NEWFOUNDLAND - COMPUTERS

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Microcomputer Systems 1100

Department of Education

Division of Program Development

Authorized by the Minister

MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEMS 1100

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Division of Program Development

June, 1991

J WJ 22 !995

Introduction I 1

Statement of Purpose I 3

Course Objectives I 4

Course Content I 6

Course Materials I 10

Instructional Strategy I 12

Evaluation I 14

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The contribution of the Computer Studies Working Group (1989 - 90) in preparing this

course description is gratefully acknowledged. The Working Group members are:

Mr. Doug Young, Chairperson Education Consultant (Educational Technology) Division of Curriculum and Instruction Department of Education St. John's

Mr. Munden Batstone Program Consultant (Post Secondary) Post Secondary Division Department of Education St. John's

Mr. Rene Cashin Teacher Carmanville School Complex Carman ville

Mr. Wayne Hancock Teacher Paradise

Mr. Eric Myles Program Coordinator Burin Peninsula Integrated School Board Salt Pond, Burin

Mr. Frank Shapleigh Teacher St. Paul's Central High School Gander

Mr. Rob Stewart Library Resource Teacher Mount Pearl Junior High School Mount Pearl

Mr. Chris Turpin Principal St. Bernard's All-Grade School St. Bernard's

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Mr. Bill Walsh, Teacher Bishop's College, St. John's

In addition, the contribution of the following members of the 1990- 1991 working group

is also greatly appreciated:

Mr. Fred Chard Program Coordinator Appalachia R. C. School Board Stephenville

Ms. Linda Fiander Instructor Lewisporte Campus Central Newfoundland Community College

Ms. Christine Parsons Teacher St. Michael's High School Grand Falls

Mr. Alan Skinner Teacher Queen Elizabeth Regional High School Fox trap

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INTRODUCTION

Computing has pervaded intellectual and economic activities in a manner that has no

comparison. It is one of the most exhilarating and important examples of a technological

undertaking in history. In less than three decades computers have become essential to

industrial society. In North America, over half of the workforce is involved in the processing

or exchanging of information, the majority of which is done with computers. Since the early

1980's, over seventy percent of all new jobs have been computer related. All indicators show

that this trend will only increase in the future. To prepare students to use this technology in

their academic work and to meet the ever increasing complexity of a modem evolving society,

the Department of Education has set a goal of establishing for the nineties, a programme of

Computer Education.

This syllabus consists of the following courses and includes:

Microcomputer Studies 1100

This course is an entry level introduction to the microcomputer and its applications. It

consists of three modules; an introduction to microcomputer systems, an introduction to MS­

DOS and a "hands on" overview of today's most popular and useful software applications.

This course is a prerequisite to Computer Applications 2100.

Keyboarding/Wordprocessing 1101

Approximately 40% of this course is an introduction to keyboarding skills using the

microcomputer. The other 60% is dedicated to learning the use of the wordprocessor. This

is completely "hands on" using both traditional text and software tutor to deliver the keyboard

component. This course is a prerequisite to Advanced Wordprocessing/Desktop Publishing

2101.

Computer Applications 2100

This is designed as a problem solving course using three of the most widely used software

applications. They include electronic spreadsheet, database management and pi" .... ,_entation

graphics. Practical examples related to other subject areas will be stressed to enable students

to use these skills across the curriculum.

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Advanced Wordprocessing/Desktop Publishing 2101

This course explores the additional features of the wordprocessor not covered in

Keyboarding/Wordprocessing 1101. It is aimed at promoting the use of the technology across

the academic spectrum including research paper writing, lab reports and any other area where

the production of documents is needed. As such it will borrow frequently from other fields

for project work.

Computer Technology 3200

This last course in the programme will be targeted for the student who will continue in

the field of technology and science upon graduation. It will involve an indepth treatment of

microcomputers, communications, interfacing and related technologies. This is a two credit

offering and has Microcomputer Systems 1100 or equivalent as a prerequisite.

In summary, the first four courses of the Computer Education Programme are one credit

offerings designed to give any student a solid basis in microcomputer operations and

applications. The central theme of "computer as a tool" is woven through the syllabus. Upon

completion the student will have the necessary skills to use the technology in subject areas

across the curriculum. Every student should be encouraged to avail of most, or all of the

courses in this group. The two credit course in Computer Technology is a higher level course

that will appeal to students who have interest in the application of the microcomputer and who

will probably pursue careers in science and technology.

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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The scientific and technological age has made a profound impact on the teaching and

learning processes. One significant element in this era has been the microcomputer. It has

taken information processing to a higher level than had ever been previously possible.

Schools, businesses, and individuals are able to tap the benefits of computer technology as a

result of relatively inexpensive, yet powerful microcomputers. This development is also having

a notable effect on the process ·of education.

The capacity of the computer to rapidly store, retrieve and communicate information

promises to dramatically alter our ideas about work and social interaction and even to redefine

our notion of what it means to be literate. The Department of Education believes that learners

should have opportunities to learn with and about computers and become familiar with various

computer applications that will serve them beyond their school years.

The Department of Education endorses the following goals for computer use in the

teaching-learning process:

1. The primary goal for the application of computers in the schools is the enhancement

of student learning.

2. The secondary goal is support for teachers in their instructional programs.

3. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all students, at graduation, will have the skills

necessary to function effectively and confidently in an increasingly complex

technological environment.

The comprehensive course offerings in the area of computer education will be important

factors in meeting these goals.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

The overall aim of Microcomputer Systems 1100 is to establish a degree of computer

awareness and proficiency which will provide learners with basic skills to serve them into the

world of work. In these terms, the course involves a wide range of activities and its

objectives embrace all types of learning, i.e., cognitive, affective and psychomotor.

In order to become familiar with computer technology, its application and its impact, the

course is designed to enable the learner:

1. to learn the basic principles of computers, their operations, and their applications in

society.

2. to load the disk operating system and demonstrate a basic understanding of the

fundamental commands.

3. to use of a variety of application packages.

The majority of learning experiences associated with these objectives are cognitive or

intellectual in nature, and cover the hierarchy of skills from the learning of facts and concepts

to the learning of principles and problem-solving strategies. The content upon which the

course is based provides numerous activities for both the acquisition and practice of these

skills. The varied settings represent not only opportunities to facilitate the generalization or

transfer of learning but also provide subtle changes to help maintain a learner's interest and

motivation.

There is a deliberate attempt to link the computer applications introduced in

Microcomputer Systems 1100 to a number of subject areas in the curriculum, as well as

demonstrating the use of the application in the workplace. This will sometimes result in

overlap, thereby providing additional practice; more frequently, varying degrees of both

incorporation and extension of information and ideas will take place, providing opportunities

for integration into the curriculum.

In addition, the course has two broader goals. The lrrst of these is to enable the student

to develop a positive and responsible attitude to computer technology and its use in society.

The course can provide a forum for discussion issues such as the impact of the technology

on society, privacy and dignity of individuals and artificial intelligence. This process

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represents an important phase in the evolution of a society which would be sufficiently

receptive to contemplate technological innovation, as well as sufficiently literate to be capable

of informed judgement cu! d constructive criticism.

The other objective is concerned not so much with the products of learning as with the

process of learning. The course content and the demands of its activities are seen as an

important opportunity to enable the learners to develop and exercise creative thinking,

reasoning, and problem-solving skills. In these terms, the course extends the opportunities

provided for such activities in other subject areas, thereby enhancing the curriculum in

particular, and the high school program in general.

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COURSE CONTENT

This is a one credit course which is organized into three components, or content units,

all of which are to be completed in one school year or approximately 55 - 60 hours of

instruction. In order to achieve the large number of objectives of the course which require

hands-on experience, students must have ample opportunities to use the hardware and software.

Therefore a one-to-one ratio of students to computers is very strongly recommended in

order to provide sufficient practical experiences to successfully meet the course objectives.

The components are weighted as follows:

15% Introduction to Microcomputer Systems 25% Introduction to MS-OOS and Disk Management 60% The Computer as a Tool

Introduction to Microcomputer Systems (15%)

Upon completion of this module students should have a basic understanding of computers,

their operations, and their uses in society.

1. Introduce technical terminology.

Sub-tasks:

1.1 Define the basic vocabulary associated with computer hardware and software. These terms would include the following:

ASCII, BINARY, BIT, BUFFER, BUS, BYTE, CHIP, DIGITAL, DIP, IC, INTERFACE, RAM, REGISTER, ROM, SEMICONDUCfOR, VLSI, WORD.

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2. Describe the basic components of microcomputer systems and differentiate among

the functions associated with each.

Sub-tasks:

2.1 Trace the development of the processing unit.

a) Vacuum tubes b) Transistors c) Integrated Circuit d) VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration)

(i) 8088/8086 (ii) 80286 (iii) 80386/80368SX (iv) 80486

2.2 Input Devices

Keyboard, mouse, joystick, light pen, digitizer, voice encoder, graphics,

tablet, scanner

2. 3 Output Devices

a) Printers: dot matrix, ink jet, laser jet, daisy wheels b) Plotters c) Monitors: monochrome, CGA, EGA, VGA (various resolutions) d) Magnetic Storage: floppy disk, ttxed disk, tape e) Optical Storage: CD-ROM, Video laser disk

3. Describe the basic elements of a computer network. Sub-tasks: 3.1 Explain why computers are networked. 3.2 Describe typical networks

a) dedicated b) peer to peer

3.3 Describe typical network architectures.

a) Arcnet b) Token Ring c) Ethernet

Introduction to MS-DOS and Disk Management (25%)

Upon completion of this module, the student will be able to load the disk operating

system and demonstrate a basic understanding of the fundamental commands.

1. Describe the functions of BIOS.

2. Describe the functions of the operating system.

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3. Explain the differences between internal and external DOS commands.

4. Perform directory commands.

Sub-tasks:

4.1 Set default directory. 4.2 Change drives. 4.3 Make a directory. 4.4 Change directory. 4.5 Remove Directory. 4.6 List files in a directory by using DIR, DIR/W, and/or DIR/P.

5. Use file commands.

Sub-tasks:

5.1 Explain file names and flle types. 5.2 FORMAT a disk and set volume LABEL. 5.3 Display or print a file using TYPE command. 5.4 Use DELETE or ERASE commands. 5.5 Use RENAME command. 5.6 Copy a file or group of flles using COPY command. 5.7 Use DISKCOPY and/or XCOPY commands. 5.8 Perform CHKDSK and CHKDSK/F command. 5.9 Introduce an AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Students should become familiar with the following commands:

ECHO OFF VER PATH PROMPT CLS

The setting of date and time (if applicable).

5.10 Create a text flle, .bat file or autoexec.bat file by invoking the EDLIN editor or other text editor.

5.11 Introduce the CONFIG.SYS file. Students should become familiar with setting the following:

files buffers

6. Use and manipulate the hard disk drive.

Sub-tasks:

6.1 Explain the purpose and structure of the hard disk drive. 6.2 Manipulate and organize the hard disk into systematic directories and sub­

directories.

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7. Install and configure software packages. For network systems, this is done to drive

G; for stand alone, rtxed drive C.

The Computer as a Tool (60%)

Upon completion of this module the student will have completed a survey of a variety

of application packages. The various application packages should be presented so as to

illustrate their use in the workplace and also demonstrate how they can be used in various

subjects in the curriculum. Core components will consist of approximately 40% in total, and

will provide hands-on experience with the following applications:

• Word Processing • Spreadsheets • Databases

Students will choose a minimum of three other applications for from the following for

approximately 20%:

• Desk Top Publishing • Computer Assisted Design • Graphing (Statistics & Equations) • Graphics (Drawing, Art, Paint packages) • Form Generation - to create forms or reports • Programming

Based on the resources available in specific schools, the following optional components

may also be used:

• Music • Interfacing • Robotics • Communication • Simulations (for calculating mortgages, etc)

The student should be able to:

1. Explain the purpose of the application.

2. Discuss the uses and the impact of the application in society.

3. Discuss the various type of programs available.

4. Use elementary software commands of the application package in controlled hands-on

sessions.

5. Produce a short project which will demonstrate an understanding of the use of the

software package.

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COURSE MATERIALS

Required:1

Pitter, Keiko. Using IBM Microcomputers (Third Edition): Wordperfect 5 .0, Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE III Plus and W. Mitchell Publishing, Inc., 1989 (a McGraw-Hill Company).

1/2 Class Set of Each:

Sanders, Donald H. Computers Today (Third Edition). McGraw-Hill, 1988.

Curtin, Dennis P. Microcomputers: Software & Applications (Second Edition). Prentice-Hall Inc, 1989.

Student!feacher Resources:

Three (3) copies of the following materials are made available to each school offering

Microcomputer Systems 1100:

• DDC Quick Reference Guide Introductory Lotus 1-2-3: IBM PC • DDC Quick Reference Guide Wordperfect 5.1: IBM PC • DDC Quick Reference Guide MS-DOS: IBM PC • HARVARD GRAPHICS: A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE • Using Harvard Graphics (Que Corporation) • Using Lotus 1-2-3 (Que Corporation) • Using Wordperfect 5 .1 (Que Corporation) • Using DOS (Que Corporation)

Teacher Resources:

One ( 1) copy of the following materials be made available as resources for teachers of

Microcomputer Systems 1100:

• Computer User's Dictionary (Que Corporation) • Managing Your Hard Disk (Que Corporation) • Networking Personal Computers (Que Corporation) • Computers in a Changing Society: An Applications Approach by Richard Donafeld

and Mamie Taylor. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1990. · • Using Microcomputers: A Complete Introduction by H.L. Capron and Ralph E. Duffy.

Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc. 1989 (Addison Wesley). • MS DOS Quick Reference

1 Many of the following resources are also supplied with Keyboarding I Wordprocessing 1101. If the school is also offering this course, a second set of texts, where duplicated, will not be supplied.

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Software Resources:2

• WordPerfect 5.1 - WordPerfect Corp. • Harvard Graphics 2.3 - Software Publishing Corp. • Autosketch 3.0 (student edition) - Addison Wesley

Shareware

• • • • •

As Easy As Finger Paint PC File Plus Tutor DOS Procomm*

* One copy per school is sufficient.

2 The following software packages are authorized for use in computer educatioh courses. The Department of Education will supply software for up to twelve (12) workstations per school.

If this software has already been supplied with other courses of the Computer Education program, duplicate sets will not be provided.

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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

The three components of Microcomputer Systems 1100 are to be delivered giving the

student the maximum hands on computer experience with various software packages.

Integrated into this delivery approach will be the applicable theory topics. The instructional

sequence will be as follows:

• Introduction of the topic. • The working and editing of previously prepared samples. • The independent production of projects by students.

In summary, this course is designed so that components or modules are to be incorporated

into the applicable software packages. Generally, a topic will be introduced by the teacher.

This will be followed by work with previously prepared samples. Finally, students will be

given an opportunity to experience greater depth through a project involving the particular

topic. Hands-on activities should be maximized. In order to reach the intended learning

outcomes, a student-to-computer ratio of one-to-one is strongly recommended.

The predominant instructional strategy should be based on providing learners with

opportunities to develop sufficient competence with the various topics and applications to

facilitate the activities they are likely to encounter. Care should be taken to avoid excessive

depth of treatment of topics such as DOS (Disk Operating System) that requires the learner

to know much more about the topic than can practically be applied in this course, or that will

likely be encountered in out-of-school situations.

In order to accommodate the objectives specified for the course, various instructional

approaches should be used, such as outlined below:

1. Lectures establish an overview, present essential information and integrate various aspects

of learning.

2. Structured Practical Experiences develop skills and facilitate learning through set drills,

exercises, experiments or projects, e.g., hands-on activities with the microcomputer.

3. Demonstrations provide students with a model for their own learning or an opportunity

to see an experiment, or materials not available on an individual basis.

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4. Discussions provide an opportunity for students to express their own views and consider

the views of their peers and are especially useful for topics involving social implications,

and humanistic aspects.

5. Project Work permits students to explore topics in greater depth, develop problem solving­

strategies, and exercise creative thinking abilities by solving problems, with varying

degrees of guidance being provided by the teacher, in this way, students will have an

opportunity to become more knowledgeable about a topic, to interpret data, "discover" new

relationships, and formulate hypotheses for further testing.

6. Homework Assignments provide practice and prepare for classroom learning activities.

7. Guest Speakers act as a resource, taking into consideration especially those aspects which

directly involve the immediate community or society at large.

8. Field Trips provide an opportunity to see equipment, situations, or systems in "real world"

settings; to extend, reinforce, or enrich classroom activities.

When implementing these strategies, teachers are encouraged to use a wide variety of

resources. A number of resources have been provided for use in this course. However, where

possible, even more resources should be accessed to enhance the learning environment. Slides,

videotapes, other computer software and films are especially useful for showing things that are

not available in the classroom or accessible to students. Books, magazines, and newspapers

can be used to extend and enrich the classroom experience, as well as serve as an important

resource for discussions of the social and humanistic aspects of computer technology. The

more varied the learning environment to which students are exposed the more likely they will

be motivated to learn, broaden the scope of their learning, and increase their understanding.

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EVALUATION

This course has been designed to provide hands-on opportunities for students. Many of

the objectives are best evaluated by a practical assessment, rather than a pen and paper test.

Teachers are encouraged to use evaluation techniques and strategies which emphasize the

practical nature of many of the objectives. This may be accomplished by having students

demonstrate achievement of an objective at the keyboard, or through practical tests or projects

which would demonstrate mastery of an objective.

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