Reply To: OCU C)HT B Discussion Lesson 07
Input and output devices are part and parcel of a computer system and ensure interaction between the user and the computer. They are also different mainly in functions since their primary function for input devices is to enable users to send data or commands to the computer, while for output devices, it should provide feedback or information back to the user.
Input Devices
Input devices are the physical means through which data and instructions are fed into a computer system. The most common input devices include keyboards, mice, scanners, and microphones. All these devices have the important purpose of communicating with the computer, converting human activity into data that the computer can understand and which it can use for processing. For instance, a keyboard provides text input while a mouse offers GUI interaction; both of which remain important in personal computing applications or tasks. Indeed, Shelly & Vermaat (2019) thought that
Output Devices
The output devices, on the other hand, present data from the computer to the user in a perceivable format, for instance, monitors, printers, and speakers. These are devices that change digital data processed by computers to understandable forms for humans, such as visual or auditory formats. For example, monitors display information as visual content, and a printer provides physical copies of digital documents.
Differences
Perhaps the key difference between input and output devices is the direction relative to the computer. Whereas input devices feed data into the system, output devices serve to display the end result to the user. This becomes quite crucial in any interactive computing system, as it summarizes how humans interact with machines. For instance, a microphone, a type of input device, might capture audible data; the data would perhaps be processed and then reproduced via speakers -an output device.
References
Morley, D., & Parker, C. S. (2020). Understanding computers: Today and tomorrow (17th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Parsons, J. J., & Oja, D. (2018). New perspectives on computer concepts 2018: Comprehensive. Cengage Learning.
Shelly, G. B., & Vermaat, M. E. (2019). Discovering computers & Microsoft Office 365 Office 2019: A fundamental combined approach. Cengage Learning.
Stair, R., & Reynolds, G. (2021). Principles of information systems (14th ed.). Cengage Learning.