Essential Questions
- What are the best choices for increasing the capacity of a computer workstation? What kinds of peripherals or interaction devices should I install? What options do I have? What do they do?
- What options are there to configure printers?
Big Ideas
Different peripherals–devices you can add to your system–continue to expand the capacity of a computing device. Some of these are really critical, like a display device or an input device like a mouse. Others are optional but very common. Printers are still used by many computer users, and there are a variety of settings you can change in relation to printers.
Many people create or share a lot of multimedia files through their computers now, so it’s also important to know how to install common multimedia and imaging devices, like webcams, digital cameras, microphones, speakers, and other devices.
Connection to Student Lives
It’s pretty rare that you would use a computer for just a single use. And the way you use a computer can be different from other people, like your parents, friends, or even different teachers in your school. You have a lot of options to configure a computer system to best meet the needs of different users, whether those are simply people who use them for correspondence, others who create digital art and videos, or gamers who really want a lot of power.
While you may be familiar with common peripherals, like a monitor or a mouse, even those peripherals have several options. This module will help you explore some of the different options that you may run across for using computers in different settings.
Framing Problem
What are the best human interaction devices and printers for a given setting? Given different types of users, team members should be able to install and configure different peripherals that best meet the needs of those users.
Cornerstone Assessment
Students will install and configure peripheral options to a computer workstation. The devices should include at least one type of display device, human interaction devices that allow users to input information, a printer, and at least one multimedia or imaging device. Special emphasis should be placed on configuring a printer and understanding different configuration settings.
DPI Standards
- NCCTE.2020.II21.03.06 - Explain the purposes and uses of various peripheral types.
- NCCTE.2020.II21.03.10 - Configure SOHO multifunction devices, printers and settings.
- NCCTE.2020.II21.03.11 - Install and maintain various print technologies.
A+ Standards
TOPIC 17A: Maintain Laser Printers
TOPIC 17B: Maintain Inkjet Printers
TOPIC 17C: Maintain Impact, Thermal and 3D Printers
TOPIC 17D: Install and Configure Printers
Topic 17F: Install and Configure Imaging Devices
Topic 2D: Install Peripheral Devices
Topic 3A: Install and Configure Display Devices
Topic 3C: Install and Configure Multimedia Devices
Knowledge
- Display device types, including characteristics of LCDs and OLED displays
- Video projector types
- Virtual Reality (VR) headsets: tethered versus mobile
- Display device settings and features, connections, and cables
- VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, and Lightning
- Video Adapters and convertors
- DVI to HDMI, DVIor HDMI to VGA, DisplayPort/Thunderbolt to DVI
- Video cards or graphics adapters
- Human Interface Devices
- Security Input Devices
- How to install and configure Human Interface and Security Input Devices
- Printer and scanner types, including virtual printers
- Printer features used to select the best type and model of printer
- The steps in the print process for laser and inkjet printers, the main components of each printer type and how they interact
- Laser and inkjet printer maintenance tasks
- Maintenance tips for impact, thermal, and 3D printers
- That 3D printers create objects comprised of horizontal layers
- Local printer connection types
- How to install and configure a printer, including the appropriate driver
- Options for sharing printers on a network
- Data privacy and security issues related to printer or scanner use
- How to install and configure multimedia devices
- Microphones
- Speakers
- MIDI
- Headsets
- Webcams
- Digital cameras
Skills
- Connect and configure display devices
- Set up multiple displays
- Optional: Install a graphics adapter
- Install and configure common Human Interface Devices, such as a keyboard and mouse
- Optional: Install and configure a security input device
- Complete laser printer maintenance tasks, including
- Loading paper
- Replacing the toner or ink jet cartridges
- Cleaning a printer
- Calibrating a printer
- Replacing the maintenance kit
- Install and configure a printer, including the appropriate driver
- Discuss privacy and security issues related to printer or scanner use
- Install and configure multimedia devices
Vocabulary
- Monitors
- Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
- Thin Film Transistor (TFT): Twisted Nematic (TN) versus In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- LCD Backlights; Cold Cathode Fluorescent (CCFL) bulb
- OLED (Organic LED)
- Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
- Video Projector
- Virtual Reality (VR) headset (tethered or mobile)
- Display Device Settings and Features
- Resolution
- Pixels
- Color depth
- Analog display
- Digital display
- Native resolution
- Screen size
- Aspect ratio
- Refresh rate
- Frame rate
- Response rate
- Brightness
- Luminance
- Contrast ratio
- Illuminance
- Viewing angle
- Privacy filter
- Gloss coatings and matte coatings
- Antiglare covers
- Resolution
- VGA Standards
- Video Graphics Array (VGA)
- Super VGA (SVGA)
- Display Device Connections and Cables
- Video Graphics Array (VGA) port
- Digital Visual Interface (DVI) types
- High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI): A, B, mini-HDMI ©
- DisplayPort
- Thunderbolt
- USB-C
- Video adapters and converters
- DVI to HDMI
- DVI or HDMI to VGA
- Displayport/Thunderbolt to DVI
- Video card or graphics adapter
- Onboard adapter
- Add-on card
- Adapter components
- Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
- Clock speed
- Shader units
- Frame rate
Human Interface Devices (HIDs)
- Keyboard and key types
- Pointing Device
- Mouse
- Touchpad
- Game controllers: Joystick or Game pad
- KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switch
- Biometric devices
- Authentication
- Biometric device
- Magnetic strip/chip reader
- Near Field Communications (NFC) protocol and device
- Radio Frequency ID (RFID)
- Signature pad
- Plug-and-Play
- System resources
- I/O address map
- Interrupt REquest (IRQ)
- Hot Swap
- Driver
Peripherals
- Printer
- Laser printer
- Inkjet printer
- Hard copy
- Laser Printer Imaging Process
- Electrostatic Photographic (EP) drum or imaging drum
- Electrostatic latent image
- Developer roller
- Media guides
- Pickup roller
- Feed
- Separation Roller, separation pad
- REgistration roller
- Transfer roller
- Static eliminator strip or detac corona
- Fuser assembly
- Cleaning blade
- Discharge roller or erase lamp
- Primary charge roller
- Duplexing assembly
- Transfer belt
- Electrostatic Photographic (EP) drum or imaging drum
- LED Printer
- Calibrating
- Maintenance kit
- CMYK
- Inkjet Printer Imaging Process
- Thermal print heads and Piezoelectric print heads
- Ink cartridge
- Carriage mechanism
- AutoSheet Feeder (ASF) mechanism
- Load roller
- Separation roller
- Duplexing assembly
- Impact printer
- Dot matrix primer
- Tractor-fed paper
- Friction feed
- Impact Printer Imaging Process
- Print head
- Ribbon
- Thermal printer
- Dye sublimation print process
- Thermal wax transfer printers
- Direct thermal printer
- Thermal paper
- Heating element
- Feed assembly
- 3D Print process
- 3D printer
- Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) or Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
- Filament
- STereolithography (SLA)
- Photopolymer
- Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
- 3D scanner
- 3D modeling software
- Slicing software
- 3D printer
- Scanners
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
- Flatbed scanner
- Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL)
- Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
- Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)
- Sheet-fed and ADF scanner
- Contact Image Sensor (CIS)
- Sheet-fed scanners
- Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)
- Multi-function device (MFD)
- Scan options
- TWAIN-based software
- Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
- Barcode scanner
- QR Scanner
- Quick Response (QR) code
- 2D barcode
- Windows Printers
- WYSIWYG
- Print driver
- Print languages
- Windows print process
- Windows Presentation Foundation (WPG)
- XML Print Specification (XPS)
- Page Description Language (PDL)
- Raster
- Print monitor
- Graphics Device Interface (GDI): EMF and RAW
- Scalable fonts or vector fonts
- Vector graphics
- Virtual printers
- Page description language or bitmap image data
Multimedia Devices
- Sound Cards
- Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chip
- Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs)
- Frequency response
- Sony/Phillips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) jack
- Microphone
- Audio connectors including Audio jack colors and descriptions
- Surround sound
- Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
- Headset
- Webcams
- Digital camera
Weekly Map
Monday
Introduction to problem: Install and configure peripherals, especially printers
Activity 3-1: Discussing Display Device Installation and Configuration
OPTIONAL: Activity 3-2: Installing a Graphics Adapter
Team meetings to develop project plan and goals
Tuesday
Review content resources with whole group
Small group and independent exploration of resources
Activity 2-5: Discussing Peripheral Device Installation
Activities 17-1-3: Discussing Printer Maintenance
Contribute to team project
Wednesday
Hands-on exploration
Activity 17-4: Discussing Printer Installation and Configuration
Activity 17-5: Installing and Configuring Printers
Team progress check with supervisor (using project plan)
Thursday
Hands-on exploration
Small group and independent exploration of resources
Activity 3-5: Discussing Multimedia Device Installation and Configuration
Contribute to team project
Friday
Team progress check with supervisor or sharing of progress with whole group
Online post-assessment
Monitor progress and adjust project plan as necessary
Lesson Ideas
Students have five major outcomes for the week that they can use as team projects, independent projects, or covered through whole-class discussion. They are:
- Install and configure display devices
- Install and configure human interaction devices, like a keyboard, mouse, or other device
- Install and configure printers
- Install and configure multimedia or imaging devices
Potential Resources
The Official CompTIA A+ Core 1 & Core 2 Instructor Guide for Exams 220-1001 and 220-1002
- Topic 3A: Install and Configure Display Devices (pp. 168-187)
- Activity 3-1: Discussing Display Device Installation and Configuration (p. 184)
- OPTIONAL: Activity 3-2: Installing a Graphics Adapter (p. 185)
- Topic 2D: Human Interface Devices (pp. 154-164)
- Activity 2-5: Discussing Peripheral Device Installation
- Topic 17A: Maintain Laser Printers (pp. 922-930)
- Activity 17-1: Discussing Laser Printer Maintenance (p. 931)
- Topic 17B: Maintain Inkjet Printers (pp. 932-936)
- Activity 17-2: Discussing Inkjet Printer Maintenance (p. 937)
- Topic 17C: Maintain Impact, Thermal, and 3D Printers (pp. 938-944)
- Activity 17-3: Discussing Impact, Thermal, and 3D Printer Maintenance (p. 945-946)
- Topic 17D: Install and Configure Printers (pp. 922-971)
- Activity 17-4: Discussing Printer Installation and Configuration (p. 965)
- Activity 17-5: Installing and Configuring Printers (pp. 967-971)
- Topic 3C: Install and Configure Multimedia Devices and Topic 17F: Install and Configure Imaging Devices (pp. 196-203)
- Activity 3-5: Discussing Multimedia Device Installation and Configuration (p. 203)
CompTIA also offers videos for purchase through their website or on ITPro.TV.
Professor Messer at ProfessorMesser.com and YouTube offers numerous free videos of various lengths for many of the topics for the CompTIA 220-1001 A+ Exam. They are easy to understand, narrated videos with visuals. If you are teaching a CompTIA course, the site notes “You’re welcome to use them as much as you’d like, provided you embed the videos with the associated YouTube link or link directly to my site. Please click the “Contact Us” link at the top of our web page and let me know how you’re using them.”
- Professor Messer’s 220-1001 Core 1 CompTIA A+ Training Course videos on ProfessorMesser.com. Search or scroll to find the topics you’re interested in.
- Professor Messer’s CompTIA 220-1001 A+ Training Course playlist on YouTube
Entry Level I.T. Training from Technology Gee
- Peripheral Types (Article | Video – 17:11)
- SOHO Multifunction Devices (Article | Video – 11:20)
- Print Technologies (Article | Video – 19:40)
Videos from Basics Explained
- How do computer monitors work? (7:26)
- How does a mouse work? (4:24)
- How does a graphics card work? GPUs and graphics cards explained (3:53)
Articles and other resources
Hardware Components from Lumen Learning. Long overview that covers concepts across multiple topics in the A+ Exam Objectives
Everything You Need to Know About Computer Hardware (April 24, 2021) long article by Tim Fisher for LifeWire that contains links to further description of many components that you might return to throughout the course for different topics.
What are Peripheral Devices? Article from FlashMobComputing focusing primarily on Human Interface Devices.