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ks3 Session7

The session focuses on understanding how computers work and building programming skills for KS3 students. Key topics include computer hardware and software components, the role of microprocessors in various devices, and the importance of communication protocols in networking. Activities include role play to illustrate computer functions and a coding exercise using torches to emphasize communication between computers.

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4 views14 pages

ks3 Session7

The session focuses on understanding how computers work and building programming skills for KS3 students. Key topics include computer hardware and software components, the role of microprocessors in various devices, and the importance of communication protocols in networking. Activities include role play to illustrate computer functions and a coding exercise using torches to emphasize communication between computers.

Uploaded by

dinesh.kotak2870
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Teaching KS3 Computing

Session 7
Theory: How computers work
Practical: Building on programming skills
Today’s session
5:00 – 6:00
How computers work
6.00 – 7.00
Building on programming skills
From the national curriculum- as last week
At KS3 students should be able to:

• understand the hardware and software components that make up computer


systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systems
• understand how instructions are stored and executed within a computer system;

Computing programme of study


KS3 Curriculum
• Computers are devices for executing programs
• Not every computer is obviously a computer (most electronic devices
contain computational devices)
• Basic architecture: CPU, storage (e.g. hard disk, main memory),
input/output (e.g. mouse, keyboard)
• Computers are very fast, and getting faster all the time (Moore’s law)
• Computers can ‘pretend’ to do more than one thing at a time, by
switching between different things very quickly
Not every computer is obviously a computer
• Not every computer is obviously a computer (most electronic devices
contain computational devices)
• Students can research how many devices they can find that contain a
microprocessor.
Devices that contain a microprocessor
Personal Military:
Home:
phones smart bombs
clock/radios
watches missiles
calculators ovens
guns
computers and laptops microwave ovens
cameras turrets
iPods (iPads, other mp3 players, etc.) washing machines
tanks
WII and X-boxes driers
sonic guns
stereo systems
Computers:
infrared keyboards and mice TVs
disk drives Police:
DVD players
switches radar guns (for speeding tickets)
hubs satellite/cable boxes
infrared motion and camera
thermostats
Commercial devices: systems (for traffic lights)
cash tills air conditioners
uv locators (finding suspects and
supermarket bar code scanners motion detectors
vending machines bodies)
smoke detectors
lottery ticket dispensing machines lie detectors
printers burglar alarm systems
faxes
copiers Municipal devices:
automatic door openers Medical:
credit card processors pace makers traffic lights
ATM machines insulin auto-injectors walkie-talkies
Industry heart monitors train ticket purchasing machines
vehicles (cars, airplanes, boats, trains, hearing aids
trucks, etc)
navigational systems (tomtom, loran, etc)
How a computer works – role play

• Work in threes
• One person to be:
• The Display
• The Memory
• The Computer

• Carry out the instructions given

Exercise taken from: http://cse4k12.org/how_computers_work/


Summary of this activity
• This activity gives an abstracted (details removed) view of the
computer
• The key points are:
• The processor executes instructions exactly as provided
• The processor doesn’t “understand” the task – just carries it out in sequence
• Values are stored in memory
• The ALU is an area for working out (adding values etc).

8
KS3 students do not
Structure of the computer need too much detail but
they will need more
information about the
structure of the
computer and the fetch-
execute cycle at GCSE.
Activity 2: Torches activity
You will need one torch between two people
In pairs …
Here is a simplified 5-bit
coding for letters that we have
used before.

Use this to code a short word


or phrase

Use torches to send the


message to another pair

Find out if the message was


successfully received
Teaching points from this activity
• Computers need to communicate with each other
• For two computers to communicate they need to use a
common set of rules
• This is called a protocol
• In working out how to send a message that the other
pair understood you established a protocol for
communication
• This is an important concept in networking which is
essentially the study of how computers communicate
Next week – programming only!
Break

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