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Computers, Personally Speaking (February 27, 2004, One)

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Program Summary

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the debut of the Alto, the world’s first personal computer, and four men who developed the revolutionary machine have been honored with the prestigious Draper Prize. Awarded by the National Academy of Engineering, the Draper Prize recognizes engineers whose achievements have significantly benefited society. Needless to say, the PC has changed every aspect of our lives.

Working at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in California, the team unveiled the Alto in 1974 and changed the course of computer history. The computer went from a massive collection of machines that filled entire rooms to a self-contained unit that fit in one corner. The Alto featured all the elements of the computer that we use today—a hard drive, keyboard, monitor, mouse, and graphical user interface (GUI), the component that made computer use available to anyone. The GUI is the system that allows us to manipulate the computer with “metaphors” (graphics), text, and a pointer. Alto also had Ethernet, a system that allowed computers within the same building to “network” (link together to communicate). It even had e-mail!

The Alto never went anywhere commercially, however, because it was expensive (more than $16,000 per machine) and because Xerox was involved in the copier wars, focusing its efforts on retaining dominance in the copy machine industry. Instead, Xerox allowed a visiting Steve Jobs to take the technology he observed at the Center back to the new-born Apple Computer company, and, well, you know the rest.

Guests

Alan C. Kay, senior fellow at HP Labs of the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California

Robert W. Taylor, director emeritus of the Systems Research Center at Compaq Computer Corporation in Palo Alto, California

Charles P. Thacker, distinguished engineer for the Emerging Technologies Group at Microsoft Corporation in Mountain View, California

Related Links and Resources

Digibarn Computer Museum: The Xerox Alto
National Academies News, February 18, 2004: “2004's Top Engineering Honors Go to Inventors of First Networked PC and Education Innovator”
Palo Alto Research Center: PARC History
Smalltalk.org
Smithsonian Institution: A Few of Our Favorite Things: Xerox Alto CPU
Technewsworld.com, February 24, 2004: “Xerox PARC Veterans Picked for Prestigious Draper Prize”
Welcome to Squeak
Welcome to Squeakland!

For Discussion:

• What was significant about the Alto computer? What were its features?
• What were computers like before the Alto was developed?
• How does a graphical user interface work?
• For what do you and your family use computers? Do you think you could do those same things without a computer?
• What would you want to add to or change about a personal computer?

Activities

Log on. ThinkQuest’s Internet Challenge Library on Computers and the Internet provides a comprehensive understanding of computers, including their history, their parts, how they work, and what can be done with them. Plenty of interactives enhance the learning experience.

Hard drivers.At the National Inventors Hall of Fame, students can get brief bios and descriptions of the work of many more engineers and scientists who shaped the world of computers.

From fingers to keys. Visit A Short History of the Computer for a simple chronology of computing from ancient times to 1993. A trip to the Obsolete Computer Museum is fun just to look pictures of old computers and the design evolution. Some early ones had five-inch screens! Computer History Museum has a good timeline with a year-by-year presentation of computer-related developments as well as discussions of the computer within the context of popular culture. The Computer Technology lesson plan from Discovery School has thoughtful discussion questions and projects that focus on how invention and technology have shaped history and culture.

The future is...now? Inventing the Future, a 2000 episode of PBS’s “Scientific American Frontiers,” looks at how scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab envision the future of computers and their role in society. The teaching guide includes discussion questions, activities, and a quiz.

Not just for geeks anymore. According to a British survey, more than half the population of England owns a personal computer (“March of the Techno Tortoises,” Millenium Debate, July 24, 2002). Another study of 2,000 people also revealed that 93 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds have used e-mail, but only 10 percent of the over-65 generation has sent an e-mail message. Students can conduct a survey of their class, grade level, or the whole school, collecting information on computer usage and preferences by age and gender. Have them prepare a statistical analysis with the results.

When I was your age... Have students interview adults who didn’t grow up with computers about the impact the machines have had on their lives. Students can compile the stories into a book or create a Web site on which to post them.

Computerized classroom. Computers have become ubiquitous in the classroom. How have they changed teaching methods? Are they really effective? Do children spend too much time on them? These are some of the issues explored in Down to the Wire, a lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network. Similar problems are considered in another lesson plan Computer Versus Tutor, which compares traditional teaching methods with computerized versions.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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