Intro to the Computer

Instructed by Andrew Van wart

What are we doing today?
  Going over syllabus, grading & attendance

  Student introductions / background worksheet

  Discussion about computers

  Excerpt from “Triumph of the Nerds” (if time permits)

  15 minute break

  Talk about Mod. 1

  Introduction to PowerPoint

  Begin working on Mod. 1

The purpose of this course…
  Introduce computer concepts and terminology

  Enhance your understanding of “digital media”

  Acquire basic knowledge of common software tools

  Understand media pertaining to computer graphics

  Enhance “digital literacy”

We will go over…
  Mac / PC routines and procedures

  Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator

  Font management

  Bitmap tools & techniques

  Basic design principles

  Digital presentation fundamentals

Specific topics we will discuss:
  Introduction to Photoshop
  Tonal Range & Color

  Scanning Techniques & Vector Technology

  Layers in Photoshop

  Printing / Digital Color Spaces

  Drawing in Illustrator

  PowerPoint & Acrobat

  Typography & Fonts

Additional topics:
  Digital Media Principles

  Digital Literacy

  History of Computers

  Peripherals

  Interfaces & Interactivity

  MAC OS X
Grading Breakdown:
  30% Class Participation, 70% Projects & Assignments

  Modules 1 – 14 (order to be determined)

  Mid-term evaluations

  Final Presentation
Grading Policy:
  “C” should be considered acceptable

  “D” basically means below expectation

  “F” means the work is unacceptable

  “B” is for aBove average

  “A” is for exceptional work and will be rare

Assignments:
  Good work will reflect time spent

  10 hours per module

  Late projects marked down one letter grade

  Nothing accepted more than one week late

  Re-worked assignments can only earn a “B”

  Must be handed in on time to begin with
  Must be “A” material for a “B”
Attendance Policy
  Attendance is mandatory.

  Be here on time.
  4 late arrivals (10min or more) may drop your final grade
by one letter

  Three unexcused absences may result in an “F”

  Excused absences must be documented
What is ARC?
  The Academy’s Academic Resource Center

  What they provide:

  English language assistance
  Presentation techniques
  Help with writing
  Study skills
  Disability assistance
Etiquette Policy:
  No alcohol.

  Critiques ought to be constructive.

  No Facebook!

  No MySpace!

  No YouTube!

  No Hulu!
Don’t be that guy!
Who are you?

  Name

  Where ya from?

  What are you studying?

  Hobbies / Interests ?

  Anything else?
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Introduction to Computers

Computer and Information Science

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What is a Computer?
A COMPUTER is an electronic device that can:

  Receive information

  Perform processes

  Produce output

  Store info for future use.

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Information Processing Cycle

 Input
 Process
 Output
 Storage
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Hardware vs. Software

Hardware - the physical parts that make up the computer
CPU, memory, disks, CD-ROM drives, printer.

Software - computer programs and applications.

Operating system, word processor, Adobe Photoshop, games, etc.
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Hardware: physical devices that comprise a

computer system

Monitor
Speaker
(output)
(output) System unit
(processor, memory…)

Printer
(output)

Storage devices
(CD-RW, Floppy,
Hard disk, zip,…)
Mouse
(input)
Scanner Keyboard
(input) (input)
 What Are The Primary
Components Of A Computer ?
 Input devices.
 Central Processing
Unit
 Memory aka RAM.
 Output devices.
 Storage devices.

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Input Devices

 Keyboard.
 Mouse.
 Microphone
 Scanner
 Camera
 Tablet
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Central Processing Unit

The central processing unit (CPU) is the “brain” of the computer. It:

 interprets instructions to the computer (control unit),

 performs the arithmetic and logical processing (ALU)

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Memory
Memory, also called Random Access Memory or RAM stores:

 instructions waiting to be executed

 data needed by those instructions

 results of processed data

Any information stored in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off.
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Memory
  Data in memory is stored as binary digits (BITS) e.g.
011100101010

  1 BYTE = 8 bits

  1 byte usually stores 1 text character.

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Storage Devices
 hard disks

 floppy disks

 compact discs – CD and DVD drives

 flash cards
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Hard Disks
  Permanent storage that is inside of the computer, and
NOT portable.

  Consists of several platters which spin very fast

  Typical hard disks range from 40 GB to 200 GB

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Writeable Disc Media

  CD-ROM (read only memory),

  CD-RW – (rewritable)

  DVD-ROM

  DVD+RW

Typical CD’s can store about 700 MB

Typical DVD’s can store between 4-16 GB

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Flash Cards / Memory Sticks

Advantages:
 Small, easy to carry around
 High memory capacity – up to 16 GB
Note:
There are several different form factors of
flash cards, including Compact Flash,
SmartMedia, PCMCIA, and Small Form Factor
Flash Card.
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Software
  System software & application software
  A computer program or software tells it exactly what to
do.
  A computer program is a set of instructions to the
computer.
  One instruction at a time
  Algorithms
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Application Software
Application Software consists of programs that tell
a computer how to produce information. Some of
the more commonly used packages are:

 Word processing
 Electronic spreadsheet
 Database
 Presentation graphics
 Word Processing
 Create and print documents, typically text-only

 Good for making spotting errors

  Spelling
  Grammar
  Punctuation

  Most email integrates word processing tools

Electronic Spreadsheets
 Grid-like display using rows and columns

 Mainly used for data entry

 Can perform mathematical functions

 Can Generate graphs and statistical analyses

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