Topic-
|
Invention: Computer Technology
|
| |
|
Content-
|
perseverance
transistor
galaxy |
| |
|
|
Objectives-
|
Students will understand the following:
1. Inventions can change the way we live.
2. Many inventions start out with design flaws and are refined later
by subsequent inventors and designers.
3. The computer, invented in 1834 by Charles Babbage and still being
refined, is an example of such an invention.
|
| |
|
Materials and Aids-
|
- If possible, an encyclopedia dated 1980 or earlier, with an entry
for computer
- A computer with Internet access |
| |
|
Procedures/Methods-
|
|
A. Introduction-
| Ask students if they know who invented the computer. If they don't
know, inform them that, in 1884, Charles Babbage, an English mathematician,
tried to build a complicated machine called the "analytical engine."
It was mechanical, rather than electronic, and Babbage never completed
it, but computers today are based on many of the principles he used
in his design. Your students may be interested to know that, as recently
as forty years ago, computers were so large that they filled whole
rooms. They were so complicated that only specially trained people
were able to use them. |
| |
|
|
B. Development-
If you can find an encyclopedia dated 1980 or earlier, have students
read the entry for computer and hold a brief discussion of computers
then and now.
|
| |
|
|
C. Practice-
Ask students if they can think of any other inventions that changed
the way we work and live. Can they trace changes and refinements in
those inventions? An example might be the sewing machine, which, originally,
was mechanical, rather than electric, and had to be operated by a
foot pedal. Another might be the phonograph, which evolved into the
CD player.
Tell the class that the activity in which they will participate will
illustrate how inventions have evolved and are still evolving. Start
by having students find partners.
|
| |
|
|
Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)-
Adaptations for Older Students:
Have students research computer history. Have each student choose
an earlier stage of the computer and compare and contrast it with
computers we use today.
|
| |
|
|
Checking for understanding-
Give each pair of partners the following assignment: Select a common,
non-electric household item that you believe is important. Together,
write down answers to the following questions about your item:
What need does this item fill?
What do you think the first one looked like?
How did it change?
How could it still be improved?
What might this item look like in the future? (Draw a sketch.)
After students have selected their items and answered their questions,
have each pair of partners give an oral presentation on their findings.
|
| |
|
|
Closure-
Lead a class discussion about how the activity applies to computers
and how they evolved and continue to evolve.
|
| |
|
Evaluation-
|
You can evaluate your students on their assignments using the following
three-point rubric:
Three points: all questions answered, sketch imaginative and carefully
executed, oral presentation well-organized and presented in a clear
and lively manner
Two points: most questions answered, sketch adequately executed, oral
presentation clear and organized
One point: few questions answered, sketch missing or poorly executed,
oral presentation lacking clarity and organization
You can ask your students to contribute to the assessment rubric by
determining criteria for a well-organized and lively presentation. |
| |
|