Learning at least a handful of bright stars is a good idea for a beginning astronomer, even those using a computerized telescope. If nothing else, you can use a bright star you know as a quick check for your telescope's computer alignment. You can learn some bright stars with the aid of a monthly star map, such as the Celestron Star Map, or, in this day and age of technology, with a handheld sky computer, such as the Celestron SkyScout or Meade MySky.

Every astronomer should know how to use the "pointer" stars (Merak and Dubhe) at the front of the bowl of the big dipper (Ursa Major) to find Polaris, the pole star. Knowing the location of Polaris is essential to using a telescope with an equatorial mount and also for setting up many computerized telescopes. Other than Polaris, some easy to spot bright stars in the winter sky include Capella (Constellation Auriga), Aldebaran (constellation Taurus), Betelgeuse (constellation Orion) and, of course, the brightest of them all, Sirius (constellation Canis Major), though this one may not be visible till later in the evening. Be careful, though - learning star names and constellations is addictive! It's one of the most enjoyable aspects of astronomy for me and no telescope or binocular required!