Essential Digital Skills Level 1
Course Content
- Course Introduction
- Computers and Laptops
- The Internet
- Setting up your Email
- Social Media
- Windows Basics
- Using Apple Mac Computers
- Mobile Devices
- Unit One - Using Devices and Handing Information
- Searching for images
- Searching the internet
- Files and folders on an apple computer
- Checking the file size of a file on an Apple computer
- Computer file sizes
- File types and extensions
- Updating the operating system
- Searching on a website for information
- Improving Search Results
- Organising files
- How to check the file size on a windows computer
- Understanding applications
- Unit Two - Creating and Editing
- Unit Three - Communicating
- Ways to communicate online
- Sending large files
- Opening a Zoom account
- Hosting a Zoom meeting
- Improving your video
- Solving problems during online communications
- Window file explorer
- How to share a photo from your iPhone
- Using Facetime
- The Zoom dashboard and getting started
- Using an online chat facility
- Unit Four - Transacting
- Unit Five - Being Safe and Responsible Online
- What is data protection and why is it important
- What is Personal Data
- What is GDPR
- Does GDPR apply to me
- Data Subject and Personal Data under GDPR
- Personal Information held online
- Cybercrime
- Phishing and Malware
- Text and phone scams
- Public Wifi
- Different email providers
- Private browsing
- Unwanted emails
- Unwanted friends and followers on social media
- Cookie settings
- Encrypting and protecting data
- Password manager applications
- Protecting your computer
- Identity theft and reducing the risk
- What is a VPN
- Multi-factor authentication
- Backing up data
- Protecting privacy
- Social engineering
- Shopping Online
- Course Summary
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External data drives
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If you need to store data, you can store the data on a computer or on a cloud, which we will cover in other videos. But it may be you need to take some data from a computer to then give it to somebody else or hold it as storage for whatever reason. This could be documents, it could be photos, it could be your job CV, or some pictures you want to give to somebody. So you can use lots of different types of external drives. And they are very, very easy to use. And the simplest, easiest one are these, these are just USB stick drives. All they go is to go into the USB port, which is the rectangular port on the side of the computer, there is only one way it will go up, there is a solid section on one side and an open on the other. So you need to just push that into the computer. And then from your finder system or explorer on the computer, you can save the data onto that drive. And we will cover that in other videos on how to physically save them. Now these small drives here come in lots of different sizes. So you buy one depending on how much data you want to hold. Now, they are quite cheap to have a lot of data on these. So you can have something like 64 gigabytes of data, which is a massive amount of data for storing files, folders, and all your bits and pieces and have as a basic backup. But the smaller the drive, the cheaper the drive is, so you can buy what you need, according to the jobs. Now this one just folds over to keep it nice and safe. And there is lots of other designs of these. And there is different ones you will see from companies where they are marketing products, and they have different type of key ring. Now taking that on one stage further, there are other types of drives, which is things like this, which is the same USB drive, but it is then a secure one. Now, this is not an entry level type product with computing, but we are just sort of talking about them. So you are aware they do exist. So what this one does is you can actually lock it. So you can just put a code in there so that no one else can access your data. So if you put it into your computer without entering the code, you will have no access to the data whatsoever. And these come in quite large sizes. So this particular one here is 128 gigabytes of data, which will give you loads and loads of storage. And then if you did lose it, no one else can access that data, the only way of accessing the drive will be to literally just delete everything off of it, which is what you would want, if you had, lost the data. With this one, it has got a cover on, covers all the keys over and it locks and it is very secure at the top end, a very secure holder that you can put it on key fobs or onto your bag or something like that just to keep it nice and safe. Now another way of holding drives is this type of thing. This is an external drive, again, just plugs into your computer. And this one is even bigger. So these sorts of things, you can go up to one tigabytes of data, which is usually bigger than the data on your computer. So this type of thing would be good to actually backup your entire computer if you want to backup the data onto an external drive. And this one for security goes a little bit further, just on this little box here is actually a fingerprint sensor. So you can set it up in the settings, that come through very easy instructions. And then you plug it into your computer with the cable, and you just pop your finger on there, the device will change color just to show that it is open. And then you can access it. And then as soon as you disconnect it from computer, the drive is then locked back up again. So it is again a very secure way of storing your data. Now, these are fairly expensive, but if you want the basic drive like this without the security on it, then they are much, much cheaper. So when you are dealing with external drives, you wanna think about what you want it for. If you wanna do a main backup on your computer, you are gonna need something larger. But if you just want to store little bits and pieces, folders and documents and photos, then the USB stick drives will be another option. Now you can go even bigger than these, with external drives that plug straight into the computer. And they often need a mains power supply that goes with them. So if you are starting, introduction to computers, it is usually a little bit more than most people would actually need, but they are available should you need to. Now the cables themselves that connect these into the computer will be the USB drive cable like this. Or there is also what is called a USB-C port, which we will talk about in other videos, and it is a much smaller rounder type. The final one we will look at are the SD cards. And this is a standard SD card and there is also a much smaller micro SD card. Now, these you will also see in things like cameras and they are very easy way of storing data in small scale. So you can take the card out of your camera, you can then put it into your computer, some computers have a slot on the side, or if not, you can just get a little converter and you can just pop that straight into the drive and take the data. It means you have an easy way of transferring your photos from your camera directly onto your computer. And if you are on holiday and taking pictures with an external camera and you wanna keep these safe then you can store the pictures as a backup onto the drive and keep them safe onto your computer, or you can also link these in with iPads and tablets and things like that as well for other types of data storage.
Guide to External Drives: Storing Data Safely and Securely
Introduction
When it comes to storing data, external drives offer flexibility and convenience. Let's explore the options available.
USB Stick Drives
USB stick drives are the simplest and most common external drives. They are:
- Easy to Use: Plug into the USB port of your computer.
- Vary in Sizes: Available in different storage capacities, ranging from 64GB to larger sizes.
Secure USB Drives
For enhanced security, consider secure USB drives with:
- Encryption: Lockable with a password or fingerprint sensor.
- Large Storage Capacity: Up to 128GB or more.
External Hard Drives
External hard drives offer:
- High Storage Capacity: Up to 1TB, suitable for backing up entire computers.
- Enhanced Security: Some feature fingerprint sensors for added protection.
Considerations
When choosing an external drive, consider:
- Storage Needs: Select a size based on the amount of data you need to store.
- Usage: Determine if you need basic storage or additional security features.
Other Options
Additional options for storing data include:
- SD Cards: Ideal for cameras and transferring photos to computers.
- Micro SD Cards: Compact storage solutions compatible with various devices.
Conclusion
External drives provide a convenient way to store and protect your data. Choose the right option based on your storage needs and security preferences.
- EDSQ Unit 3 LO 9.3
