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Welcome to the digital literacy course. During these lessons we will learn what a digital device is and what it looks like, how to use it and how to make the best use of it; we will also learn how to do specific tasks, from the most basic such as taking a picture, to using some apps. Finally, we will delve into the world of the Internet, social networking and the critical issues that may arise when using this tool. In this lesson we will understand what a digital device is and what it looks like. First, however, I would like to reflect on the approach we should use when interacting with a device. New generations seem naturally predisposed to using technological devices in general, and this generational distance has been studied and is still being studied today with an attempt to explain it through theories. My theory, though trivial, I believe makes explicit the objective of this course, namely, smartphones are indeed child-proof. This is no offence to those who do not know how to use it. If you are here, however, it is probably because using these devices is not as simple as it seems. So, does this mean that children are smarter and smarter than you? Of course not. What I am suggesting, instead, is that you change your approach while using the smartphone and, therefore, also while learning how it works. So, the advice is: try to use the device as a child would. Forget that you have a high-tech device in your hands and think that you have to give commands to the smartphone as a child would give commands to a game of shapes and objects, just like that game with geometric objects that have to be made to fit together. A smartphone, in particular, is made just like that: each action is suggested by a graphic element and to each one corresponds a reaction, in English feedback. This is why a child finds it logical to press an icon to open a game, swipe his finger on the screen to change photos, click the triangle-shaped play button when he wants to watch a video or tap the green handset icon when he wants to answer a call. So, don’t think too much during the basic use of the device, but be a bit of a child. Looking at them more closely, in terms of aesthetics, smartphones all look a bit alike. They all have a touch-sensitive screen or touchscreen, physical or virtual buttons and ports for various connections such as headphones or battery charging. What differentiates these devices is what is inside, all those components that go to make up the Operating System. What is an Operating System? It is a set of components that underpin our device and, precisely, make it operational, functioning. The most popular operating systems for smartphones today are mainly three: Android, iOS and Windows. How can we tell the difference between these three operating systems? Let’s imagine for a moment that the operating system is an office and that there are these three main types of offices in the world: the general characteristics are similar; in fact, all three have a desk or homepage, a library for managing files, a typewriter like writing programmes, but all these elements belong to one specific office, we cannot move them around. Instead, our documents, our files, our information, we can take them from one office to another as long as we have the right tool to contain or read them. The elements of the office are, in our case, applications or apps, programmes that help us perform a task. Speaking also of basic components that allow our device to function, we cannot fail to mention the SIM card. The SIM allows the telephone operator to associate the mobile device in which it is inserted with the profile of a specific customer, guaranteeing telephony and connection services. In addition to this, it has a memory, so it allows us to store, for example, the telephone numbers of our contacts. Today, the standard format is Mini SIM, but Micro and Nano models are also becoming increasingly popular, because the miniaturisation of smartphone components has also led to a reduction in the size of SIM cards. So, in conclusion, we have seen what the device we have in our hands is and what it looks like. In the next lessons, we will delve into how it works. In the meantime, remember not to think too much when using your digital device, but to act on impulse, on instinct, just like a child would.