581 How a computer works

In order for a computer to work everything must go through the CPU or Central Processing Unit. It is easiest to think of the CPU as the brain of the computer. It is in the CPU that electronic circuitry executes stored program instructions. The CPU executes a sequential set of instructions that ultimately makes or runs a program.

The next important component of a computer is the motherboard. The easiest way to think of a motherboard is the component that ties everything together. Motherboards contain memory slots that act as an interface between the CPU and the peripheral components such as the keyboard, mouse, or monitor. Motherboards also contain non-volatile memory chips (memory chips that retain their memory without power) and a clock generator, which helps synchronize other system components.

Memory is critical in understanding how a computer works. The hard drive is what a computer uses to store large amounts of non-volatile digitally encoded data. The hard drive uses this digitally encoded data to transfer information to the CPU. Another type of memory that is critical for the CPU is RAM. RAM is volatile and requires power. The most frequently used RAM information is duplicated in the processor cache of a computer. This allows for faster and better computer performance. Both volatile and non-volatile are types of memory that are used by the CPU in running programs.

Another important component of a PC is the BIOS. The BIOS is the first code of instructions that is sent to the CPU when the PC is turned on. The BIOS is designed to identify, test, and start the computer devices. These devices include everything from disks to the hardware. The BIOS also sets the machine hardware into a known state, so that software stored on compatible media can be loaded, executed, and given control of the PC. This entire process is known as “booting up”. When all of these things synchronize the computer is ready for operation.

Week 2 581 Pirates of Silicon Valley/Tec Talk

The Pirates of Silicon Valley was a great movie!!! Besides the acting it was very well done. What captivated me the most was the story line. It was really interesting to see how Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created apple. Prior to watching the movie I had no idea that Steve Jobs was such an interesting person. Not sure that he was the greatest guy, but very charming and dynamic. Steve Wozniak struck me as the most centered person between Paul, Steve, and Bill. Another idea that struck me was the amount of luck that was involved in the creation of Bill Gate's empire. Crazy how Bill Gates dealt with IBM and Steve Jobs. His drive to be number one was truly unstoppable. Bill gates happened to be in just the right place at the right time. It adds considerable credibility to the book Outliers. Very hard to believe that Bill Gates lied to IBM about having a DOS. Then sent Paul Allen to purchase a version of DOS for $50,000. Even more amazing is that they transformed the DOS to a QDOS and made the whole thing work. This was ultimately what made Bill Gates. Poor Tim Paterson who sold out for $50,000. The last thing I wanted to comment about was the dishonesty involved between all parties. I guess it was a little disappointing to see how how much they stole and copied each others ideas. Prior to seeing the movie I thought Bill Gates and Steve Jobs came up with the technology individually.
For my Tec talk I choose to talk with my dad who is an engineer. He is always upgrading and working on computers. He primarly works on his own Mac. Anyway, as we were talkng he told me how he upgraded his memory on his Mac. He gave me the web site that told me th type of memory I would need and he gave me a link that showed a demonstration on how to take out your old memory card and how to install a new memory card.

Week 2 581 MAC OS X (Snow Leopard)

For this part of the assignment I choose to look at Mac OS X (Snow Leopard) as a possible alternative OS. Currently Snow Leopard is advertised for $29. Not sure if we will upgrade on our home computer yet. My dad is a huge Mac guy and he has Snow Leopard and he really likes it (my Dad is an engineer and really does his research so I put a lot of stock in his opinion).
HISTORY:
Mac OS X Snow Leopard was preceded by Mac OS X Tiger and Mac OS X Leopard. Tiger was released in April of 2005 and advertised 150 new applications. Mac OS X Leopard was released in October of 2007 and included 300 new applications. What I found interesting about this is that when Snow Leopard was released it included no new features. This was very strange for this industry. The rational for this was that Apple improved all 300 applications and streamlined all of them. This was an interesting risk and gamble considering the competitiveness of the industry.
FEATURES
According to the write up Mac Os X Snow Leopard won't get viruses and it automatically provides updates that protect against malware. Also, I watched the tutorial on parental controls. This is another great feature and I was amazed at how user friendly that application was. Mac OS X Snow Leopard is built on the UNIX foundation. It runs off 64-bit, multi core processors and GPUs. Also, I was very impressed at how compatible Mac OS X Snow Leopard is with other systems. It is compatible with most window applications, can convert most files including PDF, JPG, ZIP, MP3, and PSD. It will also hook up to almost all Digital cameras, printers, hard drives, mice, and keyboards with USB connections. Finally, Snow Leopard uses OpenCL 1.0, a framework that allows for the use of cores inside your graphics card. This means that for "gamers" Snow Leopard would be a great choice. I was impressed with all that Snow Leopard had to offer. However, what impressed me most was that Snow Leopard included no new applications over the Leopard version. That leads me to believe that Mac OS X Snow Leopard really has worked out most of their bugs in their OS system.

Week 1 581

I enjoyed our first class and discussing our first memories of computers. It seems that we live in a world now where without the computer civilization as we know it would come to an end. I also really enjoyed the video that we watched in class. I found it very interesting and it made me think about computers a little bit differently. At the time the video was produced I did not own or use a computer (with the exception of at school). In fact the first computer I purchased was with my wife in October 2006 and it was a MAC. Prior to that I was either given a laptop with my job, or used my roommates computers. I must say that I am very unaware of how computers work. I knew prior to this class that they ran off millions of "on" and "off" switches and that silicon was the element that made all of the electrical impulses possible. However, beyond that the inner workings were a mystery to me. I feel far more comfortable poking around under the hood of my car then under the hood of a computer. Today for the first time I poked around the inner working of a computer. I was surprised at the overall simplicity of such a complex machine. Everything had a place and was very well organized and very easy to find. However, this is where the simplicity stopped. Each of the major components were extremely complicated and unbelievably small. The central processor being the most impressive with it's small size. I look foreword to learning more about how computers are actually but together.

534 Week 5 Blog

This week I have been adding too and cleaning up my Wiki. Of all the things that we have covered so far I feel that a classroom Wiki is probably the most useful tool we have discussed and learned about. They are such a great way to manage content and give information to my students. I had not used them or really even heard of them prior to taking the masters program. About the only thing I knew was that "wiki" meant fast or quick in Hawaiian. The biggest use for a Wiki I see is for managing assignments with my students. I am a special education teacher and many of my students miss a great deal of school for a variety of reasons. This would allow those students who are gone to access missing assignments and even some content while they are absent from my class. This would also be an additional way to communicate with parent as well.
The last thing i just want to briefly discuss is the use of PodCasts, as an additional resource for my students. I was very impressed with the ease of which I was able to upload my recording on "Gabcast". This would be an excellent way to get information to my students who are out of my classroom. I really liked the idea for pronunciation of words too. Some of the students I work with struggle with phonics and the podcast would be an excellent way for them to hear vocabulary pronounced correctly.

534 Week 4 Blog

For this blog I want to comment on the video that Louis sent me on on Twitter on rethinking education. The video featured a gentleman from New England discussing his views on education in America. Besides some of the "cheesy" lobster scenes I took some thought provoking knowledge away from the the video. The video starts out in a harbor town in New England and discusses how back in the day people took ownership in their education. In other words their education had meaning and people could see the results and reasons for the education. Everything they did was tangible. He goes on to say that much of our education today is so obscure that many students have difficulty finding relevance in what they are doing and thus become disconnected. This is especially true for me as I teach EBD students. The next thing I wish to comment on from the video was how teachers need to be willing to give up some of the control in their classroom. Our current model for education is based on an outdated industrial model that is centuries old. What a revolutionary and powerful idea to give our students choices to study things that are relevant and meaningful to them all the while preparing them for a future. It seems to me that we are generating students that can do what we tell them and spit back information and score very well on standardized exams. However, for many of our graduates when it comes to making decisions they lack the skills as they are told what they need to do and what is supposed to be important their entire educational carer. The idea of giving up some control as a teacher is a powerful thought and one that I had not pondered till watching the "Tweeted" video.

534 Week 3 Blog

I first want to comment on how I really enjoyed the video we watched as a group. There were some interesting ideas and concepts discussed in the 30 minutes. One thing that I will take away from the video is that education is going to have to be relevant and meaningful in the 21st century. Most of the men on the panel agreed with this and felt that we are stuck in a late 19th century version of education. In order to compete on a global scale we are going to need to re-think our ideas on education to fit our current time period. This is something I feel real passionate about.
I also want to comment on RSS and bloglines. I really enjoyed exploring the Bloglines and feel there is a real use for it in my classroom. I teach an American Institutions class and I am embarrassed to say that we are still using newspapers for our current events portion of the class. Bloglines offers so many more opportunities for students to get involved and understand current events. As I mentioned bloglines is currently blocked at our school but I am confident that we will move past this decision as a school district. Besides my American Institutions class I also Co-Teach a Biology class. I am very excited to share this with my co teachers as there are some great RSS feeds that we could potentially share with our Bio students too.