Apple Mac Basics Course
The Apple Mac Basics Course:
Basic Mac OS X Computer Skills & Concepts in Plain English
Module 1: Computer Terms & Concepts
| Title |
Length
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Description |
Understanding and Seeing the Difference Between RAM (Memory) and Hard Drive Existing Members Click to Sign In |
9:32
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This video lesson shows you what two of the most important parts of your computer look like, and helps you understand what they do for you every time you use the computer. |
How to Better Understand Hard DrivesExisting Members Click to Sign In |
7:18
|
What is ‘formatting’
or ‘erasing’, and one reason why hard drives seem to end up
with less space than you paid for
In this lesson I explain a couple of common computer terms and help you better understand your hard drive (the part of the computer where all of your files are stored). A common point of confusion is why is it that hard drives never seem to have as much room as they say on the box — this lesson will help clear up that mystery. |
Computer Dictionary – CPUExisting Members Click to Sign In |
10:02
|
In this video I explain in simple terms what a CPU is, and give you some tips to help you chose whether you need a high-end or more “average” speed computer when purchasing your next system, based on how you use the computer. I also help you understand why it is that a computer that is high end one year, can seem slow and underpowered just a few years later. |
Understanding Computer Speed and What’s Slowing Down Your ComputerExisting Members Click to Sign In |
23:01
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This lesson helps you understand in a non-technical way some of the different things that affect the speed of your computer. Once you understand the basic ideas I explain in this video, you’ll have a better understanding of not just where the computer is slowing down, but also whether it’s actually your computer that’s slow, or if it’s your Internet connection. Understanding these things can help you know where to start in fixing the problem, or avoiding it in the first place. |
Understanding the Computer Term “OS” or “Operating System”Existing Members Click to Sign In |
9:21
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In this video lesson I explain to you the term “operating system”, which few people understand very well, if at all. I’ll explain it in a way that actually makes sense, and which anyone can relate to. |
Understanding the Term DriverExisting Members Click to Sign In |
3:29
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You’ve probably heard someone use the term “driver”, but never completely understood what it meant. Watch this video to finally understand this important computer term. |
Module 2: Mouse & Keyboard Basics
| Title |
Length
|
Description |
Mouse Basics – Clicking CorrectlyExisting Members Click to Sign In |
25:36 |
Over the
years, I’ve found that a majority of people aren’t really using
their mouse the right way. This is not to say they’re using
it completely wrong, but they misunderstand when they’re supposed
to click once, and when they’re supposed to double-click. In
many cases, they double-click everything, which can cause unexpected
results and lead to frustration and confusion.
While there unfortunately is no dead simple, clear-cut rule for when to click and when to double-click that can be said in one or two sentences, this lesson goes over most of the common examples and variations a few times to show you the right way to use your mouse. Once you see it in context, with a few different examples, it’ll start to make more sense. The lesson also clarifies terminology that a lot of people misuse, and explains when to “right-click” (alternatively, Control-click if you have a single-button mouse, or two-finger click on a modern trackpad) and why you might want to do so. |
A Simple Secret That Makes the Computer Faster and Easier to UseExisting Members Click to Sign In |
13:34
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Most people use their computer in a way that slows them down and makes the whole thing more slow and frustrating than it has to be — learn a few simple steps in this quick easy lesson that you can use every day to make things quicker and easier with just a few clicks. |
How to Chose the Best“Pointing Device” For You Existing Members Click to Sign In |
13:10
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In this video I talk about “pointing devices” (a mouse is the best-known type of pointing device, but is not the only type), some of the pros and cons of each, and why using a mouse might not be the best option for everybody. |
Using “Modifier Keys” – What Are They, & How Can They Make the Computer Easier?Existing Members Click to Sign In |
8:24
|
This video lesson explains the right way to use the “modifier keys” on your keyboard, including Shift, Control, Option, and Command. I also teach you a few “keyboard shortcuts” that use those keys — when you use keyboard shortcuts along with the mouse (instead of mainly using the mouse to control the computer) it can make the computer easier and faster to use. |
Module 3: Basics of Files & Folders
| Title |
Length
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Description |
Understanding Files and FoldersExisting Members Click to Sign In |
7:25
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This lesson is a Plain English explanation of exactly what a file is and what a folder is, and why you use them. A lot of people get the two terms confused, and others don’t really understand either of them. But that’s OK, you will understand them once you’ve watched this lesson. |
Making folders to organize your filesExisting Members Click to Sign In
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4:02
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See how to make a folder or folders, and how you can use them to organize your files to make things easier for you to keep track of. |
Renaming files & foldersExisting Members Click to Sign In
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6:17
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How to rename a file or folder — makes it easier to recognize a file by it’s name instead of guessing what it is or having to open it each time to find out. |
How to clean up your desktopExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
17:51
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In this lesson I show you a very useful thing to do, which is to keep your desktop clean and organize your files. People tend to have very cluttered desktops, and aside from making it hard to find things, it can slow down your computer. |
Using Undo When Working WithFiles & Folders Existing Members Click to Sign In
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3:51
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It’s not uncommon for someone, whether they are a basic or a more advanced computer user, to slip up and make a mistake when working with files and folders. This lesson shares a valuable, and very easy technique to “undo” the last thing you did so you can recover from a mistake. |
Understanding How to Find Things on Your Hard DriveExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
18:05
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Understanding how your computer’s hard drive is structured can help you keep your computer more organized and help you find things when you need them. This lesson shows you a few things about how to navigate your hard drive and its contents. |
Understanding and using “aliases” on your MacExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
8:20
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Aliases are a very common thing on Macs, yet a lot of people
don’t understand them or know how to use them. This lesson explains
what they are and how to use them to save time and effort on your
computer by setting it up to be convenient for you.
Also has an important tip on what files are, and what files aren’t safe to delete or move around. |
Module 4: Basics of Menus, Buttons & Program Windows
| Title |
Length
|
Description |
Basic Concepts: MenusExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
15:15
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In this
lesson I demonstrate some basic concepts about how menus work,
show you how to avoid a common mistake I see people making
when using menus, and more.
This lesson also reveals a few secrets that nobody else teaches which make learning the computer much easier. |
How to Use Spotlight SearchExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
11:26
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Spotlight Search is an incredibly useful feature that can be used to find that important document you misplaced, or as a quick way to open an application you need occasionally but don’t want to have cluttering up your Dock. This lesson gives you the basics of how to use it to quickly & easily find files and folders on your Mac’s hard drive. |
Closing programs the correct wayExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
5:03 |
A common mistake people make using Macs is they will close the window of a program, but end up leaving the program still running and taking up system resources which can slow down some computers. This lesson shows you how to correctly “Quit” out of a program instead of just closing the window. |
Using the toolbar button, or “lozenge button”Existing Members Click to Sign In
|
4:20 |
There is a button in the upper right-hand corner of many windows on Mac programs that hides or reveals toolbar buttons on the window. People sometimes click the button accidentally and suddenly important buttons are missing. This lesson shows you how the button works so you can avoid this problem. |
Understanding “Multitasking” and Using Multiple WindowsExisting Members Click to Sign In
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10:59
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A lot of people don’t use their computer to even close to it’s full capabilities, including missing out on fundamentals which can make it more easy and efficient to use. This video introduces you to the concepts you need to understand, while the following lesson shows you the steps. |
How to Use Multiple WindowsExisting Members Click to Sign In
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12:16
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Following from the previous video, this lesson demonstrates how to use multiple windows to make using the computer more efficient and easy |
Resizing WindowsExisting Members Click to Sign In
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3:25
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I find a lot of people do not realize they can resize and
move the windows on their screen, such as the window you are
reading this in right now. Watch this video lesson to see how
to easily change the size and shape of just about any window
on your computer’s screen.
Tip: When you’re watching one of my video lessons, if you try using this technique, you’ll find the video lesson will shrink or grow in size to fill the window. I did this so you could watch a given lesson full size one time, then go back and rewatch it with the window made very small — that way you can watch a lesson and do the steps I’m showing in the video right along with me. A lot of people really like learning this way — give it a try with the next lesson and see what you think! |
Module 5: Basics of Working With Written Documents
| Title |
Length
|
Description |
An Introduction to Basic Editing SkillsExisting Members Click to Sign In |
17:28 |
This lesson teaches fundamental computer skills that can make your life easier, save you time, and transforms your computer from an overpriced typewriter into a tool for making writing easier. |
More Easy Editing TipsExisting Members Click to Sign In |
21:04
|
This lesson
gives you a number of useful tips for editing text documents
such as emails, word processing documents, and more.
See how to save time by avoiding a common time-wasting mistake I see people make all the time, watch the steps to using the keyboard alongside the mouse to be more efficient and precise when fixing mistakes, and understand how to navigate through long documents more quickly and easily. |
The Importance of Multiple DraftsExisting Members Click to Sign In |
19:13 |
Most people work on documents (no matter how long, or how often they revise it) and keep saving again and again to the same file. In this lesson I’ll explain why this can be a mistake, and show you a simple system for saving multiple drafts of a document so you can avoid a common problem the usual way of doing things often causes |
Module 6: Tips to Make the Computer Easier & Save Time
| Title |
Length
|
Description |
How to Arrange and Organize Icons On Your DesktopExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
9:45
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This video lesson gives you some tips on different ways you can make your desktop more organized and set up the way you want. |
How to Arrange, Organize, and Easily Find Your Files, Emails, Music and More With Column ViewExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
6:31
|
People see
their music, photos, documents, emails and more on their screen,
arranged in columns every day (think of your email inbox with
columns for From, Subject, Date Sent, etc), but a lot of people
have no idea you can use column view to quickly and easily
arrange things to make them more organized and make things
easier to find and work with.
This lesson shows you a few tricks you probably never knew about a wide range of programs on your computer that will make them easier to use. |
Overview of the DockExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
19:19
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In this lesson I explain the basics of the “Dock” the strip of icons at the bottom of your Mac’s screen. |
How to use Apple’s Exposé to Make Using Your Mac More EfficientExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
7:17
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Exposé is
one of the coolest features of Mac OS X that I use every day
to make it easier to navigate my Mac. It’s hard to describe,
so it’s best to just watch the lesson and see what you think.
In the lesson I’ll show you how it works and how to easily set
it up on your computer.
Please note: the steps shown in the video were recorded on OS 10.4 (Tiger) but are nearly identical to the ones in more recent versions of OS X — the only significant difference is that to get to the Expose settings once you are in the System Preferences, you need to click the icon “Expose and Spaces” and then click the Spaces tab on the next screen (one extra click to get to the screen in other words). |
How to Make Text Larger and Easier to Read in the FinderExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
5:54
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In this lesson I show you how to change a setting in the Finder (the part of Mac OS X through which you view the desktop, as well as all files & folders on your computer) which increases the “font size”. This makes words, such as the names of files & folders, larger and easier to read. |
How to Change the Resolution of Your Computer ScreenExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
6:54
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The resolution
of your computer’s display (screen) is the number of “pixels”
(dots) which make up the image on the screen. Newer computers usually
come with very high resolution screens which can sometimes make
things look smaller than you might want.
This lesson helps you understand exactly what the resolution means to you and helps you decide on the best setting for your computer screen and your personal needs. The information in this lesson used together with the information in the first lesson above can make a big difference in how clearly you can see what’s on the screen, especially if you have vision problems. |
How to Use the Zoom Feature of Your Mac to Zoom in on Any Detail on The ScreenExisting Members Click to Sign In
|
6:00
|
Your Mac
comes with a number of features designed to help people with
vision or hearing problems use the computer more easily. These
features are part of a system called “Universal Access”.
The specific Universal Access feature we’re looking at in this lesson is the Zoom feature, which allows you to easily zoom in and out of parts of the screen. This can be a huge help if you have vision problems, and a very handy tool even if you can see fine. |