TECH CLUBBOZOMA INNOVATION HUB

Session 10 • Page 1

Learner Full Name:

School:

Assigned Workstation:

Class:

Session 10: Skills Lab 1: Know Your Machine

Today there is nothing new to learn. Instead, you show what you can already do. A Skills Lab is like the practical part of an exam, but friendlier: you work on a real computer, the mentor watches and ticks, and you get a second try at anything that did not work. Show that you really know your machine, inside and out.

1. How a Skills Lab Works

1. Typing check first. Do the 3-minute typing check on the typing trainer and write your result below.

2. Four stations, 15 minutes each. Your mentor starts the clock. Read the task and go. When the time is up, stop.

3. The mentor ticks the checklist at the bottom of each station page. Be honest: a tick you did not earn does not help you.

4. Fix and re-try. At the end, go back to any station you did not finish and use its re-try hints.

Figure 10.1: The Skills Lab 1 route. Four stations, 60 minutes of hands-on work.

2. Typing Check Record

Your goal by Skills Lab 2 (Session 15) is the Bronze typing level: 15 words per minute at 90% accuracy. Today shows how close you are. Accuracy matters more than speed!

Speed (wpm)	Accuracy (%)	Stage reached	Bronze target (15 at 90%)?

3. Block 2 Skills You Will Use Today

Inside the computer (6)	Processor, RAM, storage, KB to TB, file extensions, ZIP files, backups
Peripherals (7)	Input and output devices, the right port for each plug, sound output, Windows + P
Operating systems (8)	Settings, changing things and putting them back, screenshots, Task Manager
Fix-it (9)	The R-C-S-A habit, the fix-it cards, staying safe, describing a problem
From Block 1 (1, 4, 5)	Safe startup and shutdown, the BIH naming standard, copy and paste, safe eject

Station 1: Set Up a Workstation

Session 10 • Page 2

⏱️ TIME LIMIT

15 minutes

🧰 SETUP

System unit, monitor and cable, keyboard, mouse and headset, all unplugged.

🔌 POWER RULE

An adult switches on the power strip. You never touch the wall socket.

1. Your Task

A new computer has arrived at the Hub in pieces. Connect it, start it safely, prove every part works, and shut it down properly.

1

Plan, then connect: match each plug to a port and write it in the table below. Connect the monitor cable (HDMI or VGA, screws finger-tight for VGA), then the keyboard and mouse (USB), then the headset (audio jack or USB). Gently: never force a plug.

2

Start safely: ask the adult to switch on the power strip. Press the system unit's power button, then the monitor's (Session 1). Sign in with the Hub's practice account.

3

Prove it works: open Notepad and type your name (keyboard), open the Start menu with the mouse, and play a short sound through the headset (choose it as the output device). Sit with the correct posture.

4

Shut down properly: close Notepad without saving, then Start → Power → Shut down. Wait for the lights to go out before the adult switches off the strip.

Device	Port I used	Works? How I tested it
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Headset

🔁 RE-TRY HINTS

• Plug will not go in? Turn it over, check the shape against Figure 7.1 (Session 7).
• Black screen? Is the monitor on, and its cable firm at both ends? (Session 9: follow the power.)
• No sound in the headset? Speaker icon → > → choose the headset.
• Practise in the Plug It In 3D lab, then try again.

2. Mentor Checklist

Every device in the right port, no forcing

Port table filled in correctly

Asked an adult for the power; started in the right order

Keyboard and mouse proven to work

Sound plays through the headset

Shut down properly from the Start menu

Time taken:

Station 2: PC Detective

Session 10 • Page 3

⏱️ TIME LIMIT

15 minutes

📂 FOLDER

Documents > BIH_Practice > Skills_Lab_1 (make it if it is not there)

💾 SAVE AS

Specs_YourName.txt and Screenshot_About_YourName

1. Your Task

The Hub wants a spec sheet for every computer. Find the facts about the PC in front of you, type them up and save a screenshot as proof.

1

Open Settings → System → About. Find the device name, processor, installed RAM and Windows edition. Take a screenshot of it (Windows + Shift + S) and save it in Skills_Lab_1.

2

Open File Explorer → This PC. Read the total size and free space of drive C:.

3

Turn on File name extensions in File Explorer (View → Show). Look at the back and sides of the PC and count its USB ports, and note whether it has HDMI or VGA.

4

Open Notepad and type the spec sheet using the headings below. Save it as Specs_YourName.txt in Skills_Lab_1.

Spec sheet	What I found	Spec sheet	What I found
Device name		Processor
Installed RAM		Windows edition
Drive C: free / total		4 MB photos that fit
USB ports		Display port

Memory or storage? This PC feels slow with many tabs open. Would more RAM or a bigger drive help most? Why?

🔁 RE-TRY HINTS

• About is at the very bottom of the System page, or right-click Start → System.
• Free space is the first number under the drive bar ("120 GB free of 237 GB").
• Photos sum: free GB × 1,000 ÷ 4 (Session 6, Page 5).

2. Mentor Checklist

Processor and RAM match the screen

Free and total space correct

Photos sum correct

Extensions showing in File Explorer

Specs_YourName.txt saved in Skills_Lab_1

Screenshot saved with the right name

Time taken:

Station 3: Build It, Back It Up

Session 10 • Page 4

⏱️ TIME LIMIT

15 minutes

📂 STARTER FILE

Station3_Starter.zip in BIH_Practice > Skills_Lab_1

💾 YOU NEED

A club USB pen drive (from the mentor)

1. Your Task

Build a tidy portfolio folder, sort the starter files into it, and keep a backup on a pen drive (the two-places rule).

1

In Documents, make a folder called Portfolio_YourName with three subfolders inside: Writing, Pictures and Specs.

2

Right-click Station3_Starter.zip → Extract All → Extract. Inside you will find doc1.txt (a poem) and IMG_0042.png (a picture of the Ghana flag).

3

Rename with F2 using the BIH standard: doc1.txt → English_Poem_YourName.txt, IMG_0042.png → Art_GhanaFlag_YourName.png. Keep the extensions!

4

Move (cut and paste) the poem into Writing and the picture into Pictures. Copy your Specs_YourName.txt from Station 2 into Specs (not done Station 2 yet? Leave Specs empty and copy it in later).

5

Plug in the pen drive. Copy the whole Portfolio_YourName folder onto it. Open the drive to check all three subfolders arrived. Then eject it safely and wait for "Safe to remove hardware".

Figure 10.2: What your finished folder tree should look like, on the PC and on the pen drive.

🔁 RE-TRY HINTS

• New folder: right-click empty space → New → Folder, type the name, Enter (Session 4).
• Name ends in .txt.txt? Extensions were showing and you typed it twice: F2 and fix it.
• Cut = move (Ctrl + X), copy = twin (Ctrl + C), then Ctrl + V (Session 5).
• Eject: the ^ by the clock → USB icon → Eject, or right-click the drive in This PC → Eject.

2. Mentor Checklist

Portfolio folder and 3 subfolders, named correctly

ZIP extracted

Both files renamed, extensions kept

Each file in the right subfolder

Whole folder copied to the pen drive

Pen drive ejected safely

Time taken:

Station 4: Settings & the Fix-It Challenge

Session 10 • Page 5

⏱️ TIME LIMIT

15 minutes

🧰 SETUP

A PC where your mentor has planted 2 faults, and a headset.

🛡️ SAFETY

Never open the case or touch mains plugs. Smell burning? Step away, tell an adult.

1. Part A: Change It, Then Put It Back

Change these three settings, show the mentor, then put each one back exactly as it was.

Setting	Before	Changed to	Back? ✓
1. Text size (Accessibility → Text size)
2. Night light (System → Display)
3. Add a second keyboard layout (English (United States), or English (United Kingdom) if you already have US), type Shift + 2 in each layout, then remove it

2. Part B: Find and Fix 2 Planted Faults

Use R-C-S-A in order and test after each step. Fill in the fault log.

What was wrong (symptom)	Step (R/C/S/A)	Exactly what I did to fix it

Describe Fault 1 as if you were asking a helper (what I did, what I see, the error, what I tried):

🔁 RE-TRY HINTS

• Lost a setting? Type its name into "Find a setting" at the top of Settings.
• Stuck on a fault? Go back to the fix-it cards (Session 9, Pages 2–3) and check every line.
• Practise first in the Fix-It Workshop 3D lab.

3. Mentor Checklist

Three settings changed and shown

All three put back exactly

Fault 1 found and fixed

Fault 2 found and fixed

Used R-C-S-A in order; log filled in

Clear help description written

Time taken:

Score Sheet, Passport Skills & Reflection

Session 10 • Page 6

1. My Skills Lab 1 Score Sheet

Each station has 6 checklist ticks. Add 1 bonus point if you finished inside the time limit.

Station	Done?	Time taken	Ticks (/6)	Bonus	Mentor initials
1. Set up a workstation
2. PC detective
3. Build it, back it up
4. Settings & fix-it
My total (out of 28)

2. Passport Skills: Block 2 (Know Your Machine)

Your mentor ticks each skill you showed today. These ticks count towards your Bronze Passport, which is awarded at Skills Lab 2 (Session 15).

I can…	Station	Mentor ✓
Connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse and headset to the right ports, and start up and shut down safely	1
Find a PC's processor, RAM and free storage, and explain what each does	2
Take a screenshot and show file extensions	2
Build a named folder tree, extract a ZIP and back it up to USB with a safe eject	3
Change settings and put them back exactly	4
Fix faults with the R-C-S-A habit, safely, and describe a problem clearly	4

3. Reflection

What I'm proud of today:

What I'll practise before Skills Lab 2:

Mentor Signature: _____________________________

Date Completed: ____________________