Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between hardware and software.
Students should understand the difference between software and hardware as well as how they interact:
When most people think of a computer, they think of computer hardware. The mouse, the monitor, the keyboard - these are all pieces of hardware. Software, on the other hand, cannot be seen. Software is the code that the computer runs on. Machine code, assembly code, and written code are examples of software.
Students will be able to discern between a computer’s hardware and software. This will allow them to further their understanding of computers and isolate issues that may arise with everyday computer usage.
Apply troubleshooting strategies to identify and solve routine hardware and software problems that occur during everyday computer use.
Students should understand troubleshooting, a systematic approach to problem solving that is often used to find and resolve a problem, error, or fault within software or a computer system. Students should be able to apply basic troubleshooting skills for common problems that they may encounter.
Troubleshooting is a logical thinking process/method that helps discover the source of an error.
Students will be able to learn troubleshooting techniques that they can use in computers and their everyday lives. This will enable students to understand how a problem arises and not just the symptoms of this problem. Troubleshooting will also help with critical thinking as students must understand a deeper level of knowledge to an issue.
Describe the major components and functions of computer systems and network.
Students should be able to understand how a network passes information through routers, and how information is passed from one node to another inside a network. They should have a basic framework of how a server facilitates a connection. Students should also understand the difference between data and information. They should understand how a computer chooses the best specific path(s) along a network.
A computer network is like a tree or web that connects multiple computers with each other. There are both wired and wireless connections.
Students are able to understand how information is communicated through a network, applicable to all networks. They will be able to use this information to build their own networks, as well as use already existing networks to their greatest capability. They will also understand the problems that may occur in already existing communication networks.
Describe what distinguishes humans from machines focusing on human intelligence versus machine intelligence and ways we can communicate. As well as ways in which computers use models of intelligent behavior (e.g., robot motion, speech and language understanding, and computer vision).
Students should understand that computers differ from people in several meaningful, important, and relatively easy-to-distinguish ways. They should have a basic understanding of the main difference between a neural network, and know that computers don't normally use these processes to handle information. Students should have a basic understanding of how computers learn, and they should understand that a computer cannot feel emotion: a computer can only simulate emotion that human programmers code into it.
Artificial intelligence is built by humans to mimic human behavior not the structure of the brain, which is analog not digital like a computer. Artificial intelligence is built upon pattern recognition over lots and lots of data. Artificial intelligence is much less pliable than human intelligence, being designed to learn just one thing. Artificial intelligence also lacks the bias attached to human decision making.
Students will understand the fundamental differences between humans and machines, as well as the ways that machines can manipulate their emotions. They should understand that emotions are the most valuable asset of humans, and that they are fundamentally unquantifiable as far as we know.