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Principles of Information Technology - Syllabus

• Unit I: Information Technology Introduction - Information systems definition of computer and system - Software and Data - IT in business, industry, home, and play, education, entertainment, global positioning system (GPS) (pages 1-15)
• Unit II: Introduction to Computers - History of computers - Types of computers - Characteristics of computers - Basic Anatomy of a computer - Applications of computer - Memory - Memory types (pages 16-42)
• Unit III: Software - Kinds of software - Types of Applications software (Word processing, spreadsheets, database software, presentation graphics software, communication software) - System Software - Operating System functions (pages 43-62)
• Unit IV: Computer Networks - Introduction - Definition - Types of networks (Local area network (LAN), Metropolitan area network (MAN), Wide area network (WAN), Personal area network (PAN), Internet, Intranet, firewalls, Network Topology (Bus, Ring, Hybrid, Star) (pages 63-82)
• Unit V: Basic Internet Concepts - Analog and Digital Signals - Modems and Communication Software (Types of Modems, Communication Software) - ISDN Lines and Cable Modems - Definition of Internet - The World Wide Web - Connecting to the Internet - Browsing the Web - Web Browser - Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - E-mail communication (pages 83-116)
• Unit VI: Internet Address - Domain Name System (DNS) - Locating Information on the net - Internet Search Engines - Online Chatting - Messaging - Internet Relay Chat (IRC) - Social Networking - Micro Blogging - Forums - Blogs - Telnet - Usenet Newsgroup (pages 117-130)

Introduction to Information Technology

• Information Technology (IT): The use of computers to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data or information. Usually in business contexts.
• Information System (IS): A set of interrelated components collecting, manipulating, storing, and disseminating information to monitor performance. A formal sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information.
• Computer System: A set of integrated devices that input, output, process, and store data and information.
• Input, Processing, Storage, Output, and Communication Devices: Main hardware components of a computer system.

Fundamentals of Computers

• Computer: An electronic device operating under instruction controlled storage in its own memory, accepting data (input), processing the data, producing information (output), and storing the information for future use.
• Hardware: Physical parts of the computer (wires, transistors, circuits, hard disks, etc.)
• Software: Programs and data used by the computer to operate.

Generations of Computers

• First Generation (1946-1959): Used vacuum tubes as basic components, relying on batch operating systems and punch cards. (ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVACI, IBM-701, IBM-650)
• Second Generation (1959-1965): Introduced transistors, making computers smaller, cheaper, and more efficient. Used magnetic cores for primary memory and magnetic discs/tapes for secondary storage.
• Third Generation (1971-1980): Used integrated circuits (ICs) and remote processing, time-sharing, and multiprogramming.
• Fourth Generation (1971-1980): Highly affordable and efficient Large-Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits
• Fifth Generation (1980-present): Used Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI) circuits, parallel processing and artificial intelligence (AI) software.

Characteristics of Computers

• Speed: Extremely fast processing of data (millions of instructions per second).
• Accuracy: Performs calculations with high accuracy (theoretically 100%). Errors can occur because of data inconsistency or inaccuracy.
• Diligence: Repeated tasks with the same consistency and accuracy without fatigue.
• Versatility: Perform different kinds of tasks with the same speed and accuracy
• Reliability: Produces consistent results for the same input.
• Automation: Tasks performed automatically without manual intervention.
• Memory: Stores data, programs and results of processing.

Applications of Computers

• Education: Online classes, online examinations, referring e-books, online tutoring.
• Business: Real-time transaction processing (supplier-customer, employer-employee transactions. Analyzing investments, sales, expenses, and markets.
• Banking: Storing customer data, conducting transactions such as withdrawals, deposits (through ATMs), and other banking functions.
• Health Care: Database of patient information, monitoring patient details, diagnosis, X-rays, robotic surgeries, training purposes monitoring the fetus inside the mom's womb.
• Marketing: Using computers for advertisements, presentations, art and graphics, to monitor the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Computer Memory and Its Types

• Primary Memory (RAM): Volatile memory storing data and instructions currently used by the CPU. It loses data when the computer is turned off.
• Secondary Memory (storage): Nonvolatile memory storing data permanently, for example a hard drive)
• Read-Only Memory (ROM): Nonvolatile memory containing permanent data and instructions preloaded during manufacturing
• Cache Memory: A fast, small memory between the CPU and RAM used to speed up data access.

Types Of Computers

• Microcomputer: A single-user computer (laptops, desktops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, tablets)
• Mini-computer: Multi-user computers (small businesses, company departments)
• Mainframe Computer: Multi-user computers (thousands of users) (banks, universities, insurance companies, etc)
• Super Computer: Fastest and most expensive computers capable of supporting millions of instructions per second. Used for scientific applications and tasks.
• Workstation: Single-user computers but more powerful processors and monitors. Used for specialized applications like desktop publishing, software application development, and engineering design.

Computer Networks

• Network: A group of interconnected computers and peripherals to share information and resources
• Types of networks: Local area network (LAN), Metropolitan area network (MAN), and Wide area network (WAN)
• Network Topology: How computers and resources are physically arranged in a network. (Star, Bus, Ring, Hybrid).

Basic Internet Concepts

• Analog Signals: Continuous signals representing physical measurements over time.
• Digital Signals: Discrete signals using 0s and 1s to represent information. Digital is more reliable.
• Modems: Devices converting digital signals into analog signals to transmit information over analog lines (telephone, coax cables etc.)
• Internet: A global network of billions of computers.
• World Wide Web (WWW): A vast collection of multimedia information on the Internet (text, images, video, etc.) accessed using web servers.
• URL: Uniform Resource Locator - an address for resources on the web (e.g., pages, files, etc.)
• Email (Electronic Mail): A method of message exchange between people using computers.

Internet Addresses and Services

• Domain Name System (DNS): Translates human-readable names (e.g., google.com) into numerical IP addresses that computers understand.
• Internet Search Engine: Web services indexing web pages to find information (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo)
• Chatting and Conferencing (e.g., IRC): For real-time text-based communication.
• Social Networking (e.g., Facebook, Twitter): For networking and information-sharing.
• Micro-blogging (e.g., Twitter, Tumblr): For short posts and updates
• Internet Forums: Discussion boards for online topic-specific discussions
• Blogs: Web-log sites for archiving and sharing ideas.
• Telnet: To log into remote computers as though a user were physically present at the computer's location.
• Usenet Newsgroups: A system of online forums with bulletin board-style discussion