WebQuest - History of Computers

A History of Computers WebQuest
designed by Mr. Molina

Process

Process
In order for you to be able to complete the task successfully, you must go through the following steps:
Step 1:

Find a computer at Dell, HP, or any other computer company that is selling a computer that you would like to own. Make sure to obtain the specs from the computer as follows:

the selling price
specs: Ram, HD space, speed of processor, peripherals such as DVD, CD, etc..

You will keep these specs in mind and use them later in your inquiry to compare what you are wishing to own with what corporations and schools used to own in the early computing days.
Step 2:
Traveling Back in Time:
Now, let's go back in time and see the changes that computers have undergone. Using the resources listed in the section below, start gathering information on the History of Computers. You should be looking for answers to the following:

In what year is the first computer credited to be invented?
What was the basic architecture of that computer?
What are some examples of computers invented during that first generation (get images).
Is there a reason for the invention of those computers, or in other words, was their a need in the world that necessitated this invention?
When did these computers get replaced by their successive generation? In other words, what makes one generation so different from the other?
What was so major about the successive generation that made this current generation obsolete?
Did cost/size/processing power/functionality of the computer increase or decrease after each generation? By how much? Use examples to give concrete ideas on just how fast they became.
What were some applications of the computers back then? In other words, what was the purpose for the computers in the early days?
What companies, schools, organizations, entities, or individuals used these computers?
How would the computers in each of the generation of computers compare to the computer you chose in Step 1?

Note:
To Help You With Your "Questing" information
To help you organize your information, open a text editing or word processing document to jot down notes, answers, and even collect pictures from the Web sites visited. Remember that the Fair Use Act allows you to get pictures for academic purposes. Please make sure to cite (give credit) to the Web sites from which the pictures were taken or the information retrieved. DO NOT HIGHLIGHT A PARAGRAPH AND PASTE!

Resources
Use the following web sites to collect the necessary information.

A Guide to Computing Pioneers in History BRAND NEW! A wealth of hyperlinks to get you even more resources on the history of computers! Way to go Chris, Mr. Coner's helper, for being diligent in your web searches!

History of Women and Computers Great site to UNDERSTAND the important role women have played in the history of computers! Shout out to Chris, Mr. Coner's helper, for getting this link published on this web site. Thank you for the interest and the love you show for technology! A stimulated mind NEVER stops growing.

"The Enchantress of Numbers" A shoutout to all future female programmers, mathematicians and scientist! Programming may have never progressed as it has had it not been for the work of "a girl in STEM!" More importantly, a BIG THANK YOU to Katie, the Wyoming STEM Club for Girls, and Mrs. Louanne Taylor, founder of Booklicious for her inspiration to all young minds and the added resources for Ada Lovelace.

Timeline of Computer Great place to find a picture of each of the computers from 1939 to present

Inventors A condensed list of computers with major milestones.

History of Computers This is AN EXCELLENT place for other computer resources. Plenty of links to what seems to be everything computer! Great place to find other sources!

Timeline for a History of Computers Thanks to Sarah N and her love of "old timey" computers for this site.

Timeline for a History of Computers And another shout of to Sarah N and her love of "old timey" computers for this second timeline discovery as well.

Illustrated history of computers Web site Full of illustrations

Inventors Brief history as well as a section on "this day" in computer history. Also contains processor history and others: program, MS-Dos, Apple, etc.

PBS "Changes in Computers" Great place to find specific changes in the history of computers. Also has an online game on "Guess the Computer" and "Identify the Nerd"

Articles on Computer happenings This website has a collection of articles written and illustrated with images in the year 1996. Look for the links with the months at the bottom

Computer History & Internet History History of Computers/Internet Theme Page for students wishing to know more about the History of computers. Has a great resource section at the bottom of the page.

Virtual Computer A collection of materials intended to describe the history of computing to those interested in the 50th Anniversary of Computing in 1996 was used by students at Virginia Tech to develop a Virtual Museum of Computing that you may find very interesting.

Flaming Text Go here to Create Cool Banners to use in your product

Clip Art Microsoft Office On-line art

History Channel Go here to find out what was happening on the day you were resarching for a certain computer. You may just use any month of the year of the computer if it is not listed.

W3 School Can not seem to remember an HTML tag or attribute? Go here to review and practice coding

Step 3
Now create a Web site using a text editor and your knowledge of HTML. The Web site must contain the following:
Content
1 page per each generation of computers plus a home page(4-5 pages total).
a home page with "Generations of Computers" on it
a page for each generation of computer (4-5)
an About the Author page (this is you!)

a timeline for each generation on each respective page (not on home page)
give when the "generation" started and about when did it end

images from computers that fall within that generation
notice the plural "images"
cite sources

a paragraph that compares the specs of a computer from that era to one modern day computer KEEPING IN MIND that not all the questions below may have an easily attainable answer or are answerable.

how fast did the computers process compared to present day computer?
what were the storage devices like compared to present day computer?
what were input devices like compared to present day computer?
did you input with keyboards, touch screen
how in the world did the information get INTO the computer

did they have RAM
physical size compared to today
cost of the computer compared to present day computer.
what entities used the computer?
for what purposes were the computers used?
what major even was happening world wide?

CodingThese are "must haves"
an index page that is the front page of your site (call it index.html)
links on your index page that take you to each generation of computers
a link to "About the author" that takes you to a page on you
background color on all pages that are aesthetically pleasing
correct use of lists-ordered and/or unordered.
correct use of font size, color, and face.
Paragraph and text formatting such as underline, italics, bold, emphasis, and alignment.
images on all pages with the "alt" attribute

one left align
one right align
one in center
one that is an active hyperlink

a footer on all pages that give credit to where the information was obtained in MLA format.
at least one banner from Flaming Text somewhere in your Web site

Step 4
Now click on the grading rubric link below to see where you stand on your grade. If you follow the rubric, you get to decide how much of a grade you earn. This rubric is part of the evaluation section.

Project Checklist

Step 5
Once you are satisfied with obtaining the best possible grade on the rubric, put all your pages and picture files in one folder, name the folder with your name, and submit the entire folder AFTER testing to see if all links and pictures are viewable.
Extra POINTS
Using the WWW and search engines, find how to embed music or sound in .midi format. Find a "techie" sound and embed as part of the front page. 5 points extra credit.

A Guide to Computing Pioneers in History	BRAND NEW! A wealth of hyperlinks to get you even more resources on the history of computers! Way to go Chris, Mr. Coner's helper, for being diligent in your web searches!
History of Women and Computers	Great site to UNDERSTAND the important role women have played in the history of computers! Shout out to Chris, Mr. Coner's helper, for getting this link published on this web site. Thank you for the interest and the love you show for technology! A stimulated mind NEVER stops growing.
"The Enchantress of Numbers"	A shoutout to all future female programmers, mathematicians and scientist! Programming may have never progressed as it has had it not been for the work of "a girl in STEM!" More importantly, a BIG THANK YOU to Katie, the Wyoming STEM Club for Girls, and Mrs. Louanne Taylor, founder of Booklicious for her inspiration to all young minds and the added resources for Ada Lovelace.
Timeline of Computer	Great place to find a picture of each of the computers from 1939 to present
Inventors	A condensed list of computers with major milestones.
History of Computers	This is AN EXCELLENT place for other computer resources. Plenty of links to what seems to be everything computer! Great place to find other sources!
Timeline for a History of Computers	Thanks to Sarah N and her love of "old timey" computers for this site.
Timeline for a History of Computers	And another shout of to Sarah N and her love of "old timey" computers for this second timeline discovery as well.
Illustrated history of computers Web site	Full of illustrations
Inventors	Brief history as well as a section on "this day" in computer history. Also contains processor history and others: program, MS-Dos, Apple, etc.
PBS "Changes in Computers"	Great place to find specific changes in the history of computers. Also has an online game on "Guess the Computer" and "Identify the Nerd"
Articles on Computer happenings	This website has a collection of articles written and illustrated with images in the year 1996. Look for the links with the months at the bottom
Computer History & Internet History	History of Computers/Internet Theme Page for students wishing to know more about the History of computers. Has a great resource section at the bottom of the page.
Virtual Computer	A collection of materials intended to describe the history of computing to those interested in the 50th Anniversary of Computing in 1996 was used by students at Virginia Tech to develop a Virtual Museum of Computing that you may find very interesting.
Flaming Text	Go here to Create Cool Banners to use in your product
Clip Art	Microsoft Office On-line art
History Channel	Go here to find out what was happening on the day you were resarching for a certain computer. You may just use any month of the year of the computer if it is not listed.
W3 School	Can not seem to remember an HTML tag or attribute? Go here to review and practice coding