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ALS Module - Introduction to Computer - Lesson 1 - Digital Literacy

 What Is This Module About?

    Much of the world today has become an information society. Information society refers to a group of people such as a city or country, in which information is rapidly created, processed, and shared. This means that information can now be encoded or changed into a form that machines can “understand”. And it can be processed or analyzed or computed and transmitted (sent) to others in lesser time. This culture of an information society is made possible by a wonderful machine called a computer.

    Do you know what a computer is? Have you seen or used one before? Do you know what computers can do? Do you know how they help people to do things they could not do? If you have thought of these questions before, then this module is for you!

    In this module, you will learn what a computer is and what it can do. You will learn what computer systems are and the role that they play in today’s society. Not too long ago, only computer professionals used computers. Today, computers are for everyone. That includes you! In only about 15 years, computers have become an important tool in almost any career or occupation. To become an effective participant in the emerging information society, you need to know what a computer can do. And you need to know how to use it. In other words, you should be computer literate. This module aims to help you become one.

    It is composed of two lessons.

        Lesson 1 — Computers: Machines That Make Work More Efficient

        Lesson 2 — The Role of Computers in Today’s Society

What Will You Learn From This Module?

        After studying this module, you should be able to:

♦ define computer and computer system;

♦ name the basic parts of a computer;

♦ describe how computers work;

♦ enumerate the properties or characteristics of a computer.

♦ give examples of computer programs; and

♦ enumerate some uses of the computer in today’s society.

LESSON 1

Computers: Machines that Make Work More Efficient

        Many years ago, people wrote letters, prepared documents and made computations without computers. The computer is a product of modern technology. It is a machine that can increase the speed and efficiency of human activities. Since its introduction in the 1950’s, it has become smaller and smaller. Advances in technology have led to its miniaturization or decrease in size. Computers that used to be very big have been transformed into personal computers or PCs that a lot of people now use. The Philippines has already joined the computer revolution. Almost all government agencies, offices, colleges and schools use computers to make the work faster and more efficient. And even some homes now have computers. How about you? Have you joined the computer revolution?

        Knowing how to use computers is now expected of all college graduates. In fact, the use of computers is now being taught in many schools. A computer literate person (with knowledge of computers) has greater chances of being employed.

        Unfortunately, some people still have cyberphobia (fear of computers). They still look at computers as frightening and too complicated to operate. Unlike other phobias, however, cyberphobia is easy to cure. And that is through education. Studying this lesson is a good start.

        After studying this lesson, you should be able to:

♦ define computer and computer system;

♦ name the basic parts of a computer; and

♦ describe how computers work.

        The illustration below shows what a personal computer (PC) looks like. Also known as a desktop computer, the PC is the most popular form of computer. Some computers are now even smaller than this. The smaller version of a personal computer is called laptop computer. Study the illustration of a laptop computer on the next page.

(Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_computer)

Let’s Read

What is a computer? How does it work? Read on and find out.

Uncovering the Mystery of Computers

        Technically speaking, a computer is any counting device. To compute means to count and solve number problems. Have you seen or used a calculator before? A calculator is a small machine used to solve faster and easier number problems such as 5,468 X 456 + 1,987. If you try to solve the above math problem manually (by hand and without the assistance of computing devices), it may take a long time. Get a calculator and solve the given problem. Were you able to get the answer, 2,495,395, faster and easier? If you did, just imagine what a computer can do. It is a more powerful computing device than a calculator.

        A computer is an electronic device that can interpret and execute (do) programmed commands. What do you think of this definition? It’s a rather complicated one, isn’t it? Let us make this definition easier to understand by breaking it into smaller parts.

        A computer is an electronic device.

        An electronic device is run by electricity. Do you have electronic devices at home? Can you name some of them?

        Electrical appliances such as television sets, radios and electric fans are run by electricity. And so is a computer. This means that without electricity or other power sources such as batteries, computers will not work.

        A computer can interpret and execute (do) programmed commands.

        How can a computer execute programmed commands? Programmed commands are data or information found in a computer’s memory. They are sets of instructions that computers efficiently follow or carry out at very high speeds.

        To understand better how computers work, let’s study the parts of a personal computer. It would be better if you go to a place like a business or government office where you can find a PC. Try to identify its parts as you read this part of the lesson. If that is not possible, study the illustration of a computer below. Note that its important parts are labeled.

(Image from http://adjurfhoxdemon.weebly.com/parts-of-computer.html)

         The parts of a computer system can be classified into four groups: input, processor, storage and output.

        How do the parts in each group function? On the next pages, you will get to know more about the importance of each part.

Input

        Input refers to the parts through which information is received by the computer. When you input data or information, it is encoded (translated) into something that a computer can “understand”. Read more about the parts that are used to input data or information to the computer.

a. Keyboard — The keyboard is used to encode (input) information that the computer can “understand”. A computer user must know how to type data or information using the keyboard. We use a typewriter to write data or information on paper. In a computer, the data goes inside the computer to be processed instead of paper.

b. Mouse — This is a tool that we use to click, select, and move items on the screen. It commands the computer what to do. It lessens the use of a keyboard.

c. Drives — Drives are found in the Central Processing Unit or CPU. These are used to insert a CD ROM or a floppy disk. Computer diskettes or CDs are storage forms of data. You insert a floppy disk into the appropriate drive. Then, the computer reads the data or information on that disk and performs the commands you want for that data.

        A CD ROM (Compact Disk- Read Only Memory) or floppy disk is a device that stores information like a book. Whenever you put one inside a computer, it is like giving a book to a friend to read.

Processor and Storage

         Processing something means that you do something about the data or information that you receive. The processor of a computer is the brain of the computer. It computes and organizes data. It “thinks” for the computer since this is where commands are carried out. When you lend your book to a friend to read, he/she will use a processor (her brain) to read and understand that book.

        After reading, he/she has to remember what he/she has read. He/she stores the processed data or information in her memory to use later on. The storage parts of a computer serve as the computer’s memory.

        Why is storage important? What will happen if you cannot remember what you have learned? It would be difficult for you to answer questions or do a lot of things, wouldn’t it?

        A computer, like the human brain, can process and store data in its memory.

        Study the processor and storage parts of a computer below. They are discussed together because they are found inside the Central Processing Unit or CPU of the computer.

a.     CPU — This stands for Central Processing Unit. The CPU is where the processing and storage happens. It is the part where the processor, hard disk and modem are located.

         Why is the CPU important? The CPU is important because it is where the processor and main storage area, of the computer’s hard disk are located. Would the computer work without a CPU? Without a CPU, computers wouldn’t work.

b. Processor — This is the brain or intelligence of the computer. It performs programmed commands on data or information. A processor’s speed determines how fast information is computed or processed. It cannot be seen from the outside.

         Do you know how fast processors can process data or information?

        Computer processors can process data from milliseconds (one thousandth of a second) to microseconds (one millionth of a second). Some very powerful computers can process information from nanoseconds (one billionth of a second) to picoseconds (one trillionth of a second). This means that a computer performs other programmed commands at very, very fast rates.  It can process information that would normally require a thousand people working at the same time (like in a government office). And it can do it in fractions of a second!

        Read on and study the other parts found inside the CPU.

c. Hard Disk — This is a storage device for data found inside the CPU. It cannot be seen from the outside. Hard disks now contain enough space or memory to accommodate a very big amount of data.

         CD ROMS and floppy disks also store data. Unlike the hard disk, these two forms are portable ( can be moved). This means that data can be stored in them and kept. When the data is needed, they can be put inside drives for the computer to read.

        Why are CD ROMS and floppy disks important?

        They are important because you can never tell what will happen to important data. Keeping an extra copy of important files is a good practice.

d. Modem — This is a device inside the CPU that allows the computer to the network (communicate with other computers) or surf the internet (a world wide network of computers). Modems allow e-mails (electronic mail) to be sent from one computer to another using telephone lines.

 Output

        How does one know that the computer has processed the data or information correctly? Checking the output of the computer does this. The output parts are the parts where processed information is given back by a computer to its user.

        Study what these parts are. Read on.

a. Computer Monitor/Screen — This is where a temporary or soft copy of the data is shown to the computer user. The user can store this data in the hard disk or floppy disk and make hard copies (on paper) later on.

        What does the computer monitor/screen look like? The computer monitor/screen looks like a TV screen that shows constantly changing information.

 b.    Speaker — The speaker allows the computers to play music and make a sound.

 c.    Printer — A device used to make hard copies or printouts. A hard copy is a copy of a document on paper.

         There are of course other parts of a personal computer but these are the most important ones. Go back to the illustration above to review the parts of a computer. At the back of the computer, the unit is a series of wires and cables that connect one part of the computer system to another. These cables must be properly connected to make the computer work well.

         Do you remember the four groupings of the parts of a computer? They composed of what is known as a computer system. The input, processor, storage, and output parts work together to make computer systems work more efficiently.

        The actual computer is the processor found inside the CPU. It is the brain or intelligence of the computer system. However, it has been a common practice to call computer systems simply as computers.

Let’s Study and Analyze This

        How can a computer make work easier and faster? Read on and find out?

        Mrs. Gonzales is a barangay health worker. She orders medicines for the health center, then she records the medicines given to patients. Each patient has his/her own records. At the start, Mrs. Gonzales had to keep records manually using a logbook. The barangay council provided her a computer set to help her with her work. The computer has a program that enables Mrs. Gonzales to keep track of the records of patients. It also monitors the number of medicines still available at the end of each week.

        Using her computer set…

1. Mrs. Gonzales encodes or inputs (types into the computer) all the available medicines in the clinic.

2. She also encodes the records of each patient every day including the information on the medicines given to each patient.

3. The computer processes these data and stores them in its hard disk. A hard disk is a device that stores data in the computer’s memory and is found inside the computer.

4. Mrs. Gonzales can make copies of these data in a smaller storage device called a floppy disk. So wherever she goes, she carries a copy of the data on patients and medicines in that disk.

5. When patients come, she inputs their names and their records will show on the computer’s screen. This is a temporary output. It is called a soft copy. When the computer is turned off, the soft copy also disappears from the screen.

6. If she wants to make copies of the soft copy, Mrs. Gonzales prints them using a printer. The copies of the soft copy on paper are called hard copies. She can file them or give them to the patients.

7. She updates the records of the patients who consulted her. The data is stored again in the computer’s hard disk. Whenever she needs the record of any patient, she just inputs their names and their complete records appear (output).

8. The computer has a program that monitors medicines. The data on medicines given each patient are automatically processed and the available medicines are computed. Mrs. Gonzales can ask the computer for an update. The computer can give her a summary of the available medicines at any time (output). The computer can tell her that medicine is lacking. She can place her order immediately.

9. This makes her job easier because she doesn’t need to manually compute for medicines anymore. She also has faster access to the complete records of each patient who visits the health center.

        Study the illustration below. It summarizes how Mrs. Gonzales used a computer to manage patients’ records easier and faster. The computer also helps her keep track of medicines. It is a great help to her, isn’t it?

        You have learned so far that computers help make handling of information better. Computers are very useful. They can do computations, record keeping and other functions that would usually require a lot of people to do.

Can you think of other ways a computer could help you?

        Imagine that you are a teacher. Every grading period, the grades of your students must be computed. There are several quizzes, recitation scores and other class activities to consider. If there are 50 students in your class, your work will be difficult. There is a lot of information you need to process. If you have a computer and a program that can compute grades, you just need to input the scores of each student. The computer will do the rest of the job. You just have to wait for a few seconds to get a printout of their computed grades. The computer can make charts or graphs based on grades. It can be programmed to compute for class averages and other information that you would need.

        A computer can make a teacher of 50 students do his/her work faster and more accurately. Just imagine how useful a computer can be to a principal of a large school? How about a company that handles millions of pesos in accounts? Can you imagine the amount of human labor a computer can help save?

        Many establishments today, like government agencies, rely on the computers to handle data processing. Banks, schools, hospitals and businesses use computers to make their work faster and to reduce labor requirements (working people).

How can a computer be useful to you in college?

Let’s Think About This

        Many people fear that computers will take over the job of human beings. They feel that there will come a time when computers will run businesses and human beings will not be needed anymore. Many are afraid to lose their jobs.

     Do you think that human beings will soon be “useless” because of computers?

        Although computers make work faster and easier, human beings are still needed. Remember that a computer still needs the correct input to produce the correct output. Do you know what GIGO means? It stands for “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. This means that people who use computers must know how to encode or input correct data. If a computer feed wrong information, the result will be wrong.

        People are the ones who “command” the computers to do the job they were designed or programmed to do. Without these commands, the computer’s still wouldn’t run. Input would still be needed. Computers just help humans work faster and with lesser difficulty. But since the computer is commonly used nowadays, it is important that you know how to use one. A computer literate or computer competent person has an advantage when looking for jobs.

Let’s Remember

♦ A computer is an electronic device that can interpret and execute (do) programmed commands.

♦ The parts of a computer system are divided into four groups: input, processor, storage and output.

♦ The parts of a computer are the keyboard, mouse, drives, CPU, processor, hard disk, modem, screen or monitor, speaker and printer.

♦ CD ROMs and floppy disks are portable or movable storage systems for data.

♦ Computers still need people to make them work well. “Garbage in- garbage out”.

 -o0o-END of LESSON 1-o0o

Please wait for Lesson 2 of this module.