Computer+History+Project

Technology changes and grows rapidly. Just think about your cell phone. Unless you just upgraded it, you already have your eye on the latest and greatest model. Computers rapidly change as well. In this project, you will choose a storage system device from the examples Saint Paul Lutheran High School has collected over the years. You will create a project to present to the class using the applications you have learned about this semester.

For this project, you are to choose a computer storage system, research it, and present it to the class. You need to submit your choice with Mrs. Ivie before beginning this project. Some of the available choices for this presentation are:
 * Punch Card
 * Microfiche
 * Aperture Cards
 * Punch Tape
 * Magnetic Ink
 * Data Tape
 * Magnetic Tape
 * Floppy Disk
 * Diskette
 * Zip Drive
 * CD
 * Flash Drive
 * SD Card
 * Micro SD Card
 * Hard Drives
 * RAM

For your presentation, you can choose to use one of the following programs you have studied in this course:
 * Google Slides
 * Google Sites
 * Prezi

Your finished project must include the following:
 * Pictures
 * Tagxedo
 * Google Form - This form will be a quiz over your presentation. You will need to share the form and results with me.
 * To link this form, go to bit.ly and past the URL for the live form in the shorten link box. Click "Shorten". Copy the shortened link into your project.
 * Bibliography - Tell me what sources you used for your information. You must have at least 3 sources.

You will need to have 9 of the following facts in your project:
 * Advantages and Disadvantages Comparison
 * What made your device good when it was first invented?
 * What wasn't so great about your device?
 * Dimensions of your device
 * What sizes were/are available?
 * How has the size of your device changed over time?
 * Storage Capacity
 * How much memory does/did it have?
 * How did the capacity change over time?
 * Durability
 * How difficult is it to destroy?
 * How easy is it to destroy?
 * Portability
 * Can it be moved?
 * How easy is it to move?
 * Advancements in your device as technology improved
 * What changed as technology advanced?
 * Historical Context
 * What was going on in the world when your device was invented and used?
 * Dates in which your device was used
 * When was your device invented?
 * When were improved versions of your device invented?
 * What improvements does this device have over previous devices?
 * Cost over time
 * What did it cost when it was first invented?
 * What did it cost a few years later?
 * Price per MB
 * When it was first invented, how much did a megabyte cost? You might have to convert what its capacity to megabytes to do this calculation.
 * Weight over time
 * What did the first version weigh?
 * What did it weigh a few years later?
 * Weight per MB
 * When it was first invented, how much did a megabyte weigh? You might have to convert what its capacity to megabytes to do this calculation.
 * Word Size
 * A word in computing is the unit of data used by a specific processor design. Common word sizes today are 128 bit, 64 bit, and 32 bit words. Older devices might have 16, or 8 bit words.
 * Volatility
 * The volatility of a device tells us about its memory. If a device is volatile, it will lose the information stored when it loses power. If a device is non-volatile, it will retain its memory without power.
 * How is information written to your device?
 * Can information be re-written?
 * How is information stored read?
 * Speed
 * How quickly is information written and retrieved?
 * Discovery/ technique led to its invention
 * System Requirements
 * OS
 * Connections
 * Interface
 * Equipment required
 * Other options may be cleared with Mrs. Ivie

Click here to view the rubric for this project.