Intro To The Computer

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.

Hardware: physical devices that comprise a computer system Monitor (output)

Speaker (output)

System unit (processor, memory…)

Printer (output)

Storage devices (CD-RW, Floppy, Hard disk, zip,…) Scanner (input)

Mouse (input) Keyboard (input)

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What Are The Primary Components Of A Computer ?  Input devices.  Central Processing Unit  Memory aka RAM.  Output devices.  Storage devices. 21

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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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