APPLIED BUSINESS TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Course Code HPC-5 Week/Day Week 1

Course Description
Lesson Topic
Learning Outcome/s
Values Integration
Reference/s
Course Coach/Module
Developer
Applied Business Tools and Technologies Duration 1 Week
Basic Computing Concepts Lesson No. 1
1. Develop knowledge on the information processing cycle of a computer
2. Familiarize the different components of a computer system.
Service-oriented Learning
“A unique visual step-by-step guide to computers, coding, and communication”, Dorling Kindersley
Limited, 2018.
Claire O. Carpio

A. ACTIVATION OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Activity 1: Computers are essential for the functioning of government, society, national and international businesses
and institutions. Perhaps we can’t run the modern world without computers. List your daily activities that would be
hard/impossible without the aid of computer. Write your answer on the answer sheet found on page 10.

B. Engagement in Relevant Content and Appropriate Why study computer science?

Learning Activity/Activities
▷ No limits

People without computing skills are limited to using the

Read and develop an understanding on each section as
discussed in this module. At the end of this module you
will be asked to work on an activity and answer a short
evaluation. Good luck and have a fun learning.
websites, apps, and games that are already available.
People with computing skills, on the other hand, are in a
position to turn their ideas into reality, and to make the
things that will shape the future of computers.

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

OVERVIEW: Welcome to the first module of this course

on Introduction to Computing. This first chapter is a
general introduction that introduces important computing
concepts. Hopefully, at the end of this module you will
understand and appreciate the importance of computers.

1.1 What is Computer Science?

Digital technology is all around us, giving us access to
information, communication, and entertainment that
would have seemed unimaginable to people 100 years
ago.

Computer science is the study of how this technology ▷ The world is digital
works, from the microchips at the heart of devices, to
The world is becoming increasingly digital. Computers
the code that controls them. Studying computer science
control a lot of the basics of modern life, from paying for
gives young people the tools to understand today’s
things to driving cars, and from hospitals to satellites.
technology and puts them in a position to create the
Here are just a few of the ways in which computers
machines, apps, websites, and services of the future.
control aspects of everyday life.
Rather than being restricted by what others create,
computer science gives students the ability to turn their
own ideas into reality.

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Programming is a large part of computer science, but it
involves more than simply stringing together a list of
commands. Before any code is written, we must think
about what we are trying to achieve in a step-by-step
manner in order to see and overcome problems. We call
this computational thinking, and it can be useful for
things that don’t involve computers at all.
COMPUTERS ARE EVERYWHERE
Programming languages
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Some people wonder which programming language to
learn in order to get a job. However, the most important
skill is learning how to apply computational thinking to a
problem, and then produce a solution that can be
expressed in code. Once a computer scientist is
comfortable solving problems using one programming
language, learning others becomes less intimidating.
Here are some of the most common programming
languages.
Computers are everywhere: at work, at school, and
at home. In the workplace, employees use
computers to create correspondence such as e-mail
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messages, memos, and letters; manage calendars;
calculate payroll; track inventory; and generate
invoices. At school, teachers use computers to
assist with classroom instruction. Students use
computers to complete assignments and research.
People also spend hours of leisure time using a
computer. They play games, communicate with
friends and relatives online and using e-mail,
purchase goods online, converse in chat rooms,
listen to music or radio broadcasts, watch or create
videos and movies, read books and magazines,
share stories, research genealogy, retouch photos,
and plan vacations. At work, at school, and at home,
computers are helping people do their work faster,
more accurately, and in some cases, in ways that
previously would not have been possible.

Some people feel computers are too complex for
them to use without special skills and knowledge.
However, they interact with computers all the time
without necessarily realizing it.
Computers are almost everywhere, not just in the
conventional setup that includes a monitor,
keyboard, and mouse. They are also found in
everyday devices such as mobile phones, lifts,
televisions, and cars. From watching movies to
playing games, and even making dinner, computers
can be used to do almost anything.
All computer processing requires data. Data is a
collection of unprocessed items, which can include
text, numbers, images, audio, and video. Computers
manipulate data to create information. Information
conveys meaning and is useful to people. During the
output operation, the information that has been
created is put into some form, such as a printed
report, or it can be stored on the computer for future
use. As shown in Figure below, a computer
processes several data items to produce a cash
register receipt.

▷ Household devices
Many household devices contain computers.
Selecting a program on a microwave, for example,
actually runs a small program on the computer
embedded in the device.

1.3 INPUT DEVICE

Input: Information provided to the computer by a person,

1.2 What Is a Computer? A computer is an
electronic device, operating under the control of
instructions stored in its own memory, that can
accept data (input), process the data according to
specified rules (process), produce results (output),
and store the results (storage) for future use.
Computers perform four basic operations — input,
process, output, and storage. These operations
comprise the information processing cycle.
the environment, or another computer.
Examples of Input
 words and symbols
 numbers
 pictures
 audio signals from a microphone
 signals from another computer
 temperature, speed, pressures, etc. from
sensors
An input device is any hardware component that allows
you to enter data and instructions into a computer.
Depending on your particular program and

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requirements, the input device you use may vary.
Commonly used input devices are the following:
1. Keyboard - typewriter-like devices that allows
the user to type in text, numeric and execute
commands with the aid of the functional keys on
the keyboard.
A variety of options are available for typing on a
smart phone. Many can display an on-screen
keyboard, where you press the on-screen keys
using your finger or a stylus. A stylus is a small
metal or plastic device that looks like a tiny ink
pen but uses pressure instead of ink. Some
smart phones have one key for each letter of the
alphabet, often called a mini-keyboard. Other
phones have keypads that contain fewer keys
than there are letters in the alphabet. For these
phones, each key on the keypad represents
multiple characters, which are identified on the
key.
2. Mouse and Other Pointing Devices
A mouse is a pointing device that fits
comfortably under the palm of your hand. With a
mouse, users control the movement of the
pointer, which is a small symbol on the screen
whose location and shape change as a user
moves a pointing device. As you move a mouse,
for example, the pointer on the screen also
moves. Generally, you use the mouse to move
the pointer on the screen to an object such as a
button, a menu, an icon, a link, or text. Then,
you press a mouse button to perform a certain
action associated with that object. The bottom of
a mouse is flat and contains a mechanism (ball,
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optical sensor, or laser sensor) that detects
movement of the mouse.
Most notebook computers have a touchpad, a
small, flat, rectangular pointing device near the
keyboard that allows you to move the pointer by
sliding a fingertip on the surface of the pad.
3. Light pen: This is a stylus with a light sensitive
tip that is used to draw directly on a computer is
video screen or to select information on the
screen by pressing a clip in the light pen or by
pressing the light pen against the surface of the
screen. The pen contains light sensors that
identify which portion of the screen it is passed
over. It is mostly used with Laptop.
4. Joystick: a pointing device composed of a lever
that moves in multiple directions to navigate a
cursor or other graphical object on a computer
screen.
5. Optical Scanner: This is light-sensing equipment
that converts images such as a picture or text
into electronic signals that can be manipulated
by a computer. For example, a photograph can
be scanned into a computer and then included
in a text document created on that computer.
The two most common scanner types are the
flatbed scanner, which is similar to an office
photocopier, and the handheld scanner, which is
passed manually across the image to be
processed.
6. Microphone: This is a device for converting
sound into signals that can then be stored,
manipulated, and played back by the computer.
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A voice recognition module is a device that
converts spoken words into information that the
computer can recognize and process.
1.4 COMPUTER PROCESSOR
Processing - manipulation of data.
Examples of Processing
 Arithmetic calculations
 Sorting a list
 Modifying pictures
 Drawing graphs
The system unit is a case that contains electronic
components of the computer used to process data
(Figure 12). System units are available in a variety of
shapes and sizes. The case of the system unit, also
called the chassis, is made of metal or plastic and
protects the internal components from damage.
System Unit
The motherboard, sometimes called a system board, is
the main circuit board of the system unit. Many
electronic components attach to the motherboard; others
are built into it. The motherboard is indispensable to the
computer and provides the main computing capability.
Personal computers normally have one central
processing unit (CPU) on the motherboard.
Motherboard
The processor, also called the central processing unit
(CPU), interprets and carries out the basic instructions
that operate a computer. This is the main brain of the
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computer that accepts data, performs operations on the
data and sends out the result.
Most CPU chips are composed of four functional
sections:
1. Arithmetic Logic Unit: Calculating ability either
arithmetical or logical operations.
2. Registers: Temporary storage areas that hold data,
keep tracks of instruction, and hold the location and
results of these operations.
3. Control Unit: Times and regulates the operation of the
entire computer system, by using its instruction decoder
to read patterns of data in a designated register and
translate the patterns into activities, such as addition or
comparison. It also uses its interrupt input to indicate the
order in which individual operations uses the CPU and
regulates the amount of CPU time allotted to each
operation.
4. Internal Bus: Network of communication lines that
connects the internal elements of the processor and also
leads to external connectors that links the processor to
the other element of the computer.
The main functions of the microprocessor (CPU clips)
includes the following:
a. Control use of the main storage in storing data and
instructions.
b. Control the sequence of operations.
c. Give commands to all parts of the computer system.
d. Carry out processing.
Memory refers to the computer chips that store
information for quick retrieval by the CPU. They are
basically divided into two ROM and RAM.
Random Access Memory (RAM) is used to store
information and instructions that operate the computer’s
programs. Typically, programs are transferred from
storage on a disk drive to RAM. RAM is also known as
volatile memory because the information within the
computer chips is lost when power to the computer is
turned off.
Read-Only Memory (ROM) contains critical information
and software that must be permanently available for
computer operation, such as the operating system that
directs the computer’s actions from start up to shut
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down. ROM is called non-volatile memory because the
memory chips do not lose their information when power
to the computer is turned off.

2. Printers: Information and graphics processed or

produced with the aid of computer are printed
out as hardcopy with the aid of printer. There
are different types of printers; Dot-matrix
1.5 OUTPUT DEVICE printers, Laser printers, Inkjet, etc.
Output: the result produced by a computer after
processing the data.
Examples of Output
 images on a monitor
 printed documents
 sounds
 signals to device controllers

Output device –displays, prints, or transmits the results

after processing. Output devices are hardware
components that convey information to one or more
people. Commonly used output devices include display
devices; printers; speakers, headphones, and ear buds;
and data projectors.
3. Speakers - Output devices that receive signals
from the computer’s sound card to play music,
narration, or sound effects.

1. Display Devices - an output device that visually

conveys text, graphics, and video information. A monitor
is a display device that is packaged as a separate
peripheral. A widely used monitor is an LCD monitor.
The LCD monitor shown in the figure below uses a liquid
crystal display to produce images on the screen. The
surface of the screen of an LCD monitor is composed of
individual picture elements called pixels. Resolution is
the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in a display
device. A higher resolution provides a smoother,
sharper, clearer image.
1.6 STORAGE DEVICE

Storage devices provide permanent storage of

information and programs for retrieval by the computer.

Hard disk drives store information in magnetic particles

Mobile computers such as notebook computers,
including netbooks and Tablet PCs, and mobile devices
such as smart phones, portable media players, PDAs,
handheld game consoles, and digital cameras, have
built-in LCD screens.
embedded in a disk. Usually a permanent part of the
computer, hard disk drives can store large amounts of
information and retrieve that information very quickly.
The system unit on most personal computers contains at
least one hard disk, sometimes called an internal hard
disk because it is not portable. Storage capacities of
internal hard disks for personal computers range from
160 GB to more than 2 TB.

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one time and another part at a later time. Each part of a
CD-R can be written on only one time, and the disc’s
contents cannot be erased.

A USB flash drive, sometimes called a thumb drive, is a

flash memory storage device that plugs into a USB port
on a computer or mobile device. USB flash drives are
convenient for mobile users because they are small and
lightweight enough to be transported on a keychain or in
a pocket.

A CD-RW (compact disc-rewritable) is an erasable

multisession disc you can write on multiple times. To
write on a CD-RW disc, you must have optical disc
burning software and a CD-RW drive. Burning is the
process of writing on an optical disc. A popular use of
CD-RW and CD-R discs is to create audio CDs. For
example, users can record their own music and save it
on a CD, purchase and download songs from the Web
to their computer and then burn the songs on a CD, or
rearrange tracks on a purchased music CD. The process
An optical disc is a flat, round, portable metal disc with a
of copying audio and/or video data from a purchased
plastic coating. CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs are three
disc and saving it on a storage medium is called ripping.
types of optical discs. A CD can hold from 650 million to
1 billion characters. Some DVDs can store two full-
length movies or 17 billion characters. Blu-ray Discs can
store about 46 hours of standard video, or 100 billion
characters. Optical discs used in personal computers
are 4.75 inches in diameter and less than one-twentieth
of an inch thick. different formats of optical discs exist
today are the following:

A CD-ROM, or compact disc read-only memory, is a

type of optical disc that users can read but not write
(record) or erase — hence, the name read-only.
Manufacturers write the contents of standard CD-ROMs.
A standard CD-ROM is called a single-session disc
because manufacturers write all items on the disc at one
time. Software manufacturers often distribute programs
using CD-ROMs. A typical CD-ROM holds from 650 MB
to 1 GB of data, instructions, and information.
A DVD-ROM (digital versatile disk-read-only memory or
digital video disc-read-only memory) is a high-capacity
optical disc on which users can read but not write or
erase. Manufacturers write the contents of DVD-ROMs
and distribute them to consumers. DVD-ROMs store
movies, music, huge databases, and complex software.

A newer, more expensive DVD format is Blu-ray, which

A CD-R (compact disc-recordable) is a multisession is a higher capacity and better quality than standard
optical disc on which users can write, but not erase, their DVDs, especially for high-definition audio and video. A
own items such as text, graphics, and audio. Blu-ray Disc (BD) has storage capacities of 100 GB, with
Multisession means you can write on part of the disc at expectations of exceeding 200 GB in the future.

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△ Opening files

A filename usually includes a full stop followed by some

letters. This is the file extension, which identifies the type
Cloud storage is an Internet service that provides hard of file and tells the computer what kind of program it
disk storage to computer users. Fee arrangements vary. should use to open it.
For example, one cloud storage service provides 25 GB
of storage free to registered users; another charges $5
per month for 150 GB of storage. Figure identifies a
variety of cloud storage providers.

△ In the bin

Deleting a file by mistake is quite common. Deleted files

A memory card is a removable flash memory device, usually go into the recycle or trash bin, and can be
usually no bigger than 1.5 inches in height or width, that restored by opening the bin and taking the file out.
you insert and remove from a slot in a computer, mobile
device, or card reader/writer. Memory cards enable
mobile users easily to transport digital photos, music, or
files to and from mobile devices and computers or other
devices.

Looking for files

Searching for files on a computer is similar to finding

them in a real-world filing cabinet. The file system on a
computer is usually accessed using a window containing
small icons of folders or documents. A folder can be
opened to display the files inside by touching with a
finger on a touchscreen or double-clicking with a mouse
or trackpad.

△ Searching for files

The best way to look for a file is to find the magnifying

glass icon. Then, click on it and type the filename or C. REFLECTION AND RESPONSE/ACTION
keywords in the search bar.
Activity 1: The figure below shows how computer perform the four basic operations — input, process, output, and
storage or also called the information processing cycle. Explain the cycle and provide example. Write your answer on
the answer sheet found on page 10.

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PROCESSING
DEVICE
CONTROL
ALU
INPUT UNIT OUTPUT
DEVICE DEVICE
REGISTER

MEMORY (RAM)

STORAGE
DEVICE

D. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Activity 1: Solve the crossword puzzle below. Write your answer on the answer sheet found on page 11.

E. FEEDBACK

As your course coach on this course, I will appreciate it if you can share with me your thoughts about the context of
the module. If there are learning gaps or concerns this module failed to address, please let me know by writing
your views on the spaces provided on page 11. Thank you and see you on our next module.

Annex A

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Name: ______________________________________________ _______ Course, Year & Set: ___________________________

Subject: ____________________________________________________ Module No.: __________________________________

Answer Sheet
Activation of Prior Knowledge
Activity 1

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Answer Sheet
Reflection and Response/Action
Activity 1

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(This sheet should be returned to your course coach)

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Annex B

Name: ______________________________________________ _______ Course, Year & Set: ___________________________

Subject: ____________________________________________________ Module No.: __________________________________

Answer Sheet
Summative Assessment
Activity 1

Student’s Feedback

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(This sheet should be returned to your course coach)

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