Check what you know. Brush up on the big ideas.
Big ideas
Do this: Read each idea. Think about what makes your Chromebook a computer.
A computer follows programs to work with data. A program is a set of instructions a computer can carry out. Computers can take in data, work with it, show results, and keep it for later.
A general-purpose computer can run different programs for different tasks. Your Chromebook can help you write a report, calculate a total, or make a presentation.
An embedded computer is built into another device to do a particular job. A programmed controller inside a microwave follows instructions to control its cooking cycle.
A paper notebook keeps your writing, but it does not electronically carry out a program. Keeping marks alone does not make it a computer.
A computer does not need to look like a laptop. A game console follows game instructions, responds to controls, and produces pictures and sound. A keyboard is not what makes it a computer.
Do this: Read the example. Explain why changing tasks does not need a different computer.
Mina writes a club announcement on her Chromebook. Then she uses a spreadsheet to add the club's supply costs. The physical computer stays the same. Different programs give it different instructions. This is a general-purpose computer doing two school tasks. Mina's paper notebook can hold her plan, but it does not run those programs.
Do this: Name the clue that matters more than the computer's shape.
Do not say something is a computer just because it has a keyboard or screen. Look for program instructions working with data. An embedded computer can be hidden inside another device.
Big ideas
Do this: Read each job. Say what action would count as an example.
Input brings data or commands into a computer system. Typing a number or tapping a control gives the system something to work with.
Processing follows instructions to work with data. Adding numbers or comparing two values is processing. Just showing the answer is a different job.
Output communicates a result. Showing text, playing a sound, or printing a page are ways to send results out.
Storage keeps data or programs for later use. Saving a file is storage. Seeing a result on screen is not proof that a file has been saved.
These are four roles, not four steps that every program does once in order. A program can take input and show output many times before saving. One device can have more than one role.
Do this: Read the story. Match each bold action to its job word.
Owen plans pencils for two club tables. He types 7 and 5 into a spreadsheet on his Chromebook: input. The spreadsheet adds them to get 12: processing. The screen shows 12: output. The file is saved for the next meeting: storage. Adding and showing are separate actions, even when they happen quickly.
Do this: Explain the difference between detecting a tap and showing a menu.
A touchscreen is not only an input device or only an output device. Detecting your tap is input. Showing a menu is output. Classify the action in the question instead of giving the device just one label.
Big ideas
Do this: Read each idea. Explain what you would need to know about a number before using it.
Data are values represented in a form we can work with. They can be numbers, typed characters, or sound samples. A number by itself may not tell you what it measures.
Information is the meaning you get by interpreting data in context. Context tells you what the data are about. The number 18 could mean chairs, minutes, or a room number. You need that detail to use it correctly.
Putting values in a table with clear labels can make their meaning easier to see. Sorting or adding numbers is not enough on its own. You still need to know what the numbers stand for.
Hardware means the physical parts of a computer system, such as a keyboard or screen. The keyboard can take in your data. The screen can show a result.
Software means programs and instructions. A spreadsheet app follows instructions to work with your values. Hardware and software work together, but the screen is not the app.
Do this: Read the example. Find the data, the context, and the useful conclusion.
Nia types two counts into a Chromebook spreadsheet: 18 people attending and 15 chairs available. Each person needs one chair. The numbers are data. The labels give context. Subtracting gives 18 - 15 = 3, so the club needs 3 more chairs. That meaning is information Nia can use. The keyboard is hardware; the spreadsheet app is software.
Do this: Explain why putting two numbers in a neat row does not tell their whole story.
Data are not always numbers, and information is not just data in a prettier table. You need context and interpretation. Also, the physical screen is hardware. A button drawn on that screen belongs to the software interface; it is not another physical button.
Big ideas
Do this: Read each job. Then explain the difference without looking.
The CPU carries out a program's instructions. For example, it follows the instructions to calculate a total. RAM does not do that calculation for it.
RAM holds the data and instructions being used right now. It is working memory. Ordinary RAM is volatile: it loses its contents when power is off.
Persistent storage keeps saved files and programs when power is off. Persistent means it lasts beyond the current session, not that it lasts forever. Deletion or damage can still lose a file.
Seeing an edit on your screen does not prove that edit was saved. Some apps save automatically. Check the save status and reopen the intended file to check the saved copy.
Do this: Read the story. Point out the saved version and the unsaved change.
Nia edits a club poster on a Chromebook. The CPU follows editing instructions using data in RAM. She saves a copy to the Chromebook's storage and checks it. She then adds a star, but this change is not saved anywhere. If the Chromebook shuts down now, for example because the battery runs out, RAM loses its contents. The saved poster remains in storage, but that copy has no star. In an app with autosave, she would check what actually saved before deciding what was lost.
Do this: Say which part keeps a file after power is off.
More RAM gives more working space. It does not replace the CPU or add room to persistent storage. A file in storage can survive power being off. Work held only in RAM cannot.
Big ideas
Do this: Read each point. Find an example of input and output on your Chromebook.
An input device sends data or commands into a computer. A keyboard sends the letters you type. A microphone captures sound. A touchscreen senses your tap. Here, a device can be any piece of equipment, not only your computer.
An output device communicates a result. A display shows a picture. Speakers play sound. A touchscreen is both input and output: sensing a tap and showing a picture are different actions.
A peripheral is equipment connected to a computer for jobs such as input, output, or storage. An external keyboard, printer, or storage drive can be a peripheral. It is not the CPU.
A physical port is a socket where a matching plug connects equipment. A port label is a clue, not a promise that every device will work. Compatibility means the equipment can work together for the task.
A wireless connection carries data without a cable between the connected devices. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi use radio signals. Wireless equipment still needs power and compatible connections. Use only connections your teacher approves.
Do this: Read the clues. Explain why the equipment fits the job.
Tavi needs to record a book review on a Chromebook and listen to it. The supplied equipment card says the microphone and headphones work with this Chromebook's connections. The microphone captures Tavi's voice, so it is input. The headphones play the recording, so they are output. The card gives compatibility evidence. Tavi uses the teacher-approved equipment, not a guess based only on the shape of a plug.
Do this: Explain what you would check after looking at the port label.
A plug fitting a port does not prove that the connection supports your task. Check the supplied compatibility information. If that information is missing, ask your teacher. Do not assume an adapter will solve it or change school equipment yourself.
Big ideas
Do this: Read the steps. Explain why one good number is not enough.
Start with what the task requires. Does it need sound input, picture output, saved-file space, or a particular connection? Include any spending limit and whether you need files without the Internet.
A specification, or spec, describes a device's features. Use the supplied card to check each requirement. Compatibility means the equipment works together for this task. Do not guess about missing capabilities or adapters.
Capacity means how much data something can hold. Storage capacity is room for saved files. RAM capacity is working space, not extra room for an archive. Compare file sizes using the same unit.
Speed describes how fast work happens. A larger storage capacity does not prove a computer calculates faster. More RAM does not automatically make every task faster either. You need evidence about the task, not just a bigger number.
Cloud storage keeps files on someone else's computers, reached over the Internet. Those computers are real equipment, often in data centers. Local storage is on your device. A cloud file showing on screen is not proof you have a saved local copy for offline use.
For the practice here, use 1 GB = 1000 MB. A problem will say when to ignore overhead, the extra space a device or file format uses for itself. Add the file sizes, then compare with the available space. Capacity is a limit, not a speed score.
Do this: Check the space first. Then check the other requirements.
Ivo needs to keep two club recordings, 600 MB and 900 MB, on a teacher-approved drive for a Chromebook. The limit is $16. For these fictional cards, use 1 GB = 1000 MB and ignore overhead. Card A costs $12, has 1 GB, and is confirmed compatible. Card B costs $15, has 2 GB, and is confirmed compatible. The files total 1500 MB. A has only 1000 MB, so it fails. B has 2000 MB, leaving 500 MB, and meets the price and compatibility requirements. Choose B. Nothing here proves B is faster.
Do this: Name two things that a large capacity does not prove.
A large storage capacity does not prove speed or compatibility. Cloud storage adds a place for saved files, not RAM inside your Chromebook. If the task needs a file offline, do not assume a cloud copy is already saved locally. Check the stated requirements and what is actually available.
