Introduction to Information & Communication Technology

Introduction to Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• ICT involves technologies for transferring information and various forms of electronically mediated communication.

IT vs ICT

• IT generally uses computers and digital tech to help individuals or institutions handle/use information
• ICT supports activities, including gathering, processing, storing, and presenting data.

Breakdown of ICT

• Information refers to knowledge from reading, investigation, study, or research
• Communication involves transmitting messages and exchanging information between individuals using verbal and non-verbal methods
• Technology relates to machinery & equipment developed through applied scientific knowledge

Evolution of Technology

• Progression from tools to machines, computers, automation, and artificial intelligence

Compute

• A machine that can store and process information
• Most computers use a binary system (0 and 1) to store data, calculate algorithms, and display information
• An electronic device can accepts data, manipulate data according specified rules, produce results, and store results for future use

Automation

• The technique of making an apparatus, process, or system operate automatically Includes connecting computer systems to other systems
• This includes sensors, wireless applications, expert systems, and systems integration

1st Generation Computers (1946–1959)

• ENIAC was the first generation computer, designed by J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly
• Used vacuum tubes as switching elements
• Used magnetic drums
• Involved machine language and symbols in instructions
• Had a very small amount of storage space
• Used punch cards as I/O devices
• Were huge, with poor mobility
• Very slow and less reliable output
• Used high amounts of electricity

2nd Generation Computers (1959–1965)

• Used transistors in the interior sections of the computer, making them smaller, faster, and more dependable than vacuum tubes
• They generated less heat and consumed less electricity but were still very costly
• Discrete transistors were used instead of vacuum tubes
• Magnetic memory and magnetic storage disks used
• High speed I/O devices
• High level languages used, such as Fortran and Cobol
• Addressed heat generation issues
• Telephone lines enabled communication
• Improved speed and reliability
• Reduced in size from first generation

3rd Generation Computers (1965–1971)

• Integrated Circuits used instead of transistors to build computers
• This chip made the computers smaller, more reliable, and more effective
• It allowed for remote processing, time sharing, and multiprogramming operating systems

4th Generation Computers (1971–1980)

• Used microprocessors made of hundreds of integrated circuits constructed on a silicon chip

5th Generation Computers (1980-Onwards)

• Microprocessors have a million electronic components
• Utilize Artificial lntelligence

Computer Components

• Computers are electronic devices that manipulates information or data
• They are able to store, retrieve, and process data
• They contain both hardware components and software applications
• Computers are digital electronic machines programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation)

Hardware

• Refers to the computer’s physical devices, has two major categories

Input

• Equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system
• Examples include keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, digital camera, and PC video camera

Output

• Hardware components that transmit information to one or more people
• Example is a printer

Impact Printers

• Makes contact with papers using a hammer or pins

Non-impact Printers

• It does not use a striking device to produce characters on the paper, printing more quietly

Monitor

• It has two major types;
  • Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) - Contains an electron gun at one end and a fluorescent screen at the other
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) - Flat display with a layer of color or monochrome pixels arranged schematically between transparent electrodes

System Unit

• Enclosure composed of the main elements of a computer used to administer data
• The circuitry of the system unit contains the primary components of a computer
• Circuit boards are connected to the motherboard

Storage devices

• Computer equipment can store information, such as Flash drives and Hard disk drives

Why Computers are Powerful

• Speed
• Reliability and consistency
• Accuracy
• Communication

Classification of Computers

• Classified based on size and computing power

General Classifications of Computers

• Personal Computer: Small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor
• Workstation: Powerful, single-user computer with a more powerful microprocessor and higher-quality monitor
• Minicomputer: Multi-user computer supporting 10 to hundreds of users simultaneously
• Mainframe: Powerful multi-user computer supporting hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously
• Supercomputer: Extremely fast computer that can perform millions of instructions per second

Different Types of Computers

• Desktop computers: Designed to be placed on a desk and made up of a few different parts
• Laptop Computers: Battery-powered devices which are portable, and can be used almost anytime, anywhere
• Tablet computers: Hand-held computers with touch-sensitive screens for typing and navigation
• Smartphones: Handheld telephones that perform computer functions, including browsing/searching the internet and playing console games
• Wearables: Include fitness trackers and smartwatches
• Smart TVs: The latest television sets with the ability to run applications.

Media in Digital Age

• Media involves means of communication that uses unique tools to interconnect people
• Examples include television, radio, cellular phones, and the internet

Blog

• An online journal where an individual, group, or corporation record activities, thoughts, or beliefs
• Some operate mainly as news filters, collecting online sources and adding short comments and internet links
• A combination of the words "Web" and "Log"
• A person who writes blogs is called a blogger
• Ranges From microblogging to video blogs

The Medium

• Refers to the tools used in sending a message from the source to the destination Forms and methods used to communicate have an impact on the messages they deliver

The Messenger

• The one who delivers the message

Evolution of Media

• Media has transformed based on:
  • How information is presented
  • How connection is established

Historical Developments in Media

• 15th Century: Woodcut printing on cloth or paper
• 1936: Johannes Gutenberg worked on printing press using refief printing and molding system
  • Modern printing delivers messages in print, like magazines
• 1800s: Telegraph developed and then the telephone, enabling two-way communication
  • Message sending and receiving could happen simultaneously
• 1900s: Broadcasting and recorded media introduced
  • Radio and television used to send sound and video to homes and offices via electromagnetic spectrum or radio waves
  • Films and movies became popular as they catered to larger audiences
  • Communication devices also evelved and becamet pervasive

Current Trends

• Refers to popular styles in fashion, devices, or entertainment that may be replaced.
• Forbes.com (2016) identified seven major trends in 2017:
  • IoT and Smart home technology
  • Augmented reality and virtual reality
  • Machine Learning
  • Automation
  • Big data
  • Physical-digital intergrations
  • Everything on demand

Ethical Issues in ICT

• Plagiarism involves claiming another person’s ideas, words, or writings as one’s own
• Exploitation involves dealing with someone dishonestly, unethically, and dishonorably to take advantage of their works/resources
• Libel involves insults, slurs, or slander
  • Leads to legal consequences if accusations are untrue and without evidence
• Software Piracy involves installing or copying a software in the computer in the absence of an end-user licensing agreement

How Computer Interpret Data

• Pressure pads underneath each key trigger a signal that relays information to the CPU for processing
• Encoded in the form of 0’s and 1’s using ASCII CPU Determines what character has been typed
• The information is then sent the the monitor in a character format
• The ASCII code takes these values and converts them

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

Is the standard that assigns letters, and numbers to characters within the 256 slots available in the 8- bit code

• Most common code for text data in computers and on the internet
• The Majority of computers use ASCII code for converting characters into 0's and 1's
• It is a 7-bit code used to represent letters, numbers, and special characters

EXAMPLE

• C: ASCII = 067, Binary = 01000011
• H: ASCII = 072, Binary = 01001000
• E: ASCII = 069, Binary = 01000101
• R: ASCII = 082, Binary = 01010010
• Y: ASCII = 089, Binary = 01011001

Programmers

• They create programs.
• Program can be developer based on their familiar language.
• The code is used to write programs.

How computers communicate with one another

Types of connection

• Wired
• Wireless
• The situation

System Bus

• Computers communicate through the system bus
• It’s the pathway made of cable connectors
• Carries data from peripheral device to a computer's monitor keyboard

Types of Bus

• data bus
• address bus
• control bus

Data Bus

• The Data Bus transfers data to and from the CPU

Address Bus

• The CPU sends data to instructions with files and devices on the computer system

Control Bus

• The CPUs sends instructions to other devices within the computer system

How Computers Connect to Other Computers

Computers are able to connect to networks

• The internetworking of 2 or more computers

Computer Network

• Is shared by two or more computers.
• It’s designed to share information and resources.

Types of Computer Networks

• Personal Area Network (PAN) - Limited to an individual and their devices within 10m of each other.
• Local Area Network (LAN) - A group of computers and devices (such as network printers) share an internet connecting
• Wide Area Network (WAN) - synonymous to the internet.

Methods of Communication

Connections are categorized by Wired and Wireless. Wired connections use coaxial, fiber optic, ethernet cables, and traditional telephone lines. Some popular connection types include:

• USB
• Firewire
• Ethernet
• HDMI
• RCA / Video Array
• Serial

Wireless connections use:

• WiFi - Transmission and retrieval of data over radio
• Bluetooth - Localized transmission and retrieval of data

How Humans Communicate with Computers

• Humans “communicate” with the computer with the use of the “computer software”

Computer Software

• Software has instructions, data, and programs for the computer to perform tasks
• Computer software is known as “computer programs” There are two types of software;
• Application Software
  • Computer programs specifically designed for end-users
• System Software
  • Also called operating systems software.
  • It controls the connected hardware and installed software applications.

Computer interaction can occur in two ways

• By using a command-line operating system (e.g. DOS) in which the computer responds via written commands that are typed.
• With a graphical interface (GUI) operating system (e.g., Windows) usch as pictures and buttons that use mouse clicks and keyboard entries.

How Computers Impact Everyday Life

• Education
• Banking
• Workforce Industry
• Electronic Commerce
• Hospitals

Internet definition

• The worldwide network connecting to a million of computers via routers and servers.
• A vast network that connects computers all over the world to share information and communicate from anywhere with an Internet connection

Server

• Computers designed to process a request for data and deliver that data to other client computers over a local network or the internet.
• These work like an electronic filling cabinet for information to be readily dispensed to “clients”

Client

• A computer or device that is sent information from a server

Router

• Mediate transmission routes of data packets over an electronic communications network
• Hardware that design to receive, analyze and send information over to another network

Worl Wide Web

• A group of websites that utilize laptops, computers, and cellular phone to communicate
• Web Technologies is one of the applications that helps build computers and internet over different devices.

Fundamental Technologies (WWW)

• The most important web software that use HTML and HTTP Protocols

HYPERTEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE (HTML)

• The standard creating web pages, it sets the mark up symbols that show up on web pages

HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL (HTTP)

Is classified where standards allow you to see interchange and seen on web pages

• Port 80 is the standard port for HTTP connections.

Web servers and Web

browsers - Its a software used for presenting with the wide web, and navigates through the information on the web You can retrieve information of the web and display it on your mobile phone or computer.

JOBS THE INTERNET CAN DO

• Able to transfer software and picture from one place to another example text and pictures.
• DATA is transferred from one network until its final destination world through wired and wireless transmission.

Basic Stages Of Web Works

• Connection
• Request
• Response
• Close

URL 4 PARTS

1. Protocol Identifier
2. Domain Name
3. Path
4. Filename

WEB ADMINISTRATOR

• Maintains website by its owner.
• Able to modify website content
• Add information and make a website

Search Tricks

• Use of quotes to search for an exact phrase
• Asterisks marks unknown characters
• Minus marks eliminates containing works
• keywords in websites
• can compare items by VS
• Search defination of words with DEFINE
• able to search images

RESOURCES

• The main source for companies that make money of of it for include resources that can provide raw goods, labor, or capital.

ORGANIZATIONAL ASSETS

• It builds tools and manages personnel to important resources within companies that maintain tangible or intangible materials.
• The study of physical resources helps with tangible items that are easily identified and are usually assembled in order to be needed
• Helps conceptual tools that can be built with non material items that make building items valuable and represent there true physical form

INFORMATION as a Resource

It provide facts or some one that provides value and can be earned

Facts

Are considered valuable when they are identified from a reputable source. Data items are used for "information” that help create some that has good source

Information is considered as;

• Expandable
• Compressible
• Transportable
• Diffusive
• Sharable

Valuable Information

Information is said to be valuable if it has the following charateristics;

1. Accurate
2. Complete
3. Economical
4. Reliable
5. Flexible
6. Relevant
7. Simple
8. Timely
9. Verified
10. Accessible
11. Secure

Information, as a Resources has 4 Characteristics

1.Zero Marginal Cost 2.Non - Rivalrous 3.Non - Exclusive 4.No Transparency

Explore the basics of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), covering its definition, comparison with IT, and key components. Understand the evolution of technology from simple tools to complex AI systems. Learn about the role of computers and binary systems in processing and storing information.