HARDWARE COMPONENTS OF ICT
The components of ICT like the computer itself, storage media, and input and output devices.
The computer is a universal information processor. In theory, any kind of information processing can be done on any computer but, in reality, this is not true. A specific task for a specific computer may require too much time, or the computer’s memory may be too small. Computers process information in the form of electric signals. In other existing technologies, simple information processing can be done also in the form of air or liquid streams. There are attempts to produce computers that use light processing, or biochemical mechanisms similar to that of living organisms, but these approaches are at a premature stage.
For the best utilization of ICT in education, a teacher needs a wide range of devices connectable to a computer, and these are referred to as peripherals. The major categories of peripherals are devices for:
• Input: alphanumeric keyboard, musical keyboard, microphone, taperecorder, tablet
and stylus, scanner, digital photo camera, video camera, sensors, and probes.
• Output: monitor, printer, projector, headphones, speakers.
• Control: motors, lights for robotics construction kit, and sensors.
• Communication: modems, communication lines, satellite and local network
equipment and wireless networks.
Having a wide range of peripherals for educational and general use is more important in a school than the number of computers. We consider these categories of peripherals in a little more detail in the sections that follow.