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Take a look at the computer in front of you.
No, not just the  screen.
Look at all of the other parts. Do you know what they are? Do you know what
they do? If you already know - great! Give yourself a big pat on the back!
But if you don't know about all the gadgets surrounding your computer, then
read on and find out! |
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 Lets
start with the center of any computer system. Do you see something shaped
like a box nearby? It will have a power switch and a light or two. It
should also have a place or places to insert disks. This is the case that
houses all of the important computer components. If it stands up tall,
it is a tower case. If it sits flat, it is a desktop case. Ask your parents
to let you look at the back of the computer (never do this without permission,
because there is a lot of dangerous electricity back there!). You will
see lots of cords and cables coming out of the back of the case and going
to other computer parts like the monitor.
Your computer case probably has a place to insert floppy disks or CDs.
These are called the floppy disk drive and the CD-ROM drive. The floppy
disk drive reads information from a very thin disk that is inside a flat,
square plastic case. You can also write information to these disks and
'save' it. CD-ROM is short for Compact Disk - Read Only Memory. A compact
disk is a shiny, circular disk that stores information. A CD-ROM can only
read information from the disk. Many new computers have a CD-RW (RW stands
for ReWrite) instead of a CD-ROM. CD-RW allows you to write information
to the disk as well as read from it. Also, some new computers have a DVD
(Digital Video Disk) drive instead of a CD-ROM or CD-RW. A DVD looks just
like a CD, but it holds much more information. You can watch movies, listen
to music, or play computer games from DVDs. One important thing to know
is that you can play CDs in a DVD player, but you cannot play DVDs in
a CD player! |
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There are several ways to get new information or input into a computer.
The two most common ways are the keyboard and the mouse. The keyboard
has keys for characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) and special
commands. Pressing the keys tells the computer what to do or what to write.
The mouse has a special ball that allows you to roll it around on a pad
or desk and move the cursor around on screen. By clicking on the buttons
on the mouse, you give the computer directions on what to do. There are
other devices similar to a mouse that can be used in its place. A trackball
has the ball on top and you move it with your finger. A touchpad allows
you to move your finger across a pressure sensitive pad and press to click. |
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Other types of input devices allow you to put
images into the  computer.
A document scanner copies a picture or document into the computer. There are several
types of scanners and some look very different, but most look like a flat
tray with a glass pane and a lid to cover it. You can input photographs
into a computer with a digital camera. Photos are taken with the camera
away from the computer and stored on a memory chip. Then the camera is plugged
into the computer, so that the images can be downloaded. Another input device
is a graphics tablet. A pressure sensitive pad is plugged into the computer.
When you draw on the tablet with the special pen (never use an ink pen or
pencil!), the drawing appears on the screen. The tablet and pen can also
be used like a mouse to move the cursor and click. |
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Output devices display information in a way that you can you can understand.
The most common output device is a monitor. It looks a lot a like a TV
and houses the computer screen. The monitor allows you to 'see' what you
and the computer are doing together. |
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 Speakers
are output devices that allow you to hear sound from your computer. Computer
speakers are just like stereo speakers. There are usually two of them and
they come in various sizes. |
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| A printer is another common part of a computer
system. It takes what you see on the computer screen and prints it on paper.
There are two types of printers. The inkjet printer uses inks to print.
It is the most common printer used with home computers and it can print
in either black and white or color. Laser printers run much faster because
they use lasers to print. The toner, similar to ink, is transferred to the paper through a combination of heat and pressure. Laser printers are mostly used in businesses.
Black and white laser printers are the most common, but some print in color,
too. |
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Lesson
1 - Vocabulary |
Instructions: Type the words in a Word document,
in the order given. Include appropriate school heading. DUE at the end
of class Thursday. The * means you will have to write your own definition from your reading.
Definition
site
- Hardware
- Monitor
- Peripheral device
- Disk Drive*
- CD-ROM
- CD-RW
- Floppy disk
- Soft Copy
- Hard Copy
- Printer*
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Digital Camera
- Scanner*
(see input device)
- Inkjet Printer
- Laser Printer*
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Labeling
Worksheet
Input/Output
Worksheet
Computer Tech Home | Lesson 2 |
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