Meet Your Computer
Input, process and output; desktop vs laptop hardware; safe startup and shutdown; mouse and touchpad control.
By the end, you will be able to:
- Explain Input, Process and Output using the corn mill analogy, and tell hardware from software.
- Say whether their station is a desktop or a laptop and point to its main parts.
- Start up their machine in the correct order and shut it down through Start, Power, Shut down.
- Left-click, double-click, right-click and scroll with a mouse or a touchpad.
What you need
No computer at home? Print the PDF and practise on paper.
Follow these steps in order
Tick each step when you finish it. Your ticks are saved on this device, so you can stop and come back later.
Learn the ideas ⏱️ 35 min
Read pages 1–4 of the workbook and try every small task. Type your answers straight into the boxes: they save by themselves.
Explore the 3D lab ⏱️ 15 min
Play with the 3D model below. The 🎯 missions tell you exactly what to do next. When you finish every mission, this step ticks itself.
Do the Lab Mission ⏱️ 25 min
Page 5 is the hands-on task. Do it on a real computer, step by step. You need: a desktop or laptop computer.
Check yourself ⏱️ 10 min
Answer the questions on page 6 without looking back, then check your answers below.
Finished? Check your answers
Vocabulary match-up
- System Unit / Base: the main processing unit containing the computer's electronic "brain".
- Touchpad: the touch-sensitive surface on a laptop that works like a mouse.
- Monitor: displays documents, pictures and the desktop on its screen.
- UPS: the battery backup that stops computers cutting out during power outages.
- Right-Click: the action that opens a secret options menu for the selected item.
Written review questions
- Packed flat in the base, underneath the built-in keyboard.
- Pulling from one corner can crack the hinge. Lift gently from the centre of the rim.
- Lift the mouse into the air, put it back in the middle of the pad and glide again. On a touchpad, lift your finger, place it in the centre and glide again.
Rate yourself and save your work ⏱️ 5 min
Tick how confident you feel on the last page, then press 🖨 Print / Save as PDF in the workbook to keep a copy. On a shared computer, press Clear my answers when you have saved it.
🎉 Session 1 complete!
Brilliant work. Next up: Session 2: Keyboard Mastery & First Typing.
Go to Session 2 →🖥️ Explore the Computer
Click every part of a desktop and a laptop, power them on, and follow a key press from input to process to output. Follow the 🎯 missions on the right: they tell you what to do next.
Stuck? Try this
Most problems are one missed word. Look for the Panic Button or Help box in the workbook.
Refresh the page. On a very old computer it may not show 3D. The workbook still has everything you need.
Answers save on the computer you typed them on. Open the workbook on that same computer and browser.
Ask your mentor, a teacher or a friend. Show them the step number you are on.
Going somewhere without internet? Download this session's study pack (workbook, PDF and README). Last updated 30 October 2026.