Input, output or both: testing computer peripherals

The idea

A peripheral is an input device if data goes from it into the computer, an output device if data comes out of the computer to it, and both if data goes both ways.

What you need

• 1 desktop or laptop computer
• USB keyboard, USB mouse, USB webcam, USB headset (headphones with microphone), USB speaker, USB flash drive
• 1 classroom printer on the network
• 1 touchscreen tablet
• Sorting chart with three columns: input, output, both

How to do it

1. Plug in one peripheral at a time and use it for its purpose: type, click, take a photo, record and play back a sound, print one page, save and open a file.
2. For each one, draw an arrow showing which way the data moves: into the computer, out of it, or both ways.
3. Place a picture of each peripheral in the right column of the chart.
4. Test the touchscreen: what goes in when you touch it and what comes out on it.
5. Compare charts with another group and settle any differences by retesting.

What you should see

Keyboard, mouse and webcam are input devices; speaker and printer are output devices; the headset and the touchscreen are both, because the microphone and touch send data in while the headphones and screen show data coming out; the flash drive stores data and moves it both ways. The learner knows it worked when every placement is backed by the direction the data moved during the test.

What changes

This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

• The screen is the computer (it is an output device connected to it).
• A device can only be input or output (a headset or touchscreen is both).
• Printers and speakers send information to the computer (data flows out to them).

Safety card

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

• Science and Technology K–6 Syllabus (2017), NESA. The syllabus taught in 2026; the 2024 syllabus replaces it from 2027. Code read from the official syllabus document (DOCX) on 2026-09-22.ST2-11DI-T
• Science and Technology K–6 Syllabus (2024), NESA. Implementation from 2027, so this code describes the future syllabus. Code read from the outcomes page on 2026-09-22.ST2-DDT-02
• Australian Curriculum v9AC9TDI4K01

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

1. www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2017
2. curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2024/outcomes
3. www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/search/understanding-digital-systems-years-3-4
4. www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/media/thabeift/digital-systems_a3_web_3-6.pdf