The following handouts can be used with this unit to enhance learning. Each handout is briefly described below. To see the actual handout, click the link "handout."
Inventions That Have Changed the World
This handout helps students understand the ways an invention can change people's lives and the impact inventions can have on society as a whole.
Miracle of the Microprocessor
This handout (also found in the Microprocessor section) is an essay by Michael S. Malone, author of The Microprocessor: A Biography. It provides a wide-ranging perspective on the importance of the microprocessor as an invention and its significance in human history.
These Are the Good Old Days
This handout is a poignant essay by Michael S. Malone, author of The Microprocessor: A Biography. In it, he discusses the changes his grandmother saw during nearly 90 years of life and how readily she adapted to them. Reading this essay, students will get a deeper appreciation of how inventions can affect each of us personally and how much change we can expect to see in a lifetime.
Making of a Silicon Chip
This handout (also found in the Microprocessor section) is an informative essay by Michael S. Malone, author of The Microprocessor: A Biography. Students get a detailed but easy-to-follow description of the simple materials and complex process by which microprocessors are manufactured.
Beyond School
This handout shows students how fast the job market is growing for technology workers and the importance of understanding technology and learning how to use it in most modern careers. Activities include observing technology in use in the world around them and beginning to consider the skills they'll need for college and careers of their own.
To Infinity and Beyond
This handout is an insightful essay on Moore's Law by Michael S. Malone, author of The Microprocessor: A Biography. In it, Malone explains how this law has so accurately predicted the tremendous power and performance changes we've seen in computing devices over recent years and what the law tells us about changes we may see in the future.
Chips and More Chips
This handout helps students realize the sheer number of devices around us that have some sort of chip in them. Activities include creating a collage of digital devices and designing their own digital device.
Ubiquitous Computing
This handout introduces the idea of computer pads and tabs that enable you to use and access digital information wherever you are. Activities include thinking of uses for such devices and the ramifications they could have on our lives.
