Device Connection

Most of the devices that connect to your computer will connect using a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. USB is a way of allowing many different types of devices to connect to the same computer, without having to have a special connection on the computer exclusively for that device. The USB port has an “up” and a “down” side when plugging devices in, so if you try to insert a cable and are having trouble, try turning the plug around. Most computers have USB ports on the back of the tower, and may have additional ports on the front for easy access. Most laptops have ports on the sides or back. Some keyboards and monitors have extra USB ports that you can connect additional devices like USB flash drives to, and if you run out of USB ports, you can even buy “hubs” that allow you to plug in many USB devices at once. The input and output devices referred to in the section, unless otherwise noted, connect to your computer with a USB cable or USB plug.

Keyboard Basics

The keyboard is another common input device with a lot of functionality.

You should be aware of healthy typing technique; knowing and using proper typing technique will not only make you a faster typist, but it will also protect your hands and wrist from injuries that can happen from poor typing technique.

Proper typing technique starts with your pointer fingers on the F and J keys, which will usually have a ridge or other physical indicator on them. The remainder of your fingers should rest comfortably on the middle row of keys, and your thumbs should be able to comfortably reach the space bar. You should try to use all of your fingers as you type so that you don’t stress out any individual fingers too much.

The keyboard also has special key combinations that may help you do things more quickly. These key combinations, called keyboard shortcuts or hotkeys, are usually a combination of two keys: one that is held down and another that is tapped, then both are released. Common hotkeys include “Ctrl-Z” to undo the last action, “Ctrl-C” to copy highlighted information, and “Ctrl-V” to paste the last copied item. Most of the time, you will see the shortcut key combination listed in the menu of an application. You can always find more by searching for the name of the program you are using plus “hot keys.”

Other Input Devices

Webcams and microphones provide the input necessary for multimedia communication and content creation. Webcams capture video, enabling activities like video conferencing and recording. Webcams can be built into the computer, as is seen with laptops and mobile devices, or external pieces of hardware that need to be plugged into the computer. Microphones capture audio, allowing for voice communication and sound recording. Same as webcams, these can be built into the device or connected externally. Together, they allow computers to interact with the world through sight and sound.

Another common input device is a scanner. Scanners convert physical documents or images into digital formats that computers can understand and manipulate. They essentially create a digital copy of a physical item, allowing it to be stored, shared, edited, and displayed electronically.

One last common input device is a gaming controller, like an XBOX or PlayStation controller. A video game controller translates user input like button presses, joystick movements, etc. into digital signals that a computer game can understand. Connected externally, it provides a dedicated interface for gaming, offering a more intuitive and sometimes more precise control experience compared to using a keyboard and mouse. The controller's signals are interpreted by the game software, which then translates them into in-game actions.

Common Output Devices

Data from input devices means nothing if the user can’t see how the computer reacts to that data. This is the job of output devices. Common output devices include a monitor, printer, speakers, and headphones.

The Monitor

The images that the monitor displays are made up of lots of pieces of information from many different applications. The Operating System (OS) will have information about things like where the cursor is on screen, what applications are open, and what the desktop looks like. Applications will have different things displayed depending on what kind of program it is: you might have a web browser application that shows you a web site, you could have a word processing program that shows the text content of a document, you might have a video playing application that’s showing a movie. All of these applications send information on what to show to the OS, which in turn sends the digital information to the CPU. The CPU sends this information to the monitor, which then converts the information into a graphic that it displays on the screen.

The images that are displayed by the monitor are made up of tiny dots of light called pixels. The more pixels a monitor can display, the clearer an image will be, this is called resolution. You can change the resolution of your monitor in your OS settings.

You can also use a projector as a monitor, projecting the computer image onto a wall or a screen. This works well when watching videos and movies, especially with others.

Speakers and Headphones

Speakers and headphones are output devices that convert digital audio data into sounds that humans can hear. Speakers produce sound that can be heard by multiple people in a room, while headphones provide a more personal listening experience, isolating the sound to the user's ears. Sometimes a speaker or headphone can also include a microphone, making it a combination input and output device.