DOCUMENT RESUME ED 269 639 CE 044 490 Welcome to the World of Computers. Part 2. Education Service Center Region 20, San Antonio
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 269 639 CE 044 490 TITLE Welcome to the World of Computers. Part 2. INSTITUTION Education Service Center Region 20, San Antonio, Tex. PUB DATE 86 NOTE 311p.; For part 1, see CE 044 489. T'ortions of reprinted material contain small or broken type. PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Use - Guides (For Teachers) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC13 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Adult Education; Classroom Techniques; Computer Assisted Instruction; *Computer Literacy; *Computer Oriented Programs; *Computer Software; Databases; Integrated Curriculum; *Learning Activities; *Microcomputers; Postsecondary Education; Program Evaluation; Word Processing IDENTIFIERS BASIC Programing Language; Spreadsheets ABSTRACT A continuation of an earlier manual, this guidewas written to help adult education teachers and their studentsto go beyond the information of part 1 and learnmore about the uses of computers. Although this manual is directed more toward teachers and administrators than toward students, activities for studentsare provided. As in part 1, some of the manual has been writtenso that instruction can be given with or witIouta computer; it can be used in a computer literacy class or as part ofa class in some other area, such as English oz mathematics. This manual is organized in six sections. The first five sections cover the following topics: computer review; software applications (word processing, database, spreadsheets, and BASIC programming); evaluation of software (including an annotated resource guide anda software buyer's guide), graphics, and computer-assisted instruction. Each sectioncontains information (including reprints of materials froma variety of sources), learning activities for students, and test items. Materials are illustrated with line drawings. The final section contains reprints of brief articles about computer literacy. (KC) ******************:******************************************k********* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** : TO THE :;::::::::::::::::::::::::.I" ::::::::::... :::.::::::;.:.:::.:::::.:..:.::::%::...:..... ; :::.... : iiiii.::::::::.: .::::0....: U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ONce of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC, "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE This document hasbeen reproduced THIS received from the per.on as MATERIAL HAS BEEN originating it or organization GRANTED BY kiir,o, changes have been reprOduction quality made to improve Points of view or opinions men( do not necessarilystaff% in this docu OE RI position Or policy represent official TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC)" TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages INTRODUCTION 1 COMPUTER REVIEW 2 SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS 11 WORD PROCESSING 13 DATABASE 54 SPREADSHEETS 72 BASIC PROGRAMMING 82 EVALUATION OF SOFTWARE 135 GRAPHICS 221 260 COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION ARTICLES THAT NEED TO BE READ 276 INTRODUCTION The original "Welcome to the World of Computers" was written because of a need to acquaint adult students and teachers with computers and their functions. "Welcome to the World of Computers", Part 2 was written because the students and teachers indicated a need to go beyond Part 1 and learn more about the computer's uses such as basic programming, evaluating software, Computer-Assisted- Instruction, etc. Adult Education directors indicated interest in learning more about data base programs to keep track of student enrollment, and spreadsheets to readily look at their budgets and make needed changes. "Welcome to the World of Computers", Part 2 is written more for the teacher or administrator than student, but activities for students have been included throughout the manual. As in Part 1 the activities have been written for different levels of students. Also, as in Part 1,some of the manual has been written so that instruction can be given (or information received) with or without a computer; as part of an established class, or as a complete class just on computer literacy. Remember, computers are fun! If you have any questions, suggestions, just need assistance or want to talk, please call us: NANCY BENTLEY, Project Manager Adult Education Computer Literacy Planning, Research and Evaluation ESC, Region 20 1314 Hines Avenue San Antonio, Texas 78208 (512) 271-7611 ,1 COMPUTER REVIEW REVIEW Remember - a computer is just a machine. It reallyisn't smart at all. A computer is very obedient. Except'hen there is a power failureor some part inside the computer breaks down, it will always . exactly what it is told. A computer has a super memory. ROM (Read Only Memory) stores informationthat is put into the computer in the factory. It doesn't change. RAM (Random Access Memory) stores the informationthat ptope type into the computer. RAM keeps changing. A computer is very fast. t a matter of seconds, it can solve problems that would take a person many days todo. A computer is accurate. It does not make mistakes. If you give S it the right information, it will giveyou the right answer. A computer doesn't get tired. It runs on electricity. It doesn't need sleep. A computer must be told exactly what it has to do. Someone must put information into the computer's memory. Someone must give the computer instructions on how to use the information. These instructions are called a program. The person who tells a computer what to do is calleda program- mer. The prograniner understands how computers work to solveproblems. Computers solve problems in three steps. 1. INPUT. Input includes all the information and instructions that go into the computer. Input carl be typed into the computer on a keyboard, or through a scantron machine. Computers can't solve problems unless they get input. 2. PROCESS. The computer processes cr works on the information in its Central Processing Unit (CPU). This is where the computer solves all its problems. 3. OUTPUT. Output is the answer to a problem. The computer puts its output on the monitor's screen, or it prints it out on a printer. 3 6 A programmer can use a flowchart to planprograms for the computer. A flowchart is a diagram showing the main steps needed to solvea problem. A flowchart shows the steps in the right order. Special symbols are used to make a flow chart. - OVAL comes at the beginning and end of the flowchart. ARROW points from one step to the next. - RECTANGLE tells what has to be done in each step. - DIAMOND makes a decision (always hasa yes and no arrow) In a flowchart you must follow all thearrows until you get to STOP. AP- ESTOP 4 REVIEW PARTS OF A COMPUTER . Microcomputer - a small computer (with ? K of memory) usually with a keyboard. monitor disk drive, and a printer. The numbers of K's (16, 48, 128) tells how much information the computer can hold. Monitor looks like a TV set (Hardware). Disk drive is a small box-like machine with a narrow door on it (Hardware). Disk looks like a square record. It has programs, games, and data stored on them (Software). Printer is the machine that prints the computer output on paper. The computer keyboard looks like a typewriter keyboard. When you want to leave a space between letters, you press the space bar. Whenever you want to start (type) a new line, you press the return or enter key. 5 MINI QUIZ A. Your teacher has all the GED scores from herclass. She wants to know how many people passed their GED test. She is going touse the computer to help her arrange the scores and make a report. Circle the step the computer is using to help solveyour teacher's problem. I. The computer prints out thestudent's names andscores on the printer. INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT 2. Your teacher types all thestudent's scores into th,amputer. INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT 3. The computer shows theaverage of the classes' GED test on the monitor. scores INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT 4. The computer adds the GEDscores and divides by the number of students in the class to findthe class average. INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT 5. The computer arranges allthe student's names in order. alphabetical INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT i) MINI QUIZ CONTINUED B. Henry solved some arithmetic problemsusing the computer. He put some numbers (data or input) into the computer andreceives the answers (or output). Can you circle the correctprocess the computer used to get the answers?The TITsTtwo are already done. INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT 1. 7, ft. 0- x 4 11 2. 6,3 +Ox ; 3 3. 8,13 + - x ; 21 4. 18,6 + - x 1 12 5. 8,3 +- x -1 24 6. 21,3 + - x -1 7 7. 38,21 + xL 17 8. 90,10 + -X L 9 9. 6,6 + - x 1 36 10. 7,49 + -X L 7 iv MINI QUIZ CONTINUED ROM input BASIC program RAM data computer programmer memory CPU output flowchart Each of these words completes a sentence below. Fill in each blank. 1. A computer language most computers use is 2. The information that we put in (input) to the computer is called 3. A machine that solves problems is called a 4. A computer stores information in its 5. The two kinds of computer memory are and 6. We give the computer instructions in a 7. The step in which information and instructions get into the computer is called 8. The person who gives the computer the information it needs to solve problems is called a 9. The computer processes information in the 10. When the computer shows you the answer to a problem it is called 11. In order to diagram the main steps needed to solve a program, the programmer sometimes uses a 8 11 fr? MINI QUIZ ANSWERS A. 1. output 2. input 3. output 4. process 5. process B. 1. 6. 2. - 7. 3. + 8. 4. 9. x 5. x 10. C. 1. BASIC 7. input 2. data 8. programmer 3. computer 9. CPU 4. memory 10. output 5. ROM, RAM 11. flowchart 6. program 9 12 il MATH Because we use the "BASIC" computer language when given the computer instructions, some of the math signs the computer uses in solving problems are different than we usually use in the classroom.