DEFINITIONS
Curriculum-specific learning/ discipline specific learning
when you are learning how to apply teaching principles, knowledge and ideas to
authentic and practical classroom lessons and projects that can benefit your
students
Computer literacy
when you have knowledge and understanding of computers and their uses
Information literacy
knowing how to find, analyse, use and communicate information; ability to gather
information from multiple sources, select relevant material, and organise it into a
form that will allow the user to make decisions or take specific actions
Integration literacy
ability to use computers and other technologies combined with a variety of teaching
and learning strategies to enhance student learning
In today’s world, computers are everywhere – at schools, home, and embedded in all
kinds of appliances such as TVs, DVDs or in cars. Today most occupations involve the use of
computers on a daily basis and people need to be computer literate and information
literate. Students must learn to make informed decisions based on information obtained in
all areas of their lives. They should learn to use modern technology to access and analyse
information. Today’s teachers must also use computers as a tool to facilitate learning. They
must be able to assess technology resources and plan classroom activities using available
technologies. They should be able to use computers and other technologies combined with
a variety of teaching and learning strategies to enhance students learning.
HARDWARE
System unit
boxlike case made of metal or plastic that houses the electronic components a
computer uses to process data.
Mother board
a circuit board
Contains many different tyoes of chips(small piece of semiconducting
material and is made up of many layers of circuits and microscopic
components)
The CPU(central processing unit)
a chip that interprets and carries out basic instructions that operate a
computer also called processor or microprocessor
The control unit is one component of the CPU. It directs and
coordinates most of the operations in the computer.
, Arithmetic-logic Unit (ALU) is a component of the CPU that performs the
execution part of machine cycle. Performs arithmetic, comparison and
logical operations. Arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division. Comparison operations: comparing one data item
to another
The system clock – the control unit relies on a small chip called the system
clock to synchronise or control the timing of all operations. Clock speed is
the speed at which a processor executes instructions measured in GHZ
Memory
a computer uses memory to store data and information. Memory stores the
operating system and other system software, the application software and the data
being processed by application sw. The computer stores each byte in a precise
location, called an address
Byte – Kb – MB – GB – TB
The system unit contains 2 types of memory: Volatile memory – lost when the
power is turned off and non-volatile memory.
Random access memory (RAM) is volatile memory. The most common
form of RAM is SDRAM – installed by using a DIMM that contains
multiple RAM chips. DIMMs hold 356 and 512 MB or 1 to 2 GB.DIMM
chips are installed in sockets on the motherboard and can be replaced
easily.
Read-only memory (ROM) chips store information or instructions that
don’t change; non-volatile memory
Input devices
any hardware component that allows you to enter data, programs, commands and
user responses into a computer. Input devices include keyboards, pointing devices,
scanners, digital cameras etc.
Keyboard
an input device that contains keys users press to enter data and
instruction into a computer; wireless –cordless keyboards are
now available.
Mouse
used to control the movement of the pointer on the screen and to
make selections from the screen
mechanical(moving ball at bottom) and optical(shines light); wireless
Optical scanner
captures an entire page of text or images electronically
Handheld devices that scan only part of the page are also available
, Digital camera
allows you to take pictures and store it digitally
later you can download the pictures to your computer or print
them
Modem
Input and output device
It receives AND sends data, usually at the same time.
Output devices
components capable of conveying information to a user
CRT monitors
the core of the monitor is a large glass tube called cathode
ray tube.
The screen is coated with tiny dots of phosphor material that
glow when electrically changed.
The CRT moves an electron beam across, causing the dots to
glow, which produces an image on the screen.
Each dot, called a pixel, is a single point in an electronic
image.
Flat panel display is a lightweight display with a shallow depth and flat screen that
uses LCD or plasma technology.
LCD monitor(also called flat panel monitor)
uses a liquid crystal display to produce images; sharp, flicker
free images
saves space on a desk
also used in notebooks, PDAs etc
The quality of an LCD depends primarily on its resolution
response time, brightness, dot pitch and contrast ratio.
Plasma monitor
uses gas plasma technology, which sandwiches a layer of gas
between two glass plates.
When voltage is applied, the gas releases UV light that causes
the pixels on the screen to glow and form an image
expensive
Curriculum-specific learning/ discipline specific learning
when you are learning how to apply teaching principles, knowledge and ideas to
authentic and practical classroom lessons and projects that can benefit your
students
Computer literacy
when you have knowledge and understanding of computers and their uses
Information literacy
knowing how to find, analyse, use and communicate information; ability to gather
information from multiple sources, select relevant material, and organise it into a
form that will allow the user to make decisions or take specific actions
Integration literacy
ability to use computers and other technologies combined with a variety of teaching
and learning strategies to enhance student learning
In today’s world, computers are everywhere – at schools, home, and embedded in all
kinds of appliances such as TVs, DVDs or in cars. Today most occupations involve the use of
computers on a daily basis and people need to be computer literate and information
literate. Students must learn to make informed decisions based on information obtained in
all areas of their lives. They should learn to use modern technology to access and analyse
information. Today’s teachers must also use computers as a tool to facilitate learning. They
must be able to assess technology resources and plan classroom activities using available
technologies. They should be able to use computers and other technologies combined with
a variety of teaching and learning strategies to enhance students learning.
HARDWARE
System unit
boxlike case made of metal or plastic that houses the electronic components a
computer uses to process data.
Mother board
a circuit board
Contains many different tyoes of chips(small piece of semiconducting
material and is made up of many layers of circuits and microscopic
components)
The CPU(central processing unit)
a chip that interprets and carries out basic instructions that operate a
computer also called processor or microprocessor
The control unit is one component of the CPU. It directs and
coordinates most of the operations in the computer.
, Arithmetic-logic Unit (ALU) is a component of the CPU that performs the
execution part of machine cycle. Performs arithmetic, comparison and
logical operations. Arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division. Comparison operations: comparing one data item
to another
The system clock – the control unit relies on a small chip called the system
clock to synchronise or control the timing of all operations. Clock speed is
the speed at which a processor executes instructions measured in GHZ
Memory
a computer uses memory to store data and information. Memory stores the
operating system and other system software, the application software and the data
being processed by application sw. The computer stores each byte in a precise
location, called an address
Byte – Kb – MB – GB – TB
The system unit contains 2 types of memory: Volatile memory – lost when the
power is turned off and non-volatile memory.
Random access memory (RAM) is volatile memory. The most common
form of RAM is SDRAM – installed by using a DIMM that contains
multiple RAM chips. DIMMs hold 356 and 512 MB or 1 to 2 GB.DIMM
chips are installed in sockets on the motherboard and can be replaced
easily.
Read-only memory (ROM) chips store information or instructions that
don’t change; non-volatile memory
Input devices
any hardware component that allows you to enter data, programs, commands and
user responses into a computer. Input devices include keyboards, pointing devices,
scanners, digital cameras etc.
Keyboard
an input device that contains keys users press to enter data and
instruction into a computer; wireless –cordless keyboards are
now available.
Mouse
used to control the movement of the pointer on the screen and to
make selections from the screen
mechanical(moving ball at bottom) and optical(shines light); wireless
Optical scanner
captures an entire page of text or images electronically
Handheld devices that scan only part of the page are also available
, Digital camera
allows you to take pictures and store it digitally
later you can download the pictures to your computer or print
them
Modem
Input and output device
It receives AND sends data, usually at the same time.
Output devices
components capable of conveying information to a user
CRT monitors
the core of the monitor is a large glass tube called cathode
ray tube.
The screen is coated with tiny dots of phosphor material that
glow when electrically changed.
The CRT moves an electron beam across, causing the dots to
glow, which produces an image on the screen.
Each dot, called a pixel, is a single point in an electronic
image.
Flat panel display is a lightweight display with a shallow depth and flat screen that
uses LCD or plasma technology.
LCD monitor(also called flat panel monitor)
uses a liquid crystal display to produce images; sharp, flicker
free images
saves space on a desk
also used in notebooks, PDAs etc
The quality of an LCD depends primarily on its resolution
response time, brightness, dot pitch and contrast ratio.
Plasma monitor
uses gas plasma technology, which sandwiches a layer of gas
between two glass plates.
When voltage is applied, the gas releases UV light that causes
the pixels on the screen to glow and form an image
expensive
