internet servers
and not on your computer’s hard
drive.
People all over the world use the
cloud, because it is reliable and
convenient. It is easy to store and
share files, as well as back-up data.
If, for example, you have used an
email application, such as Gmail or
MWeb mail, you have already used
the cloud!
The nice thing about the cloud is that
even if your computer crashes, you
can still access your information if
you have previously backed it up on
the cloud.
 Have a look at the video link on the
left to understand more about cloud
computing, it is worth a watch!

When we think of resources, remember these are not just restricted to

your computer, but can also extend to real-world resources, for
example, people and money. Should you encounter a problem, you
can get advice from experts all over the world by asking for advice on
the internet. Banking sites, investment sites and crowdfunding
websites, such as GoFundMe.com, can provide you with access to
money.

WHAT IS THE CLOUD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=30&v=gu4FYSFeWqg

ORGANISING INFORMATION
Computer networks not only provide access to information; they also
help people to organise information. This could be something small,
such as a Google Calendar event where people work together to
organise a single event. It can be something complex, such as Google
Maps that gives people driving directions in more than 240 countries
and covers over 64 million kilometres of road (that is about 83 trips to
the moon and back).

By recording information in a central location on a network, people can

work together to organise it in a way that is useful and understandable.

CONNECTING PEOPLE
Another important use of networks or telecommunication networks is
to connect people. This can be through emails, video calls on your
computer, social networks such as WhatsApp or other instant
messaging services (IMSs). Using computer networks makes this
possible and allows people from anywhere in the world to
communicate with one another.

Figure 9.3: Using the network to communicate

ACCESS TO ENTERTAINMENT
A final important use of networks is to give people access to
entertainment. In the past, entertainment was an expensive luxury that
only a few people could have. Today, things are different; the average
person with an internet connection can watch and listen to a wide
variety of films and albums on the internet. In fact, internet access
provides access to an almost unlimited amount of entertainment; from
books to read, music to listen to, watching the news, or chatting with
friends.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF NETWORKS

Networks also pose potential advantages and disadvantages. The
following table looks at the risks and benefits that come with networks.
Table 9.1: Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of connecting to a
network

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages; it is just the way life
goes. However, the table on the previous page is just a list of potential
advantages and disadvantages; the way in which you use the network
is the only way you get affected, positively and negatively. For example,
if you want to learn how to bake, speak a new language or even build
your own treehouse, there are always free resources to teach you a
new skill. But at the same time, the downside is that the internet also
has a dark side. So, what you get from a network depends on what
you are looking for and your ability to use it.
 THE INTERNET: THE NETWORK
OF NETWORKS

We have spoken a lot about networks

and how networks enable
telecommunication, but what exactly
is the driving force behind that? The
internet is a global network made up
of many, many computers (we are
talking about billions of computers)
and other electronic devices. You can
access almost any information,
communicate with anyone anywhere
across the world and do much more,
just by connecting a computer or
electronic device to the internet.
There are also a lot of other things
that you can do on the internet. As
you know, one of the best things
about the internet is how quick it is,
and how quickly you can
communicate with anyone anywhere
in the world. You can email and use
social media, you can pay bills, do
online shopping, listen to music, meet
new people, or even learn a new skill.
 WHERE DOES THE INTERNET
COME FROM?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=17&v=jKA5hz3dV-g

UNIT

9.3 Social implications: Networks

There are legal, ethical and security aspects you should take note of
with regards to networks. These include viruses, licensing contracts,
adhering to the user policies and ownership of electronic material. In
this section, we will look at each of these aspects in some more detail.

VIRUSES
This is anyone’s worst nightmare. Without a proper antivirus program
installed, you will be prone to getting a virus. Viruses can be transferred
through flash disks, or through other computers in a network. Antivirus
programs help to protect your software, data and PC from possible
threats.

Read through the following case study and discuss the questions in
small groups.

Case Study 9.1 Viruses are dangerous

Viruses can be very dangerous. In 2000, there was a virus called the “ILOVEYOU
virus”. Although, by today’s standards, it is a pretty silly virus, it still is one of the most
well-known and destructive viruses of all time. It even made the Guinness World
Record for being the most “virulent” virus of all time. It overwrote both system and
personal files, and spread itself over and over again.
The virus was a worm that was downloaded by clicking on an email attachment called
“LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs”. Although people did not know the person sending
the email, or the fact that it made headlines around the world, people still clicked on it,
activating the virus and attaching it to all their emails.
In the end, the two programmers who developed the virus were caught. Unfortunately,
they were set free as there were no laws against writing malware at that time.
Discuss the following in pairs.
1. Will you open an email sent to you from someone you do not
know? Motivate your answer.
2. How will you know that something (an email, website, etc.) is
dodgy? What would you do in such a case?
3. What can you do to ensure that you do not get a virus like that?
LICENSING CONTRACTS
An organisation cannot just share software over a network, it must
purchase a network licence; otherwise, it is illegal. A network licence
lets more than one user at a time access the software on the server.

Depending on the number of computers attached to the network, the

network licence fee will be different. A legal agreement that lets users
install software on a number of computers is called a site licence.

USER POLICIES
Organisations, such as schools and businesses, normally have an
acceptable computer usage policy in place. This policy stipulates how
computer equipment should be used and prevents anyone from
accessing restricted information or data on the network. If a person
breaks the rules, it is regarded as a serious offence and the person
could get into a lot of trouble.

Something to know

Believe it or not, plagiarism is actually

very old; it just was not frowned upon
then as it is now. Shakespeare is
known to have “borrowed” a lot from
other writers. However, back in the
 day, plagiarising was actually seen as
a compliment.

OWNERSHIP OF ELECTRONIC MATERIAL

Accessing data that is not your own is regarded as a criminal offence.
For example, you should not change or access the data on the
computer of another network user without getting his or her
permission. Plagiarism is when you illegally copy information from the
internet, or from any other published material and say that it is your
own, unless you obtained permission to use it.

Case Study 9.2 Plagiarism in music

The “Blurred Lines case” made the news when Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke
were accused of copying Marvin Gaye’s music to create “Blurred Lines”. This was the
most popular song in 2013. Marvin Gaye’s children were awarded US $7.4 million
since the jury was in favour of their claims.
Answer the following questions on your own.
1. Why was it seen as plagiarism? What did they do wrong?
2. What do you think about plagiarism – should the law continue working against
plagiarism? Why or why not?

Activity 9.2
Miss Furry wants to network the computers and other hardware devices in her office.
She shares a printer with three other people. She was told she would need a switch,
router and a modem.
1. Define a computer network.
2. Answer the following questions with reference to the scenario above:
a. Give two advantages of creating a network for Miss Furry.
b. List one type of hardware device that she can connect to the network.
c. Is this hardware (your answer for question b above) an input or output device?
Motivate your answer.
d. Briefly explain how Miss Furry can use the network to communicate to
others.
3. Explain what the internet is.
4. An organisation cannot just share software over a network.
a. Provided that this statement is true. What can an organisation do to share
software?
b. Briefly give a description of a network licence.
c. Explain what a site licence is.

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. What is a computer network? (4)
2. Your school is planning to network its 25 stand-alone computers.
a. List two advantages to the school of installing a network. (2)
b. List two disadvantages to the school of installing a network. (2)
c. Apart from a network server and cabling, what other hardware would the
school need when installing the network? (2)
3. The diagram below shows a simple network. Use the diagram to
answer the following questions:
 a. What are A and B? (2)
b. What is device C? There are two possible answers. List both of them. (2)
c. Which device is receiving information? (1)
4. “The internet is an example of a computer network.” It this statement true or
false? (1)
5. Reinet is doing research for her PAT. She finds an interesting website on the
internet. When she prepares her final presentation, she copies large sections of
text from the website and pastes them into her presentation.
a. Is Reinet allowed to copy sections of text into her presentation and pretend
that she wrote it herself? Give a reason for your answer. (2)
b. Give one word for what Reinet has done. (1)
TOTAL: [19]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 10.1 PAN/HAN

Unit 10.2 Creating a PAN/HAN

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Discuss the different types of networks.

Identify the advantages and disadvantages of PAN.
Distinguish between a modem, router and switch.
Identify the hardware and software required to connect to the internet using a
PC.

INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, you learned about the different concepts used
in networks. In this chapter, we will look at PANs and HANs, and how
they are created, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the
different network devices required to create a network.

UNIT

10.1 PAN/HAN
There are different types of networks. For ease of reference, we have
arranged them in the following list, according to their size – i.e. from
the smallest to the largest network.
1. Personal area network (PAN) and home area network (HAN) as the
names state, are both used in small areas, such as home or small
office environments.
2. Local area network (LAN) or wireless local area network
(WLAN) are used in bigger offices and in schools.
3. Wide area network (WAN) connects more than one LAN in
different places, for example, cities or buildings, into one big
network.

Figure 10.1 shows the different types of networks.

Networks can be categorised according to their size and distance

covered. As you can see, the WAN is the largest network with the
internet being the most popular WAN.

Figure 10.1: Types of computer networks

Although all these networks may sound the same, they are quite
different. In Grade 10, you will focus on the difference between a HAN
and a PAN.

Something to know

The internet is the biggest network in

the world. The funny thing is that no
one actually owns it and at the same
time, lots of people own it. Confusing,
right? If you think of the internet as
one entity, no one owns it, but at the
same time, the internet is made up of
small little parts and each of these
parts has an owner. From this
perspective, lots of people and
organisations own the internet.

WIRED AND WIRELESS NETWORKS

Before looking at HANs and PANs, you first need to understand the
difference between a wired and a wireless network.

A wired network is a common type of network and uses ethernet

cables, or fibre-optic cables to transfer data between computers that
are connected to the network.

Wireless networks allow many devices to connect to the same internet

connection, as well as to share files and other resources. It refers to a
network where the devices are connected via radio- or microwaves,
and not through physical cables.

Figure 10.2: Comparison between a wired network (left) and wireless network
(right)

HANS AND PANS

HAN
As the name suggests, a HAN is a very small network that usually
covers a single home. Any device that is connected to this network will
be able to share resources, for example the internet, smart appliances,
printers, smart meters and even some security systems.

Figure 10.3: Example of a home network, where a computer, Smart TV, and a
phone are all connected to one small network

It allows the computers on the HAN to communicate with each other

directly and to transfer files between the computers, send messages,
or even play LAN games. HANs can be both wired or wireless
networks.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF

YOUR SMART DEVICES
 Jenny stays upstairs in a two-storey
house. The printer is in the study
downstairs, and even though it is
good exercise to go downstairs with a
flash disk and connect to the main
computer to print something, it is still
time consuming.
So, Jenny’s dad made a plan. Since
they have a wireless printer, it has the
capability of connecting directly to the
home network. He installed and
connected the printer wirelessly to
each computer in the house. Now
Jenny can just print whatever she
needs from her room and fetch the
printed document later on.
This is an example of how convenient
a home network is.

PAN
A PAN is like a HAN, but even smaller! It refers to a network built for a
single person and contains all the devices connected to this network.
This can include all devices connected on most networks, for example
a computer, smartphone and printer. It can also include personal
devices, such as Bluetooth keyboards, Bluetooth earphones and
smartwatches. Unlike LANs and HANs, all devices on a PAN do not
have to be connected using an IP address. Some devices can be
connected over a Wi-Fi network, while others might connect using
Bluetooth, or even USB.

For example, when the iBooks application on the computer knows

which page you last read, it is because of the PAN. Those devices are
connected and “talk” to each other; they are basically synced to each
other. Another example is the fact that your smartwatch can tell you of
any messages, emails or incoming calls while your phone is charging.

The goal of a personal network is to make the user’s life easier by

allowing individual devices to communicate directly with each other.

THE FUTURE OF WEARABLE

DEVICES

Now that you understand a little about

PANs, let’s see how this goes with
fitness. Whether you are wearing an
Apple watch, a FitBit, or heart-rate
monitor, these devices can all
connect and speak to each other.
They all measure different things;
from the calories you burn, to your
sleep patterns and how many steps
you took in a day, and much more.
 These measurements are then
communicated to your phone or
smartwatch, creating a little report on
your fitness statistics. This type of
PAN for the fitness industry was
created by Dynastream and is called
ANT.

PAN VERSUS HAN

As can be seen in the following table, both networks have various
advantages and disadvantages.

THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF PAN

The following table shows the different advantages and disadvantages
of a PAN.
Table 10.1: Advantages and disadvantages of PAN

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HAN

The following table shows the different advantages and disadvantages
of a HAN.
Table 10.2: Advantages and disadvantages of HAN

UNIT

10.2 Creating a PAN/HAN

In the past, home networks were not so popular. Most families did not
need, or could not afford more than one computer. Today, this is not
the case; people use their computers for school work, shopping,
downloading videos and music, watching movies, instant messaging
and so on.

So, having one computer in a household is not enough anymore and

multiple computers or computing devices are becoming more of a
necessity than a luxury.
REQUIREMENTS
There are several options to look at when creating a network in your
household. This section will look at what to keep in mind when creating
home networks and what types of hardware are needed to create and
protect your home network.

INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE
Any computer that is connected to the internet is part of a network.
This can be from the 100 computers connected in an office, to just the
one in your home. For example, at home you can connect to the
internet using a modem. The modem dials a local number that
connects to an internet service provider (ISP). The ISP is the term
used for a company that provides you with access to the internet; this
could be from your computer or even your smartphone.

The ISP makes the internet a reality. Suppose you have a brand-new
computer with a builtin modem and a router to connect to the network.
However, without an ISP subscription, you will not be able to connect
to the internet.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR A PAN

To create a PAN, you need a minimum of two computing devices, for example a PC
and a smartphone. You will also need a communication channel, which can be
wired or wireless to transfer information between the different devices. FireWire
and USB are examples of a wired PAN; while WPANs generally use Bluetooth, or
even infrared technology.

PANs can only transfer information between devices that are close to each other
instead of sending it over the internet (WAN). These networks can be used to
transfer files, such as music, photos, videos and calendar appointments.

The easiest way is to transfer the data through a PAN. You can use a USB cable to
connect the phone to the laptop. Then follow the prompts shown on the laptop,
access the files from the phone’s storage and copy them onto the laptop. The user
can now easily access information.

You can also use another way to transfer data. You can sync both the laptop and
phone using Bluetooth, and then sending data to the laptop, or vice versa.

How data is transferred

Watch this video to see how data can

be transferred from the phone to the
laptop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=gjsiD9i8I_8
WHAT YOU NEED FOR A HAN
HANs can be both wired or wireless networks. In a typical HAN setup,
a router is used as the central point of the network. This router
allocates IP addresses and provides internet connectivity to all devices
on the network. Any device in the household can then connect to the
router, by either connecting to its Wi-Fi network, or by connecting to it
with an ethernet cable. Once connected, the devices automatically
have access to the internet and network resources.

NETWORK DEVICES
In most cases, a wired or wireless home network requires only the
computing devices, modem and router. Obviously, this depends on
your requirements; the more complex you want the network to be, the
more money you will be spending on the equipment required. In this
section, we will discuss the different network equipment required to
create a home network.

A network adapter, also known as a network interface controller

(NIC), is a piece of hardware that can be added to a computer,
allowing it to connect to a network. These days, most computers and
laptops have a network adapter built into the motherboards, which
makes setting up to the internet much easier.

There are three important types of networking equipment that can look
very similar from the outside – i.e. the modem, router and switch.
These devices can have ports for different types of cables, such as
ethernet cables or digital subscriber line (DSL) cables. However, each
has their own different function, as shown in the following table:

Table 10.3: The different network equipment

Today, home routers cost roughly the same as home switches and
modems. Therefore, for most setups, it is easier to simply purchase a
router that can serve more than one function. However, for larger
businesses, specialised equipment, such as dedicated modems and
switches, may be better suited to the job.
CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET
To connect to the internet, there are software and hardware
requirements that must first be fulfilled. This section will look at those
requirements and soon you will be able to create your very own home
network with internet!

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
The software you need to connect to the internet is an operating
system, a web browser. A web browser, such as Firefox or Google
Chrome, is used to display pages that you visit on the internet. Web
browsers often come with their own operating systems.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
Connecting to the internet is quite simple. You will need the following
hardware equipment to connect to the internet:
A computing device, such as a computer or a smartphone
A communication channel, such as a telephone line and ethernet cable
A modem or router to connect to the internet

Example 10.1 How to set up a Wi-Fi network

Setting up a wireless router is quite simple. If you have purchased your router from an
ISP, you will probably have an internet plan with them, and your router will come with
all the things you need to connect to the internet, as well as a subscriber identity
module (SIM) card.
Figure 10.4: Home Wi-Fi network

1. Insert the SIM card into the SIM slot of the Wi-Fi router.
2. Connect the router to the power supply. With some routers you might have to
screw the two external antennae to the router.
3. Take note of the information that is on the label at the back of the router.
4. Plug the LAN cable into a port of the router and the other end of the cable into the
LAN port of your computer.
5. Switch on the router by pressing the Power button.
6. Switch on your computer.
7. The power light will be on and will turn a specific colour. This means you are
ready to install the software.
8. Follow the prompts on your computer.
9. The Wi-Fi light will be a specific colour to show that the Wi-Fi is enabled.
10. The strength bar on the router will show how strong the signal is.
After you have set up your Wi-Fi network and configured your router, you are ready to
connect to the Wi-Fi. This procedure may differ, depending on the router and
computing device.
To connect to the Wi-Fi network, you can do the following:
1. Click on your computer’s network settings and search for nearby Wi-Fi networks.
2. Choose your network and enter the password you just created.
3. If the connection is successful, open your web browser and type in
www.google.com. If the page loads, your Wi-Fi connection is working properly.

Something to know

Do not worry if you want to connect a

computer that does not have built-in
Wi-Fi connectivity. You can purchase a
Wi-Fi adapter that plugs into your
computer’s USB port.

Creating a WAN

Create a real-life video of creating a

WAN. It can be made step by step,
with lots of jump cuts:
1. Get a Wi-Fi router.
 2. Plug in the Wi-Fi router.
3. Get the Wi-Fi router name and
password.
4. Connect the notebook using the
name and password.
5. Open the Wi-Fi router Settings
page.
6. Set a new Wi-Fi router name and
password.
7. Connect to the new Wi-Fi router.
You can use the following link as a
guideline:
https://i.imgur.com/SqmxiZL.gifv.

Activity 10.1

The Jackson family is made up of four people. The two children, Tristan and Jess,
stay upstairs, and the parents have a small work-from-home office. The children
always have to go downstairs to print documents, or even just use the internet. A
friend recommended they set up a network.

1. Differentiate between a PAN and HAN.

2. Briefly explain what a network adapter is.
3. What type of network is best for this situation so that everyone has access to the
internet?
4. What three hardware devices are required for this connection?
5. What is a router? Explain its function.
6. Answer the following questions regarding the scenario:
a. What type of network is best suited in this context? Motivate your answer.
b. Explain two advantages and disadvantages of the answer you gave in (a).

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Explain the difference between a HAN and a PAN. (4)
2. List one advantage and one disadvantage of a HAN. (2)
3. List one advantage and one disadvantage of a PAN. (2)
4. Three common network devices are modems, switches and routers. Match the
description of the device to its name. Write down only the name of the device:
a. Used to connect computers or networks to the internet (1)
b. Use to organise and route data on and between networks (1)
c. Used to connect many computers on the same network (1)
5. Write down the letter that matches the correct or best answer. Which of the
following devices is most likely to have a built-in network adaptor?
A. Microwave
B. Refrigerator
C. Telephone
D. Sewing machine (1)
6. What communication medium is most likely to be used in a PAN? (1)
7. Sifiso has a desktop computer with the Windows 10 operating system installed on
it. He has installed on it the Google Chrome browser on his computer. He wishes
 to connect his computer to the internet. He already has a 24-month contract with
Telkom.
a. Does Sifiso have the correct software to connect to the internet? (1)
b. What additional hardware device, other than his computer, will Sifiso need to
connect to the internet? (1)
TOTAL: [15]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 11.1 The internet

Unit 11.2 The Web
Unit 11.3 Search engines
Unit 11.4 Downloads and uploads

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Explain what the internet and world wide web (WWW) are.
Understand the concepts used in the Web.
Differentiate between a website and web page.
Understand what a web address is and the different elements that it consists of.
Identify the different types of websites.
Use the web browser.
Open, close and switch between tabs.
Use a search engine to browse the internet.
Understand what uploading and downloading are.

INTRODUCTION
The internet has become increasingly important in everyday life for people all
over the world. It is the biggest network made up of billions of computers
and other computing devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.
The internet allows us to communicate with anyone across the world and
access almost any type of information we need.

The biggest trend now, thanks to the internet, is social media. So, before
you post anything new on Instagram, let’s learn more about the internet and
social media.

Social media and other interactive, crowd-based communication platforms

reached new heights at the beginning of the 21st century. This has resulted
in people being more up to date both in terms of their own lives and in the
lives of others.

In this chapter, we will look at what the internet and world wide web (WWW)
are, the different types of websites, as well as browsers and how to do some
basic browsing.

UNIT

11.1 The internet

The internet is a world-wide system of computer networks that are

connected to each other. These networks connect with each other using
cables, telephone lines and communication satellites.

When a computer is connected to the internet, it allows a person to access

emails, music videos, pictures and any other relevant information. If a person
is connected to the internet, this person is said to be working online.

WHAT IS THE INTERNET?

Watch the following interesting video to listen

to what the co-inventor of the internet says:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Dxcc6ycZ73M

INTERNET ADDRESS
Have you ever wondered about the fact that if there are 250 billion emails
sent every day from our smartphones, PCs or laptops, how exactly do they
go to the correct place? The answer is that every device connected to the
internet receives a unique IP address. Whenever a message is sent over the
internet, it is sent to a device’s IP address. An IP address consists of four
sets of numbers, which are separated by dots, as shown below:
Figure 11.1: An example of a South African IP address

Guided Activity 11.1

1. To see what the IP address is of the computer you are currently working
on, do the following:
a. Open a web browser. Ask your teacher to show you how to do it if you do not know.
b. Go to the Google search engine.
c. Type in “What’s my IP?” in the search box.
Your IP address will be displayed at the top of the search results.
As South Africa only has dynamic IP addresses, the IP address will change every time you
connect to the internet.

UNIT

11.2 The world wide web

The world wide web (WWW) is a part of the internet where documents and
other resources can be accessed. The WWW is often called “The Web”.

The internet and the WWW are often confused. The internet is, in fact, the
biggest network in the world; while the WWW is a collection of documents
and other resources that you can browse, or access, through the internet.

Most resources are websites that can consist of text, pictures, audio clips,
video clips, animations, etc. After connecting to the internet, you can browse
websites using a type of application called a web browser.

You will learn how to browse the internet, as well as how to navigate to the
different websites using uniform resource locators (URLs) and tabbed
browsing.

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS USED WITH THE WORLD WIDE WEB

There are some important concepts that you should learn in order to
understand the Web better. Some of these concepts will be explained in
more detail in the sections to follow.
A web server is a computer that hosts a website, for example if you want to
access www.wikipedia.org, the web server receives this request and uses
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to format and then present the website
to you.

A website is a collection of web pages, for example Wikipedia is a website

that has billions of web pages about different topics and articles. A web
page is a single page of hypertext mark-up language (HTML) text, which
can display text, media, images, or interactive material, such as audio files.

HTML is a type of coding language used on web pages to display text,

images and audiovisuals. Documents on the internet that are not encoded
in HTML are not web pages.

Something to know

People get confused between a web server

and a website, for example, if someone is
saying “my website is not loading”, they
actually mean that the web server is not
responding, which then results in the website
not loading.

HTML BASICS
 Just to pique your interest, you can read a bit
more about HTML basics by clicking on this
QR code:

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/docs/Learn/Getting_started_with_the_we
b/HTML_basics

USING A WEB BROWSER

A web browser is a type of software that lets you browse websites or web
pages. Every time you Google something, you are using a web browser to
read what is on the web page. There are different types of web browsers, for
example Google, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.

In Chapter 5, we looked at the basics of connecting to the internet.

Remember, you need to have a working internet connection to test out all of
these things!

BROWSER BASICS

Have a look at this video to understand the

basics of the web browser:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=195&v=FxirRVJWUTs

For the purpose of this book, we will use the Google Chrome browser.
However, you can use whichever browser you want to. Browsers may have
a different look or feel, but they all work pretty much in the same way.

To open a web browser, click on the Start menu and enter the name of one
of the web browsers. You can then click on the icon to open the browser.

Figure 11.2: Opening the web browser

You will learn more about how to use the browser later in this chapter.

To browse to a website, you must know its unique web address, such as
www.instagram.com for the Instagram website. Once you know the
address, you can enter it into the address bar at the top of the browser.

Guided Activity 11.2

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.

Figure 11.3: Entering the web address

As soon as you press Enter, the web page should begin to load.

Figure 11.4: The Instagram web page

You can now browse the website by clicking on buttons and links, or
following the instructions on the page.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WEB PAGE AND A

WEBSITE?
A web page refers to the text, images, or graphics displayed in a web
browser. A web page is generally a single page of content on a website. You
can access a web page by entering the URL into the address bar of a web
browser.

A website is a collection of web pages that are usually linked by hyperlinks.

For example, if you go to the Sunday Times website, it consists of many
web pages. On each page, you will find various articles, columns and
content that have been grouped into different categories.

To help you understand the difference between web pages and websites
better, look at the example on the following page.
Figure 11.5: Wikipedia is an example of a website that has millions of web pages

Something to know

If you are still a little bit confused about

websites, think of it as a book with many
pages.

There are many websites on the WWW; from how to remove a carpet stain,
to the latest news on what is happening in the world. However, for the
purpose of this book, we will focus on the following types of websites and
their purpose.
Table 11.1: Types of websites

Different types of websites

Make a screen capture video with text and

voice-overs, explaining the different types of
websites. For each type of website, you can
quickly explain what the purpose of that type
 of website is, and then show an example that
meets that purpose.

URLS, URL SHORTENER AND THE ADDRESS BAR

Each web page on the internet has its very own unique address called a
URL, which tells the internet exactly what page you want to see on a
website. Think of a URL as a street address that tells the web browser
where to go on the internet.

When you type a URL into the address bar of the web browser and press
Enter, the browser will take you to that specific page. For example, in the
figure below, we typed www.bbc.com in the address bar (highlighted in
green), which will then load the BBC web page.

Figure 11.6: Typing in a URL in the address bar

In the following example, you will learn more about URLs. Each segment in a
URL is a part that makes up the web address.

The domain name is the most important part of an internet address. This
could be a word or a phrase that an internet site has identified as the name
of the website. People use it to find information on the internet, for example
businesses use it to get people to visit their websites.
Figure 11.7: The different parts of a URL

UNDERSTANDING URLS

Watch this video to understand the different

parts of the URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time_continue=14&v=5Jr-_Za5yQM

The tables on the following page show the different codes you could come
across indicating an organisation type and the country of origin.
URL SHORTENERS
A URL shortener is an online application that converts a normal URL into a
much shorter format. The user has to copy the website address into the
URL shortener application and the tool will convert the address to a much
shorter one.

Guided Activity 11.3

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.
1. Open the website: https://bit.do/.
2. Copy then paste the following address to shorten it:
https://www.blog.google/products/maps/wheres-waldo-find-him-
google-maps/
3. Click on “Shorten”.
4. What were the results?
Something like this – http://bit.do/eCuFC?
Each time you do this, a different URL is generated.

Table 11.2: Codes showing the different types of organisations

Table 11.3: Examples of country codes found in URLs

LINKS
When you see a word or phrase on a web page that is blue or underlined in
blue, it is usually a hyperlink or link in short. Links are used to navigate the
Web. When you click on a link, it will take you to a different web page. Also,
sometimes when clicking on a link, the mouse cursor will change to a hand
icon before you open the link.

In this example, we have opened a Wikipedia

web page and have clicked on the Gauteng
link to learn more about it.

Figure 11.8: Clicking on the link

 Clicking on the Gauteng link will take you to
the following web page:

Figure 11.9: The opened web page

Each of the blue-coloured words in the text

are hyperlinks to other web pages.

Guided Activity 11.4

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.
Many websites use images as links. After clicking on the image, it will take you to a new
page. In the example below, if we click on the image, it will open a page with more
information about it.

Figure 11.10: An image link

Take note that links do not always go to other websites. Links can also allow you to download
a file, such as a music file, software file and so on. When you click on a link like this, it will
download the file to your device. In the example below, an installation file for a new
application can be downloaded.

Figure 11.11: Link to download a file

As you have learned, links do not all look the same. Links can have the
following different forms:
Text that is blue and underlined
Images, such as photos
Tabs on a web page
Text that is not underlined, but bolded and appears in another colour

Links play a very important role when using the Web. It allows you to access
different web pages, navigate between these pages and download files.
NAVIGATION BUTTONS
Navigation buttons are found on the web browser and allow you to do
many things. The arrow buttons, which are called the back and forward
buttons, let you go to the websites that you have recently visited. If you click
and hold on one of the buttons, you can view the recent browsing history.

Figure 11.12: Back and forward buttons

The Refresh button will reload the current web page that you are on. If a
website stops working, you can just click on the Refresh button.

Figure 11.13: Refresh button

TABBED BROWSING
Many web browsers let you open links in a new tab, which is great because
you can open as many links as you need and they will all stay in the same
browser window. This prevents separate browser windows from being open
on the computer screen.

Guided Activity 11.5

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.
To open a new tab, you can do the following:
1. Right click on the link and select Open link in new tab. Keep in mind that
the wording might differ from browser to browser.

2. To switch tabs, click on any tab that is not selected.

3. The web page will then open.

4. To close a tab, click on the X.

5. To create a new blank tab, click on the button found on the right of the
open tabs.

ADVANTAGES OF TABBED BROWSING

Some of the advantages of using tabbed browsing, include the following:
Allows the user to view many web pages at once.
If users come across a link in the web page they are currently viewing, they can click on
the click and a new web page will open in another tab without closing the current web
page.
Allows the user to move between web pages without actually closing any web pages.

Take note

You can use the following useful hotkeys

when browsing. Open the web browser and
try doing the following using the keyboard:
Open a tab: Ctrl+T
Switch between tabs: Ctrl+Tab
 Close a tab: Ctrl+W

Activity 11.1
1. Briefly explain the difference between a website and a web page.
2. Complete the crossword puzzle below by answering the questions that
follow:

Down: Across:
1. A social network website 3. When you open a link, it open
2. A page made up of text, pictures, a new
audio clips, video clips and _____
animations 6. A website you can check loa
shedding schedules
 Down: Across:
4. A website about a single person 7. A website that posts short an
5. An example of a news website informal stories
10. Brings several types of websites 8. A website that collaborators
together edit and modify
9. An example of an educationa
website

UNIT

11.3 Search engines

In the world we live in today, more and more things are being done online.
You need basic computer skills to do research, be social and do many other
things on the internet. The ability to search for information on the internet is
an important skill to have and by improving this skill, you can find what you
are searching for without going through many irrelevant websites.

Since there are billions of websites on the Web, there is a lot of information
available. Search engines make access to this information much easier. We
will look at the basics of using a search engine and some basic techniques
on how to get more useful search results.

SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION

Browsing to the correct website usually only works well when you know the
address of the website, or if you need to visit a specific website. However, it
is not practical to keep a list of web addresses on you all the time. You might
be looking for something specific on the internet, shopping for something
new but need to compare prices, or you might just be looking for new
interesting websites. For that, you need a search engine to find the
information you are looking for.

Three popular search engines are:

1. Google (www.google.com)
2. Microsoft Bing (www.bing.com)
3. Yahoo (www.yahoo.com)

Of the three search engines, Google is the most powerful and easy-to-use
search engine.

BASIC BROWSING AND SEARCHING TECHNIQUES

In the following activity, we will search for “grey matter”.

Guided Activity 11.6

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.
To search for something on the internet, you can do the following:
1. Open the web browser and navigate to a search engine. Most web
browsers generally allow you to search directly from the address bar.
However, some browsers might actually have a separate search bar next
to the address bar.
2. Type in one or more keywords (this is also known as the search term).
3. Press Enter on the keyboard.
4. After you have pressed Enter, you will see a list of all the relevant
websites that match the search words. If a site looks interesting or looks
 like what you are looking for, click on the link to open it.

5. Skim through it.

6. If it is not exactly what you are looking for, return to the results and look
at other websites.

BASIC SEARCH STRATEGIES

 Have a look at this video to get a better idea
of search strategies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7RlB1CJovTs

REFINING YOUR SEARCH

If you still have problems finding the exact website, you can use the following
special characters to help refine your search:
To exclude a word from the search, type in a hyphen (-) at the beginning of the word. For
example, if you want to find grey matter results without mention of the movie with the
same name, you could search for grey matter – movie.
At the same time, if you use a (+) before the beginning of the word or phrase, the search
results will show results with just the movie mentioned e.g. grey matter + movie.
You can also search for the exact words or phrases, which can give you much better
results. To do this, use quotation marks (“ ’’) before and after the search words. For
example, if you search for “grey matter songs”, the search results will only have songs
about grey matter.
Figure 11.14: A refined search

The best results are usually shown on the top page, with the least popular or
visited results appearing on the second and third search pages. Since the
first search results are usually the best, if you do not find what you are
looking for on the first page or two of the results, you should try a different
search phrase, or try to use an advanced search technique.

SEARCH TECHNIQUES
The following table highlights a few of the most useful search techniques.
Table 11.4: Search techniques

These techniques can be very useful. However, because search engines

have become extremely efficient, you can even find information without using
these “special” techniques.

Guided Activity 11.7

Using the information that you just learned, do the following activity during class. Your
teacher will guide you through this activity.
1. Open a web browser.
2. Go to the Wikipedia website by typing in its URL: https://www.wikipedia.org/.
3. Click on the English tag.
4. Search for Bafana Bafana.
5. Click on the hyperlink Nickname. What does the double use of the name Bafana Bafana
mean?
6. Open a new tab.
7. Type in South African rugby.
8. Click on News
9. Click on Rugby: South African schools with the most Springboks. According to this news
article, which school has the most Springboks? How many does it have?
10. Right click on the tag Golden Lions at the bottom of the page.
11. Click Open link in new tab. What does the heading say about the Super Rugby final?
12. Open a new tab.
13. Search for Sunspots without the inclusion of climate.
14. To what do the search results you found on the first page refer?
15. Search for Sunspots with the inclusion of climate.
16. What do you find in the search results? List the names of the first three websites.
17. Do you see any reference to sunspots on the skin? Why or why not?
18. Close all the websites by clicking on the X of each tag.

UNIT

11.4 Downloads and uploads

By now, you might have come across the terms downloading and
uploading. Downloading is when the computer or smart device receives a
file or data from the internet. Uploading, on the other hand, is when the
computer or smart device sends a file or data to somewhere on the internet.
Figure 11.15: Uploading and downloading with a PC

You have probably, at some point, downloaded or uploaded a file or data

from the internet. Do you remember downloading a music file or posting
(uploading) a photo on your Facebook wall or Instagram?

DOWNLOADING
To be able to download something from the internet, it is an important skill to
learn as you will use it throughout your lifetime to download software
programs, music, photos, documents, videos, etc.

To take you through a download process, you can look at the following
example of downloading a video-player software program.

Guided Activity 11.8

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.
To download VLC, you can do the following:
1. Use the web browser to go to the website for VLC:
http://www.videolan.org/.
2. Once the website has loaded, find and click on the Download VLC
button. This will download the approximately 40 Mb-VLC installer onto
the computer.

3. When the download has completed, the file will be saved on the
computer, or it will open with the program that you selected.
4. If you have a problem finding the download, you can always do the
following: Click on the three vertical dots found on the top right-hand
side of the screen and choose Downloads from the drop-down menu.
You will be able to see all the files that you downloaded and from that,
you can choose the file you need.
 Something to know

Some browsers or even files do not have the

“automatic” download process when you click
the link to the file. In such a case, you will
have to right click the link and choose the
Save link as option, and then choose a
location to which you can download the file.

Guided Activity 11.9

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.
1. Open the web browser.
2. Go to Google web page.
3. Google the following: Types of input devices “doc”.
4. From the search results, browse for the website that best describes input
devices.
5. Click on the website name.
6. Follow the instructions to download the document.
7. Open the document in Word.
8. Save the document as a PDF and call it: Uploadeddoc.

UPLOADING
You can use the upload function to send emails, post photos on a social
media site, upload files to Google Drive, etc.

If a site enables uploads, it will have an upload option to help perform the
upload or file transfer. Every site has a different uploading process. A
dialogue box opens after you click on the Upload button. For example,
Facebook has an icon that is an image. This is Facebook’s Upload button for
an image, starting the upload process. You can upload an image or file to a
website that allows it.
Figure 11.16: Upload button on Facebook

After clicking on this button, the dialogue box will appear, prompting you to
select a file. Navigate to the location to where the file is stored and click on
the Open button. A progress bar will track the upload process.

Some websites have a drag-and-drop interface. For example, when logged

into Google Drive, you can upload files or even zipped folders from the
computer to the browser window by dragging and dropping the file.

Let’s look at the following example of Ted Talks, an organisation that uploads
videos from expert speakers about a variety of topics, such as education
and business.

Guided Activity 11.10

Do the following activity in the class under the guidance of your teacher.
To upload a video on a website e.g. Ted Talks, you can do the following:
1. First of all, the user needs to log into the TED Media Uploader. If this is your first time, you
can request the uploader here.
2. Once you have logged in, select the event category of the video that the user wants to
upload.
3. Click on “Upload Video” to upload a new video.
4. Follow the instructions, for example the type of file you are loading, as well as other
personal details.
5. Include a video description.
6. Click “Upload”.

Activity 11.2
1. Which one of the following is NOT a good technique used to refine an Internet/web
search?
A. Using one word only
B. Specifying the domain
C. Using quotation marks
D. Using operators such as “and” and “not”
2. Define the following terms:
a. Search engine
b. Web application
3. Complete the table below by indicating in Column B whether the action in Column A is
downloading or uploading. Only write the number and the answer down.

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Write down the letter that matches the correct answer: The letters “http” stand for:
 A. Hypertype transport protocol
B. Hypertext transfer protocol
C. Hypertext transfer process
D. Hypertype transfer protocol (1)
2. Which of the following web browsers is installed with Windows 10?
A. Google Chrome
B. Mozilla Firefox
C. Edge
D. Safari (1)
3. Your friend thinks that the internet and the WWW are the same thing. Explain to her what
the difference is between them. (4)
4. Study the screenshot below that shows the home page of a website and use it to answer
the questions that follow:

a. What is the URL of the web page? (1)

b. What is the domain name of this web page? (1)
c. What is the geographical domain of this web page? Which country is this? (2)
d. Name two other web pages that are part of this website. (2)
e. Why is the word “Facebook” in blue and underlined? (1)
5. For each of the scenarios below, write down the type of website. Choose your answer
from blog, weblog, social network, wiki or web application.
a. Zanele has a website where she keeps a journal of the exotic foods she enjoys (1)
b. Rebogile has created a website that people can use to create a monthly budget and
to track their expenses (1)
c. Julia, a Life Sciences teacher, has a website where her learners can go to find study
tips, as well as answers to recent examination questions (1)
6. The screenshot below shows part of the Google Chrome browser. Use it to answer the
questions that follow:

a. The Google Chrome browser uses tabbed browsing. Mention two advantages of
using tabbed browsing. (2)
b. Which tab is currently active? Explain how you arrived at your answer. (2)
c. What is the function of the + button after the second tab? (1)
d. What is the meaning of the closed padlock in front of the URL in the address bar?(1)
e. Give the name of another browser other than Google Chrome. (1)
7. Francois wants to take some friends that are visiting from Europe to the top of Table
Mountain in Cape Town. He plans to use the cableway to travel to the top of the
mountain. Francois uses the Google search engine and types in “Cape Town” in the
search box. He gets about 650 000 000 results.
a. How could Francois change his search phrase to only get results for the Table
Mountain cableway? (2)
b. Name another search engine that Francois could use, other than Google. (1)
8. Explain the difference between downloading and uploading when using the internet. Give
an example of each. (4)
TOTAL: [30]
AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER
Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following and
that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 12.1 Electronic communication devices

Unit 12.2 Email as a form of e-communication
Unit 12.3 Basic emailing

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Describe what electronic communication is.

Describe the different electronic communication devices.
Electronically communicate using a PC.
Discuss the different electronic communications.
Explain the difference between ISP versus web-based email.
List and explain the different features of email, such as the “Cc” and “Bcc”
fields, attachments, and address books.
Compose email messages.
Understand how to send, receive, forward, Reply to and Reply to all using email.
Apply netiquette rules over email.
Understand email etiquette.

INTRODUCTION
In the past, communication between people was done either face to
face, using the telephone, or by writing letters. Now, we live in a world
where electronic communication or better known as e-communication
has taken over. Think about it, when last did you go to a family or
friend gathering and no one took their phones out to message a
person? This is how much electronic communication has taken over.

Electronic communication refers to any data, information, words,

photos, emojis and symbols that are sent electronically to one or more
people. This can be done through emails, social media, newsgroups,
chat rooms, video conferencing, instant messaging, phone and fax.
With just one click on the send button, you can say “hi” within seconds
to your friend in Spain!

Figure 12.1: Examples of e-communication

Up to a few years ago, email was the best way to communicate with
people online. However, these days there are many other ways to
communicate, allowing you to do things such as:

Making phone calls using your computer

Sharing the same message with many people at the same time without sending the
same message individually
Interacting with different platforms on the internet and making comments and
statuses, or even sending messages
Seeing the person on the other side of the world you are talking to through video
conferencing

In this chapter, we will look at the different electronic communication

devices and the different types of applications used in electronic
communications. We will also look at email and how to compose and
send basic email messages, as well as basic email netiquette.

UNIT

12.1 Electronic communication devices

An electronic communication device refers to any type of computerised

device (instrument, equipment, or machine) with software that can
compose, read, or send any electronic message using radio, optical or
other electromagnetic systems. An electronic message can be a text
message, email, an instant message such as WhatsApp,
teleconferencing, social networking, Skype, blogs, or even access to
an internet site. It can consist of signs, signals, writings, images and
sounds, or artificial intelligence (AI).

When people are not communicating online, they make use of phone
calls, face-to-face conversations and written letters, depending on
each situation. The same applies to online communication; people
make use of instant messaging, social networking or email, depending
on the situation. You can choose the mode of communication that best
suits you.

The following table shows how different people communicate online.

We asked Zanele, Linda and Vusi how they communicate online. Their
answers were as follows:

Table 12.1: How people communicate online

In this chapter, we will look at e-communication using a PC, with
specific focus on using and receiving emails.

E-COMMUNICATION USING A PC OR MOBILE DEVICE

There are many ways in which to use electronic communication when
you have an internet connection. The most common type would be
electronic mail, which is usually referred to as email, but there are also
other forms, such as video chat, discussion forums, Skype and instant
messaging. In this section, we will look at the different applications that
are used to facilitate electronic communication.

Something to know

Have you ever tried to think how many

emails are sent per day around the
world? In 2017, an average of 269
billion emails were sent and received
each day. In 2018, 124.5 billion
business emails and 111.1 billion
consumer emails were sent and
received each day.
EMAIL
One of the first and most popular forms of electronic communication is
email, which allows users to send messages and files over the internet.
One of the best things about email is that you do not have to wait for
weeks to receive it. This type of mail arrives moments after it has been
sent.

Something to know

According to recent statistics,

teenagers regard email as a more
formal mode of communication and
they usually use it for school or
exchanging messages with adults.
Teenagers find emails to be too slow
and time consuming, compared to
instant messaging.

Email is used in the following ways:

Communicating with clients or with other employees
Keeping in touch with friends and family
Sending files as attachments to another person
Sending marketing messages to potential clients
We will learn more about emails and how to send them a bit later in
this chapter.

MAILING LISTS
Jenny receives an email from Takealot.com every day before 05:00
with their latest sale items and items that they have on promotion. Do
you think that someone is sitting in front of a computer sending emails
at 03:00 to everyone that subscribed to this website? That is definitely
not the case; they use a mailing list.

A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an

individual or organisation to send information or materials to multiple
recipients. There are two main types of mailing lists:
1. Response list: This list consists of names and addresses of
people who have responded to an offer of some kind. Because
these people are known responders, their names are generally
priced higher than those in lists compiled by other means.
2. Compiled lists: These lists contain the names and addresses of
people obtained from telephone directories, public records, direct
mail and telemarketing campaigns, etc. This information is
sometimes also obtained from a list broker who researches,
analyses and evaluates the many individual lists available.

Other types of mailing lists include the following:

Team list: Mailing lists that teammates use to communicate with each other within
their teams
 Group list: Mailing lists used by a specified group of people to communicate with
each other, for example a list of the parents of each learner in the school
Event list: Mailing lists communicating information around a specific event that is
happening, such as the upcoming athletics inter-schools event

INSTANT MESSAGING
The internet has changed the way in which we communicate, with
email being the most popular form of electronic communication.
However, sometimes even email is just not fast enough. Let’s look at
the following example to understand this better.

MOST POPULAR INSTANT

MESSAGING APPLICATIONS

Watch the following video:

https://www.dw.com/en/the-worlds-
most-popular-instant-messaging-
apps/av-40684764
 INSTANT MESSAGES

In the smartphone-obsessed world in which we live, more people are sending

messages through web-based application, such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Slack,
LiveChat, Hangouts, Lync, Telegram and Snapchat.

These applications are short messages that are sent and read in real time, allowing
you to communicate much quicker than normal emails.

There are also browser-based type instant messaging applications that do not
require downloading, for example Facebook and Gmail. These applications allow
you to chat to your contacts whenever you are logged in.

Chat and instant messaging are mainly used when both, or all of the
people are online so that everyone can read your message instantly,
hence instant messaging! An email, on the other hand, will not be seen
until the recipient actually checks the email, making instant messaging
much more efficient for quick messaging.

Instant messaging is an online chat that allows you to exchange text

messages, symbols, pictures and even documents, in real time, over
the internet. It also allows you to see if a friend or co-worker is online
and apart from sending text messages and files, you can also enjoy
video and voice chats.
Instant messaging usually includes a list of your contacts (called a
“Buddy List”) which lets you see who is online. This type of messaging
is best used when it is one-on-one communication, but it is possible to
send several people messages at the same time.

WEB BROWSERS
There are different types of web browsers available, such as Google
Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. Without these web
browsers, it will be impossible to view web pages and websites! In the
past, users had to download the software application to their PC so
that they can chat, listen to music and watch videos. Nowadays, all
these things can be done by just opening the web browser. All you
need to do is open a web browser to access a website so that you can
communicate via social networks, forums, emails and popular instant
messaging services.

Websites are also designed to communicate with the user; whether it

is a shopping site that lets their visitors know they have a 70%-off sale,
or a small blog where one person talks about the different recipes they
try out.

MOST POPULAR ACRONYMS

AND ABBREVIATIONS

To check the most popular acronyms

and abbreviations when texting, click
 on this code:

https://www.netlingo.com/top50/popul
ar-text-terms.php

TEXT AND PICTURE MESSAGING

Text and picture messaging are very popular and are usually sent from
one smartphone to another. There are, however, applications that allow
you to text and send pictures from your computer to a smartphone, or
the other way around. Text and picture messages are fast and only
take seconds to reach the other person. It is also useful to text
someone if it is not possible to call the person, for example if you are in
a meeting or in class.

It is easy to send text, pictures or even voice messages through

different applications, such as WhatsApp, SnapChat, Facebook,
Hangouts and many more.

People can instantly send these forms of multimedia anywhere in the

world and it does not cost much.

VIDEO MESSAGING
Video messaging is an easy way to make inexpensive phone calls
anywhere in the world and from your computer. It does not even
require a very fast internet connection. Many instant messaging and
chat services have voice chat and allow you to talk to friends who are
online. Video chat lets you see and hear friends, family or clients in real
time. Whether you are talking to a friend or someone at work, video
chat can add a personal touch to your chats!

Something to know

To decrease the cost of making voice

calls, internet companies invented
technologies that allow you to make
voice calls over the internet (VOIP).
Services, such as WhatsApp and
Skype, allow you to make free voice
calls to other WhatsApp and Skype
users.

WEBLOG
Have you ever wanted to create your own website, but never figured
out how to? Well you can and best of all it is free and quite easy.
Today, it is possible to create a website by creating a blog (short for
weblog). So, what is a blog?

A blog is an online diary or journal that is located on a website and

presented with the newest information first. It can contain text,
pictures, videos, animated GIFs and even scans from old physical
offline diaries or journals and other hard-copy documents. Although it
is mostly run by individuals or small groups, it can also be run by an
organisation, promoting itself and its products or services.

FAX TO EMAIL
A fax (short for facsimile) is an exact copy of a document (text or
images) that was scanned and transmitted as data by a
telecommunication link. This usually goes to a telephone number that
is associated with a printer, or other output device.

Fax-to-email, or email fax, is a system that allows users to send or

receive a fax using email. This form of communication is used when
you use the internet to send faxes. Basically, what happens is that the
sender faxes the document using the receiver’s fax-to-email number,
who will then receive the fax as an attachment in his or her email inbox.

Activity 12.1
1. Explain the term “e-communication”.
2. Describe an e-communication device and list three examples.
3. What do you understand by the term “mailing list”?
4. What application do you use the most to text and send pictures? How do you use
text messaging?
5. Who normally uses blogs?
6. Vusi has no fax machine. However, his friend from Brazil must fax him a
document that he urgently needs. His friend only has access to a fax machine.
a. What can Vusi do to make sure that he gets the document?
 b. How do you think Vusi should go about doing it?

UNIT

12.2 Email as a form of e-communication

Email is an electronic form of communication that is exchanged

between people through computers, or other electronic devices, such
as smartphones or tablets. You need the internet to send emails.

You also need software in the form of an email application that allows
you to send, receive, forward and reply to email messages. With
emails, you can also attach files, such as documents, photographs
and even videos (restricted to a certain data cap).

In this section, you will learn more about email, how email addresses
are written, and the features and tools that are included in having an
email account.

Something to know

You know that email is a way to send

and receive messages using the
internet. It is similar to traditional post,
but with some important differences.
The figure on the left shows what
email is about, as well as its
advantages.
Figure 12.2: Traditional mail versus email
COMPONENTS OF AN EMAIL ADDRESS
To receive emails, you will need an email account and an email
address. To send emails to other people, you will need their email
address details too. An email address is, therefore, the unique identifier
for an email account.

It is important to understand how to type an email address correctly

because, if entered incorrectly, it might not be delivered to the
recipient, or it might even go to the wrong person!

Email addresses are always written in a standard format that consists

of two parts, a local part or username and a domain-part, separated
by an @ symbol. The local part is used by the receiving mail server to
determine where the email must go and what must be done with it
after it arrived at its destination.

These different parts are called an email’s taxonomy. The taxonomy of

the email address, [email protected], is explained below:
Figure 12.3: Components of an email address

ISP VERSUS WEBMAIL

The first thing to decide when you are looking for an email service
provider is whether to use a webmail, or to turn to an ISP to take care
of your emails. As both have their advantages and limitations, it boils
down to how much money you are willing to spend and the
importance of maintaining your email.
Table 12.2: ISP versus webmail
Top webmail providers currently are Google’s Gmail and Microsoft’s
Outlook.com. They are the most commonly used as they allow you to
access your email account from anywhere in the world, provided that
you have an internet connection. You can also access webmail from a
smartphone or tablet!

HOW EMAIL WORKS

The following happens when an email is sent:
Figure 12.4: How email works
 Activity 12.2
1. Which of the following emails in the tables are valid or invalid? Explain why it is
invalid each time.

2. What is the difference between an ISP email and a webmail?

3. Give two advantages and disadvantages of ISP and webmail.
 UNIT

12.3 Basic emailing

Before composing and sending email messages, you first need to

know how to use an email account. In this section, we will use Gmail
to show you the basics of using an email account. If you decide to
choose another email provider, the interface might be different, but the
basics will still be the same. You will learn how to:
Sign up for an email account
Navigate and familiarise yourself with the user interface
Compose, respond, receive and forward email messages

In this section, we will look at the email interface, the terms and actions
used in email, as well as features commonly used with email.

EMAIL INTERFACE
Whichever email service provider you choose, you will still need to get
to know the email interface. This includes the Inbox, Message pane
and Compose pane. Although the interfaces will look different
depending on the email provider, in the end, they all function in the
same way.
INBOX
The Inbox is where you will see and manage any emails that you
receive. Emails are listed according to the date or time received, the
name of the sender and the subject of the email message.

Figure 12.5: An example of an email interface

MESSAGE PANE
After you select an email in the Inbox, it will open the Message pane
where you can read it and then choose how to respond, using a variety
of commands.
Figure 12.6: The Message pane

COMPOSE PANE

When you click on the Compose button from the Inbox, it will let you
create your own email message. From here, you will have to enter the
recipient’s email address and a subject. If you need to upload files,
such as photos or documents, you can do that by adding an
attachment.

Figure 12.7 shows the different parts of the Compose window.

Figure 12.7: Compose a New message window

A: Recipients are the people to whom you are sending the email. For
each recipient, you will have to type in the email address. In most
cases, you will add recipients to the “To: Field”, but you can also
add recipients to the “Cc”: or “Bcc”: fields.
B: Cc stands for carbon copy and is used when you need to send an
email to a person who is not the main recipient. It helps to keep
everyone updated, but at the same time, it lets the person know
that he or she does not need to respond to the email. Bcc stands
for blind carbon copy. It is almost the same as Cc, but the email
addresses in the Bcc fields are always hidden. This type of emailing
is perfect if you need to send the same email to a large group of
people, but keep their email addresses private.
C: The subject of the email is used to say what the email is about. The
subject should be short, but clearly state what the message is
about.
D: This is the body of the email. The body of the email is the actual
text of the email, similar to that of a normal letter. It starts with a
greeting, adds a paragraph or two and ends with a closing
statement with your name at the end of it.
E: An attachment is a file, for example an image or document, that can
be sent along with the email message by clicking on the
Attachment button. Gmail allows you to attach more than one file,
as long as it is not bigger than 25 Mb in total. However, by
integrating its cloud storage service, Google Drive with Gmail, it is
now possible to attach files as large as 10 Gb.
F: The Formatting button allows you to access the different formatting
options for example, changing the font colour, look and size of the
message, as well as include hyperlinks.
G: When you are happy with the message, you can click Send to send
it to the recipient(s).

Something to know

If the details of person that you are

sending an email to is already in your
address book, then you can actually
start by typing in the person’s first
name and Gmail will display the
contacts below the “To:” field. Then
press Enter to add the person as a
 recipient. This saves you time from
actually typing in the whole address.

SENDING EMAILS
Now that you have created an email account and understand how the
email interface works, you can start sending email messages.

In this section, we will look at how to compose an email, add an

attachment, reply and forward emails.

When you type an email, you will be using the Compose window. In
this window, you will add the email address of the recipient(s), subject
and the message itself. You will also be able to add one or more
attachments in this window.

HOW TO SEND AN EMAIL

Watch this video to understand how to

send an email:

https://youtu.be/2eH0JbEE-6k
 Guided Activity 12.1
Do this activity in your class. Your teacher can help guide you in creating an email
account. Use the account you created for this activity.
To send an email, you can do the following:
1. Click on the Compose button found in the left-hand pane.
2. The Compose window will appear on the right-hand side of the page.
3. In the “To” field, add one or more recipients. This is done by either typing in the
email addresses manually, or by using the Address Book.
4. Type a subject for the email message.
5. Type a message in the body field. When done click Send.

ATTACHMENTS
An attachment is a file, image, or document that is sent with the email.
For example, if you are applying for a bursary, you can send your
results and other documents as an attachment, while the body of the
email serves as the covering letter. It is always a good idea to let the
recipient know that you have attached a file or files.

Something to know

Always remember to attach the file

before sending it, it is extremely
common for people to send an email
without actually attaching the file!
 Guided Activity 12.2
Let’s look at how to add an attachment. Do the following activity in your class with the
help of your teacher.
1. When you are writing the email, click on the paperclip (attachment icon) icon at
the bottom of the Compose window.

12.8: Dialogue box with the attachment icon

A dialogue box will open with files that you can choose to attach.
2. Choose the file you want to attach and click Open.
12.9: The Open window

The attachments will then start to upload. Most attachments just take seconds to
upload. Large attachments can take longer.

Figure 12.10: Upload status bar

3. When you are ready to send the email, just click Send.
You can click on the Send button before the attachment is finished uploading.

REPLYING TO EMAILS
Emails are not only sent; they are received as well. After reading an
email, there are certain actions you can take, for example, replying to
the message, forwarding the email to someone else, or opening an
attachment if there is one.

READING EMAILS
Any email that you receive will be in the Inbox and you can tell which
emails are unread, because they are marked in bold. From the Inbox,
you can see the name of the sender, the subject of the email, as well
as the first few words of the email. This means that, before you even
open an email, you can already gauge a few things about it.

Guided Activity 12.3

Do the following activity in your class with the help of your teacher. This activity will
help you learn how to read an email:
1. Go to the Inbox and click on the email you want to read.

Figure 12.11: Inbox

The email will then open up in the same window:

Figure 12.12: Opened email message

After reading the email, you can choose to Reply, Reply to all, or Forward the email to
someone else. To perform any one of these actions, click on the three-dot icon found
on the right-hand side of the email window.

Figure 12.13: Reply, Forward and Reply to all

REPLY, REPLY TO ALL AND FORWARD AN EMAIL
What is the difference between Reply, Reply to all and Forward?

Table 12.3: The difference between Reply, Reply to all and Forward in an email

DEALING WITH EMAILS

To understand more about the different

actions you can take after reading an
email, watch the following video:
 https://youtu.be/a9e7XNo4agE

ATTACHMENTS
There are times when you will receive an email containing attachments.
To view the attachment, you will need to download it. In some cases,
for example if the attachment is a Word document or an image, you
can view it in the web browser.

In the Inbox, even before opening the email, you can tell if the email
has an attachment by looking for a paperclip icon to the right of the
subject.

Something to know

You should only open attachments

from a trusted source. Some
attachments could contain a virus,
especially if it ends with the .exe in the
file name.

Figure 12.14: Attachment button

 HOW TO ADD A HYPERLINK

Have a look at these videos on how to

add a hyperlink in Outlook and Yahoo
Mail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=OFIFZ6-xuJc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3iqO0W_-uc0

HYPERLINKS IN EMAILS
Hyperlinks are added to emails so that the recipient can follow a link to
visit a particular website or web page. Many businesses send emails
with hyperlinks to promote or market their services or products. Note
that the concept of how to create a hyperlink might be different in the
various email applications.

Guided Activity 12.4

Do this activity in your class with the help of your teacher. This activity will look at how
to create a hyperlink in Gmail.
1. Sign into your Gmail account and compose an email to create a new message, or
you can reply to an email that is already in the inbox.
2. Click on the Link icon in the Gmail toolbar, which is usually found next to the
paperclip icon.

Figure 12.15: Hyperlink icon

3. After clicking on the hyperlink icon, a dialogue box will appear asking you to insert
the Text to Display and the Web address.
Figure 12.16: Dialogue box

4. Enter the web address link you want the recipient to open in the To which URL
should this link refer? field, such as “www.cnn.com”.
Then enter the text you want the hyperlink to appear as in the Text to display field,
such as News. Then click OK.

Figure 12.17: Adding a link

The link will then be added in the email, usually in a different colour and underlined so
that the recipient knows that it is a link. The recipient can then click on the link and
the link will open in another tab.

Figure 12.18: Link added

Something to know

By pressing Ctrl+K in Gmail, the

hyperlink dialogue box will open
immediately.

ETIQUETTE IN EMAILS
As with any other form of communication, it is always important to
practise good netiquette in emails. Netiquette is short for network and
email etiquette. Netiquette means to use good manners when
communicating electronically, or when using the internet; whether it is
in the workplace, or on a personal level. It is also about respecting
other people’s privacy.

In this section, we will look at email etiquette, as well as why spelling is

important when sending emails. Look at the following guidelines to
practise good netiquette:
Messages: Do not spam people at work, your friends or family with unwanted
email messages or chain emails. Spam refers to unwanted or irrelevant messages
that are sent over the internet or through emails.
Concise: Make sure that when writing emails, they are clear and to the point. Also
make sure that they do not contain spelling and grammatical errors.
Subject line: Make sure the subject line is clear so that the recipient knows what
the email is about.
Identify yourself: Always say who and what you are at the beginning of the email
and add a signature with your phone number at the end of the email.
Action required: Let the recipient know right away if any action is required from
his or her side. You can do this by marking emails that do not require any action
with “FYI” in the subject line.
Capital letters: Do not type emails in capital letters as it gives the recipient the
idea that you are shouting.
Exclamation marks: Avoid using exclamation marks or if really needed, use them
sparingly. The use of exclamation marks sends a message to the recipient that you
are demanding.
Large attachments: Compress large files before sending them. This helps the
recipient to save time instead of waiting for a long time to download files. You can
always ZIP or compress files (as learned in Chapter 5) to make it easier to send.
 Gossip, inflammatory remarks and criticism: Avoid gossiping about others
through email, especially at the workplace. Also, do not send insulting, abusive or
threatening emails. You cannot withdraw such an email and it can easily be
forwarded to unintended recipients. This could lead to unnecessary disputes and
grudges in the workplace and in a personal environment.
Focus on what is in the email: Make sure that you read the email properly and
address the sender’s questions.
Proofread the text: Before sending the email, read through it again to make sure
that it is saying what you want it to say and that there are no spelling and grammar
mistakes.

Case study 12.1

Julie works at a big auditing firm and deals with different clients on a day-to-day
basis. She has made good friends with people at work, so occasionally she gets funny
emails from them. However, she found one email to be extremely funny and decided
to send it to her friend who works in another company. She just added the friend’s
name and after a few clicks, the email was sent.
In the space of five minutes, she got some out-of-office replies. She did not realise
that she had sent it to all the staff in her department and worst of all, she sent it to her
senior manager.
This is an example of the email she sent.
Figure 12.19: Julie’s email that was accidentally sent to everyone in the office

1. What is the first problem with this email?

2. Discuss two email etiquette rules that are broken by Julie.
3. Explain what Julie can do to save her reputation.

SPELLING AND EMAILS

Spelling is important in emails; whether it is emailing your manager, a
co-worker, teacher, or even a friend. You need to make sure that you
are sending an email that has no spelling errors. Sending an email with
spelling errors does not reflect well on you.

Did you know that your email application has a Spell Check tool that is
used to correct spelling mistakes when writing an email? In some
applications, if a word is spelt incorrectly, it will be underlined in red or
green wavy lines. By right clicking on the misspelt word, you can
choose the corrected word from the Context menu.
Figure 12.20: Spell checks

Something to know

According to Emily Gorton, HR

assistant at Powder Byrne Travel
Agency, it is a cardinal sin getting
someone’s name wrong in an email. It
shows a lack of interest and no
attention to detail, and can negatively
change a person’s impression about
the sender. The best thing to do then is
to own up and apologise by sending
another email as soon as possible.
 It is always important to read the
content and grammar of an email
before sending it off. Something as
small as making an error in someone’s
name, can make a very big difference
in the way people perceive you.

In some email applications, you can enable the Spell Check function.
This will automatically correct any spelling or grammatical errors.

Activity 12.3
1. When sending a file as an attachment via an email, the email bounces back and
displays the following message:

This is the mail delivery agent at

messagelabs.com.
I was unable to deliver your
message to the following
addresses:
[email protected]
Reason: 552 Message size
exceeds maximum permitted

a. Why did the error message occur?

b. Briefly describe how the error can be fixed.
2. Study the following email:
 a. Compare the and the section in the email.
b. Consider the context of the email message on page 196 and list two email
etiquette (netiquette) rules that have been violated.
3. Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow:

The Motaung family’s ISP is Polkadot.

As part of their contract, the Motaung
family receives one free email
address. Should they need more
email addresses, they need to pay an
additional fee per month for each
additional email address. Mrs
Motaung’s business’s name is Haybo!
Catering.

a. Suggest a suitable email address for Mrs Motaung’s business. Motivate why
you suggested this email address.
b. Suggest how Mr Motuang could get his own email address at no cost.
 REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Explain what is meant by “e-communication”. (3)
2. Write a short paragraph to explain the difference between email and instant
messaging. (4)
3. Study the following screenshot and use it to answer the questions that follow:

a. What is the username of the email address in the Bcc field? (1)
b. What is the domain name of the group to whom the email is being sent? (1)
c. The email address [email protected] is being sent to a mailing list.
Explain what is meant by a mailing list. (2)
d. Will the members of the design team know that the email has been sent to
their manager? Explain your answer. (3)
4. Innocent has two email accounts. The email addresses are
[email protected] and [email protected].
a. Which email address is a web-based email account? (1)
b. List one advantage and one disadvantage of having a web-based email
account. (2)
c. What is the domain name of Innocent’s ISP? (1)
5. Amahle is a long-distance runner who participates often in marathons.
a. Amahle would like to keep an online journal of her experiences. What e-
communication application should she use? (1)
b. Mention two things that she could write about each day. (2)
6. Study the screenshot of an email below and use it to the answer the questions
that follow:

This email does not follow good netiquette.

a. What is meant by “netiquette”? (2)
b. Mention three ways in which the writer has not followed good netiquette. (3)
TOTAL: [26]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 13.1 Social implications: Email and internet

safety

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Identify email threats, issues and prevention methods.

Use email and the internet safely.

INTRODUCTION
The email and internet are not always safe and secure. You might
receive emails from scammers and cybercriminals who are looking to
get information from you, such as your banking information and
passwords. You should, therefore, avoid storing any sensitive
information, such as credit card numbers and passwords on your
computer, or sending details to anyone asking for them. In this section,
we will look at email threats and what you can do to ensure safe email
and internet use.

UNIT

13.1 Social implications: Email and

 internet safety

In 2015, a computer security firm called Kaspersky Inc. uncovered a

computer attack by a group of Russian hackers against banks from
around the world. These hackers used a “phishing attack” to infect
computers on the bank’s internal network with a virus. Once they
gained access to a bank employee’s computer, they used the
computer to gain access to the security cameras inside the bank’s
offices.

Figure 13.1: Cybercrime

The following table shows the common email and internet threats, as
well as what you can do to protect yourself from potential threats.
Table 13.1: The most common threats
 UNDERSTANDING SPAM AND
PHISHING

Have a look at this video to understand

more about spam and phishing:

https://youtu.be/NI37JI7KnSc

COMPUTER CRIMES
Although ICTs are useful, various computer crimes can take place if
you are not careful enough. In this section, we will look at the following
different types of computer crimes:
Information theft
Data theft
Identity theft

Something to know
 Computer crimes are also referred to
as “cyber crimes” or “e-crimes”.

INFORMATION THEFT
Information is one of the most valuable resources available to people
who are looking to exploit or cause others harm. These kinds of people
commit fraudulent acts and can access personal information through
hacking into someone’s computer files. We call them cybercriminals.

A cybercriminal can have access to the following types of information:

Personal information: Personal information, such as your identity number, can be
used to steal your identity. This allows the cybercriminal to open store accounts and
apply for loans using your personal information.
Financial information: Information about your banking details can give the
cybercriminal access to your banking accounts, steal your money and do online
purchasing.
Social media information: If a cybercriminal has access to your social media
accounts or information, the cybercriminal can exploit your friends and family by
impersonating you. This can be done by sending a message to people asking them
for money, or a message containing a virus that will allow the cybercriminal to
exploit more people.
Interests: Information, such as your likes and interests, can be very valuable as it
can be sold to companies. The companies then use this information to tailor make
advertisements and specials that are specifically aimed at you.

To avoid these problems, do not share your sensitive information

unnecessarily and make sure to protect your information using a strong
and secure password. While sharing information is part of using the
internet, be selective about the websites with which you choose to
share your information. If you use your email address for every website
you visit, do not be surprised if you start receiving consistent spam
emails.

IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft is when someone else pretends to be you. This is very
similar to information theft. Here, the criminal is illegally obtaining
information about you. This type of criminal can use information, such
as your full name, date of birth, passwords, email address and bank
card details to gain access to your bank account or smartphone.

Cybercriminals can use this information to steal money from you, or

even sell your information to others.

DATA THEFT
Data theft can refer to two different crimes. We will now take a look at
each of these in some more detail.

The first is the theft of data caused due to a third-party gaining access
and using your internet connection without your knowledge. To protect
yourself against this form of data theft, you can do the following:
Protect your network by using a username and password.
Make sure to keep your username and password secret and do not share it with
people you do not trust.
If you suspect that someone has obtained access to your network, change your
username and password.
The second type of data theft is hotlinking. Hotlinking is when
someone takes a file or video from their website and links it to your
website. This is problematic, as each time a user clicks on the link to
download the file or view the video, your bandwidth will be used.

Activity 13.1
Mrs Abrahams loves shopping online. She surfs the internet and every week, she
purchases something new. One day she realised that there were purchases made that
she did not make herself.
1. Explain how ICTs have benefited Mrs Abrahams in this context.
2. List one disadvantage of ICTs used in this context.
3. Briefly explain what Mrs Abrahams could possibly be the victim of.
4. Suggest what she can do to remedy the situation. Motivate your answer.

SAFE INTERNET AND EMAIL USE

To avoid most of these problems, computer experts suggest the
following rules:
Use a secure password: A good way to create a secure password is to use three
or four randomly selected words as your password. Also, include numbers and
symbols. “Correct!Horse2Battery&Staple” for example, is easy to remember and
difficult to hack.
Pay careful attention to the websites and links you open: Make sure you know
where a link is taking you to and verify that the web address is the same as the
website you expected to visit.
 Do not share sensitive information unnecessarily: While sharing information is
part of using the internet, be selective about the websites with which you choose to
share your information. If you use your email address for every website you visit, do
not be surprised if you start receiving reams of spam emails!
Do not open suspicious emails: You can identify suspicious emails when they are
from unknown or suspicious email addresses, emails that seem too good to be
true, emails that request sensitive information, emails with executable attachments
and emails with poor spelling or grammar.
Do not download suspicious programs or attachments: If you do not know who
the sender of the email is, never download the attachment. Even if you know who
the sender is, but you are not expecting an attachment, do not open it. Your friend
may have been hacked and sending a virus!
Keep antivirus applications up to date: The antivirus application is your last line
of defence against viruses. By keeping it up to date, you make sure that it knows
how to detect all the latest security threats.
Keep other software up to date: Software weaknesses or vulnerabilities can be
used by hackers to gain access to your computer. One of the main reasons that
programmers release updates, is to fix these vulnerabilities.
Use two-factor authentication whenever possible: Two-factor authentication
prevents anyone from logging into your accounts using just your username and
password. Instead, it needs a second factor (which is usually a physical device,
such as your phone) to access your account. This means that your account can
only be hacked by a small number of people with access to your phone.

Activity 13.2
1. Define the following email terms:
 a. Hoax
b. Spam
2. Study this example of phishing:

a. Describe two features in the email that confirm the email to be a phishing
attempt.
b. Explain the main difference between phishing and pharming.
3. Study the following extract from a case and answer the questions that follow:

Mike was the head of a new division of End Corp., a small company with about 45
PCs. Mike was hired to reduce expenses for the company and so he would only
authorise the purchase of one copy of each software program that the company
uses. His rationale was, “we bought it, and we can do what we want to do with it”.
Adapted from: http://www.siia.net/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=338&Itemid=351

a. Identify the term that describes this extract.

b. State one possible consequence for the developers of the software programs.
c. State why the URL was provided in this extract.
 REVISION ACTIVITY
1. Write down only the letter matching the correct or best answer.
a. A worm is a type of virus that does which of the following?
A. Locks your files and demands that you pay money to unlock them
B. Spreads itself without human intervention
C. Hides your files away
D. Pretends to be a legitimate program (1)
2. Bandile is a Standard Bank client. He received the following message from them:

Gmail placed the message in a Spam folder and inserted the following message at the
top of the email:

a. What is this type of email called? (1)

b. Gmail disabled all the hyperlinks in the message. Why was this done? (2)
c. Mention one way that Bandile could recognise that this email was not
legitimate. (1)
d. What are spam emails? (1)
3. Explain what a hoax email is. Does this type of email normally pose a threat? (2)
4. Explain the difference between data theft and identity theft. (4)
5. You have been asked to create a short presentation for your class on how to stay
safe when using the internet and email. Write down five points that you would
include in your presentation. (5)
[TOTAL: 17]

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Unit 14.1 Concepts used in information

management
Unit 14.2 Practical Assessment Task (PAT) overview
Unit 14.3 Sifting data
Unit 14.4 Processing data
Unit 14.5 Presenting data

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Understand data versus information.

Describe the problem-solving steps.
Explain how to gather data and information from different sources.
Understand the difference between information and knowledge.
Understand the importance of questionnaires and surveys.
Sift out data.
Process data.
Present the data in the form of graphs or a report.

INTRODUCTION
We are bombarded with a large amount of information on a daily basis.
This information comes in many different forms. In order to gain
knowledge and understanding, you need to know how to manage this
information.
Information management (IM) is the process of gathering, selecting,
processing and then presenting the information to people. In this
chapter, we will look at data versus information, and how to
understand a problem or task, as well as the importance of
questionnaires. Lastly, we will look at different information sources and
data-gathering tools.

UNIT

14.1 Concepts used in information

management

The information management process is used in every environment; be

it at school or in a business. This process is used to determine if set
goals are being achieved, or whether or not a company is making a
profit. Managing information can be broken down into the following
three steps:
1. Inputs
2. Processing
3. Outputs

Data is an example of input. In Chapter 1, we looked at data and

information. You learned that data is raw, unorganised numbers,
signals, or facts and by processing this data, it becomes information.
Information consists of facts and numbers that have been organised
so that they are useful for people.

Case Study Tracking class performance

For example, if the Mathematics teacher wanted to see how well the current class is
performing compared to last year’s class, she might ask the school’s database to
convert its data into averages for the two years. That way, many pages of data are
converted into two numbers that can be compared easily. Similarly, the report you
receive at the end of each school year takes all the data that the teachers collected
throughout the year and turns that data into a single report that you can use to
measure your performance.

Figure 14.1: Data converted into information

The information management process in the Practical Assessment

Task (PAT) can be broken down into the following phases:
Phase 1 – Inputs: This phase is characterised by the gathering of
quality information. For example, you have to research a specific
topic. At this phase, you will have to create questions that identify
what problems you will encounter with this topic. This will help you
to understand the kind of quality information for which you will need
to ask. After identifying the problems, you will need to get the
relevant data and information from different sources. This could be in
the form of printed media, or searching for information on the
internet that you learned about in Chapter 6.
Phase 2 – Processing: After gathering all the data (inputs), you will
need to process it. You must understand what the information is and
you will have to find solutions to the problems that you identified in
Phase 1. For example, if you used a questionnaire, you will need to
use a computer application like a spreadsheet to process the data
and analyse the information.
Phase 3 – Outputs: The last phase involves presenting that
analysed information in the form of a report or presentation.
Therefore, you will need to apply what you learned in word
processing, spreadsheets and presentations in order to make the
information understandable to other people.
 UNIT

14.2 Practical Assessment Task (PAT)

overview

Before you can start a research project, such as the PAT, you must
understand what the task is about. The purpose of the PAT is to test:
1. Your information management skills
2. Your application skills (to produce quality outputs using what you
learned during the year)

Take note that the PAT is an important component in your year’s

marks. You need to complete the PAT on time; otherwise, it will affect
your overall results.

TECHNIQUES USED IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

There are different techniques used in the information management
process. These techniques include identifying the task definition and
information sources.

The PAT is usually broken up into three phases:

Phase 1 (Term 2): Understanding the task, using information-
gathering tools and using questionnaires to obtain data (input).
Phase 2 (Term 3): Processing the data that you obtained in Phase 1,
including using the knowledge you acquired earlier in the year (i.e.
 using spreadsheets) (processing).
Phase 3 (Term 4): Presenting the information that you analysed in
Phase 2 in the form of presentations or reports (output).

UNDERSTANDING THE TASK

First of all, you need to understand what the topic is about, as well as
what the task requires you to do.

It is important to manage your data and information effectively. You

should ensure that you have a good filing structure.

CREATING A GOOD FILING STRUCTURE

To make your life easier, create folders and sub-folders to store the
data and information according to the three phases. Make sure you
name all the folders and sub-folders correctly so that it saves you time
and effort.

You can name the main folder using your name and surname, and
name the three sub-folders Phase 1, 2 and 3, as shown below:

Figure 14.2: Folder structure

TASK DEFINITION
The task definition given by the PAT will not explain the task in much
depth. You will be required to interpret, as well as apply the instructions
and problem definition given in the PAT.

It is important that you develop your own task definition written in your
own words. When developing your own task definition, you can
expand on the definition of the task by using mind maps or bulleted
lists.

An example of a task definition is shown below:

I am doing this investigation to report to <insert target audience> about <insert

PAT topic>.

I will find information on <insert PAT topic>.

I will use the following <source> <information-gathering tools> and create

questionnaires to conduct interviews.

I will also use the internet to help me find more information.

After I have received all the data, I will use spreadsheets to process and analyse
the data so that it converts to meaningful information.

Using this information, I will then create a report. I will also use the questionnaire
answers to create a report using a word processor.
 Lastly, I will translate the information into a slide presentation to show my <insert
target audience>.

Figure 14.3: An example of a task definition

A PAT project requires you to think and apply your own creativity.
When you are given a PAT project and before you can even start with
Phase 1, you need to think of the following:
1. Read the PAT task scenario.
2. Write down what your initial thoughts are about the scenario.
3. Jot down the information that is given and required.
4. Identify a focus area that is related to the scenario.
5. Write down the possible sub-topics.

PROBLEM SOLVING
Problem solving is the process of looking at a situation and finding
exactly what the problem is, what the causes of this problem are,
possible solutions, or how the problem can be removed.

In any problem or scenario where a decision must be made, there are

steps that you can follow. The problem-solving process can be broken
down into the following five steps:
1. Identify the problem
2. Understand the problem
3. Gather information
4. Find a strategy
5. Implement the strategy

You can ask yourself the following questions when identifying a

problem:
1. What is the problem?
2. Is it my problem?
3. It is worth solving?

After defining the problem or task, you need to think about how to take
the process further. You need to decide on how you will take on the
task. The best way to do this is by finding the information. To get the
information, you must ask yourself questions, such as:
What, when, where and why?
If, what if and how?

We just spoke about problem solving in general. In Phase 1 of the PAT,

you need to identify the task that is given to you and set questions in
order to help you investigate the task efficiently.

When setting questions, keep the following in mind:

Questions can be arranged according to sub-topics.
You can write down all your questions and then later categorise
them according to their sub-topics.
Questions can be arranged into levels and when sorting out your
questions, you can sort them according to the question level.
Table 14.1: Sorting questions into levels

INFORMATION SOURCES
Once you have an understanding of the task and have developed the
task definition, you will need to gather data and information. In this
phase, you must consult several types of information sources to
understand the subject better.

Information can be gathered using the following sources:

Electronic media: Web pages, e-books, the internet, online books
and encyclopaedias
Printed media: Books, encyclopaedias, journals and magazines
People: Surveys, interviews and questionnaires
Other sources: Social media and your own knowledge
Table 14.2: The different types of information-gathering sources
MORE ABOUT INFORMATION-GATHERING SOURCES
In the PAT, you will usually be given the instructions to conduct a
survey or questionnaire where you must interview people. They will
answer the questions that you set in the questionnaire and you will
then collect all the questionnaires and use the information gathered
from the questionnaires for an important task when completing the
PAT.

Figure 14.3: Example of a questionnaire

The following are tips on how to create questionnaires; whether it is on

a Word document, or using an application, such as Google Forms:
Try using existing questionnaires and adapt the questions to better
suit the information for which you are looking
Limit them to Yes/No questions
Make sure that the response options make sense
Ask questions in a logical order
Ask one thing at a time
Look for people who are actually willing to share information
Make sure that the questions are short, clear and to the point
Define difficult terms or spell out abbreviations
Remember that the way you interview the respondent will determine
the type of information gathered, the quality of the information and
how much information you can gather.

LEARN ABOUT INFORMATION

GATHERING TOOLS

To learn more about information-

gathering tools, have a look at this
video:

http://learn.mindset.co.za/resources/c
omputer-applications-
technology/grade-10/information-
management/how-tos/01-information-
sources-and-data-gathering-tools
 Saving your documents

Always save copies of everything and

remember to save all your documents
in a good file structure. Another thing
to note is that web pages should be
saved in a folder and must be named
“web pages”.

Activity 14.1
This activity is broken down into three sections (Sections A, B and C).
SECTION A
1. Use the instructions in the PAT and create a folder structure. Use what you have
learned so far to create a folder structure.
2. Open Word.
3. Create a word-processing document.
4. Name this document: PAT Phase1.
5. Use the heading: Task definition.
6. Using the topic given below, create a task definition in the PATPhase1 document.

Conservation is everyone’s responsibility. Even if you don’t spend a lot of time in

nature or appreciate her beauty, everyone needs access to food, clothing,
medicine, clean air and water, a variety of other resources you upon everyone’s
best interest to try to conserve natural systems.
 Your school wants to inform learners about conservation issues, the importance of
conservation and create an awareness to address these issues. The school
management team wants you to investigate a conservation issue that may interest
you. They also want a formal report on the investigation which they can use in their
awareness campaign. The investigation should address a conservation
issue/problem, the impact thereof, possible solutions and the role learners could
play or any other interesting facts and statistics that will inform learners about this
issue.
(Extract from question paper DBE/PAT 2014)

7. Create a sub-folder called Task Definition in the Phase 1 folder.

8. Save the Word document in the sub-folder.
9. Close the Word document.
SECTION B
1. In pairs, brainstorm headings that you could use for the topic. Write down a list of
questions that can be applied to each heading.
2. Open the PAT Phase1 document. Choose the headings that you think will help you
complete this project. Transfer these headings and questions into the PAT Phase
1 document.
3. Save the document.
SECTION C
1. Open another Word document.
2. Create a table. It should look similar to this:
3. Transfer the questions that you developed in the previous section to this table.
4. Indicate the information source to answer each question.
5. Briefly explain why you think this is the best-suited information source for that
specific question.
6. Save the document with the name: Phase1Information.
7. Save it in the correct sub-folder.

UNIT

14.3 Sifting data

The information management process has three phases. This section

will focus on the second phase, which is sifting the data that was
received or obtained from the first phase.

INFORMATION VERSUS KNOWLEDGE

You have learned about data and information. But now, what about
knowledge? How are data, information and knowledge related? It is
simple: knowledge is the information that a person has collected in
order to make an analysis. Let’s learn more about how we will be using
knowledge in Phase 2 of the PAT.

QUESTIONNAIRES AND SURVEYS

The PAT usually requires you to conduct a survey using a questionnaire
to gather your input data. This is a crucial element, because it is here,
where data is processed into meaningful information. Remember, bad
data = bad information. You need the data obtained from the surveys
and questionnaires to input into the spreadsheet application.

SIFTING INFORMATION
Before you can start with sifting information, you need to use
information-gathering tools to find data. After you have obtained all the
data from the different information sources, then only can you look at
which type of data is relevant and which is not.

If you have documents in an electronic format, you can use an

application, such as a word processor or PDF reader to highlight
important information.

When you start with finding information for your PAT, you will probably
notice that there are many websites from which you can obtain
information.

However, you need to go through all the available information. From

there, you need to choose the information best suited to your topic. In
the PAT, the instructions given will give you an indication of what the
main objective of the project or task is. The sub-headings that you
choose will usually indicate what information is useful. The processing
of finding this relevant information is called sifting information.

Activity 14.2
1. Briefly explain the difference between information and knowledge.
2. Do you think questionnaires are important in the PAT?
3. Differentiate between a questionnaire and survey.

UNIT

14.4 Processing data

Data manipulation is the process where data is changed to make it

easier to understand or read. The third phase of the PAT focuses on
processing and using the data that is sifted in Phase 2. This section will
look at how to use data manipulation, data processing and then finally,
presenting the information.

KNOWLEDGE VERSUS INSIGHT/DECISION MAKING

Knowledge is the information that people collect in order to make an
analysis. Decision making (wisdom) is when people put everything
together and actually do something about it.
 An example of decision making is
when Teacher A realises that her
learners are struggling with certain
sections in the curriculum, especially
in Term 2. This is when she needs to
use this information and plan on how
to remedy the situation.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION MANIPULATION

In order to manipulate the information that you have gathered, you can
do the following:
Identifying the core meaning, which means to identify the most
important points of the information that you collected.
Summarising the information in your own words and then adding
your own conclusions or opinions.
Using graphs, tables and illustrations to show the information you
collected visually.
Table 14.3: Processing data and information

For data to be manipulated, it needs to be sorted and grouped so that

the next person can understand what it means. This can be done
using spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are extremely useful in sorting out
data and making it look more understandable.

Microsoft Excel is an excellent spreadsheet program that allows the

user to store, organise, sort and analyse information.

DATA HANDLING USING A SPREADSHEET

The results that you got from the questionnaires are a small sample of
the responses that you can analyse on a spreadsheet. Unfortunately,
the reality is that when it comes to data handling, people usually sit
with hundreds and thousands of data items that they need to analyse.
With your PAT, however, you are only using a small sample of data to
show that you are capable of processing much larger samples. At this
stage, the questions that you come across when dealing with data
handling would be as follows:
How many?
What is the most popular?
What is the least popular?
How many more than?
What is the average?

PROCESSING DATA USING A SPREADSHEET

One of the best attributes of a spreadsheet program is that it can do all
the calculations for you by using formulas. This application is like a
calculator and can add, multiply, subtract and even divide. We will now
learn about the basics of handling data using a spreadsheet.

MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
Microsoft Excel uses the standard mathematics signs, such as the plus
sign (+), minus sign (–), an asterisk to multiply (*) and a forward slash
when dividing (/).

In Excel, all formulas begin with a sign.

You can also use the formulae and functions in Excel to help you
process data. You will have seen most of these functions in action in
your practical lessons on Excel, however, a list of basic functions is
given below:
SUM calculates the total of a range of numxbers
AVERAGE gives the average of a range of values
MIN returns the minimum value in a list of values
MAX returns the maximum value in a list of values
COUNT counts the numxbers in a list of values

Although these functions let you interpret large sets of data, it is not
very good for visualising the data. For that, you can use charts and
graphs, which will be explained in the next section.

After you have gathered the information, you need to transfer the data
to an Excel spreadsheet. From there, you should use the COUNTIF
function to count the numxber of answers for each question.

Guided Activity 14.1

1. Open the workbook: SurveyData.xlsx containing the answers obtained from a
target audience.
2. Create a new table with headings for each answer.
3. Use the COUNTIF function to count the numxber of times a specific answer was
given.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for the answers obtained from any other respondents. You
will then get a sheet with valuable information.
Figure 14.4: Using the COUNTIF function in Excel

The information that you get after using the COUNTIF function allows
you to use proper figures to answer the initial sub-heading questions.

UNIT

14.5 Presenting data

After you have analysed the data, you need to put it into a visual form
so that the target audience can understand the results better. This is
usually done in the form of graphs, tables and reports. In this section,
we will look at ways in which to visualise information.
GRAPHS AND TABLES
There are different types of charts and you can choose which of them
best shows the information. The line graph, bar graph and histogram,
pie chart and Cartesian graphs are the four most commonly used
graphs.
Table 14.4: Application for the most common graphs
It is not always wise to put the graph on the same sheet as the data. It
makes it cramped and might not be the easiest for a person to
understand. Rather put all the graphs on the next sheet. It will make it
easier for the PAT assessor to understand the information.

If you are unsure about what chart to choose, you can always go to
the Recommended Charts tab that suggests the different types of
charts based on the data.

Figure 14.5: The Recommended Charts tab

REPORTS
A report is another way of presenting information. It is a document that
contains relevant information in an organised format. It helps us to
clearly state the problem, the solution that was implemented to fix the
problem, as well as how effective the problem-solving solution was.

A report consists of the following sections:

Introduction: The introduction is used to state the purpose of the
report and provide background on the issue. It is important that you
make use of your knowledge on the subject to provide a clear
description of the problem that has occurred and the solution that
was implemented.
Body: The body is used to describe the effect of the solution that
was implemented. This can include a database containing all the
data regarding the solution to the problem. However, simply
supplying the data is not sufficient. You also need to process and
analyse the data into useful information. The information should then
be presented clearly and to the point. This can be done by
extracting the core meaning of the data and writing it in your own
words. You can make use of graphs and tables to help simplify the
information.
Conclusion: This section is used to indicate whether or not the
solution was a success and if any other solutions might be needed.
If the solution was not successful, you need to include which steps
you are planning to follow in order to make sure that the problem is
resolved.
Bibliography/References: It is important to always reference the
information that you use in your report. It shows the evidence of
where you got the information from, how recent it is, the numxber of
sources you used and if plagiarism was committed. You need to use
a fixed method to correctly cite your references.

A reference list is a list of sources

that were quoted in the report. A
bibliography is a list of sources that
were used for the report. There are
different ways to reference; however,
the most common method is the
Harvard referencing technique and
 the American Psychological
Association (APA) technique.

Always remember that it is important to draft the report as soon as

possible. This is to ensure that you include all the details that you have
observed. The longer you wait, the better the chance of forgetting
something really important.

LEARNING ABOUT REFERENCING

STYLES

Have a look at these videos to

understand these two techniques a bit
better:

Harvard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=6RVrhlMUaS8
 APA https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wlOIOoMhDKc

PLAGIARISM
When writing a report, plagiarism is something that is really frowned
upon. You learned about plagiarism earlier in this book.

Just to refresh your memory, plagiarism is a reproduction of someone’s

work as your own, without acknowledging the original source. This can
be done in the form of directly using someone’s findings (i.e. wording,
sentences, or even the whole paragraph), pictures, etc., without
referencing the original source.

When writing a report, make sure that you do not knowingly, or even
unknowingly, publish or use someone else’s work without
acknowledging that person. To prevent plagiarism, you need to plan
everything before drafting the report. Make sure you understand what
the topic is about and how you are going write the report.

It is extremely important to always hand in your own work. Therefore,

when handing in your PAT, it is a good idea to hand in a declaration of
authenticity, which indicates that you have not copied your work from
someone else.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright, as the name suggests, is the legal right of someone to
make copies of something. It is a legal right originally given to creators
and they can decide who and under what conditions, a person or
company may copy their invention.

Something to know

The PAT guidelines give you strict

instructions on what the font sizes of
the main headings and body text
should be. If not stipulated, however,
you can use a font size of 16 pt or 18
pt for the main headings and a font
size of 11 pt for the body text.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Intellectual property is a term used to create something new or original.
It can come in several forms. Examples could include any of the
following:
A new invention
Design
Brand
Book or journal article
Using someone else’s intellectual property without their permission is
considered to be a crime.

SLIDE SHOW PRESENTATION

The slide show that you need to develop for the PAT covers the same
information as the report that you compiled. However, the presentation
only deals with the key points and looks at the information very briefly.
So, when creating a presentation, you need to think about which
points are the most important.

FINALISING THE PAT

When you hand in your PAT, make sure you take note of the following:
1. Check that you have done everything that was required of you by using the
marking checklist.
2. Proofread your work and make sure that your work does not have spelling and
grammatical errors. If you find errors, fix them.
3. Check that all the sources have been referenced and cited properly.
4. Check the layout of the documents; how the documents look actually makes a big
difference. Make sure the layout, fonts and graphs all look visually appealing.

Activity 14.3
1. List two different types of information sources.
2. Illustrate the difference between wisdom and knowledge by using an example.
3. Study the information presented in the following graph:
 a. Describe what the graph measures.
b. Name the appliance with the least total usage.
c. After the refrigerator and the geyser, name the appliance that is used most on
week days?
d. State why most appliances are used more during weekends than during the
week.
e. What advice will you give to households if they want to save electricity?
Motivate your answer.
f. List three different types of actions that you could perform on data to extract
information, in other words, help to interpret it, or make sense of it.

REVISION ACTIVITY
1. In the 2018 PAT, Grade 12 learners were required to investigate the topic of fake
news.
Source: http://ecdoe.co.za/documents/learners/self-study-guides/pat-cat-english

2. Use the information above and the following outline to write a task description for
the PAT.

I am doing this investigation to report to <insert target audience> about <insert

PAT topic>.
I will find information on <insert PAT topic>.
I will use the following <source> <information-gathering tools> and create
questionnaires to conduct interviews.
I will also use the internet to help me find more information.
After I have received all the data, I will use spreadsheets to process and analyse
the data so that it converts to meaningful information.
 Using this information, I will then create a report. I will also use the questionnaire
answers to create a report using a word processor.
Lastly, I will translate the information into a slide presentation to show my <insert
target audience>.

Replace all the phrases between angle brackets <…> with suitable words that
will match the topic of fake news. (6)
3. Thandolwethu is doing research into healthy eating habits amongst the learners in
her class. She conducted a survey by asking each learner to pick their favourite
vegetable from a list that she gave them. The numxber of votes that each
vegetable received were tallied up. She then drew a graph to illustrate the votes
for each vegetable.
The following table shows the results that she obtained:

a. Use this scenario to explain the difference between data and information. (4)
b. Thandolwethu conducted a survey to obtain her results. Explain the difference
between a survey and a questionnaire. (4)
c. What sort of graph (chart) would best illustrate the above results? (1)
d. Use Microsoft Excel to draw a graph (chart) of Thandolwethu’s results. Make sure
the graph is easy to understand. You should not include the TOTAL on your graph. (4)
e. List two pieces of information that Thandolwethu obtained from her results. (2)
4. Chloe used a questionnaire as part of her PAT. Some of the questions had
“Strongly Agree”, “Agree”, “Disagree”, “Strongly Disagree” as options for her
respondents to select. She captured the responses from each person in a
spreadsheet. Which spreadsheet function should she use to determine the
following?
a. The numxber of respondents who answered each question (1)
b. The most popular response for each question based on the numxber of responses
c. The numxber of respondents who answered “Strongly Agree” for each question (1)
5. List the four main sections of a report and state briefly what should be included (1)
in each section. (4)
6. Ntombikayise has copied and pasted three paragraphs of text taken from an
online publication, into her report.
a. She did not acknowledge the original writer of the text in her report. What is this
known as? (1)
b. How could she use the information without making the mistake mentioned in (a)?
[TOTAL: 31](2)

AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER

Use the checklist to make sure that you worked through the following
and that you understand it.
A
accessory a device added to a computer that performs an additional
feature, but is not required

active window the currently selected window

antivirus program a software program designed to protect your

computer against viruses

application (app) a type of computer software designed to perform

specific tasks or a group of coordinated functions, or activities for
the benefit of the user

application software computer software designed to perform a group

of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities for the benefit of the
user

archive an archive file is made up of one or more files that are

compressed

artificial intelligence (AI) the ability of a digital computer or computer-

controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with
intelligent beings
authentication a process of identifying people to make sure that they
are who they say they are

B
barcode an optical, machine-readable, representation of data

biometric the technical term for body measurements and calculations

bit a single unit of information that can have the value of 0 or 1

bluetooth wireless technology that enables communication between

other compatible devices

bluetooth technology wireless technology that works with radiowaves

instead of wires or cables

boot the process where the computer loads the OS into its main
memory or RAM and checks that all the components of the
computer are in good order

browse reading or scanning through pages on the internet, or on your

own computer

browser a type of software that lets you browse websites or web

pages on the Web

C
CamCard an app used to scan, manage, synchronise and exchange
business cards

Central processing unit (CPU) the part of a computer responsible for

processing general instructions
cloud a service provided over a network that provides massive,
distributed storage and processing power, and can be accessed by
any internet-connected device running a web browser

cloud storage a service model in which data is maintained, managed,

backed up remotely and made available to users over a network

codec a device or program that compresses data to enable faster

transmission and decompresses received data

communication channel a medium through which a message is sent

communication device any device that allows a computer to connect

to a network and communicate with other computers on the
network

communication platform a medium through which a message is

channelled to an audience

compress to make something (a file or files) smaller

computer-aided design (CAD) software used by architects,

engineers, drafters, artists and others to create precision drawings
or technical illustrations

computing platform a computing platform or digital platform is a set

of hardware or software that enables application programs to run

container a set of files that stores information about the digital file

core a processing unit that receives instructions and performs

calculations or actions based on the instructions
crowdfunding online fundraising

cursor this is an indicator that shows the current position for user
interaction – for example, a cursor will show you the place where
text will be inserted in a document

cursor positioning device a touchpad or trackpad is a flat surface

that can detect finger contact; it is a stationary pointing device that
is commonly used on laptop computers

cyclic taking place in cycles

D
data facts, figures, or information that is stored in, or used by a
computer

data link a method used to connect one location to another in

telecommunications to transmit and receive digital information

decompress restoring a compressed file back to its original form

default a pre-selected option adopted by a computer program

default setting the pre-existing value of a user-configurable setting

that is assigned to a software application, computer program or
device

digital pen a battery-operated writing instrument that allows users to

digitally capture a handwritten note or drawing

digitise to convert (pictures or sound) into a digital form that can be

processed by a computer
directory another name for a folder; file systems use directories to
organise files within a storage device

disk drive a type of hardware that allows data to be read, written,

deleted, or stored on a computer

domain the location of a website

domain name system (DNS) the phonebook of the internet

dots per inch (DPI) used when referring to a printed copy to measure
the number of individual dots placed in a line within the span of one
inch (2.5 cm)

downloading when your computer or smart device receives a file or

data from the internet; to receive data from a remote system,
typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email
server, or other similar systems

dynamic IP address dynamic IP addresses are not permanent; it is

assigned to a node until it is connected to the network; therefore,
the same node may have a different IP address every time it
reconnects with the network

E
embedded device a device that contains a special-purpose
computing system

emoji an electronic pictograph (picture)

encode to change something into a programming code

ethernet cable a standard network cable

F
file extension the suffix (letters) at the end of a file name that indicates
what type of file it is

file path a path that defines the location of a file or folder in a

computer's file system

flash disc a memory chip used for storage and transferring data, and
keeps its data even if there is a break in the power supply

G
gigahertz (GHz) measuring unit to measure computerprocessing
speed

graphical interface element elements used by the GUI to make it

easier to interact with a computer, for example checkboxes,
buttons, drop lists, icons, menu bars, etc.

graphical user interface (GUI) an interface through which a user

interacts with electronic devices, such as computers, hand-held
devices and other appliances

graphics interchange format (GIF) a compressed image file format

H
hard disk drive (HDD) non-volatile memory hardware device that
permanently stores and retrieves data from a computer
hard drive (HD) non-volatile memory hardware device that
permanently stores and retrieves data from a computer

hardware refers to all the parts or components of a computer that can

be installed inside, or connected to the outside of a computer

hierarchical tree a way in which data is organised into a tree-like

structure

home area network (HAN) a network within a user's home that

typically consists of a router and a modem

hotkey a keyboard shortcut used to perform a menu function or other

common computer functions

hyperlink an icon, graphic, or text in a document that links to another

file or object

hypertext mark-up language (HTML) a type of coding language used

on web pages to display text, images and audiovisuals

hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) a set of standards that allow

users of the WWW to exchange information found on web pages

I
icon a picture that shows a file, folder or a program

information and communications technology (ICT) information and

communications technology is a field of study related to computers
and communication networks
interactive software or hardware whose behaviour changes in
response to interaction with a human

internet protocol (IP) the main protocol for communication on the

internet

internet service provider (ISP) a company that provides internet

access to its subscribers

K
keyboarding refers to a set of skills required to operate a keyboard
smoothly while typing; including being able to understand the
computer keyboard layout and its functions

keylogger a software program that is used to monitor and log each

key a user types on a computer keyboard

L
local area network (LAN) a network used in a small area and in close
proximity to each other to share resources and information

locked documents documents with content that is difficult to change,

or modify once it has been created

log-on screen the screen that allows authorised users access to the
computer

M
Mac the Macintosh is a family of PCs designed, manufactured and
sold by Apple Inc.
malware malicious software that is designed to change your settings,
delete software, cause errors, watch browsing habits, or open
computer to attacks

memory card a type of storage medium

menu a list of options or commands that the user can select to

execute the proper app function

Microsoft Wordpad a free rich-text editor from Microsoft

modem a hardware device that connects a computer or router to a

broadband network

N
navigation button a set of images or icons that serve as a control
point to link the user to sections on a website

netiquette unwritten rules on how to use the internet

network adapter a piece of hardware that can be added to a

computer, allowing it to connect to a network

network administrator someone responsible for the maintenance and

operation of a network or server

network client a piece of computer hardware or software that

accesses a service made available by a server

network server a computer program or device used to manage

network resources

node any active, physical, electronic device attached to a network

non-volatile refers to a computer's memory that will keep data even if
there is a break in the power supply

notification tray contains miniature icons for easy access to system

functions, such as antivirus settings, printer, modem, sound volume,
battery status and more

O
online refers to when a user, computer or device is connected to the
internet

open-source software a software source code that is freely

distributed

optional left to one's choice; not required or mandatory

P
password a basic security mechanism that consists of a secret phrase
created using alphabetic (abc), numeric (123), alphanumeric (a14b)
and symbolic characters ($%*), or a combination thereof

personal area network (PAN) a local network designed to transmit

data between PC devices and telephones

pixel a tiny dot of colour on a monitor

plagiarism taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them on

as your own

platform the overall standard of a computer's hardware or software

plug-and-play (PNP) device a device that has the ability to detect
and configure hardware automatically without requiring the user to
physically configure the hardware with jumpers or dip switches

port a point of connection between a computer and

peripheral devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, speakers, printer,

monitor, flash drives and so on

prompts refers to text or symbols used to represent the system's

readiness to perform the next command

proprietary relates to an owner or ownership

protocol a specific set of rules and instructions that allows computers

to communicate with each other

prototype a first or preliminary version of a device from which other

forms are developed

R
Random Access Memory (RAM) a very fast storage device that can
only store a small amount of information at a time

read-only memory (ROM) a storage medium used with computers

and other electronic devices

rich-text format (RTF) a file format standardised by Microsoft for

creating formatted text files

root directory the directory at the highest level of a hierarchy

S
search engine a software program used to search for keywords on
the internet to find documents or the information that was searched

shareware software that allows a user to try all, or part of the program
for free before buying it

shortcut an alternative way to do something that is shorter than the

one usually taken

simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) an internet standard for

sending and receiving email messages

site licence a software licence that allows a user to install a software

package in several computers at the same time

SMTP server an SMTP server is the machine that takes care of the
whole email delivery process

software the set of instructions that a computer uses to complete any

task

solid-state drive (SSD) a storage medium that uses non-volatile

memory as a means of holding and accessing data

spam describes junk email on the internet

subscriber identity module (SIM) it consists of a small chip that is

used in cell phones and other mobile devices to store subscriber
information

surround sound a system of stereophony involving three or more

speakers surrounding the listener so as to give a more realistic
effect
swiftkey a keyboard application that uses various AI technologies that
enable it to predict the next word the user intends to type

switch a hardware device that filters and forwards network packets

T
taskbar the bar at the bottom of the screen that allows you to locate
and launch programs through the Start button, or view any program
that is currently open

taxonomy the science of naming things; in this case, email addresses

tiles a new feature consisting of icons on the Windows START screen

introduced by Microsoft

touch screen a computer display screen that is sensitive to pressure;

a user interacts with the computer by touching pictures or words on
the screen

touch typing typing without looking at the keys

Trojan horse a program that appears to be safe, but is performing

tasks, such as giving access to your computer or sending personal
information to other computers

U
ultra-portable very slim, lightweight and easy to carry around

uniform resource locator (URL) a standard naming convention for

addressing documents that are accessible over the internet
universal serial bus (USB) the most common type of computer port
used in today's computers

uploading when your computer or smart device sends a file or data to

somewhere on the internet

username a word, phrase, number or combination of characters that

uniquely identify a user on any computing device, or related service
that requires user authentication

V
virulent hostile or harmful

virus a program designed to cause damage, steal personal

information, modify data, send emails, display messages, or a
combination of these

volatile memory computer storage that only maintains its data while
the device is powered

W
web refers to the world wide web (WWW), which is a graphical
interface for the internet

web browser a software program to present and explore content on

the WWW

web server a computer or collection of computers used to deliver web

pages and other content to multiple users
webmail a service provided by companies and an ISP to enable you to
access your email over an internet page instead of an email client

web page a document commonly written in HTML that is accessible

through the internet, or other network, using an internet browser

website a collection of web pages

wide area network (WAN) a collection of computers and network

resources connected via a network over a geographic area

Wi-Fi a technology that uses radiowaves to provide network

connectivity; established using a wireless adapter to create hotspots
– areas in the vicinity of a wireless router that are connected to the
network and allow users to access internet services

Wi-Fi hotspot a location that enables users to connect to a network or

the internet with their wireless adapters

window an area on the screen that displays information for a specific

program

wireless telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather

than some form of wire) carry the signal over part, or all of the
communication path

wireless access point a wireless receiver that enables a user to

connect wirelessly to a network or the internet

wireless local area network (WLAN) a type of local network that uses
radiowaves to transmit data wireless technology a technology that
uses radiowaves to send and receive data
 Contents

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Term 1
Chapter 1 Concepts of computing
Introduction
Unit 1.1 Information and communication technology
ICT systems used in everyday life
Activity 1.1
Unit 1.2 Data and information
The GIGO principle
The information-processing cycle
Activity 1.2
Unit 1.3 Computers and ICT
Activity 1.3
Unit 1.4 Types of computers
Multi-purpose devices
 Dedicated (embedded) devices
Unit 1.5 Economic benefits of computers
Activity 1.4
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Term 2
Chapter 2 Using a computer
Introduction
Unit 2.1 Operating a computer
Switching the computer on
Using the mouse
Using the keyboard
Using the desktop
Activity 2.1
Getting to know Windows
File management
Activity 2.2
Unit 2.2 Posture and ergonomics
Social implications: Correct typing posture
Ergonomics
Prevention
Activity 2.3
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 3 File management
Introduction
Unit 3.1 Basic concepts of file management
 Folders
File path
Activity 3.1
Organising files and folders
Using a file manager (This PC)
Activity 3.2
Unit 3.2 File types
Text files
Document files
Locked document files
Web pages
Archives and compressed files
Presentation files
Spreadsheet files
Database files
Image files
Animation files
Video files
Sound files
Portable document format (PDF)
Activity 3.3
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 4 File and print management
Introduction
Unit 4.1 File management skills
Creating shortcuts
 Taking screenshots
Activity 4.1
Unit 4.2 File compression
Compressing and decompressing files and folders
Activity 4.2
Unit 4.3 Print management
Adding a new peripheral
Changing the default printer
Basic printing
Printer queue management
Activity 4.3
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 5 Hardware
Introduction
Unit 5.1 What is hardware?
Ports and connectors
Adapters and convertors
Activity 5.1
Unit 5.2 Input devices
Common input devices
Pointing devices
Activity 5.2
Unit 5.3 Output devices
Common output devices
Activity 5.3
Unit 5.4 Storage devices
 Concepts used in storage capacity
Common storage devices
Capacity and robustness of storage devices
Connecting peripherals
Activity 5.4
Unit 5.5 Green computing
Going green when printing
Activity 5.5
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 6 Extended hardware concepts
Introduction
Unit 6.1 More about input devices
Pointing devices
Digital camera
Scanning and reading devices
Video input devices
Audio input devices
Biometric input devices
Activity 6.1
Unit 6.2 More about output devices
Audio output
Other output
Activity 6.2
Unit 6.3 Storage media and devices
Activity 6.3
Unit 6.4 Processing devices
 Motherboard
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Memory
Activity 6.4
Unit 6.5 Caring for your PC and storage devices
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 7 Computer software
Introduction
Unit 7.1 Basic software concepts
Application software
Accessories
System software
Activity 7.1
Unit 7.2 Operating system
The role of the operating system
The operating system and GUI
Different operating systems
Mobile operating systems
Activity 7.2
Unit 7.3 Being more secure
Create a password
Other authentication methods
Activity 7.3
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 8 Extended software concepts
 Introduction
Unit 8.1 Types of software
Freeware, shareware and proprietary software
Unit 8.2 System software
Drivers
Unit 8.3 Licensing and licensing agreements
Software licensing and licence agreements
Software piracy
Activity 8.1
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 9 Introduction to networks and networking concepts
Introduction
Unit 9.1 Concepts used in networks
Activity 9.1
Unit 9.2 Uses of networks
Aims and objectives of networks
Advantages and disadvantages of networks
Unit 9.3 Social implications: Networks
Viruses
Licensing contracts
User policies
Ownership of electronic material
Activity 9.2
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Term 3
Chapter 10 Types of networks: PAN/HAN
Introduction
Unit 10.1 PAN/HAN
Wired and wireless networks
HANs and PANs
Unit 10.2 Creating a PAN/HAN
Requirements
Connecting to the internet
Activity 10.1
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 11 The internet and world wide web
Introduction
Unit 11.1 The internet
Internet address
Unit 11.2 The world wide web
Important concepts used with the world wide web
Using a web browser
What is the difference between a web page and a
website?
URLs, URL shortener and the address bar
Links
Navigation buttons
Tabbed browsing
Activity 11.1
Unit 11.3 Search engines
Searching for information
 Basic browsing and searching techniques
Refining your search
Unit 11.4 Downloads and uploads
Downloading
Uploading
Activity 11.2
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Chapter 12 Internet communication
Introduction
Unit 12.1 Electronic communication devices
E-communication using a PC or mobile device
Activity 12.1
Unit 12.2 Email as a form of e-communication
Components of an email address
ISP versus webmail
How email works
Activity 12.2
Unit 12.3 Basic emailing
Email interface
Sending emails
Replying to emails
Hyperlinks in emails
Etiquette in emails
Activity 12.3
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
 Chapter 13 Social implications: Email and internet
Introduction
Unit 13.1 Social implications: Email and internet safety
Computer crimes
Activity 13.1
Safe internet and email use
Activity 13.2
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Term 4
Chapter 14 Information management
Introduction
Unit 14.1 Concepts used in information management
Unit 14.2 Practical Assessment Task (PAT) overview
Techniques used in information management
Activity 14.1
Unit 14.3 Sifting data
Information versus knowledge
Sifting information
Activity 14.2
Unit 14.4 Processing data
Knowledge versus insight/decision making
The importance of information manipulation
Data handling using a spreadsheet
Processing data using a spreadsheet
Unit 14.5 Presenting data
Graphs and tables
 Reports
Slide show presentation
Finalising the PAT
Activity 14.3
Revision activity
At the end of the chapter
Glossary

Guide

Cover
Contents