Session 3 - Selecting Peripherals

Peripheral Devices

www.webopedia.com defines peripheral devices as:

Peripheral devices can be external -- such as a mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor, external Zip drive or scanner -- or internal, such as a CD-ROM drive, CD-R drive or internal modem. Internal peripheral devices are often referred to as integrated peripherals.

External Peripheral Devices

When talking about peripheral devices, the main ones that come to mind in today's market are:

• Mouse
• Keyboard
• Printer
• Monitor
• Scanner
• External storage

Some of these may be part of your initial purchase, such as mouse and keyboard or even monitor, but sometimes they need to be replaced or, as a user, you want something a bit better.

Mouse

It might seem like a fairly small thing, and if you are not fussy you can buy a mouse for around $10. BUT, many people are fussy about their mouse. It needs to fit comfortably in your hand and move around with a level of precision (depending on what you use your computer for). Some people need to have extra buttons on their mouse - especially for gaming or multimedia applications. Some mice can also be used to control media devices in your computer, such as optical drives and volume.

http://au.pcmag.com/computer-mice-products/4330/feature/how-to-buy-a-computer-mouse

The following is an example of the range of mice available. Products from JW computers www.jw.com.au

Keyboard

Like the mouse, keyboard choice is also very personal and will depend on things like features, backlighting, progammable buttons, wireless or wired, brand preference. The keyboard is probably the item on your computer that you use most - again it needs to be comfortable but also fit in the space you have available. I hate the keyboard that came with my PC and one day I will replace it with something that is more responsive and that is backlit!!

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415287,00.asp

Printer

I talked about the different types of printers last week and how they work. What do you look for when buying a printer? Speed, resolution, connectivity, cost of consumables (running costs), colour or monochrome. Lots of decisions to be made and each will have a bearing on cost.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/printer-buying-guide/

http://www.cnet.com/au/topics/printers/best-printers/

The following is a sample of the range of printers that are available

Monitor

How much do you want to spend on a monitor? DO you want HD? What screen size? LED/LCD? Refresh speed?

http://www.cnet.com/au/topics/monitors/best-monitors/

http://reckoner.com.au/2014/12/4k-monitor-buying-guide/

Here are some of your monitor choices!!

Scanner

Resolution/quality, speed or size are just a few of the decisions that you may need to make. Other things include what software is supplied, file types that can be saved, page feeder, adapter for slides. Do you want a separate scanner or is it better to go with a 3 in one or printer/scanner combination?

http://flatbed-scanner-review.toptenreviews.com/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355771,00.asp

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/technology/scanners

Scanner prices and images below from Officeworks.com.au

External storage - hard drives

The main decision here is about size - size matters and the bigger the better!! Connection type may also be a consideration. You might also decide that a solid state drive will be your best option.


http://au.pcmag.com/storage-devices-reviews/4180/feature/how-to-buy-an-external-hard-drive

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/external-hard-drives-buying-guide

Below shows some of the choices available.

Class Activity

What peripherals devices does your own computer have?

What peripheral devices would you like to have?

What device/make/model would you get if money was not an issue? Why?

 

ASSESSMENT TASK

Now is the time to put all that we have learnt over the past few lessons together.

This assessment task will be worth 30%

Let’s now progress back to the future – you have been employed by the Misty River Regional Library Services, selected from a number of candidates because of your qualifications and extra IT skills that are needed in this small community library.

You are to work in pairs (or on your own if you don't want to work with someone) to come up with a hardware and software solution for your scenario. You must compare 2 different hardware solutions and produce a report outlining your purchase recommendations to present to “management” at a special meeting.


There is no right or wrong answer here - so long as it meets the requirements and you can justify your choices.

YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS

Option 1:

The library has been given a Government grant of $20,000 to set up a small computer training lab containing 10 computers plus a printer, shared using a simple Windows network. These will be used to train local residents, including members of the local Senior Citizens group, in basic computer use such as email, Internet, Word Processing and basic digital imaging. As this is a small community library, it is expected that the local pre-school and neighbourhood house will also use the lab. With this in mind, you should also include some educational games (at least one reading game and one counting/maths game) suitable for kids aged up to 6 years of age, as well as any extra hardware that may be required for young users (and older users)

Option 2:
Due to a large windfall from a local resident who has recently passed away, you can purchase a special Multimedia Pod for your library with all the bells and whistles. The pod should include a high end computer system, Photo Quality printer, Dual High Definition 24inch (minimum) monitors, the ability to write to both DVDs and BluRay, 5.1 sound system, webcam and at least 8 USB ports for connecting extra peripherals that may be purchased at a later stage. It needs to be fast, have a large capacity hard drive plus high-end graphics card for 3D and video editing.

Option 3:
The local Senior Citizens need your advice and expertise to recommend a system that they can use to allow their members who are in hospitals and/or nursing homes to also have benefit of some basic computer training in Internet, basic word processing, Social Media, Email and Skype. They are looking at purchasing 2 systems and have a budget of $2500 for the two complete systems.

Option 4:
The library, being a part of the local community, has decide to run a pilot program to offer an after school homework club for the local school. They have been given a budget of $5000 to set up 5 computer systems, complete with a colour laser printer and scanner. Students will mainly use the computers for word processing and Internet access to complete homework and assignments.