Week 3 · Theme 1, Lesson 3 Components of Computer Systems · 3 lessons
2
Input in, output out
ICT P4 Term 1, Theme 1: pp. 18–21
GoalTell input devices from output devices and match them with the data they use.
New words
input · data that goes into a computeroutput · information that comes out of a computerscanner · a device that turns a paper page into a picture on the computer
Explanation
Data flows into a computer and information flows out. Devices that send data in are input devices. A keyboard sends in letters and numbers. A mouse sends in movements and clicks. A microphone sends in sound. A camera sends in pictures and video. A scanner sends in a page from paper. Devices that bring information out are output devices. The screen shows text, pictures and video. Speakers and headphones give sound. A printer gives text and pictures on paper. The easy rule: input is what you give to the computer, and output is what you get from it.
Input device
Data it sends in
Output device
What it gives out
Keyboard
letters and numbers
Screen
text, pictures, video
Microphone
sound
Speakers
sound
Camera
pictures and video
Printer
text and pictures on paper
Scanner
pages from paper
Headphones
sound, only for you
Worked examples
Habiba sings into a microphone and the computer saves her voice. Her voice is the input. Later, the speakers play it back. The sound that comes out is the output.
Youssef draws a picture on paper and puts it on a scanner. The picture goes in. Then the printer prints it twice for his friends. The printed pages come out.
A touch screen is special. It shows pictures (output) and it feels your finger (input). So it works as both.
Class activity
Input or output game. Write these on separate small papers: keyboard, mouse, microphone, camera, scanner, screen, speakers, printer. Draw two boxes: IN and OUT. Sort the papers into the boxes. Then ask a partner to check your sorting and to explain one choice.
Practice
1
Is a printer an input or an output device?
Output, because it gives out pages on paper.
2
Is a camera an input or an output device?
Input, because it sends pictures into the computer.
3
Sort the pictures. Which two are input devices? Say the letters.
A (the mouse) and C (the microphone). The screen and the speaker are output.
4
A girl types her name on a keyboard and it appears on the screen. Which part is the input and which is the output?
The keyboard is the input; the screen is the output.
