Monday, June 22, 2009

CEDu581 Computer Architecture: Week 4

As I look at CEDu581 and the projects we have done, I believe I have acquired a much stronger appreciation for people involved in computer hardware and software design. I find it difficult to sit in front of a computer for most of the day, working on these assignments. I would imagine that programmers and designers, people similar to who we learned about in "Revenge of the Nerds," are wired differently than me. I cannot stay focused on one topic for more than 1-2 hours before I need to do something different. It is not necessarily the content, but the lack of movement and personal interaction. In retailing and in teaching, I am so accustomed to being on my feet all day long, working with customers, employees, vendors, and now students, teachers, parents, and staff. Blogging, emailing, and nings are great tools for communication but I guess I still prefer one-on-one, face-to-face interaction. Even when I do research on topics I consider hobbies, I still need to break up the tasks into small, manageable chunks of time, with something physical or social in between.

Our projects have made me realize how little I knew about computer software and hardware. I had never heard of Windows 7 before the Components project. Now I understand what a big deal it will be in several months. Reading my peers' Components projects was fascinating as it gave me a taste of the many rapidly-changing hardware and software topics out there. Just doing the research online demonstrates the information overload we can easily fall into.

Other areas of this class that will help me with technology, both at home and at school, include the following:
  • Keeping my anti-virus software current
  • Using a more effective anti-virus program
  • Better understanding of what school district system administrators work with and how important their work is, even though we often feel their policies and procedures are annoying or counter-productive to effective learning and teaching
  • Nings are vastly superior to blogs and wikis in terms of flexibility and ease of use
  • More frequent file back-ups on my home computer
  • Impending purchase of a back-up, portable hard drive
  • Purchase of a new desktop computer in the near future with greater RAM and larger hard drive than our current 2002 Gateway PC. I now feel more comfortable with my basic knowledge of what to buy.
  • There are other operating systems beyond Microsoft and Apple products!

2 comments:

GF said...

I liked the fact that you pointed out how non-social computer work can be. Even when it seems to be social with e-mail, nings, etc. I hadn't thought about it, but could really relate to what you said. I hope that our districts will take to encouraging nings, blogs, etc. in the near future. We have learned a lot. I did not comment on your component, but will be checking it out to find out about Windows 7. We have XP and Vista at our home, and I'm curious how the latest version compares. You are right that these component presentations should be able to help us feel more confident when it comes to purchasing our next computers. I have used the free AVG anti-virus/spyware after paying for Norton for a couple of years. My brother has used it for over a year. We both have had no problems with it.

Ms. K said...

Hi Jim,
Yes, it is difficult to sit and look at a computer for so many hours in a day. I don't know how they do it. I wonder if the retirement rate in that field of work is about 42? I too have learned many facts and ideas about how to incorporate activities in my classroom, but also how my computer runs and works. I had a general idea, but this last class has helped to put more of the puzzle pieces together.