Introductory Computer Skills Basic Keyboarding

1. Introductory Computer Skills Basic Keyboarding

2. These keys perform the following functions: • Space Bar – Press this keywhenever you want to type a space in between letters or words. • Alt • Ctrl • Shift • Caps Lock – Use this key when you need to capitalize more than one letter at a time. (See next page for details on how this key works.) • Tab - Pressing this key moves the cursor 5 spaces to the right. It is usually pressed before you start typing at the beginning of a paragraph. • Enter – Press this key whenever you want to move the cursor down one line, for instance, at the end of a paragraph, or when you want to create a blank line between two sentences or paragraphs. Note: You do not need to press the Enter key at the end of each line as you type because it will automatically go to the next line if it runs out of room. This is called “text-wrapping”. • Backspace – This key is like an eraser. When you press it, it will remove the character to the left of the cursor. • Delete – This key is similar to the Backspace key, only when you press it, it will remove the character to the right of the cursor. These three keys do not do anything when pressed by themselves. Instead, they perform various functions when they are held down while pressing another key. For example, when you hold down the Shift key and then press a letter key, that letter will be capitalized.

3. Caps Lock Indicator Light Shift keys Both of the Shift keys work the same way. Either one can be used to: type a capital letter or type the upper character on a key that has two characters, like this one: To use a Shift key, you press and hold it down and continue holding it down until you are done typing the desired capital letter or character. ( ( ( [ ] [ ] [ ] • 1 Z Caps Lock key The Caps Lock keyis used when you want to capitalize more than one letter at a time. To use it, simply press it one time. This turns it “on”, and any letter you type will be capitalized. When you are ready to type lower case again, you press the Caps Lock keyagain, to turn it “off”. NOTE: You do NOT hold down the Caps Lock key. Just press it to either turn it on or off. When it is on, an Indicator Light will display somewhere in the upper right section of the keyboard. The Caps Lock keywill only capitalize letters. It will NOT allow you to type the upper character of a key. The Shift key must be used for that.

4. Num Lock Indicator Light The Numbers Key Pad Some people find it easier to type numbers using the Numbers Key Pad, instead of using the number keys that are above the letters on the main part of the keyboard. In order for this to work, however, the Num Lock must be turned on. You can turn it on or off by simply pressing the Num Lock key. When it is turned on, you will see the Num Lock Indicator Light displayed somewhere in the upper right section of the keyboard. If you press any of these number keys when the Num Lock is turned off, they will not type numbers. They will function the same as the directional keys that are next to them. There are four character keys in this section that will type those characters whether or not the Num Lock is on. They are the / * - and + keys. The Enter key in this section has the same functions as the Enter key on the main part of the keyboard. ( ( ( [ ] [ ] [ ] • 1 Z

5. Scroll Lock Indicator Light Keys that you will not likely use: • There are several keys at the top of the keyboard that the average computer user rarely uses. They are: • the F1 through F12 keys. The function of these keys will vary depending on the program that is being used at that time. It’s best to avoid pressing these keys unless you are sure what they will do. • the Pause/Break key found at the top right of the keyboard. Pressing this key generally does not do anything. • the Scroll Lock key, next to the Pause/Break key. Note that pressing this key will turn the Scroll Lock Indicator Light off and on. If you ever notice the Scroll Lock Indicator Light displayed in the upper right section of the keyboard, it’s best to just turn it off by pressing the Scroll Lock key one time. ( ( ( [ ] [ ] [ ] • 1 Z