CEdu 581: Architecture of the Computer

What were the most valuable and least valuable parts of the course?

I found this class very interesting and informative. I enjoyed looking inside the computer and labeling all the parts of the computer. I liked the components presentations -- because it was beneficial to hear information on all the important parts of a computer. I also like the movies we watched in the course. Learning about the history of the computer was fascinating. Hearing the actually people speak in person about their views was neat to hear. I would love to see an even more up-to-date movie about the history of the computer.

I found the disaster recovery activity least valuable for me personally -- but that is probably because I have a husband who is very into keeping our computer and it's contents safe. However, if you didn't have a signficant other who was prepared for a disaster the information was very thought provoking and informative. I also did not find the computer simulation part of the course beneficial. I understand that we needed to learn about the 0's and 1's but wasn't all that into the project.

Thanks for making my last masters course fun and interesting. You did a wonderful job!!

Week 5

What were the most valuable pieces of information that you learned from presentations in class?

I found all the presentations beneficial.  I knew some information about most of the components presented but it was nice to have a little "refresher."  I learned the most about my presentation on video cards and Ron's presentation on BIOS.  My husband is a gamer and is always talking about the graphics of his computer so I wanted to learn about the possible video cards available so I understood why he bought what he did.  I did not know anything on BIOS so learned many things through Ron's presentation.  He broke the part down nicely -- his football analogy helped me understand BIOS.  I found the face that flash-drives can only be written/rewritten a specific amount of times before a new one is needed to be purchased important.  I did not know this but now that I do -- it does make sense -- things can only be used too many times before they just don't work properly anymore.  I found the night of presentations one of the more important classes in this course.    

Conceptual Framework -- Week 4 continued

Describe what actions a computer takes from power-on to log-in screen.  

First you hit the power button which turns the computer on.  When the power button is pushed the BIOS starts.  The BIOS will check to be sure that all the components of the computer are working (which is called the POST).  The BIOS looks to see if the computer is starting with a warm or cold boot.  If the computer is starting a warm book the BIOS doesn't do as many checks. When it's a cold boot the BIOS checks the RAM, the peripherals connected to your computer, and then the hard drive.  The BIOS then looks for the boot drive in the operating system.  This process gets the operating system working.   

Conceptual Framework -- Week 4

What are the essential "big picture" hardware pieces a computer must have to be a computer? Explain why each piece is essential.

1.  Power Supply - gives the computer electricity to actually work/run

2.  Motherboard - sends all the data to the different parts of a computer

3.  CPU (Central Processing Unit) - processes & coordinates the data of the computer

4.  RAM (Random Access Memory) - holds all the information a computer must access

5.  Case - holds all the parts of the computer

6.  Hard Drive - holds all the long term data/memory

Portfolio is DONE!!

I am happy to report that my portfolio is D-O-N-E.  I have burnt it to a CD and am ready to turn it in tomorrow at class.  I can't believe that I am going to be graduating in less than a month -- 3 more Monday night classes in this last course.  It feels like just yesterday when I signed up for this program.  I don't know what I am going to do with my extra time -- but I am sure I will find something.  :-)  

OS Activities

I watched the "Pirates of the Silicon Valley" movie.  I found the movie to be interesting yet strange at the same time.  I knew most of the information in the movie but did learn a few new things.  I found the information about Apple and Microsoft being "entangled" together somehow interesting.  

I also had the ability to talk to a "techie" -- my husband.  He prefers to use Windows XP (but has Vista on his computer).  XP has a more user-friendly interface.  He doesn't like Vista because of the poor attempt at added security and the changes made to the Windows Explorer interface.  I found while talking to him that he has actually never used a Mac computer before -- which would be the same for me if I hadn't started working in a school environment with Macs. In high school and college I always used Microsoft.  When I started working (3 years ago) and started this masters program is when I began using an Apple computer.  It was a huge change for me but I am now comfortable with both Microsoft and Apple.    

CEdu 581: Week 1

Describe your previous knowledge of the concepts presented in class 1?

I don't know lots about computer architecture.  I, however, have heard lots about all the different parts and seen numerous parts of a computer because my husband has built many computers for himself and friends/family.   Because my husband was well informed -- I really didn't have much interest in it or need to understand it -- as long as the computer was working for me, I was content.  

What did you learn through the activities in class 1?  I found the "walk through a computer" movie interesting.  Yes, it was an 80s movie and a bit outdated but it was neat to see the insides of a computer and get a better understanding of how things work.

What questions do you have about the material in class?  Did the new version of the "History of a Computer" come in?