Honestly, I was very intimidated at the start of this class. I knew almost nothing about how my computer worked, and opening the case was daunting at first. I was worried that I would mess something up, and my computer would never work again!
The main thing that I have learned from this course is that I now have the ability to discuss how a computer works with people who know more than I. I spent the weekend with my brother, and he started talking about his computer. I was able to ask intelligent-sounding questions, and he did not laugh at me! He did not want my input, but it was nice that I could actually talk to him about different computer components, and I knew their functions!! And, then we started to talk about the importance (or lack thereof) of an operating system, and I felt like I knew what I was talking about!
I also found the Triumph of the Nerds series to be very informative. I knew very, very little about how computers came into being, and it was great to learn more about how they started. It will be interesting to see how the future of computing progresses.
I doubt that I will be building an actual computer any time soon, but I think that I will be a more informed consumer when I go to buy my next computer!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
What I would lose.......
If my personal computer were to fail, I think that I would be quite frustrated.
I know that computers fail, so I try to back up some things. Most of my pictures are backed up on Google's picassa. And, I have started using Google Docs for my word processing, but I do have many Microsoft Word files that are only stored on my old desktop.
Then, there are the little things that I would lose, that would really annoy me. I would lose all of my bookmarks. Yes, I have a delicious account. No, I do not use it. I would also lose the passwords that I actually store online, like the one for my library account. I have a list of "important" passwords, but the bar code for my library card never made the cut.
I do not store much music on my computer, but if I did, I could see that also being a problem.
I do think that day to day, I would have issues with not being able to communicate with my friends and family. Not having a computer at my disposal would cause me far more disappointment than the items I mentioned above. A day without email and facebook does not occur very frequently in my little world. And, I might have to actually pull out the phone book to call Barnes and Noble to find out their hours, or if they have the book that I would like to purchase in stock.
I know that computers fail, so I try to back up some things. Most of my pictures are backed up on Google's picassa. And, I have started using Google Docs for my word processing, but I do have many Microsoft Word files that are only stored on my old desktop.
Then, there are the little things that I would lose, that would really annoy me. I would lose all of my bookmarks. Yes, I have a delicious account. No, I do not use it. I would also lose the passwords that I actually store online, like the one for my library account. I have a list of "important" passwords, but the bar code for my library card never made the cut.
I do not store much music on my computer, but if I did, I could see that also being a problem.
I do think that day to day, I would have issues with not being able to communicate with my friends and family. Not having a computer at my disposal would cause me far more disappointment than the items I mentioned above. A day without email and facebook does not occur very frequently in my little world. And, I might have to actually pull out the phone book to call Barnes and Noble to find out their hours, or if they have the book that I would like to purchase in stock.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Cloud Computing and Operating Systems
I think that the idea of cloud computing, and using more web-based applications, rather than software that is tied to a specific computer is the wave of the future. As a teacher, I see so many benefits to using a program like GoogleDocs over the Microsoft Office Suite. The fact that information can be stored online, and is thus accessible from any number of locations is tremendous progress. I think that some will be reluctant to switch to completely online storage, but the benefits for collaboration will hopefully outweigh this fear for some.
I was talking to my brother, an engineer for a very large company, about the wikis that I was having my seventh graders create. He said that he was on a team of 10 people who were providing training on wikis and other forms of collaboration to the top 250 partners in his firm. I told him that he should mention my wiki, he politely said that he would skip that detail!
One of our assignments was to use Linux this week, and I have been using a very small laptop that runs Linux. Honestly, I have not noticed a difference in operating systems. I am really only using the computer as a vehicle to get to the internet, therefore the operating system has not affected me. I could use its open office suite, but I already use GoogleDocs, and, I have not had the need to use any other functions in the last handful of days that I have been using the Linux laptop.
However, I do see operating systems changing to meet the improved Web 2.0 tools, and other such programs. I do think that operating sytems will change with the thin clients that are out there. As the server begins to do more and more, the operating system will continue to be more and more simplified.
I was talking to my brother, an engineer for a very large company, about the wikis that I was having my seventh graders create. He said that he was on a team of 10 people who were providing training on wikis and other forms of collaboration to the top 250 partners in his firm. I told him that he should mention my wiki, he politely said that he would skip that detail!
One of our assignments was to use Linux this week, and I have been using a very small laptop that runs Linux. Honestly, I have not noticed a difference in operating systems. I am really only using the computer as a vehicle to get to the internet, therefore the operating system has not affected me. I could use its open office suite, but I already use GoogleDocs, and, I have not had the need to use any other functions in the last handful of days that I have been using the Linux laptop.
However, I do see operating systems changing to meet the improved Web 2.0 tools, and other such programs. I do think that operating sytems will change with the thin clients that are out there. As the server begins to do more and more, the operating system will continue to be more and more simplified.
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