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Week 3: Hardware Selection
One of the difficult and far-reaching tasks of anyone involved in computer technology is the purchase of hardware and peripherals. Lack of familiarity with computer hardware can result in thousands of misspent dollars, as well as frustration and non-functionality. Even when hardware is well chosen, staff must be familiar enough with it in order to use it, often requiring inservice training.
Recently in the Ontario School District, the attendance software used by several of the schools, Schoolmaster, gave notice that the next upgrade would require 64 MB of RAM in each teacher's computer. Since some teachers are still functioning at the 16 MB level, this news caused a panic among those who will have to buy RAM or go to a new machine altogether. The Windows 2000 operating system being shipped with new computers will no longer support DOS programs, which some teachers still use, and the Novell upgrade installed by the district will no longer support older printers and older programs such as WordPerfect 6.1. Research into new hardware and peripherals has become a necessity!
The need to communicate through email, conduct school-wide functions such as computer attendance, and the ability to share files has resulted in an explosion of computer networking, from two or more computers in a local area network to hundreds across a wide area network. Only five years ago schools were sending in attendance by paper and pencil; now, when the network is down, attendance can't be sent in by computer with the click of a mouse. What used to be cutting edge technology is now part of the daily routine.
How networks are set up and what applications are used will greatly affect network traffic and the speed of network connections. Currently, the Ontario schools, TVCC, and the Malheur Education Service District are connected in a wide-area network. Cairo and Pioneer will be connected through microwave wireless technology. Hubs are being replaced by switches, which increase bandwidth available to computers in the LAN, decrease congestion, and increase security.
Computer peripherals such as printers, projectors, CD burners, scanners, and digital cameras can add functionality to a classroom and should be carefully chosen as part of an organization's technology plan.
Focus Questions
- What are the basic hardware components of a computer?
- Why is it useful to know what components are and what they do?
- What are the basics of a computer network?
- What are some important things to keep in mind about network applications and the cause of network slowdowns?
- What are some indispensable peripherals?
- How do the goals of your organization dictate the purchase of certain types of computer peripherals?
Computer Components
Overview of System & Components
Networking
Peripherals
Due next week: Technology Interview
(Undergraduate and Graduate assignment) Conduct an interview with a person who uses a particular technology for a particular audience (related to your own interests). Preferably the interview subject can demonstrate the technology in use. Write a one- to two-page discussion. Email it to me as an attachment (Windows Wordpad, MS Word or Corel WordPerfect). If you aren't able to make attachments, you can email it to me directly.
Blackboard Discussion assignment
We will be using the Blackboard discussion forum this week. Please log on during the week to add your comments. You may add to an existing discussion or begin your own.
To get onto the discussion forum, log on to http://blackboard.tvcc.cc and login using your first initial and the first 7 letters of your last name. Your password will be the same. (You can change your password when you get into Blackboard.)
Our class is called EOU-ET.
(Graduate Assignment)
Be thinking of what type of media you would like to work with in preparing class lessons. (See chart in the Syllabus)
Educational Media and TechnologyEOU Malheur County Center (541) 889-7468 or (541) 889-6222
