Education in the United States

I’m finally taking a computer class at the local community college. My first assignment? Write a paper about data storage devices. I thought taking a computer class would involve learning more about using a computer. Like navigating Windows operating systems, figuring out how to use email to its fullest, mastering the usage of search engines, and how to fix the software, hardware, printer, scanner, or anything that breaks down. Instruction manuals don’t always tell you everything and when they do they’re not always clear. I expected to learn more about data storage devices like CD’s, floppy disks, and which’s better, and when the CD’s going to become obsolete. But why do I need to know the history of data storage devices? Does it really matter why we switched from floppy disks to CD’s? It’s because CD’s are better! That’s it, put nice and simple. Why bother writing a paper? I don’t need to know who invented a CD or a floppy disk. People don’t need to read papers about that. I don’t even know if there are books about this sort of thing. I could look it up on the net, but sifting through all those search engines is the exact kind of thing they should be teaching me instead!