By Laura Handford, Kate Williams,
Carli Cruickshank and Charley Shackley

• This is one of the most common input devices you will use.
• A mouse is also known as a pointing device. A mouse enables you to control what happens on the computer screen.
• A mouse usually has two buttons and a central wheel which allows you to scroll up and down the screen. The left button lets you choose a menu item, the right button brings up a list of relevant menu items and you can then select a task.
• An example of using a mouse is in the hospital is looking at patient records, when you need to click on a space to insert data.
• An advantage of using a mouse is you have more control over what you want to do e.g highlighting.

• A touch screen is the only device that has input and output features.
• An example of a touch screen would be in the doctors, you are now able to check in without going to the receptionist. There is a touch screen check in as you walk into many doctors.
• This is an advantage as it is quicker than waiting to see the receptionist also your personal information stays private.

• A remote control is used to control a machine from a short distance away.
• Remote controls needs line-of-sight in order to send their signals to the receiving device.
• An example of a remote control is a television remote, a disadvantage of this is things such as: wall’s or furniture can block the signals.
• An advantage of this is it allows you to type text, for example, making a note of a TV programme which has been recorded.

• A webcam is an input device as it captures an image of the scene in front of it.
• It is either built in to the computer (e.g. laptop) or it is connected through an USB cable.
• An example of a webcam is in the hospital or doctors, an advantage of this is you can speak to other doctors world wide to order medicines.

• The keyboard is the most used input device.it is made up of keys which are arranged into sections such as alphabet keys, number keys, arrow keys and command keys.
• The majority of keyboards are called ‘qwerty’ keyboards. This name comes from the first 6 letters on the first line.
• The main use of a keyboard is to enter data onto the computer.
• Some advantages of the keyboard is that most computers come with a keyboard already supplied, people get use to using keyboards quickly and skilled typists can enter data very quickly.
• Some disadvantages are is that it is very easy to make a mistake whilst typing in data, disabled people find them hard to use, and can also lead to health problems like strain.
• Keyboards are useful to hospitals as the doctor or nurse can enter patients data easily and quickly.

• A microphone can be used to input sound. The sound is detected by the microphone and an electrical signal is transmitted to the computer
• Using the microphone can be much more quicker than typing but could mishear a word and write it incorrectly.
• It converts the speech into text
• Microphones are good for hospitals to announce things across the hospital for everyone to hear.

• Joysticks were originally used by pilots to control the plane, now they are used to play games
• You can move the joystick in any direction and the joystick tells the computer which way it is going
• They have buttons which are read by the computer when pressed
• Joysticks are also used on cranes and trucks
• An advantages of joysticks is that they are more realistic when playing on flighing or racing games
• Some disadvantages are they can break easily and people may find them harder to use rather than a normal mouse
• Joysticks are good for hospitals as they are used in powered wheelchairs so any patients who need to get around can easily on their own.

• The touchpad is an input device usually found on a laptop because there meant to be portable so don’t have a mouse connected and might take up to much room
• When you move your finger on the touchpad sensors underneath detect the movement, direction and speed.
• The sensors only react to a fingertip, not any object like a pencil.
• They have 2 buttons witch represent the left and right button on a mouse
• Some advantages of the touchpad is that it is very small finger movement can move the cursor and takes up less room than a mouse.
• Some disadvantages are that you cannot wear gloves, sweaty hands can disrupt the sensors and it also takes practise getting used to moving the cursor.
• Touchpads are useful in hospitals because they save room were you would be using a mouse.it also lessens the risk of loosing a mouse when you need it .

• A concept keyboard is a flat board that contains a grid of buttons.
• The grid consists of different pictures.
• Each picture does a different thing and the pictures represent the job they do, when you click the picture it will take you to a different area.
• For example, concept keyboards are used in places like McDonalds, which people use for ordering food .
• An advantage to a concept keyboard is that it is quick and easy to get to the place the picture presents.
• Another advantage is that the keyboard is waterproof so this is good as it is protected to food and various liquids.
• A disadvantage is that it is limited to options shown on the keyboard.

• Things such as lottery tickets were everyone wins were you have to tick the boxes, or on things such as a multiple choice test are scanned by
Optical mark readers.
• They detect the presence of the pencil mark.
• Less light is reflected where the pencil mark has been made.
• The optical mark reader interprets where the marks are and sends them to the results computer for storage.
• An advantage would be that it is a quicker way to do things instead of checking the answers manually. A disadvantage would be that if the marks don’t fill the space properly then they might not be read correctly.

• OCR stands for optical character recognition (OCR)
• The OCR is a normal scanner and a special software.
• OCR is when a piece of paper is scanned and the characters are picked up.
• The scanner is used to scan things off a piece of paper into the computer.
• The software then examines the paper and then changes the writing and types up what is on the paper.
• An advantage of the OCR would be it is quick and easy to get the writing copied instead of typing it up yourself.
• A disadvantage would be that the writing has to be clear for the software to examine it correctly.

Barcodes are represented by black vertical bars and are read by a barcode reader.
Barcodes are printed on nearly every product you buy, each product has a unique code.
When read, information stored in the shop's database is recalled, such as the product name and price. This information later appears on your receipt. The scanning process also assists in stock management, reducing the stock by one each time a product is scanned/sold.
Advantages:
-bar code readers provide accuracy and speed for scanning prices at the checkout.
-Delivery services such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service use bar codes to track packages throughout the delivery process, so customers can inquire at any time where their package currently is located in transit.
Disadvantages:
-If a barcode becomes scratched or crumpled the reader may not be able to read it.

• Used as an alternative to a mouse. To operate it the user rotates the ball which moves the pointer on screen. They are particularly easy to use for those with limited movement in their hands and are often used in Computer Aided Design (CAD) for their increased precision over a mouse.
Where are they used?
Trackballs have appeared in computer and video games, particularly early arcade games. Large trackballs are sometimes seen on computerized special-purpose workstations, such as the radar consoles in an air-traffic control room or sonar equipment on a ship or submarine. Modern installations of such equipment may use mice instead, since most people now already know how to use one.
Advantages
-Easy to use
-Don’t have to move your around like a mouse does
Disadvantages
-trackballs get stuck and the wheels inside can get jammed

• Magnetic stripes are built into many plastic cards such as debit or credit cards and personal identity cards. The magnetic strip on the back of the card can hold the personal details of the card owner and, with the necessary PIN, will allow access to secure information, e.g. bank account details. Data stored on the strip is scanned and input into a computer system by a magnetic stripe reader.
Advantages:
-Putting magnetic stripes on the cards are not expensive, so the cards are cheap
Disadvantages:
-Magnetic stripes may get damaged or the stripe reader could break down.