This assignment consists of doing research on the history of computing, both on the Web and in the library, and submitting the results via a Web page form (below).
It is anticipated that you will complete most of the activities for this lab during the lab session on Wednesday, September 15. Completing this lab assignment may require some of your time outside the lab session. You should complete the assignment on your own time and submit your lab report by September 22.
Select two persons and/or machines (computers) from the history of computing and write a full paragraph of information about each. You should include such information as the year(s) in which the computer was built, where the work was performed, what technology was used (e.g., mechanical relays, electro-mechanical relays, vacuum tubes, or transistors), what number system was used (binary, decimal), the purpose of the machine, or the person's significant contribution to the field of computing science.
The information needed to write your two paragraphs must come from two types of sources: online sources (i.e., Web pages about computer history, possibly as found by a search engine) and traditional sources (e.g., books, journals) from the Augustana library. You should ensure that about half of your information comes from each type of source.
Cite the sources of your information in a References section beneath each paragraph. For printed sources, include the author's name, the title of the book or article, and its publication date; for articles, include the name and volume number of the journal in which the article appeared. For online sources, include the author's name (if available), the title of the Web page (if there is one), and the URL at which you located the information.
If you check out books or other resources on the history of computing from the Library, please return the materials promptly so that other class members may have access to them prior to the assignment deadline as well.
Complete and submit the following form to report the results of your searches. Submit the completed form by the specified due date for this assignment. You may submit the form multiple times if you wish to correct errors in previous form submissions or to add information to the form. If you resubmit the form, you must re-enter all previously submitted data -- only the last submission is used. Your last submission before midnight on the due date will be accepted for grading.
Your assignment submissions are password-protected. These passwords apply only to form data submitted via the Web server. They are separate from (and typically different from) your network password or the password for your Unix account (if you have one). To change your Web password, press the following button:
Copyright © 2004 Jonathan Mohr