Lesson Plan

• Describe the main components and operation of fixed and portable magnetic hard drives.
• Compare the advantages and disadvantages of magnetic hard drives versus magnetic tape drives.
• Explain how data is stored and accessed on magnetic tape drives and identify typical uses.
• Interpret specification tables for capacity, speed, and interface of magnetic storage devices.
• Evaluate appropriate magnetic storage solutions for given scenarios such as backup and archival.

• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• Slide deck with diagrams of HDDs and tape drives
• Sample external hard drive (or high‑resolution images)
• Printed handout containing specification tables
• Whiteboard and markers
• Quiz worksheets / exit‑ticket cards

Start with the question, “Where does your computer keep its files when it’s turned off?” Connect this to previous lessons on storage media and highlight that today’s focus will be on magnetic storage. State the success criteria: students will be able to identify, compare, and choose magnetic storage devices for specific purposes.

1. Do‑now (5’) – Students list all storage types they know; share responses; teacher notes magnetic vs non‑magnetic.
2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Explain magnetic storage principles and walk through the components of a fixed HDD using a diagram.
3. Interactive comparison (8’) – In pairs, students fill a Venn diagram comparing fixed and portable HDD specifications from the tables.
4. Demonstration (7’) – Connect an external HDD to a computer, discuss USB/Thunderbolt interfaces and power options.
5. Magnetic tape overview (10’) – Describe sequential access, show LTO cartridge diagram, and discuss typical archival uses.
6. Check for understanding (5’) – Quick Kahoot quiz covering key concepts.
7. Guided practice (10’) – Scenario worksheet: choose the most suitable magnetic storage solution for backup, transport, or long‑term archiving.
8. Exit ticket (5’) – Each student writes one advantage and one limitation for each device type.

Recap the key differences between fixed HDDs, portable HDDs, and magnetic tape drives, emphasizing their ideal use cases. Collect exit tickets to gauge understanding and assign a brief homework: research one emerging non‑magnetic storage technology (e.g., SSD or cloud storage) and compare its cost‑per‑gigabyte to magnetic options.