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Hello, my name is Mrs. Holborow and welcome to Computing.
I'm so pleased you decided to join me for the lesson today.
We are going to investigate what a network is and look at some commonly-used network components.
Welcome to today's lesson from the unit Computer Networks and Data Transmission.
This lesson is called an Introduction to Computer Networks, and by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe a local network and its components.
It would be useful if you have your worksheet ready.
Shall we make a start? We will be exploring these keywords during today's lesson: network.
Network, a group of devices connected together wirelessly or using cables to enable communication.
Server.
Server, a computer on a network that provides a service like storing files or webpages.
Client.
Client, a device on a network that requests a service from the server.
Router.
Router, a device that connects different computer networks together and directs data between them.
There are two main parts to today's lesson.
We will start by exploring the benefits of using a local area network and then we'll move on to describe the hardware used for network connections.
Let's make a start by exploring the benefits of using a local area network.
Humans rely on network computers to keep industry and the financial world running smoothly as well as for sharing information and entertainment.
How many times have you used a computer network today? Maybe pause the video here and have a think.
A computer network is where two or more computers are connected together to allow them to communicate.
Computer networks are used in homes, schools, and offices, and lots of other places.
Devices can connect to a network using wires or through wireless connections.
For example, a networked desktop computer in a classroom may use wires.
A connection between your phone and laptop that lets you use your phone's data could be wireless.
Local networks can give you access to the internet.
At the start of the lesson, you were asked to think about whether you'd used any networks today.
Aisha here is sharing how she's used networks.
Before school, she checks her social media.
She streams music and she messages her friends.
During the day, Aisha logs onto a computer for lessons.
She opens files and software that are stored on the school network.
In the evening, Aisha streams short videos on social media.
She listens to music.
She does her homework online and she watches a movie.
She also video calls, messages, and leaves voice notes for her friends.
Do you do any of these activities? There are lots of benefits of network computers.
Let's see some of them now.
You can access your files and work from any computer on the network.
You could use a laptop in a classroom and then a desktop PC in the library to access the same file.
Expensive devices such as printers can be shared between multiple users, which saves money and space.
Users can share files and resources.
This makes it easier to work in a group, even if you are not in the same room.
User activity can be monitored to keep the network secure and to help prevent problems. Okay, time to check your understanding.
Which of these is an example of sharing devices on the school's computer network? Is it, A, saving your homework file on your computer? Is it B, printing your homework on a printer connected to the school network? Or, C, emailing your homework to your teacher? Pause the video here whilst you have a think.
Did you select B? Great work.
Printing your homework on a printer connected to the school network is an example of sharing devices on the school's computer network.
A user is not limited to just using one machine.
Jacob here is saying "This is useful when I have my computing lessons in different classrooms and when I use computers in the library." Do you often Use different computers in your school? You can also use a local area network to share files and resources.
Jun says, "I can easily use worksheet files that have been shared with the whole class." Time for a check.
A teacher wants to track how much time their students spend on a specific computer connected to a network.
What is the best option? Is it, A, ask teachers to record how long each student spends on the computer? B, use the network to track what users are doing? Or, C, monitor how much homework is set using online platforms? Pause your video here whilst you have a think.
That's right.
The correct answer is B.
Using the network to track what users are doing is the best way to track how much time students spend on a specific computer connected to the network.
Okay, you're doing a great job so far, so well done.
We are going to move on to the first task of today's lesson.
What activities do you do that use a network? And I want you to write a list.
Think carefully about the examples we've already seen in this lesson and what you do on a day-to-day basis.
Pause the video here whilst you complete the activity.
Did you come up with a list? How long was the list? Here's a sample answer.
So you may check social media on your phone.
You may open a file that a teacher has sent you.
You may send emails or watch online videos.
You may send your homework to a school printer.
You may check the football scores on the news or play an online multiplayer game.
Did you have any of these on your list? Great job.
Okay, time for next part of task A.
This table lists some features of networked devices.
For each feature, I want you to explain how it benefits users.
Pause the video here whilst you complete the activity.
How did you get on? Let's have a look at some sample answers.
So the first one was allows communication between devices.
This benefits the users because they can easily share information regardless of their location.
Allows flexibility of device choice.
Printers, scanners, and servers can be shared on a network.
This enables the sharing of expensive devices.
Enables easy information sharing.
The benefit to the user here is that you don't have to physically move or copy files.
Okay, the next one was supports collaboration on documents.
This benefits the users because they can work on the same document at the same time.
This makes completing tasks much faster and allows for greater collaboration.
Allows for monitoring and tracking of users.
This can help prevent unauthorised access and maintain a safe network environment.
Okay, the last one was enable sharing of expensive resources.
This means devices like printers, scanners, and servers can be shared over a network.
This means people don't need their own separate devices, which saves money and makes sharing easier.
Did you have all of these responses? Don't worry if not.
You can always pause the video here and fill in any gaps that you may have.
Okay, we're going to move on to the second part of today's lesson.
You're doing a great job so far, so well done.
We are going to move on to describe hardware used for network connections.
Jacob here says he's got his laptop.
Jun says, "I've got my laptop too." Aisha says, "I have my tablet.
We need some extra network hardware to connect them.
Can you think about what that hardware might be? Network hardware is a term used for components on a network that allowed data to be transmitted across the network.
A server is a computer on a network that provides a service to a client.
A client is a device that requests a service from a server.
Sometimes I like to think of this like the example of being in a restaurant.
You are the client, sat down, waiting for a meal, and the server comes over and asks you what you want and then brings your food.
There are many types of server.
For example, a file server stores and provides access to files, a print server manages printers, and a web server hosts the pages and files needed for websites.
You may have used a file server at school if you've done any of the following: accessed a file that your teacher shared, saved a file when using one computer and then opened it again from another computer, shared a file that you've been working on with someone else.
The file server manages requests to create, edit, and delete files from users on the network.
Time to check your understanding.
When printing a document at school, which device is the client requesting the printing service? Is it, A, the printer? B, the print server? Or, C, your computer? Pause the video here whilst you have a think.
That's right, the correct answer is C.
Your computer is the client requesting the printing service.
Devices can be connected to a network using cable.
This could be ethernet cable, which uses electrical signals to transmit data, or fibre optic cable, which uses light pulses as signals to transmit data.
A router is a device that connects different computer networks together and directs data between them.
A router can connect local networks to the internet, direct emails and files and website requests between networks, and allow both wired and wireless connections.
Time for a check.
Which of these describes the main purpose of a router? Is it, A, it stores files and allows other computers to access them? B, it manages print requests when a computer sends a print job? Or, C, it directs data around the network? Pause the video whilst you have a think.
That's right.
C is the correct answer.
A router directs data around the network.
Okay, we're gonna move on to Task B now, and you're doing a great job, so well done.
You're going to start by identifying the items of network hardware from their descriptions.
So I'm going to put the descriptions up now and you need to write their names in the boxes.
So a desktop computer that sends requests to a server.
Stores and provides access to files on the network.
Connects different networks together and directs data.
Manages requests for the network printer.
And a laptop that sends requests to a server.
Write the names in the boxes and pause the video whilst you complete the task.
How did you get on? Here are the correct labels.
So a desktop computer that sends requests to a server is a client.
Stores and provides access to files on the network is a file server.
Connects different networks together and directs data is a router.
Manages requests for a network printer is a printer server.
And lastly, the laptop that sends requests to a server is another client.
Remember, if it's sending a request to a server, it's a client.
You are now going to complete the table to describe the role of each item of network hardware listed.
So we've got client, server, file server, print server, web server, router, and network cables.
The first one has been done for you.
So for the client, the role of the client is to send requests to a server.
Pause the video here whilst you complete the activity.
How did you get on? You're doing a great job so far, so well done.
Let's go through some sample answers.
So the first one, the client, was done for you so let's move on to the server.
The server's role is to provide services to clients.
The file server stores and provides access to files on the network.
The print server manages requests for the printer when a user sends a print job.
The web server hosts the pages and files needed for websites.
The router connects networks together and directs data between them.
And then lastly, network cables, could be ethernet or fibre optic cables, that connect devices on a network.
Remember, if you have any gaps, you can always pause the video here and use these as your notes.
Okay, it's now time for your final activity of today's lesson.
I'm gonna give you a scenario now.
A small office is planning to instal a network and that network should have five computers, a print server, a file server, and it should also connect to the internet.
Your task is to draw and label a simple diagram of the computers on the network to show how they could be connected.
Think back to the network diagrams you've seen during this lesson and create something similar.
But don't worry too much about drawing the individual components.
As long as they're labelled, that will be fine.
Okay, how did you get on? Did you manage to draw your diagram? Hopefully you've created something similar to what I've got on my screen here.
So you can see that I've got the five computers, I've got the ethernet cables, which are connecting those computers together, I've got the file server and the print server, and then I've got the router, which is connected to the internet.
Remember, if you need to add anything to your diagram, you can pause the video here whilst you update your activity.
Well done.
You have done a fantastic job today.
Let's summarise what we have learned.
Computer networks connect devices to enable communication, flexible access to resources, and easy sharing of information.
Networks consist of different types of hardware, such as clients and servers, and routers are used to direct requests between networks.
I hope to see you again soon.
Bye.