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This is the video clip for the AEDT1120U,
Foundations of Digital Teaching and Learning Technologies course
from UOIT.
And the title this video clip is, "Programmable Devices Concept."
The Analysis Questions for this video clip are as follows.
Number one, what are mainframe computers?
And then do a search for ENIAC and UNIVAC
and determine what were their roles in mainframe computer development.
Number two, why is the ability to program a device
a significant improvement over previous devices?
Number three, what is programming and what are programming languages?
Number four, what is the role of the CPU in a computer?
And why would some consider the CPU,
the central processing unit, to be a computer,
and all other functions and devices are peripherals?
The following two clips outline some of the more important
historical evolutionary ideas pertaining to mainframe computers.
While it is expected that you will explore
some of the technical features and issues that arose along the way,
the treatment in this session and in succeeding sessions
will focus on concepts that ha- will have a bearing
on the use of computers and their derivative technologies
in teaching and learning environments and contexts.
The idea of mainframes as large computers
arose early in the history of computers
as the mechanical and electrical components
were large and expensive,
and they consumed a large amount of en- electricity to power the device.
Reports about the lights of Philadelphia dimming
when ENIAC was first turned on are easy to find.
Initially, mainframes consisted of one central processing unit,
a CPU, with various peripherals.
Subsequent models, including machines made
by companies such as IBM, International Business Machines,
Remington, later called Sperry Rand,
Burroughs, Digital Equipment Corporation or DEC,
Cray, and others
increased in speed and computing power
by increasing the speed of the CPU
and then incorporating multiple processors
that worked in parallel to each other.
Please see sites such as The History of Mainframe Computer, 2008,
and the URL is given on the, uh, slide,
and Mainframe Computer, 2012, retrieved from Wikipedia,
and, uh, you will get the URL in the presentation that is included
in the Blackboard portion of this course.
Initial computing devices such as Charles Babbage's Analytic Engine
were designed as calculators that used mechanical gears.
This is similar to having mechanical devices
that have one purpose, such as a wristwatch.
Many people are currently beginning to reconsider the idea
of wearing a wristwatch as a way of keeping track of time
and made taking to w- wearing one only as a fashion accessory.
The more attractive alternative is to have a cell or smart phone
that not only tells time,
but can also be used as a, an alarm clock,
a communication device,
and a means of aggregating, filtering, and connecting information.
One of the major differences between a watch and a cell phone,
or a computer is, uh, due to the ability of cell phones
to be programmed to perform a myriad of different tasks,
or to become a vari- wide variety of tools.
Programming essentially entails providing the computer
a series of commands or calculations,
since the computer at its most basic level
is only capable of doing simple addition calculations
that are required to be carried out.
As the capabilities of the machine increased,
the sophistication of the command structure
increased as well.
Programming of computers was ligin- originally carried out
by physically rewiring the machine, as in the case of very early computers.
Soon other methods of incom- inputting the commands were found,
these included the use of ca- punch cards,
paper tape, which relied on the absence
or presence of holes in the card, stock, or the paper
to represent zeros or ones,
the digital language used to structure the commands
so that the computer can understand it.
Quickly it was found that magnetic tape and discs could be used.
The orientation, or changing the charged particle
from a North-South or to a South-North, uh, orientation
could be interpreted as digital values of zero or one.
The charged particles required far less space than holes on paper,
and could be tected- b- be detected by a reader far quicker,
allowing for faster load or boot times.
For much of the history of computers,
we'll be relying on a series of video clips
that have been posted on YouTube.
In this case, we'll be making use of a five part series called,
"G.I.G.O. Garbage in, Garbage Out, Computer History – A British View."
The series was produced in 1969, so it is a little dated,
but it does a good job of covering much of the required territory.
Note the personal reactions
that are reported at the beginning of the clip.
Reflect on the question of, "how valid are the views that are expressed
when viewed from 2012?"
In part one, the series covers topics such as early uses of computers
for the control of manufacturing processes,
or finance and accounting, or airline scheduling,
and finally, health analysis.
Computers are defined as general purpose machines
that process information
that can be pro- uh, programmed for specific use,
and an explanation of binary functions is given.
So please take look, take a look at
"G.I.G.O. Garbage in, Garbage Out, Computer History – A British View"
and the URL is given on the slide,
and it will be provided in the presentation,
uh, PDF in Blackboard as well.
Following the previous, uh, video clip,
I'd like you to take a look at Part Two of the same series.
In Part Two of the "G.I.G.O.
Garbage in, Garbage Out, C- Computer History – A British View,"
the components of a mainframe are described.
Reflect on the extent to which the components
still exist in modern computers.
Computer inputs are described and, uh, the ones that are described,
uh, i- in the video clip are punch cards,
paper tape, and magnetic tape.
Memory is talked about, uh, specifically random access memory or RAM,
and, uh, it functions as an information store.
Intermediate memory is also talked about,
and this could be viewed from the perspective
of read only memory or ROM, R, O, M,
and, uh, this can be found in terms of hard disks
in the present, uh, computers.
The third component is, uh, a logic unit,
uh, binary adder only, so it can only add.
So you'd have to do some, uh, interesting, uh, manipulations
in order to be able to get it to, uh, do multiplications
and divisions, et cetera.
Output. Um, usually this was done initially
anyways on a high-speed printer, and then finally a control unit.
So it controls the sequence of information
that is going to be processed.
The video clip also describes the functioning
of computer instructions or programs, system analysis functions
using flowcharts to determine the logical operations
which are required.
It talks a little bit about programming language, languages,
and, uh, there are some examples of high-level languages
that you might be familiar with, Fortran, COBOL, Watcom,
and, uh, the ones that I originally learned, uh, APL,
which is, which stands for "A Programming Language,"
or PL1, Programming Language One.
Uh, and then there are compilers which are built into, uh, computers.
Essentially, these are language translators
designed to transfer high level language, uh, code
into binary code, which is what the computer understands.
So please take a look at "G.I.G.O. Garbage in, Garbage Out,
Computer History – A British View, Part Two,"
and the, uh, URL is given on the presentation in Blackboard.
An additional series that, uh, you might want to take a look at,
um, and this is not required,
but you might want to take a look at this.
So this page will provide links to another series
that looks at mainframe development from another perspective.
Um, and, uh, it's entitled, "The Big Iron – Mainframe Story,"
and there's a five part series
that, uh, essentially follows through a number of decades
since the 1960s.
That brings us to the Synthesis Questions
for this video clip, and they are as follows.
Number one, what is the relationship between Moore's law
and the continued development of CPUs?
You'll have to look up Moore's law and what that stands for.
Why is this important for anyone who uses digital technologies?
Number two, what are mainframes used for,
and how has this usage changed over time?
Why has it changed?
Number three, why do some portions of the population
react negatively to the introduction of computers?
What are the implications of this for the use of digital technologies
for adult education?
And number four, how has the concept
of p- programmable devices changed the world?
What are the implications for adult education?
That brings us to the end of this video clip.
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