Ever notice how many words cross over a variety of industries and how many of these words also cross grammatical purposes? Take the word network for instance. As a noun, a network is basically any system where two or more computers share resources. However, it becomes a verb or action when you say you “networked with a group of people at an event” or how it becomes an adjective when we describe something as a networked environment?
Have you noticed too that many computer terms come from practical tasks in real life? This is deliberate, of course, to help us recognize the purpose of that word. What do I mean? A firewall in real life would indicate a wall that won’t break even in the event of a fire. Apply that to computers and a firewall is designed to be a wall to prevent anything from entering that computer, even if the computer was on fire. Cool, huh?
Using a simpler example … think of the mouse – the device we use to point and click (select) items on the screen. The first mouse that came with a computer had a long cord that connected it to the computer; when you think of a mouse, don’t you recognize it as a mouse by its long tail? Therefore, when you want to identify a wireless mouse, think of a mouse with no tail – meaning no connecting cord needed. I like to address these wireless devices as hamsters!
Speaking of which, did you know you can address (verb) a letter or email to someone? When someone tells you to type in an address on the web, you are using the noun version. Regardless, you automatically know “address” means you want the item to a specific place and all you are doing is putting in the details as part of that address.
It’s amazing how quickly you can understand what the purpose of a word is by thinking of the word and how it’s being used in real life or on the computer. Given that computers are taking over most of our lives, wouldn’t it be great to understand what most common computer references mean? If your answer is Yes, then take a moment to consider embracing digital literacy and yes, CCI Learning has a solution for you!
Call CCI Learning to speak to someone about digital literacy and how we can help in your new exploration of the cyber world!
Until next time … Remember you have the power to discover your greatness!
