“Visualize the Computer, Inside and Out” — Part Two, the Presentation

After Tuesday, I will assess how well you performed on the research end of the project. Then Part Two begins: A PowerPoint Presentation recreating in words and graphics all the components of a IBM-PC as we've studied them this year. We've used the Hewlett-Packard Vectra VL as our current study computer, but any of the computers we've taken apart can be used as examples, since they all basically use the same components.

Here's the breakdown of my expectations for your PowerPoint presentation:

1. Use your research to explain, slide by slide, in words and pictures, exactly what goes into each typical computer. You want to present this information part by part, as we've researched them. Describe, if you will, every part, what they do, and how they fit together to make a whole.
2. Include some history of "yesterday, today and tomorrow" that shows where computers came from and where they're going. You should concentrate on "Today," but computers are changing all the time and we should have an idea of their evolution and development.
3. Remember: PowerPoint presentations are best when the slides contain keywords, phrases and "headlines." We don't want to read from our slides but from a script or narrative we compose in the "Notes" section of PowerPoint, which can be printed separately.
4. Don't forget to include an accurate, complete Citations Page. Save your list of Web sites, and use EasyBib to help create your entries.
5. I've always said that effective graphics really improve presentations, but I've also explained that inappropriate graphics will lower your grade. Ones I've warned against or that are clearly inappropriate can get you an F on the spot. Do the right thing.

We will start working on the presentation Wednesday and continue on Thursday and Friday. When STAR testing is done, we may take a break and do lab work, but I hope to have the presentations begin around May 8th. So we'll be working on and off until we're finished. I'll give you a heads-up a few days before we need to start presenting. Remember: Early presenters get extra points for being ready early, as long as the presentation is actually ready for primetime.

“Visualize the Computer, Inside and Out” — Our Major 4th Q Project

I got us started creating a "3D" appreciation of how computers are put together as we canabalized our old HP Vetras. Now I want to focus the effort toward our final push to understand where computers have been, where they are now, and where they're going.

We've gotten an idea of where they've been by looking at the HP parts, and that will be handy knowledge. We're getting a good look at where they are now while we work on the Gateways and the iPaqs, which will take place in the lab. We're learning where computers are headed by building a "state-of-the art" box in our classroom from parts we ordered online.

So here is Part One of the Q4 project.

Research each of the major components of a computer, as found in the HP Vetra:

• Ethernet Card (Network Card) – 1 page
• Graphics Card (Video Card, Display Adapter, Video Graphics Adapter) – 1 page
• Sound Card – 1 page
• Daughterboard – 1/2 page
• Motherboard – 2 pages
• Microprocessor – 1 page
• Memory – 1 page
• Storage – 2 pages
  1. Hard drive
  2. Optical drives
  3. Floppy drive
• Case and power supply – 2 pages