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Introduction and context
It is difficult to imagine ICT without hardware. Properly working
hardware is fundamental to the delivery and use of ICT and yet
to many people a PC is a magic box that cannot be opened or fixed
without breaking someone’s warranty. An understanding of assembling
computer hardware is an essential prerequisite of GNVQ and AVCE
courses delivered at key stage 4 and 5. This is a photographic
resources which has been used to support that part of the curriculum
Development
In truth PC’s are relatively simple devices that conform to international
standards and are easily repaired by anyone with a cross head
screwdriver and a degree of patience. The target audience of this
training kit will range from teachers to ICT support to students
themselves. The writer has worked in three schools where virtually
every PC was build and maintained in house, often by students
themselves. This has three main advantages:
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Students
have better learning outcomes (especially if they are encouraged
to be involved in the assembly process). What better way to
learn about the purpose of individual components of a PC?
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Virtually
no vandalism by students – when students are involved in the
manufacture they seem to take more care over the equipment
-
Computers
are fixed more quickly – with a culture of self help within
the school and less reliance n outside agencies, computers
are fixed and stay fixed for longer which means that more
ICT teaching can happen
-
Huge
cost savings in purchase and maintenance – typically the labour
cost of actually building a PC is about £50. An additional
advantage is that it is often possible to specify cutting
edge technology at the same cost of PC’s bought off the shelf
which may be several generations of hardware development out
of date. This means better future proofing and better performance
for the same financial outlay
Conclusion
and Rationale
Assembling PC’s can seem a daunting task to the uninitiated. However
it is an activity greatly appreciated by students and very satisfying
to adult learners. Although initial outlay is high (but money
that would be spent anyway) it is easy to justify on financial
and educational grounds. A picture tells a thousand words and
we learn more by doing than by seeing or hearing. The pedagogic
approach is to give the students a more practical experience which
would then lead to a better understanding of the components in
a PC, their function and their interrelationships. This activity
is suitable for learners with a wide range of existing ICT skills
– I have successfully completed such sessions with absolute novices
both with students and adult learners, the key to successful completion
to conduct the session in a very structured manner. The resource
should be sufficiently detailed that it should enable anyone seeing
it to build a PC successfully. |
