How a Computer Works
The Edexcel GNVQ ICT qualification was withdrawn in 2007. Therefore, this presentation has been archived and will no longer be updated. The Quick HTML and CSS Reference is still current and will be updated.
How a Computer Works is a presentation that I authored with Simon Harries of ComputingStuff and Matt Saunders sometime at the end of 2003 in order to teach the people in my school a little bit about how computers work on the inside.
The presentation is basic, concentrating on the various internal and external hardware parts and a basic explanation of what they do. It is not meant to teach everything that can be taught about a computer system, but it is enough for people on the Edexcel GNVQ ICT course which it was designed for. The presentation was shown to the Year 10 pupils at my school in 2004, and also to all of the ICT staff at the school, and it got their full approval as being a helpful method of learning.
The HaCW collection now also includes a quick HTML and CSS reference ideal for those starting off on web development with little or no prior experience.
You can either view the presentation online (Flash or non-Flash format), or download a copy of it in either Microsoft PowerPoint format for later viewing or an offline version complete with the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer (if you don’t have Microsoft PowerPoint).
| Product + Version | Size | Download | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HaCW Online Presentation 2.1 (online non-Flash version) | - | - | |
| HaCW Online Presentation 2.1 (online Flash version) | - | This version may take a while to view especially on a slow connection. | |
| HaCW PowerPoint Presentation 2.1 (offline version) | 812KB | Comes in a ZIP (compressed) file. Use a software utility like WinZip or PKZip to decompress it. Download if you have Microsoft PowerPoint. | |
| HaCW PowerPoint Presentation 2.1 (offline non-PowerPoint version) | 2.58MB | Download if you do not have Microsoft PowerPoint. | |
| Quick HTML and CSS Reference | 380KB | Intended as a teaching companion. |
If you wish to tell someone about this resource, you can use the short URL tinyurl.com/48zvs. It leads here automatically.
Revision History
- 2.1
- Design revised
- Added new slides for firewire, joysticks, digital video cameras, touch screens and concept keyboards
- Revised slide content and images for some slides
- Removed questions from slides
- 2.0 - First public version
- 1.0 - Beta version