The mouse allows you to point to and click on things you see on the computer screen. Like the keyboard, it is a type of input device that controls the computer's behavior. It is especially useful in the online environment.

Place the palm of your hand on the mouse, with one finger on each button. Slide the mouse forward and backward and side to side on a flat surface. As it slides watch the screen for a moving image that looks like one of the following three images. This is your pointer. It changes shape between arrow, hand, and I-beam depending on what it is pointing to. To see the different images, move the pointer over text, the "NEXT" picture, and empty space.