Launchpad, a great place to put some of your apps.

This is a little introduction to Launchpad.

Here's another little tutorial on the Dock and Launchpad.

Applications on the Mac

What does AirDrop do? Make sure you have a rough idea what each application does. See the tasks about this.

Screenshot of dock

Also put a picture of your screenshot into your blog with a suitable heading. You don't have to have the arrows and labels in your blog picture but you do for the Word document.

Tasks

Tasks

Respond to these tasks by writing any answers or code into your own blog. Please number your responses so they can be found.

1. Start your blog in Blogger. Write a sentence about yourself, with a graphic that represents you, say, a photo or something that you like. Remember the address of your blog. This is where all the feedback on tasks will be given.

2. Screenshots. Check out Mac part of the video at this site. Then write a paragraph in your blog outlining what keys you use to take a screenshot of an i Mac screen, and also a part of your screen.

2.5 Take your own version of a screenshot of a mac desktop showing the dock like the one in the post called Screenshot of dock, complete with arrow and label.

3. Find a picture of a keyboard on the mac like the one we have in class. Paste the picture into your blog and indicate somehow 3 keys that are not found on a PC keyboard.

4. Write a MS Word assignment called My Four Most Favorite Sites. Write about 50 words about each site and say why you like it. Include a screen shot of each site. Make the layout nice and put it in the Moodle drop-box by the closing date.

5. Use camera on you phone. Take a photo of the secret mac power button. Use an arrow or some other way to point to it with a label. Put an appropriate heading on you post.

6. Fill out the answers in the first part of our Moodle page called 1-1 Mac navigation lab. Fill in the gaps and hand in either on paper of by submitting as file into the Navigation Lab Dropbox by February 27 at 5pm.

7. The OS X finder. Read over the information about the finder application at this site. Do a screenshot of the All My Files option with icon view and another one in list view.

8. Check out these videos of mac ads. Here and here.   Write a list of 5 claims they make when compared with the PC. (You don't have to watch all the ads, just get the idea.)

9. Start the "Where'd it go lab"from session 1-3 in our Moodle page. Check out the associated pdf first. Fill out the answers. Either hand in the paper or put Word document with your answers into the corresponding dropbox in Moodle. Due 6th March 5pm.

10. Finder presentation. There are tips and tricks for using Finder all over the Internet. Check out at least this one and this one and then prepare a talk with another person in the class about something you've found out about Finder. It doesn't have to be original. Prepare a PowerPoint with at least three slides and talk to it for one minute. One person could do the research and the other does the talk if you like. This is due Tuesday 3 March.

11. What does AirDrop do?

12. See the applications page in Finder in another post. Take a screen shot of your applications page and write a list of all the applications you see and a sentence about each one. You may have to do some research to find out what some of them do.

13. We're going to be creating learning resources for your clients later. Check out this video on the Launchpad. Answer these questions. Was it clear? Did you learn anything? State one thing you thought was good about the video and one improvement it should have.

14. Check out this site on the OS X dock with some tips and tricks. Using screenshots and text, write a short post in your blog on a tip that appealed to you. Don't just copy, rather write the tip in your own way.

15. Try to access lynda.com and go to their tutorial called  

Computer Literacy for Mac

 with Garrick Chow. If you can get in, take a screenshot of one of their pages like the on in a post above.

16. What is the most popular operating system? For handhelds too? Checkout some stats in this page.

17. Apple claim their latest version of their operating system has several advantages over previous versions. Write 5 new or improved features claimed by Apple for Yosemite. You might want to check out this page.

18. The version number for Yosemite is 10.10. Write the previous five versions with their names.

19. On a mac, what are menulets? Give the symbol for four of them and say what they do in your blog.

20. Make a movie. Produce a short movie using a cell phone or similar that shows how to change the desktop's wall paper. It can be like this one  or another style is OK. If you don't want to do a commentary, you might find a way to insert text. A silent movie without text is (just) OK.

21. What is the free text editor that comes with OS X. Is it better or worse than Notepad from Windows. Give some reasons for your answer.

22. Text Wrangler is another editor for the Mac. Write, in Text Wrangler, a 100 word story in good English about your educational history, family life, hobbies and what you intend to do when you gain your CITSS. Produce a screenshot your your TextWrangler window for your blog and send the file to the Moodle drop-box called Text Wrangler Task.

23. Mac users are often very proud of their OS X. Check out this page and comment on each of the claims made. You can just agree if you like but you need some final summing up about the claims. Has it changed your opinion?  

24: Check out the macWorld page on System Preferences. Go to General Preferences and change the appearance, highlight colour and sidebar icon size. Take a screen shot of your changes for your blog. One picture with them all in is OK.

25. Make two other changes in General Preferences apart from the ones above. Say what changes you've made and take a screen shot for your blog of one of the differences you've caused.

26. Write an instructive blog post called "How to use the

System Preferences: Desktop & Screen Saver

in OS X System Preferences. It should have at least five pics and 100 words. It is designed fro a user new to OS X who needs a bit of help to personalize the desktop and screensaver. Your output should look a bit like the relevant part in the macWorld site but shouldn't copy any of it.

27. Check out the new MacBook in another post. Write three new features that Apple integrated into this version of the Mac laptop. Some people maintain that Apple never really invented anything, just adopted and adapted. Check out these links ( 1 and 2) and say whether any of the new features of this MacBook are really new or adaptations. Just one feature required but you can do more.

28. Find the dashboard on you Mac. Add a widget that will translate from one language to another. Take a screen shot of the widget in your dashboard.

29 Find out then document how to get QuickTime to record a little screen sequence. Write out your instructions in your blog so that a person new to QuickTime and the i Mac could do the same.

30. Make a QuickTime screen recording that shows someone how to change two mouse options, via Preferences, and then change them back.

31. What format does QuickTime on your Mac record screen recording videos. What formats can it export this file to.

32. Often we need to change from one format to another when dealing with images and videos. Find some software for the Mac that will change formats. Present at least two packages and give screen shots of the products. Give examples of how you might use one of the products for changing QuickTime's formats.

33. Repeat the above question, number 32, for the PC.

34. Are there any differences between QuickTime Pro and the QuickTime you find on your Macs? If so name two. Also, how much does QuickTime Pro cost in $NZ?

35. Change some of the default options in the Sound part of System Preferences. Just two changes are sufficient. Take a screen shot of your changes and say, in your  blog, what difference your changes have made.

36 Check out the video at lynda.com about networks. Make a 100 word summary of it and put it in your blog. Include at least one screenshot.

37. Make a list of five common Unix commands you can use in the Terminal. Write a little sentence about each one. Include one screenshot.

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38. How do you find your Mac's ip address? Write it in your blog with a screen shot of where you found it.

39. What does DHCP stand for? What does it mean?

40. How do you find the list of available WiFi networks? Show list with a screenshot.

41. How do you change the preferred order of the list of available WiFi networks. Add a screenshot.

42. Define "troubleshooting" when working of a Mac problem.

43. What does SMC stand for? How do you reset the SMC on a modern Mac.

44. You have been asked to help your clients get and maintain new Apple IDs. Prepare about 100 words on what an Apple ID is, what applications it's used for, and how to change it. Mention security, questions, two step verification and how to change the Apple ID. Add some pictures, at least two, to help show your clients what they'll see when they set up, verify or change their Apple ID. Is there a way of getting around the security features and get into other people's Apple accounts?

45. Macs and PCs. Check out this post in defense of Windows. What are four key arguments  the author makes in defense of Windows when compared with OS X? Comment on each one whether he's making a good point or not.

46. In the following post the author summarizes users' views on Windows vs. OS X. Comment on the summary under the following headings: hardware, software, flexibility, viruses, advantages for designers, advantages for gamers, ease of learning, the Linus alternative, and, finally, the bottom line. Try to condense what the findings were but also offer your opinion on the topic too.

47. Sumarise the table near the top of this page and called "Perceived Cybercrime Vulnerability". Do you think PC users and Mac users are the same sort of people?

48. Find an image that represents Apple iCloud. Save it temporarily somewhere then create for yourself an iCloud account. Upload this image to your iCloud drive and take a screenshot of your image icon in your iCloud drive. If you already have an iCloud account you don't need to create another one.

49. Compare iCloud with two other cloud storage programs like Dropbox and make a little comparison summary of strengths and weaknesses. A comparison page like this one may be useful to you.

50. How could you share the image file in iCloud drive in number 48 above with a friend?

51. Can iCloud be hacked? Are there any cases you can name? Check out the link in the post in this blog about iCloud and security. What two main security tips would you give to someone who has just started an iCloud account?

52. Check out the Time Machine post in this blog. Run the video in the link at the bottom of the page. Find another You Tube, or similar, video on Time Machine and say what you preferred and why.

53. Change one of the Time Machine parameters on your Mac. Take a screen shot of your change and say what you did.

54. Check out the post in this blog called Keep Your Mac clean. Find another "clean your mac" program and (a) say what it does (b) why you like it (d) provide link to associated web page and (e) take a screen shot of this page.

55. Check out the post in this blog called "Apple have a security page". Write a post about what's in this page, what Apple's PGP key means and how you would know what was up to date and what was not.

56. Check out the Time Machine post in this blog and watch the video. Write a sentence about when you would use Time Machine. Find another useful You Tube video on time machine and put a link to it. There has been prblems with Time Machine for Yosemite. Say what one of these problems are or were and say what the fix is, if any. 

57. Use iPhoto to change the appearnce of a photo you have. Show a before and after image and say what you have done.

58. What is going to be Apple's repalcement for iPhoto? Find a review of the replacement, give a link to it and say a couple of conclusions that they make.

59. Write a short paragraph about Mac virus software available. Find a review site and write a sentence about what it recommends (a) overall, (b)free but good (c) only for Macs, not PCs too.

60. Make a QuickTime movie about how you could take a window cut-out of a web page and put it onto the Dashboard using Safari.

61. Drop a screen shot of the Activity Monitor onto your blog and use arrows and labels to show what 5 of the aspects tell you.

62, How do I find my Home directory?

63. Add a another user to your Mac. Give this user as many powers as possible. Call this user Admin2 and take a screen shot of some aspect of their account.

64. Repeat above but this time add a child user in your family, Kid2. Give this user very limited rights and some parental controls.

65. Create a simple Word file with just a few lines of text. Call it SmallFile.doc Save it to your desktop. Now change it to a very secure pdf that can't be edited or printed. Call it VerySecure.pdf. Put it on your desktop. Take a screenshot of your desktop with both files showing and put it in your blog.

66. Zip up both files in the task above into a zip file called MyZip.zip. Show all three files (doc, pdf, zip) on your desktop and show in your blog.

67. What are three possible problems when you want to share files with other people?

Welcome to Supporting Apple Workstations

Welcome to our class, CR433 Supporting Apple Workstations, first semester 2015. Here you'll learn skills that will give you an extra edge in IT with regard to helping people who have an Apple. We first of all learn a bit about using an OS X Apple, then how to some administration functions.

Keep an eye on this blog and do the tasks in the tasks page. Do the answers to any questions, or written code in your own blog.

So your first task is to create a blog in Blogger. When you have done this remember you blog address so it can be pasted into our wiki in Moodle.