Digital Literacy

The mouse and keyboard are your main tools for interacting with a computer. Learning to use them confidently will make every task much easier, from typing an email to browsing the internet.

What is a Mouse?

• A small handheld device that moves a pointer (cursor) on the screen.
• Lets you click, drag, and select items.

Basic Mouse Actions:

• Point: Move the mouse to move the cursor.
• Left-Click: Press the left button once to select or open an item.
• Double-Click: Quickly press the left button twice to open files or programs.
• Right-Click: Press the right button once to open a menu of options (e.g., copy, paste, properties).
• Scroll: Roll the wheel in the middle to move up and down on a page.
• Drag and Drop: Hold the left button down, move the mouse to drag something, then release to drop it.

What is a Keyboard?

• A panel of keys used for typing text, numbers, and commands.

Main Areas of the Keyboard:

• Typing Keys: Letters (A-Z), numbers (0-9), punctuation (period, commas, question mark).
• Control Keys: Shift, Ctrl, Alt -- used for special functions.
• Function Keys: F1 to F12 -- shortcuts for certain tasks (like refreshing a page).
• Navigation Keys: Arrow keys, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down -- move around documents and webpages.
• Special Keys: 
• Enter: Moves the cursor to the next line or submits a command.
• Spacebar: Adds a space between words.
• Backspace: Deletes the character before the cursor.
• Delete: Removes the character after the cursor.
• Tab: Moves the cursor several spaces forward, often used in forms.

Common Shortcuts to Learn:

• Ctrl+C: Copy selected text or item.
• Ctrl+V: Paste copied text or item.
• Ctrl+Z: Undo the last action.
• Ctrl+S: Save a file.
• Alt+Tab: Switch between open programs (Windows).
• Cmd+C/V/S (Mac): Mac users replace Ctrl with Cmd.

• Mouse Settings: You can adjust the speed of the pointer.
• Keyboard Settings: You can make keys repeat slower or add onscreen keyboards if needed.

(Courtesy of GCF Global)

(Courtesy of Brainly)