This computer class is the first of many for me here at Mt SAC, since being unemployed I needed to start learning new things, I’ve always been interested in computers throughout my life, and now is the perfect opportunity for me to start this new journey. Going into this class Understanding Computers, I thought I had a pretty good feeling on the knowledge that I have learned throughout the years, the class has tought me a lot more and really opened up my eyes on getting a career in computer technology.
The topics that were meaningful to me, was first the system unit, starting with the coding systems that are used to represent numeric, text based, and multimedia data. And learning all about the binary numbering system, I had no idea about the numbering system which only uses two symbols, digits 0 and 1. Learning the steps it takes to perform system maintenance, making the computer run more efficiently, to upgrading the current system, which might include a second hard drive, upgrading the video card or maybe just getting a better internet connection that would work better.
Knowing system software is a big part of computing, I’ve only been around one operation system, which is Windows, and of course it’s been great to me since that is all I’ve know up until now, getting the opportunity to learn Linux operating system was a good learning experience, I downloaded it to my system, which I can now choose from either Vista or Linux upon start-up. It has a lot of the same features that Windows carries, even the photo shop program is similar as well. Using Open office was another program I was unaware of, which is a free download off the internet that can produce the same results as Microsoft Office.
I’ve always wanted to get more knowledge on computer networks, since they are every where you go. In the past I’ve had little experience in networks. Since telecommuting for work, they had us set-up our own network at home. The class has taught me about the different types of networks, which include star, bus, ring, and mesh networks, to all the types of LAN’s, WAN’s, MAN’s and personal area networks. Knowing about bandwidth is very important if one day you want to create or maintain a webpage, bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted over the internet, the higher the bandwidth the faster the data travels.
One final topic that was meaningful to me was internet security. You cannot own a computer and not have internet security unless you never go online. I learned things like war driving, which is defined by people driving around a neighborhood trying to pick up a Wi-Fi signal from a laptop in their car. To a bonnet which is a PC that is controlled by a hacker, they create spam and can steal your identity information online from your computer. The biometric system is an identifying system to recognize a person by hand, face, eye, or fingerprint. We are seeing more of these advancements everywhere from fingerprint recognition system for a computer log on, to the face recognition at airports; these systems are a great way to identify people but are also brewing up some controversy with it.
In conclusion these topics are only a few samples of what I have learned, in understanding computers today and tomorrow. It has really motivated me to get a career going in this field; I plan on getting my certificate in computer technology and one day getting a degree. Since we can’t go a day without running into a computer, this technology will only get bigger so I want to learn as much possible to advance myself in life. My hope now is I can find a job doing something I enjoy.
My Assignment Links
Cpu
Multimedia
Linux
Storage
Bibliography