ASSIGNMENT 1 Part 2: Hardware and Software on Your Computer
Whether taking a course that is totally online, is a hybrid, or has some web components, a student is expected to have a basic understanding of computers and the Internet. To be successful as a Terra distance learning student, you will need to have a computer system that can adequately support the course activities that you need to accomplish. Your computer should meet the minimum technical requirements listed below and your computer system will also need to be configured with the appropriate software, which may involve acquiring some software. This set of activities will allow you to examine your computer’s to make sure that it meets these requirements.
Minimum Computer Requirements
PC
· Pentium processor or better
· Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, or ME
· 500 MB hard drive (if downloading files, 2 GB should be minimum)
· 64 MB of RAM
· 56K modem
· Sound capability (sound card and speakers) |
Macintosh
· Power PC processor or better
· MacOS 9 or MacOS X
· 500 MB hard drive (if downloading files, 2 GB should be minimum)
· 64 MB of RAM
· 56K modem
· Sound capability (speakers) |
Task 1 - Computer System
The first assignment will be to identify your computer’s operating system, the amount of memory, the size of the hard drive, and Internet access.
For a future activity (Assignment 3 Basic Communication Skills Task 3 ), jot down your computer’s operating system, the processor, the capacity of the hard drive and amount of RAM memory on your computer. If you are unsure of how to do this, click here for instructions.
Task 2 - Internet
In this assignment, you need to identify the web browser software installed on your computer. Since you are currently on the Internet, please look up at the title bar to identify the browser. Internet access via an Internet Service Provider may be AT&T, AOL, Earthlink, MSN etc.
For a future activity (Assignment 3 Basic Communication Skills Task 3 ), make a note of the web browser installed on your computer.
Task 3 - Software
For most course assignments, you will need a word processing package such as Microsoft Word. What word processing software do you have installed on your computer? (Every Windows operating system has a very rudimentary word processor program – WordPad- under the Accessories menu.
For a future activity (Assignment 3 Basic Communication Skills Task 3 ), write down the word processor software installed on your machine. If you do not know how to identify what word processoring software that you have on your computer, click here for instructions.
Some courses may have additional and/or alternate computer requirements. Please check with your course syllabus for additional software requirements.
Updated: 1/11/07
