From the course: Computer Literacy for Mac (2018)

How to learn any application - Mac OS Tutorial

From the course: Computer Literacy for Mac (2018)

How to learn any application

“

- I think one of the most important skills to develop when it comes to learning how to use any computer application, is the skill of just exploring and not being nervous about clicking things. Many people who consider themselves non computer people are often afraid of messing around in programs and worry that they're going to break something. Well I'm here to tell you that when you're working in any application there's pretty much no chance that you can irreversibly mess up the application. Now there's a better chance that you can mess up the document or file you're using in the application, but let me show you a quick trick. Just about every application has a command called 'Save As'. And it's located under the File menu. This lets you save another copy of your document on your computer leaving the original document or file untouched. So for example I could choose to save a copy of this file on my desktop, I could even name it, underscore, copy so I know it's just a copy. And I'll save it. And this gives you the freedom to experiment as much as you want with this copy of your file, knowing that you have the original version sitting safe and sound on your hard drive. So really the trick to learning any application is to embrace the idea of playing around with it. Start by clicking the menus in the Menu Bar. Almost all applications have menus in common like File, Edit and View, which we'll talk about in upcoming movies. The other menus are usually the ones that are unique to the application you're working in. So really take some time and explore what's available in those menus. Usually, you'll be able to infer with the application it's capable of based on the commands found in its menu bars. Generally, any menu item that ends with an ellipses, like this one here, indicates that selecting that menu item will open a window in which you'll be able to make additional selections. And that just gives you another area of the application to explore. Also note that you'll always find a cancel button in windows like this. Cancel lets you close the window without making any changes regardless of whether you click some buttons or menus in that window. Many applications also have Tool Bars or Palettes in which you'll find several buttons and menus as well. Again, take some time to look them over and read their labels to figure out what they do. You'll find that most applications reveal additional information about their buttons when you place your mouse over them. These are often called 'Tool Tips' and again this is a quick and convenient way to learn what a program is capable of. So just take your time. Look through the buttons that are available, toggle open some menus, and see what's available in each one of these. And as always don't be afraid to click anything. Another feature I'll talk about more in an up coming movie is the Undo feature, which many applications have in common. Undo is always found under the Edit menu. And it lets you take back the last change you made to your file or project. So this is yet another way to allow yourself the freedom to experiment and explore. Just try something out to see what it does, for instance I'll select this text here, and maybe I'll click this button up here, which has turned that text red. And then I can choose Edit, Undo Font Color, to take it back. And I can do the same thing if I say change the alignment of the paragraph here. In this case I've done two changes. I can choose Edit, Undo and Edit, Undo again to set it back to its original state. So as you explore the application menus and buttons, you'll really start to get an idea of the language of the application. How it works, how it's organized, and what you can or cannot do. The goal isn't to completely memorize every menu and button, but more to just learn what's possible and to learn the names of the menu commands and buttons. So when it comes time to actually do some work, you'll probably remember seeing the command or button that fits what you're trying to do and be able to find it again. Lastly, most applications also have a Help menu in which you'll be able to find instructions for commonly used features or frequently performed tasks. So be sure to look under Help while you're exploring. Alright, so those are just some general tips you can follow to help you get better acquainted with any particular application you need to learn. Of course I've only been speaking in very general terms here and it will take some time to really learn any application in depth. But these tips will help you get your bearings and make any application a little less foreign and much more familiar when it come time to do some actual work.

Contents