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Grade 5 Social Studies · World 9: Into the Digital Age · Level 87
The Personal Computer
Explain its impact.
Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.
What children learn in Level 87
- Before the 1970s, most computers were huge. Some filled a room. Only governments, universities, and big companies owned them. Few people ever touched one.
- Then tiny parts called chips made small computers possible. In 1977, Apple sold the Apple II, ready to use at home. In 1981, IBM brought out its PC.
- A personal computer is a small computer made for one person to use. Writers traded typewriters for word processors. Businesses kept their numbers in spreadsheets.
- Schools got computer labs. Small businesses could do jobs that once took a whole office. New jobs appeared, like writing programs.
- Look how fast it spread. In 1984, about 8 percent of American homes had a computer. By 2000, it was about 51 percent, more than half.
Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:
- SS5H7.c — Explain the impact of the personal computer and the Internet on American life.