Tech Fundamentals - 2 hour Workshop

Audience: Beginners with little to no programming experience
Theme: “How computers actually work, and how you control them”

1. Workshop Goals

By the end of this workshop, every student should be able to:

  • Explain (in simple terms) what a computer does and how software fits in
  • Comfortably use:
    • A web browser
    • A file system (folders, files, extensions)
    • A text editor (vs word processor)
  • Understand what code is, even if they don’t write much yet
  • Successfully run a few simple commands in a terminal or web-based shell
  • Leave feeling confident, curious, and not intimidated

This workshop is about confidence and mental models, not speed or depth.

2. Success Definition (Student-Facing)

A student is successful if they can say:

“I know what code is, where it lives, how computers run it, and I’m not afraid to try.”

3. Environment & Tooling Strategy

Primary Path (Preferred)

  • Local laptop
    • Windows: File Explorer + Notepad / VS Code (if installed)
    • Chromebook:
      • Chrome browser
      • Linux enabled or
    • Browser-only fallback

Fallback Path (Guaranteed)

  • Browser-based editor:
    • GitHub Codespaces (browser-based; be mindful of free quota limits)

4. 2-Hour Agenda (Minute-by-Minute)

0:00–0:10 - Welcome & Comfort Icebreaker

Low-pressure, introvert-friendly

  • Prompt (verbal or written):

    • “What’s one thing you’ve used a computer for this week?”

  • Emphasize:
    • No wrong answers
    • No one is behind
    • Curiosity beats correctness

0:10–0:30 - What Is a Computer, Really?

Conceptual, visual, interactive

Topics:

  • Hardware vs Software
  • CPU = thinking
  • Memory = short-term notes
  • Storage = long-term memory
  • Programs = instructions
    • Interesting programs need data. How does data get from storage to memory to CPU?

Activity:

  • Paper exercise:

    • “Circle which of these are hardware vs software”

  • Analogy-based discussion (recipes, LEGO instructions, game rules)

0:30–0:50 - Files, Folders, and Extensions

Hands-on

Teach:

  • What a file is
  • What a folder is
  • Why .txt, .html, .js, .py matter
  • Why computers care about extensions

Activity:

  • Create a folder:

    Tech-Workshop-1/
  • Inside it:
    • notes.txt
    • about-me.txt
  • Rename files and observe behavior

Key takeaway:

“Files don’t do anything until a program reads them.”

0:50–1:10 - Text Editors vs Word Processors

Critical distinction

Explain:

  • Why Word should not be used for coding
  • What plain text is
  • Why “rich” formatting breaks code

Activity:

  • Open a file in:
    • Word (or Docs)
    • Plain text editor
    • od -c
  • Compare invisible formatting

1:10–1:20 - Break

  • Encourage movement
  • Optional puzzle or riddle on paper

1:20–1:40 - What Is Code?

Mental model first

Teach:

  • Code = instructions
  • Computers are literal
  • Programs run “top-to-bottom”
  • Errors are normal

Demonstration:

  • Human “computer” game:
    • Students give overly vague instructions
    • Instructor follows them exactly
    • Debrief on misunderstandings

1:40–1:55 - First Terminal Experience

Zero intimidation

Teach:

  • What a terminal/command line is
  • Why it exists

    It’s just another, more direct way to talk to the computer

Commands to teach:

pwd
ls
echo 'Hello, computer!'

1:55–2:00 - Wrap-Up & Teaser

  • What they now know
  • How this leads into JavaScript
  • Celebrate effort, not mastery

5. Printed Student Handouts

Handout 1: Vocabulary (Fill-in-the-Blank)

  • Hardware
  • Software
  • File
  • Folder
  • Code
  • Program
  • Terminal

Handout 2: File System Map

  • Draw your folder tree
  • Label file types
  • Handout 3: Reflection
  • “One thing I learned…”
  • “One thing I’m curious about…”

6. Instructor Guardrails

  • Never type for a student
  • Normalize mistakes out loud
  • Repeat: “This is new - it’s supposed to feel weird”
  • If a student is stuck ask: “What do you think the computer thinks?”

7. Bridge to Workshop #2 (JavaScript Basics)

End with:

“The next workshop will give you the chance to tell the computer what to do using JavaScript”

Show a single-line preview, no explanation yet:

console.log("I wrote code!");

8. Overarching Goals

  • Reduce fear before complexity
  • Build shared vocabulary
  • Work across Windows & Chromebooks
  • Scale to mixed experience levels
  • Set a clean runway for JavaScript