CMT I Begins the New School Year Building Computers
by Leanne Falbo
October 12, 2007
Every year, the first activity that the CMT I class participates
in is to build a computer. Each student is given a tub full
of parts and a case. The students each build a computer that
they will be using throughout the school year. This serves as
a sort of "crash course" on computer hardware. The students
learn the fundamentals during this week long activity.
Once the machines are assembled, students then begin the process of
configuring CMOS settings and preparing hard drives for an
operating system. All of the skills used in this activity are
used again and again throughout the year.
Not only do the students get the experience of assembling a PC, they also get the valuable experience of troubleshooting both hardware and software during this activity. Inevitably, one or two students will have a non-functioning computer once they have it all assembled. This provides the perfect backdrop for an introduction to computer maintenance and repair. Murphy's Law was meant to be broken, and we in CMT do just that every day!
