Mrs. Krieger's Computer Lab 
Email: krieger@teacher.com

8th Grade Computer History: Lesson Four
Technology Required:  Computer Lab, Internet Access, Projector

Content Areas: Technology, History, Language Arts

Lesson Description: Computer Era (1940's to today)
1.  By now students have been exposed to a variety of people and concepts that have all led up to the computer.  So, as we are making our way through the different eras, students should be in the middle of designing their slides for the Power Point project.  They will be presenting these in small groups during the following class.    

2.  During this last era, students should see the changes that have been made over the past decades and the how the modern computer has progressed.  The following are the key ideas from the Computer Era:
A.  First Generation Computers-ENIAC and Mark 1.  These had memory and could perform mathematical problems in one minute, but they were very large and expensive to build.  These operated using vacuum tubes. 

B.  Second Generation Computers- These computers were built in the late 1950's and 1960's.  They used transistors, and therefore were less expensive to build, smaller and faster. 

C.  Third Generation Computers- These were built in the late 1960's and early 1970's.  Mini-computers were designed for business use, had fewer parts, used less electricity and were more affordable.

D.  Fourth Generation Computers- These came around in the late 1980's and are the personal PC's we have in front of us.  They use micro-processors to operate and are much more reliable than the previous generations.  Apple and IBM are the major manufactures of the computers.  These are able to perform a variety of functions. 

E.  Fifth Generation:  The future!

3.  After reviewing the basis for each generation, students will be asked to think about the major ideas that have been discussed in the previous lessons and write a brief essay describing what they think will happen to the computers in the future.  They will email me their responses using their student accounts. 

4.  Students will finish PowerPoint projects! 

5. I will begin discussing the WebQuest which will serve as the concluding project for the unit.  

Evaluation: I will read the student responses from the future assignment and listen to their responses from the discussion.
            

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