Section outline

  • General

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    • Announcements Forum

    • Course information

      Course title Computer Applications Technology
      Subject area Computer Applications Technology / Digital Literacy
      Class / grade level Grade 10 · FET Phase · first year of the subject, no prior computing knowledge assumed
      Brief description An eight-week introductory course covering what a computer is, the software that instructs it and the hardware that carries those instructions out. Learners finish able to classify any computing device they meet, explain how data becomes information, choose the right application for a task, and read a device specification well enough to advise on a purchase.

    • Welcome to Computer Applications Technology

      Welcome video — to be embedded here

      Record 3–4 minutes to camera, upload to YouTube as unlisted, then edit this block and embed it. The script is in the compliance map, point 2a.

      How to work through this course

      1. Take the modules in order — each one builds on the last.
      2. In each module: watch the lecture, read the slide deck, download the handout.
      3. Do the practice activity before the quiz. The quiz assumes you have.
      4. Finish the knowledge check. You get feedback after every answer and may retake it.
      5. Post in the discussion forum at least once per module.
      6. Check Announcements weekly. Assignment due dates appear in your calendar automatically.

      If you get stuck: ask in the module Q&A forum first — someone usually has the same question. For anything personal, message me directly.

    • Course objectives

      By the end of this course you will be able to:

      1. Classify any computing device you encounter as embedded, mobile, personal, server or supercomputer, and justify the classification in writing.
      2. Describe the four stages of the information processing cycle and apply them correctly to at least ten unfamiliar devices.
      3. Explain the difference between data and information using an example you generate yourself.
      4. Sort any hardware component into input, processing, storage or output and defend the decision.
      5. Distinguish system software from application software, and identify the licence type of any program on a device you use.
      6. Read a device specification and explain in plain language what the processor, RAM and storage figures mean for a stated user.
      7. Recommend a computer against a fixed budget and defend the trade-offs you accepted.

      Where each objective is assessed. Objectives 1–3 in Module 01, objective 5 in Module 02, objectives 4, 6 and 7 in Module 03.

    • Course glossary
    • How AI was used in this course Page

  • Introduction to Computers

    What a computer actually is, how it turns raw data into useful information, and where you already meet computers every day without noticing them.

    By the end of this module you will be able to:

    1. Define a computer. Explain in your own words what makes a device a computer, and give three examples that are not laptops.
    2. Describe the cycle. Describe the four stages of the information processing cycle and give an example of each.
    3. Separate data and information. Explain the difference between data and information using an example from your own school day.
    4. Identify the five parts. Name the five parts of a computer system and explain why people and procedures count as parts.

    These four objectives are what the end-of-module quiz measures. The full subject syllabus for this module is listed separately in Module 01 — full syllabus.

  • Software

    The instructions that turn a box of electronics into something useful — what the operating system does, which applications do what, and what the licence on the box actually permits.

    By the end of this module you will be able to:

    1. Classify software. Sort any program you meet into system software or application software and justify the choice.
    2. Explain the OS. Describe four jobs the operating system does that you never see happening.
    3. Match tool to task. Choose the right application for a given task and say why the alternatives fit worse.
    4. Read a licence. Tell the difference between proprietary, open-source, freeware and subscription software.

    These four objectives are what the end-of-module quiz measures. The full subject syllabus for this module is listed separately in Module 02 — full syllabus.

  • Hardware

    Open the case. Every physical part of a computer does one of four jobs — and once you know which, you can identify a component you have never seen before.

    By the end of this module you will be able to:

    1. Sort any component. Place any piece of hardware into input, processing, storage or output and defend the choice.
    2. Explain RAM vs storage. Explain why a computer needs both, and what happens when each one runs short.
    3. Compare storage. Compare hard drives, solid-state drives, flash and cloud storage on speed, cost and durability.
    4. Read a spec sheet. Read a device advert and say what the processor, RAM and storage figures actually mean.

    These four objectives are what the end-of-module quiz measures. The full subject syllabus for this module is listed separately in Module 03 — full syllabus.

  • Resources

    Reference material and past papers for this subject, to work alongside the three modules. They cover the full Grade 10 syllabus, which is wider than these three modules — use them to read ahead, to check a definition, or to practise exam-style questions.

    Nothing in this section is assessed. Your marks come from the three module quizzes and the three assignments.