Once you're online, there's lots of resources for learning how to use the internet. (If you're entirely new to computers, you may like to try a basic guide to using Windows software on the PC provided online by Information Services. To access this run-through click on the following link http://www.is.bham.ac.uk/publications/computing/windows.htm. Tom Davis also provides a useful basic beginners guide to computers, software and the internet at http://www.bham.ac.uk/english/bibliography/intro/beginners.html. Tom explains how to access the machines in the library, how to start them up and get your WEB browser running.) Below I've listed pages which quite comprehensive introductions to the internet. By working through the information set out on those pages you should acquire a basic understanding of WEB browsing, searching and the e-mail (click on the underlined link):
Learn the Net: http://www.learnthenet.com/english/index.html (recommended - pretty much all you'll need to know, use the table of contents on the left to find your way about))
http://www.northernwebs.com/bc/
http://members.aol.com/bikerchris/qpage2.htm
If you like something even more detailed you can access one of the books available at the Macmillan's online library. This is a great resource in that you can access books on a wide range of computational subjects entirely free of charge. (These are the sorts of books which typically sell for £40 or more in the book shops). You might like to join up yourself - you have to supply a few personal details and an e-mail address (see below for how to get one) - or you can use my account to get immediate access. Click on the following link http://www.mcp.com/personal/. This will take you to the homepage and you'll see a space under the heading Personal Bookshop for an e-mail address. Type in my e-mail address, p.r.white@bham.ac.uk if you haven't registered yourself at the site, then click on the Personal Bookshop button and you'll be taken to a pages where there's a number of introductory Internet books listed. You can browse through these at your leisure.
To contact me with any problems, questions or comments, please e-mail me at p.r.white@bham.ac.uk
