Year 7 Digital Technologies — Term 2, 2026

In this workshop you will open up computers, discover what makes them tick, learn the secret language of binary, and build your own network.

Every device — phone, laptop, gaming PC — has the same core components:

- **CPU (Central Processing Unit)** — The brain. Processes billions of instructions per second.

- **RAM (Random Access Memory)** — Short-term memory. Like your desk — apps go here while you use them. Wiped when you power off.

- **Storage (SSD/HDD)** — Long-term memory. Your photos, games, and files live here permanently.

- **Motherboard** — The backbone connecting everything. Data flows between components like cars on a highway.

- **GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)** — Originally for games — fast, smooth graphics. Now also powering AI with billions of parallel calculations.

Computers only understand **binary** — 0s and 1s. Every photo, message, and game is stored as binary.

Each position is worth double the one to its right:

| 128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 |

|-----|----|----|----|----|---|---|---|

**Example:** `10110010` = 128 + 32 + 16 + 2 = **178**

Convert binary to decimal:

- `00001101` = ?

- `01010101` = ?

- `11000011` = ?

- `10000001` = ?

Convert decimal to binary:

- 25 = ?

- 100 = ?

- 42 = ?

- 200 = ?

- **Ethernet cables** — Twisted pairs of copper wires carrying electrical signals. Up to 100m at 1 Gbps.

- **Fibre-optic cables** — Pulses of light through glass. Up to 100km at 10 Gbps. Used for internet backbones and undersea cables.

- **Switch** — Connects devices on a local network. Reads addresses to send data to the right device.

- **Router** — Connects your local network to other networks (like the internet).

- **LAN (Local Area Network)** — Devices in one location, like your classroom.

- **WAN (Wide Area Network)** — Connects multiple LANs. The biggest WAN is the internet.

When you send a message, your device breaks it into **packets**. The switch sends them to the right local device. If they need to go further, the router forwards them to the internet. At the other end, packets are reassembled.

AI models like ChatGPT run on the same hardware — just thousands of CPUs, GPUs, and RAM sticks working together in massive data centres. The same type of chip that runs your Fortnite is now running AI. And it needs a LOT more of them. That's why there aren't enough GPU cards left for gamers!

- [Inside a Computer — Why AI Stole Your GPU](https://youtu.be/tNkFNDFyTf4) (1:35)

- [How Networks Power AI](https://youtu.be/CM-mj626lkc) (1:22)

1. **Laptop Autopsy** (1 lesson) — Open a broken laptop and identify at least 5 internal components. Label them in your notebook with a sketch.

2. **Raspberry Pi Boot** (1 lesson) — Set up a Raspberry Pi from scratch. Boot it, navigate the desktop, open the file manager and terminal.

3. **Build a LAN** (1 lesson) — Connect 3 devices using ethernet cables, a switch, and a router. Test that they can communicate.

4. **Pi Network Challenge** (1 lesson) — Transfer a file between two Raspberry Pis over your LAN. Document the steps you took.

5. **Data Journey Research** (1 lesson) — Research: How does data travel from your Raspberry Pi to Google? Draw the path including all the devices it passes through.

| Term | Definition |

|------|-----------|

| CPU | Central Processing Unit — the brain of the computer |

| RAM | Random Access Memory — temporary working storage |

| Storage | SSD or HDD — permanent file storage |

| Motherboard | Main circuit board connecting all components |

| GPU | Graphics Processing Unit — fast parallel calculations |

| Router | Device that directs traffic between different networks |

| Switch | Device that connects devices within the same network |

| Ethernet | Wired network connection using cables |

| Binary | Number system using only 0 and 1 |

| LAN | Local Area Network — connected devices in one location |

| WAN | Wide Area Network — connects multiple LANs |

| Packet | A small chunk of data sent across a network |

- [CS Unplugged — Count the Dots](https://csunplugged.org/activities/binary-numbers) — Classic binary activity with physical cards

- [Isaac Computer Science — Systems Architecture](https://isaaccomputerscience.org/topics/architecture) — CPU, RAM, storage deep dive

- [Isaac Computer Science — Networking](https://isaaccomputerscience.org/topics/networking) — LANs, WANs, how data travels

- [Raspberry Pi Getting Started](https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/raspberry-pi-getting-started) — Official setup guide

- [Micro:bit Radio Projects](https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it) — Send data wirelessly between micro:bits

- [Digital Technologies Hub](https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/) — Australian curriculum resources