Process

Establishing Our Project

We knew right off the bat that our project involved computer history, so we embarked on a exploration of different issues in old electronics worth exploring. This involved:

• Conducting research into early era of computing

• Conducting research into how and where early computers are preserved

• Conducting research into how early computers were used and what kinds of records were stored

• Discussing potential areas of further research and themes

Giving the Issue Weight in the Real World

After a period of research, we found generally that we wanted to go into discontinued devices and the promotion of their significance as a source of education and technological literacy. It was now time to tie everything in with the theme that needed to be addressed, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This stage of the process involved:

• Identifying relevant human rights issues

• Discussing how key research areas relate to human rights

• Creating the final project proposal

Two pertinent human rights issues stood out to us:

1. Article 26.1: Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

2. Article 27.1: Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

Deep Dive Data Gathering 

Our process for gathering data on this subject was as follows:

• Identifying devices to be researched.

• These included Wang Keyboards, DEC Keyboards, IBM Keyboards, and GNU/Linux and ChromeOS devices

• Creating a “research template” so we could have consistent information for each computer

• Starting to conduct research on these individual computers

Putting Things Into Action 

• Completing research on individual computers

• Reviewing results together

• Publishing the website