Bytes & Gigahertz & RAM: Oh, My!

Although fairly familiar with basic computer hardware, memory, and input devices, the concepts of how a computer actually works were entirely new to me and sort of mind-blowing. I knew that computers had motherboards and used a language composed only of 0’s and 1’s, but I didn’t really know what that meant. I had no idea the complex process by which bits become bytes to form an actual language of commands. I found this process to be surprisingly fascinating! I also didn’t really know that RAM is your computer’s volatile memory, and this means that data is loaded to it each time the computer is turned on. ROM is a type of memory I had never heard of, except in reference to a CD-ROM, and this is the memory that is permanently saved even when the computer is turned off. (Shelly, 2010) 

This may all seem like extraneous information which only a computer science professional needs to know. However, because the ISTE standards state that K-12 students should be able to "demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations," it is the teacher’s responsibility to also understand this information. While the concepts of how computers work on a detailed level may seem advanced and even abstract for the elementary students that I will soon be teaching, these students are very impressionable. They take cues from their teachers’ words but mainly their actions in regard to in what they should take an interest. If I am passionate about technology and understanding its components and inner-workings, I can transfer that passion to my students. I also believe that as technology continues to become an integral part of our lives, the ISTE standards will gain more value, and we will begin working on them at an earlier stage in education. If these were not all reasons enough for educating oneself in computer hardware, it is becoming increasingly important for teachers to follow the ISTE standards for teachers, or the ISTE-T. If you don’t want to master this knowledge for your students’ benefit, you might have to in order to renew your teaching certificate.  

It was with this importance on applying knowledge of computer hardware in mind that my professor gave us a scenario in which a hypothetical principal tells me to select a software program I get to purchase for my classroom costing up to $1,000. Our class was to choose a program that we could conceivably use on our computer based on system requirements. One of the programs I might choose is called ClozePro. This program allows teachers to create customizable Cloze activities for a wide range of reading levels and keep track of student progress. Cloze is a great activity for increasing reading comprehension skills, particularly with ELL’s. The system requirements are quite basic. According to the software catalogue website, K12Software.com, they are as follows:

ClozePro for Windows:
Pentium II 200 or greater
32MB RAM
50MB hard disk space
Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista

ClozePro for Mac:
Mac OS X, v10.1.5 or above
128MB RAM
40MB hard disk space

My own laptop could certainly run the program without problem based on its following system specifications:

AMD Athion II P340 Dual-Core processor

4 GB RAM

391 available GB hard disk space

OS: Windows 7

Sometimes older programs do not run well on newer operating systems. However, since ClozePro’s minimum OS requirements include VISTA, a system which is only one step away from mine, the program should run well. Since the program only costs $179.95, I would be well within my scenario’s limits. 

While software is still an incredible tool and a requirement for using various types of hardware with your computer, I believe based on recent trends that hardware is going to be the major focus of educational technology in the coming years.  As this entry is running a bit long, I will continue this idea in its own posting in the next few days.

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., & Gunter, R. E. (2010). Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed). Australia: Course Technology Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education (2007). NETS for Students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx

International Society for Technology in Education (2008). NETS for Teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx