Information Processing

1
Information Processing

• Lecture 1

2
Overview of Week 1

• Introduction to the Module
• Course Materials and Methods
• The Elements of a Computer
• Some History
• Activities

3
Overview of the Programme Content- Theory

• There are six broad areas of theory
• History and Hardware
• Social Issues of IT
• Computer Architecture
• The CPU
• Systems Software
• File Handling

4
Overview of the Programme Content- Practical

• There are three hands-on topics
• Word-Processing
• Presentation Graphics
• Web Design

5
Assessment

• Formative Tasks
• Summative Assignments
• Presentation 1 (5)
• Report (20)
• Web Assignment (20)
• Presentation 2 (15)
• Examination (40)

6
Overview of the Programme Content- Theory and
Practice

• It is an underlying philosophy of the course
  delivery that we integrate both theory and
  practice in a meaningful manner.
• For example the focus for your Word-Processing
  is an assignment on the History of Computing
• This means that you are hitting both objectives
  simultaneously

7
Course Material and Set texts

• It is vitally important that as well as the
  lectures you read
• The IMC Booklets
• The Set Text
• Dick, D. , 2001 The P.C. Support Handbook,
  Dumbreck Publishing, ISBN 0-9541711-0-1
• Other Sources
• Library, including
• books,
• Periodicals
• CD ROMs
• Trade Journals
• Newspapers
• Internet

8
Teaching and Learning

• Lecture-Presentations on key topics.
• Practical hands-on workshops introducing
  particular items of software.
• Directed reading from the set text
• Library/Internet research
• Directed tasks
• Discussions
• Workshop tutorial sessions
• Assignments

9
How much work am I supposed to do?

• Each week you should be putting in around 12 15
  hours work.
• This consists of
• One 2-hour lecture
• One 1-hour practical
• Around 6 hours on directed tasks
• Around 3-6 hours of reading and personal study

10
Objectives For Week 1

• After studying this weeks work, you should
• Have begun to assimilate some of the terminology
  of computer systems and their architecture
• Have understood the different functions of the
  elements of a computer system
• Know some of the history of the how computer
  technology was developed
• Have begun to collaborate with others, in order
  to research and present a topic.

11
Some Definitions

• A computer
• Stores data
• Manipulates data
• Retrieves data
• Communicates data
• Two aspects to data
• Information
• Instructions

12
Components 1
Main Memory
Keyboard
Monitor
Scanner
Printer
Processor
Mouse
Microfiche
Etc.
Etc..
Magnetic Disk
Optical Disk
Etc.
13
Inside the Processor

• ALU (Arithmetic and Logical Unit)
• Control Unit (CU)
• Interface Unit

14
Components 2

• Hardware
• Peripheral devices
• Software

15
Main Types of Computer

• Micro-
• Mini-
• Mainframe
• Super-

16
History of Computing

• A study of the history of the way that computers
  have developed helps us to understand
• Hardware, its structure, functions and
  terminology,
• Software its principles, languages and
  structures.
• We can also grasp some of the potential and some
  of the limitations of computers.

17
A Potted HistorySome names and Dates

• Pascal (1642) calculating machine
• Jacquard (1801) Jacquard Loom
• Babbage (1800s) analytical engine
• Aiken (1937) Mark I computer
• Atanasoff, Berry (1939) ABC computer
• Mauchly, Echert (1940s) ENIAC
• Von Neumann (1945) Von Neumann architecture

18
Task 1 for next week

• Create a Group Presentation on one topic within
  the History of Computing.
• Maximum four slides only
• For visuals you may use acetates, posters,
  PowerPoint (or other Graphics) or nothing.
• Brief
• Research the History of Computing using the
  internet and three different textual sources.
• Select one aspect (this could be a single
  development, or a period in history or a
  particular thread of development such as
  operating systems.)
• Create a presentation of about 10 minutes to
  deliver to the class for next week.

19
Task 2 for next week

• Obtain a copy of the set text.
• Read the chapter on peripherals (p. 294 ), and
  make some notes.
• Prepare yourself to participate in a
  lecture-discussion on these.

20
What have we covered?

• Elements of a Computer
• Terminology
• Peripherals
• History of Computing