get connected to digital Literacy COMPUTING and CODING in the REAL WORLD Clive Gifford Crabtree Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com
Computing All Around Us Computers were once used only in huge science and military labs Today computing which means work done by computers is a part of so many things in our daily lives Inside guide Inside your home dozens of devices and household appliances feature computer technology They run the microwave oven and fridge in your kitchen and the Bluetooth speaker and smart TV in your living room All smartphones tablets game consoles and many other digital devices rely on computer technology Much of the music and many of the TV shows you enjoy have also been created using computers 4 The Internet The Internet is a medium or a place for communication that links groups of computer networks Hundreds of millions of computers around the world and other digital devices such as tablets and smartphones communicate with each other through the Internet Whenever you send an email use social media to share a photo or message or surf websites on the World Wide Web you are using the Internet
Out in the open Computing is everywhere outside the home too from barcode scanners to store checkouts to digital signs and cash-dispensing bank machines Computers manage traffic lights and other signals to keep vehicles moving smoothly and in-car computers help guide cars to their destinations TRUE STORY Poor Predictions In 1943 the IBM Thomas Watson said for maybe five computers president of the computer company I think there is a world market In 1977 Ken Olsen who founded the computer company DEC said individual to have a computer in his home Today there are over two billion personal computers worldwide and twice as many There is no reason for any smartphones UP IN THE AIR More than 70,000 aircraft fly through the skies above the United States every day Each plane needs to be guided through its journey at the correct altitude or height to avoid colliding with other aircraft Planes are guided by computer controls inside the aircraft as well as by human air traffic controllers in the airport's control tower Customers and computing Many of the items you buy are designed on a computer and then manufactured using computer-controlled machines Some items are built by robots which are controlled by computers Computers are even involved in testing products as well as delivering products sold 5
