Tech Fundamentals

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Brendon Thiede

Student Goals

  • Understand the basics of how computers work
  • Differentiate between hardware and software
  • Understand how computers use files
  • Start experimenting with the command line

Icebreaker

What's one thing you used a computer for this week?

No wrong answers - curiosity beats correctness!

What is a Computer?

Hardware

The physical parts you can touch

  • Keyboard & Mouse
  • Screen / Monitor
  • CPU (the "brain")
  • Memory (RAM)
  • Storage (hard drive / SSD)
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/howcomputerswork.html Example diagram of computer components

Software

The instructions that tell hardware what to do

  • Operating System (Windows, Mac, Linux)
  • Apps & Programs
  • Games
  • Websites

Activity: Hardware or Software?

  • Webcam
  • Chrome Browser
  • Headphones
  • Minecraft
  • USB Drive
  • YouTube

Files, Folders, and Extensions

How computers organize stuff

What is a File?

  • A container for information
  • Has a name and an extension
  • Example: notes.txt

Remember: Files don't do anything until a program reads them!

File Extensions

The part after the dot tells the computer what kind of file it is

  • .txt - Plain text
  • .jpg / .png - Images
  • .mp3 - Audio
  • .mp4 - Video
  • .html - Web page

Folders (Directories)

Containers that hold files and other folders

Like folders in a filing cabinet!

Activity: Create Your First Folder

  1. Create a folder called Tech-Workshop-1
  2. Inside it, create notes.txt
  3. Create another file called about-me.txt

Text Editors vs Word Processors

Plain Text

  • Just the characters - nothing else
  • What you see is what's stored
  • Used for code, config files, notes
  • Examples: Notepad, VS Code, nano

Rich Text (Word Processors)

  • Text + hidden formatting codes
  • Bold, fonts, colors, images
  • Great for documents, NOT for code
  • Examples: Microsoft Word, Google Docs

Why Does This Matter?

Code needs to be exactly what you type

Hidden formatting breaks code!

Always use a text editor for programming

🎉 Break Time! 🎉

Stretch, move around, grab some water

Back in 10 minutes!

Would you rather...

  • Have unlimited battery, or unlimited storage?
  • Always win your favorite video game, or find new games all the time?
  • Have a program that works, but you can't understand it, or a program you understand, but doesn't work?

What is Code?

Computers Are Literal

They do exactly what you tell them

No more, no less

They can't guess what you meant!

Code = Precise Instructions

Like a recipe, but even more specific

  • Step by step
  • In order
  • No assumptions

Activity: Human Computer

  • Programmer
  • Computer
  • Observer

Draw a house

Errors Are Normal!

  • Every programmer makes mistakes
  • Errors help us learn
  • Practice specificity

The Terminal

Talking directly to your computer

What is a Terminal?

  • A text-based way to control your computer
  • Type commands, get results
  • Very powerful!
  • Promotes repeatability

Your First Commands


pwd

"Print Working Directory" - Where am I?

Your First Commands


ls

"List" - What's in this folder?

Your First Commands


echo 'Hello, computer!'

Print a message back to you!

Activity: Try It!

  1. Open a terminal
  2. Type pwd and press Enter
  3. Type ls and press Enter
  4. Type echo 'Hello!' and press Enter

What did you see?

Wrap-Up

What We Learned

  • Hardware vs Software
  • Files, Folders, and Extensions
  • Plain Text vs Rich Text
  • Code = Precise Instructions
  • Basic Terminal Commands

Reflection

One thing I learned...

One thing I'm curious about...

Opportunities to go Deeper

Coming Up Next

You'll tell the computer what to do...

with JavaScript!

QR Code

https://lansingtechstudio.org/workshops/SETUP

Questions?

Thank you!