Input, output, processing or storage?
Plug devices into a computer one by one and see what each does: does it send information in, give it out, work on it or keep it? Then sort them all.
Core concept
In short: Sort a computer's parts: what takes information in, works on it, shows it and keeps it.
A computer takes in information through input devices, works on it in the processor, gives out results through output devices and keeps it in storage
Topic: Computers
A computer works in four steps. First we give it information: we type on the keyboard, click the mouse or speak into the microphone. These are input devices. Then the processor (the CPU, the computer's brain) works on the information by following instructions. This is processing. The results come out through output devices, like the monitor, the printer and the speakers. And so that nothing is lost, the computer keeps information for later on storage devices, such as the hard disk and the pen drive. Input → processing → output, with storage keeping it all safe. A smartphone works the same way: its touchscreen is both its input and its output.
What you will learn
- Describe the four jobs of a computer: input, processing, output and storage.
- Classify common devices as input, output, processing or storage devices.
- Give examples of how each kind of device is used in daily life.
Before you start
- Have seen a computer or a smartphone.
Materials
- Pictures of computer devices
Equipment
- A computer with a keyboard, mouse and monitor (if your school has one)
Procedure
- Pick a device card and plug it in to see what it does.
- Do this for at least six devices.
- Sort every device into input, output, processing or storage.