Computers and Their History Key Terms

artifact

Any human creation providing documentation of a topic, physical or digital. Examples include physical objects (vase, statue, written assignment, oral presentation) and digital objects (infographic, slide presentations, movie, image).

asynchronous

Events or objects not existing or happening at the same time.

attribution

Giving credit to the original developer of an idea, image, or work.

BIOS

Basic Input Output System; preprogrammed system operating the keyboard and screen.

citation

Providing appropriate attribution for a reference source.

copyright

Legal protection for original works of authorship provided by law.

Creative Commons Licensing

Standardized system granting public access to creative works under copyright.

digital

Items stored on a computer as a series of zeros and ones.

digital artifact

Computer-stored item representing information or learning in education.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Anti-piracy law illegalizing the circumvention of digital copy protections.

Digital Rights Management (DRM)

Technology preventing unauthorized redistribution and copying of digital media.

digitization

Process of converting information into a computer-readable binary format.

fair use

Limited unpermitted use of copyrighted work for criticism, news, or teaching.

flash memory

Nonvolatile electronic memory that can be erased and rewritten.

image

A picture.

infographic

Digital artifact presenting organized information on a topic visually.

intellectual property

Mind creations such as inventions, artistic works, symbols, and designs.

logo

Symbol used by manufacturers to distinguish products from others.

nonvolatile memory

Long-term computer storage that is not erased when powered off.

open access

Free, unrestricted online availability of research materials like journal articles.

open source

Software free to modify, change, and share due to public access.

paraphrase

Restating information in your own words; requires citation without quotation marks.

patent

Government document granting exclusive rights to make, use, or sell an invention.

peer-to-peer file sharing

System allowing users to directly access shared digital files.

plagiarism

Copying or closely imitating another's work without authorization or credit.

proprietary software

Non-free software whose publisher retains intellectual property rights.

public domain

Intellectual works not copyrighted that may be used without permission.

RAM

Random Access Memory.

ROM

Read Only Memory; nonvolatile factory-programmed memory used to boot a computer.

SAM

Sequential Access Memory; storage accessed sequentially in order.

spreadsheet

Organization of data that can be sorted and manipulated for analysis.

synchronous

Events or communications existing or occurring at the same time.

tangible

Perceptible by touch.

text editor

Basic program providing text creation with basic functions like cut and paste.

trade secrets

Confidential proprietary procedures, strategies, or formulas exclusive to a business.

trademark

Recognized emblem or design used by an organization to identify its brand.

transformative

Altering copyrighted work's appearance or nature into a new original expression.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator; complete internet address used to locate web material.

volatile memory

Temporary processing memory that clears when the computer powers off.

web 2.0 tools

Interactive internet tools allowing users to create and share web content.

word processor

Program for document creation offering text editing, formatting, and media integration.