Session 7: Peripherals & Connections

At a glance: pupils sort devices into input, output, storage or both, match devices to ports using the trotro station, pair a Bluetooth device, print or save as PDF with chosen settings, scan a page, and switch a display to a projector with Windows + P. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6

Learning outcomes

By the end of the session, pupils can:

Sort common devices into input, output, storage or both, and choose the right device for a job.
Recognise the main ports (USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, VGA, audio, Ethernet, power), say what plugs into each, and explain wired vs wireless connections and Bluetooth pairing.
Connect sound and a projector (Windows + P), and print or save as PDF with the pages, copies, colour and sides they choose.

Before the session

Collect every device the Hub has: headsets or speakers, a webcam, a printer, a scanner, a projector, a Bluetooth headset or speaker, a game controller, card reader, external drive. A device the Hub does not have is covered by your demo pictures and the Plug It In lab.
Set up three stations (Page 5): Sound (PC + headset or speakers), Projector (PC + projector with its HDMI or VGA cable), Print (PC that can reach the printer, or any PC with Microsoft Print to PDF). One spare PC can be the Plug It In lab station.
Put a one-page practice file (for example a short Notepad or Word document called Print_Practice.docx) on each print-station PC. Decide how many real prints you can afford (one page per pupil, or only a few) and keep the rest to Print to PDF.
Check that each pupil still has Documents\BIH_Practice from Sessions 4–5.
If you can, find an old computer or a picture of the back of a desktop so pupils can see real ports. Bring loose cables (USB, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, audio) for the port race.
Test the Plug It In lab on the projector PC and one pupil PC. Keep the offline pack on USB.

Running order

Time	Activity	Workbook	What the mentor does
0–10 min	Typing warm-up	–	Pupils open the typing trainer (`/typing/`) and do their 10-minute practice. Walk round and praise accuracy over speed.
10–20 min	The trotro station and the device sort	Page 1	Tell the trotro station story. Teams sort the 14 devices; hold up real devices where you have them. Team points for each correct box.
20–30 min	Ports and the cable race	Page 2	Show real ports at the back of a PC. Cable race: hold up a cable; the first team to name its port and the device it carries gets a point.
30–38 min	Wired vs wireless and Bluetooth pairing	Page 3	Demonstrate pairing a phone or headset on the projector (with a club device, never a pupil's phone). Pupils answer Fatima's question.
38–48 min	Printing well and scanning	Page 4	Show Ctrl + P and each choice in the dialog, then Microsoft Print to PDF. Scan one page with a scanner or a phone.
48–78 min	Lab Mission: three stations + Plug It In	Page 5	Groups rotate every 7 minutes: Sound, Projector, Print, and the Plug It In lab. Check each step on screen and tick the table.
78–86 min	Show-and-tell and review	Page 6	One team shows Extend mode with a window dragged onto the projector. Go through the device and port questions.
86–90 min	Self-assessment and sign-off	Page 6	Sign off using the evidence below. Add up team points.

Key ideas and how to explain them

The trotro station: every device needs its own lane (port). The shapes of plugs and ports are different on purpose so you cannot put the wrong one in. If it does not slide in gently, it is the wrong lane: never force it.
Input, output, storage, both: ask "Does information go in, come out, or get kept?" A touchscreen, a headset with microphone and a game controller that vibrates do both. A memory card reader is a storage device (it reads and writes cards).
Wired vs wireless: wires are steady and need no batteries; wireless is free to move but needs charging and pairing once. Bluetooth is short-range device-to-device; Wi-Fi joins a network.
Windows + P: PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend, Second screen only. Duplicate for showing the class; Extend for presenting with private notes.
Print well: preview, pages, copies, colour, sides, and press Print once. Microsoft Print to PDF (or Save as PDF in the browser) makes a file instead of paper.
Team points: device sort (1 per correct box), cable race (1 per correct answer), 2 for each station finished with the table filled in, 1 for helping another team.

The 3D lab

Plug It In lets pupils connect a monitor, printer, headset, webcam and more to the right ports, pair a Bluetooth headset and set up a projector. Its three missions are: 1. Connect 5 devices to the right ports. 2. Pair the Bluetooth headset with the computer. 3. Set up the projector for a presentation (Duplicate) and explain Extend. Demonstrate one connection on the projector, showing that the wrong plug does not fit (the plug shakes and the lab explains the shape); the headset in the pink jack is a good trap, because it fits but is the microphone. Pairing follows the workbook steps (pairing mode, Settings → Bluetooth & devices, Add device, choose it, Done), and the projector needs its VGA cable, power, the right input and Windows + P. In the rotation, pupils complete the three missions and write the hardest port to find in the Page 5 table. This is how every pupil practises with devices the Hub does not have, so give it real time rather than treating it as a filler.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Pupils often…	Try this
Put the microphone in the green jack	Green is sound out, pink is microphone. On laptops one combined jack does both.
Plug the headset in but still hear sound from the speakers	Choose the output device from the speaker icon (the > arrow) or Settings → System → Sound.
Press Windows + P and nothing shows on the projector	Check the projector is on and on the right input (HDMI 1, HDMI 2, VGA/Computer), then the cable at both ends.
Get lost in Extend mode ("my window vanished")	The window is on the projector. Press Windows + P → Duplicate.
Press Print three times when nothing happens	Printers can be slow. Wait, then check the print queue; extra presses print extra copies.
Type the page range wrongly	"3" prints page 3; "2-4" prints pages 2 to 4; "1,3" prints pages 1 and 3.
Lose the PDF after Print to PDF	The Save box asks where: choose BIH_Practice before typing the name (Session 4's Save As steps).

When things go wrong

No internet: nothing here needs the internet. The lab runs from the offline pack.
Not enough devices or PCs: rotate stations (one device per station is enough). If there is no projector, demonstrate Windows + P with a second monitor or a TV with HDMI, or show the menu and let the Plug It In lab cover the rest. If there is no printer, everyone uses Microsoft Print to PDF.
A PC freezes or the power goes: run the cable race and the device sort on paper with the real cables and devices. Pupils who missed a station do it at the start of Session 8 or in Skills Lab 1.

Answer key

Sort the devices (Page 1)

Input: scanner, webcam, microphone, keyboard, mouse, graphics tablet.
Output: printer, speakers, projector.
Storage: external hard drive, memory card reader.
Both: headset with microphone, touchscreen, game controller (buttons in, vibration out). Accept a game controller under input, and accept a good reason for other choices.

Fatima's speaker (Page 3): any two of: Bluetooth is On in Settings; the speaker is switched on, charged and in pairing mode (light flashing); the speaker is close to the PC; it is not already connected to someone's phone.

Kwabena (Page 4): Pages: 3 (custom range). Colour: black and white.

Lab table (Page 5): answers depend on the station. The best mode for showing the class is Duplicate (Extend if the presenter wants private notes).

Which device? (Page 6): 1. Scanner. 2. Projector. 3. Headset with microphone.

Match the port: old blue-plug projector: D (VGA). Wired mouse: A (USB-A). Flat-screen TV with picture and sound: C (HDMI). Network cable: F (Ethernet).

Written Review Questions

Duplicate shows the same picture on both screens. Extend makes one big desktop across both screens, so each can show different windows.
Any three: check the print preview; print only the pages you need; use black and white; print on both sides; print one copy; press Print only once; save as PDF instead of printing.

Support and stretch

Needs more support: use only the real devices and cables they can touch. Do the device sort with physical cards in four piles. At the stations, let them follow a partner once, then do it themselves.
Finished early: print a two-page document as "2 pages per sheet" (in the print dialog's layout or "Pages per sheet" option, which may look different in each app). Or use Extend mode to put Notepad on one screen and Paint on the other.

Evidence for sign-off

The pupil sorts at least 11 of the 14 devices correctly, names four ports from their shapes, has ticked all three stations on Page 5 (sound working through their chosen device, a projector mode shown to the mentor, and a print or a PDF saved in BIH_Practice with the chosen settings), and can explain Duplicate vs Extend.

Safety and wellbeing

Only adults plug things into wall sockets and power strips; pupils connect only low-power cables (USB, HDMI, VGA, audio) and only with dry hands. Never let pupils look into a projector's lens, and keep cables taped down or out of walkways. Projector bulbs get very hot: do not touch the vents. Headsets should be wiped between users and the volume set low before putting them on. Use only club devices for Bluetooth pairing; pupils should not pair their own phones with Hub PCs.