• What is hardware?
Hardware is all the parts of a computer you can touch
Hardware is the devices you can connect to the computer and is also called
peripherals
• After explaining to the learners that you can touch computer hardware they will
be able to give a lot of examples
• Printer
• Mouse Keyboard
• Screen
• Computer case
• All the components inside the Computer case
• CPU
• Memory card
• Hard drive
• CD-ROM
• Identify ports and connectors such as
• Network ports
Network port is being used to connect to a network
• USB
USB port is to connect a memory stick or camera for transferring data, you
can connect 127 USB devices at the same time
• FireWire
This port is a port to transfer data much faster than a normal USB port
REMEMBER THIS IS STILL VERY EARLY IN THE YEAR AND A NEW SUBJECT TO
THE CAT LEARNERS, YOU MUST KEEP THEM INTERESSTED WITH FUN
ACTIVITIES
Only if resources (such as old computer and speakers, video player etc.) are available.
Asked learners if they maybe have an old computer at home that no one use anymore,
that they can bring to school
FUN ! FUN ! FUN !
• Teacher take apart an old computer, let the learners touch the components, the
learners starts asking questions, suddenly they want to know everything that’s
inside the case. Now the interest grows and learners get excited to learn more.
Show them the network and USB ports,
• What is input?
Input is the entering of data into the computer
• Types of input:
• Data (not meaningful yet)
▪ unprocessed text
▪ numbers
▪ images
▪ video
▪ audio
• Instructions (Processed to be meaningful)
▪ Programs
▪ Commands
▪ User response
• What is an input device?
• Generic/common input devices: Keyboard – external (desktop), built-in
(laptop) and mouse (optical, wireless)
Ask Learners to name more examples of input and input devices for example:
• Typing an BBM message
• Pressing the channel button on the TV remote
• Moving your fingers on the screen of a tablet
Output:
What is output? Give a definition
Output is data that is processed into information that is displayed
Types of output: text, graphics, audio, video
Hard copy vs. soft copy
Hard copy is a printed version of a document
Soft copy means an electronic version of a document
What is an output device? Generic/common output devices:
LCD Monitors (size, quality) Explain the differences in monitor sizes and
quality for example you would use a smaller monitor for home use but a
bigger one maybe for the office.
Printers (inkjet and laser: speed, quality, cost) Explain by giving example like:
In our school we need Laser printers to print worksheets for learners, Inkjet
would be too expensive to print worksheet for a class of 30.
ASK THE LEARNERS TO GIVE EXAMPLES OF OUTPUT
• Sound of you house alarm going off
• The movie on your screen
• The BBM message someone reads
Storage:
What is storage?
Storage is saving data /information to a device permanently so that you
can access it later again
What is a storage device? What is storage media?
Examples of generic/common storage devices and media: hard disks
(fixed and portable), USB flash drive
Measuring capacity (KB, MB, GB and TB) of storage media
Explain volatility, capacity of storage media
Volatile means ram does not keep its contents when the power switches off.
Capacity of storage media means how many contents can be saved permanently
on a device like a hard drive
