File storage device usually identified as the floppy drive. See also floppy disk.
Application
Computer program designed for end-users. Common applications include word processing programs, spreadsheets, and database programs. Desktop applications are installed and run from the computer. Web-based applications run from a server through the Internet.
Attachment
File that is attached to an e-mail message.
Audio card
See sound card.
Autobiography
True story about a person’s life written by the person himself/herself. See genre.
Back/front cover
The hard or soft covering of a book, usually decorated with a design.
Biography
True story about a person’s life written by someone other than the person himself/herself. See genre.
Blog
Online journal (short for weblog).
Book awards
Caldecott Award, Monarch Award, Newbery Award, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award.
Broadband
Type of data transmission in which a single medium (wire) can carry several channels at once. Cable TV, for example, uses broadband transmission. Broadband provides high-speed Internet and data connections.
Browser
Software application used to view web pages and interact with Internet resources. Mozilla Firefox, Netscape and Internet Explorer are examples of web browsers.
Caldecott Award
Book award named in honor of 19th century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott and awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
C: drive
File storage area inside the computer, usually identified as the hard drive. See also hard drive.
CD-ROM
(Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) A round, shiny, portable disk that stores a large amount of information. (It would take about 486 floppy drives to store the amount of information that can be stored on a CD-ROM drive!) To access information stored on a CD-ROM, the computer must have a CD-ROM drive. To copy or "burn" information to a CD-ROM, you must have a writable CD-ROM (either a CD-R or CD-RW), a CD-RW drive on the computer, and special CD burning software.
Central Processing Unit
See CPU.
Chapter book/novel
Kind of book divided into numbered or titled sections.
CPU
(Central Processing Unit) The brain of the computer, also known as the processor; the CPU processes data and instructions, performs calculations, and does what the software programs tell it to do.
Data storage devices
Places to store data (or files) electronically - hard drives, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, portable USB drives/flash drives, DVDs.
Digital camera
Camera that stores images digitally rather than recording them on film. Once a picture is taken, it can be downloaded to a computer for viewing, editing and printing.
Discussion Board
Website on which you can post messages that others can respond to.
Display
See monitor.
Download
Transfer a file over a network from another computer to your computer.
Drama
Serious story usually written for performance by actors. See genre.
DSL
(Digital Subscriber Line) Technology for bringing high-bandwidth informatio to homes and small businesses using regular phone lines.
DVD
(Digital Versatile or Video Disc) Looks like a CD-ROM but can store about seven times as much data as a CD-ROM. It is often used to store large movie files. A DVD player is needed to access the information from a DVD. Like writable CD-ROMs, special hardware and software are needed to write information to a DVD.
Electronic mail
See E-mail.
E-mail
(Electronic Mail) Computer networks used to send and receive electronic messages.
Essay
Short composition containing the author’s personal views, usually about a single subject. See genre.
Fable
Short moral story usually using animals as characters. See genre.
Facsimile machine
See fax machine.
Fairy Tale
See Folktale/Fairy Tale.
Fantasy
Imaginary stories that distort or depart from reality. See genre.
Fax machine
An abbreviation for the facsimile machine, this device can send and receive pictures and text over telephone lines. The fax machine scans a document and converts it into a digital format, which is transmitted to a fax machine on the other end of the phone line where a paper copy of the document is printed out.
Fiber-optic lines
Very thin strands of glass, instead of copper wire, that are used to quickly transmit large amounts of data.
Fiction
Story based on imagination, not factual truth. See genre.
File server
Computer dedicated to storing files.
Firewall
Security device or software designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network.
Flash drive
Small, portable memory device for storing and carrying digital information. It connects to the computer through the USB port and can store large amounts of information. Flash drives are also known as thumb drives, jump drives, and memory sticks. Less expensive flash drives hold 128 megabytes of information; more expensive ones can hold as much as 16 gigabytes.
Floppy disk
A 3-1/2 inch square disk used in computers with floppy disk drives, which spin the disk at high speeds as it reads or writes information to the disk. The floppy disk drive is often called the A: drive.
Folktale/Fairy Tale
Prose writing set in the “far-distant” past (Once upon a time), the plot dealing with good vs. evil; characters are symbolic/flat, and the stories are used to teach the moral good. See genre.
Front cover
See Back/front cover.
Genre
Group of books identified by category to distinguish themselves from each other: autobiography, biography, drama, essay, fable, fantasy, fiction, folktale/fairy tale, graphic novel, historical fiction, legend, myth, nonfiction, poetry, realistic fiction, short story.
Graphic novel
Narrative writing that combines text and art, similar to a comic book. See genre.
Graphics card
See video card.
Hard drive
Located inside the computer and usually referred to as the C: drive. In District 13, we store our files on a network drive, which we call the H: drive. This drive is located on the hard drive of one of the District's file servers.
Hardware
Physical components of the computer – disks, disk drives, keyboards, monitors, etc.
H: drive
File storage area that resides on a network file server for all District 13 staff and students.
Headphones
Outputs sound from the computer and designed for a single user to hear.
Historical fiction
Fiction story that recreates an event in history and can use historical figures as some of the characters. See fiction; genre.
Index
Alphabetical system used to make finding information in a book easier; usually found in the back of the book.
Input devices
Allows users to enter information into a computer via a keyboard, mouse, trackpoint, touchpad, or microphone.
Install
Put software on a computer (install the software) or add hardware components to your computer (install the hardware).
Instant Messaging
Form of electronic communication between two people who are online at the same time.
Internet
Computer networks that connect computers around the world.
iPod
Small, portable music player designed by Apple. Users can transfer songs to their iPod with their computer, iTunes, and the iPod software. iPods can also be used as a flash drive to store files.
Jacket (Book)
A paper covering for a hardvoer book, usually with a design, containing a front and back flap; the front flap usually gives a synopsis of the book while the back flap usually contains information about the author.
Jump drive
See flash drive.
Kinds of books
See chapter book/novel; picture book; reference.
Laptop
Small, portable computer - small enough that it can sit on a user's lap.
LCD projection device
(Liquid Crystal Display projector) Device that accepts output from a computer or video device and displays it on a screen.
Legend
Story that is based on truth and set in the recent past/in our world, usually with human characters (e.g., Robin Hood). See genre.
Memory
Provides temporary storage space on your computer. Memory holds programs and data temporarily while you use them. RAM (Random Access Memory) is the most important kind of memory, and "memory" usually refers to RAM.
Memory stick
See flash drive.
Microphone
Inputs audio data into a computer. Some people prefer to use a microphone and voice recognition software instead of a keyboard for entering text. Voice recognition software converts the audio text into digitized text.
Monarch Award
Book award named after the Monarch butterfly, which symbolizes growth, change and freedom—qualities that also characterize the emergent reader. Illinois students in grades K-3 vote for the author and/or illustrator of their favorite book.
Monitor
TV-like part of the computer that you look at to see information. It is also called the screen or the display.
Motherboard
Main circuit board of the computer. All the computer's main devices - including the CPU, storage disks, memory, sound card and video card - attach to the motherboard. The motherboard is responsible for making all the computer's devices work together.
MP3 player
Small, portable device that allows you to store and play music files in MP3 format.
Myth
Story that was initially accepted as fact and is set in the distant past in another world or earlier world. Usually associated with theology and/or ritual (e.g., Greek/Roman Myths). See genre.
Network
Many computers connected together to share information and resources.
Network server
Computer or other device that manages network traffic.
Newbery Award
Annual book award named for 18th century British bookseller John Newbery by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Nonfiction
Prose writing that is anything other than fictional. See fiction; genre.
Novel
See chapter book/novel.
Operating system
Basic software that a computer needs to communicate with the hardware and manage all the other programs. Common operating systems include Windows, Mac OS and Linux.
Output devices
Used to get information out of the computer - monitor, speakers, headphones.
Parts of a book
Includes back/front cover, index, jacket, publishing information, spine, table of contents, title page, verso.
PDA
(Personal Digital Assistant) Handheld device that can offer many features. A PDA can function as a cellular phone, fax sender, Web browser and personal organizer. The PDA uses a stylus to input data, although portable keyboards can also be purchased to use with a PDA.
Personal Digital Assistant
See PDA.
Phishing
Form of Internet fraud that attempts to trick a user into giving out personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, user IDs and passwords.
Picture book
Kind of book composed mostly of pictures.
Podcast
Pre-recorded audio program that is posted to a website, making it available for others to download and listen to on a computer or portable device.
Poetry
Creative use of language to express a message; uses lyrical elements such as metaphor, simile, alliteration, etc. See genre.
Pop-up
Small window that appears on top of the browser window when the user selects an option on a web page.
Portable devices
PDA's, MP3 players, etc.
Printer
Output device that produces a paper copy of information from a computer. Printers are available in different sizes, styles, speeds, and price. The two most common types of printers are the ink jet and laser printers.
Print server
Computer or device that manages one or more printers.
Processor
See CPU.
Programming
Using computer-programming languages to create software or some other set of instructions for instructing a computer to perform specific tasks.
Publishing information
Information on how the book was published, which can include copyright date, publisher and publisher’s address, place of publication, ISBN number, etc.
Random Access Memory
(Or RAM) See memory.
Realistic fiction
Fiction story with everyday settings, characters, situation, and plots. See fiction; genre.
Rebecca Caudill
Named after an Illinois resident who shared her literary talent for over 50 years, the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award is selected by Illinois students in Grades 4-8, who vote for the author of their favorite book.
Reference
Kind of book where nonfiction prose is used to find factual information. See nonfiction.
Scanner
Device that "takes a picture" of something and turns it into a digitized image for editing, printing, or attaching to an e-mail.
Screen
See monitor.
Science fiction
Fiction fantasy story based on probable and/or improbable scientific discoveries. See fantasy; fiction; genre.
Server
Computer or other device on a network that manages network resources.For example, a file server is a computer dedicated to storing files. Our H: drives reside on a file server. A print server manages one or more printers, and a network server manages network traffic.
Short story
Short fiction prose with few characters and a simple plot. See fiction; genre.
Software
Written programs or procedures for computers that perform specific tasks.
Sound card
(Or audio card) Device that attaches to the computer’s motherboard to enable the computer to input, process, and deliver sound. Speakers, headphones
and microphones are plugged into the computer’s sound card.
Spam
Unwanted electronic "junk" mail.
Speakers
Outputs sound from the computer.
Spine
Hinged back (or “backbone”) of a book.
Spyware
Computer software that secretly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection, usually for advertising purposes.
T-1 line
Type of data transmission using a special type of telephone line. Larger businesses use T-1 lines for digital communication and transmission.
Table of contents
Organized list of the contents of a book, usually found in the front.
Thumb drive
See flash drive.
Title page
Page that appears at or near the front of the book containing the title, author, and other information.
Touchpad
Small, flat surface on a laptop keyboard on which you slide your finger to move the cursor. It also has buttons that function like the buttons of a mouse.
Trackpoint
Also available on laptops, a trackpoint looks like a pencil eraser and is located between the “G”, “H” and “B” keys on the keyboard.
Trojan
Destructive program that hides on a computer, usually to allow unwanted access to files on the computer.
Upload
Transfer a file over a network from your compute to another computer.
Verso
Page on the back of the title page, usually on the left.
Video card
(Or graphics card) Device that attaches to the motherboard of a computer to enable display capabilities. The monitor connects to the computer’s video card.
Video conferencing
Allows real-time communication between people at different locations using a computer, video conferencing software, video camera and network.
Video production equipment
Equipment needed (including video cameras, monitors, videotape recorders, disk recorders editors, compression equipment) to record and edit video and audio information, often for distribution on portable media.
Virus
Computer program that was written to purposely damage computer systems.
Webinar
(Short for web-based seminar) Presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the web.
Weblog
See blog.
Wiki
Website that allows users to add or edit content on the site using a web browser.
Wired network
Network that uses cables to connect hardware devices.
Wireless network
Network that uses radio waves instead of cables to connect hardware devices.
Workstation components
CPU, motherboard, data storage devices, input devices, monitor, memory, video card, speakers/microphones/headphones, printer, laptop, digital camera, fax machine, scanner, portable devices, LCD projection devices, video production equipment.
