Understanding Information and Communications Technology

• ICT refers to information and communications technology, the infrastructure that enables modern computing

History of ICT

• ICT encompasses all devices, networking components, applications, and systems facilitating digital interaction

Uses of ICT in Daily Life: Communication

• ICT has revolutionized communication, replacing postal mail with instant messaging and email
• ICT makes communication cheaper and more accessible through chatting, email, voicemail and social networking

ICT in Education

• ICT enables students to manage learning, think critically, collaborate, and adopt global perspectives
• Students in remote areas gain access to expert teachers and resources through ICT
• Digital literacy and ICT integration enhance student learning
• Integration includes interactive whiteboards, student devices and flipped classroom models

ICT and Job Opportunities

• ICT skills are essential for efficient operation in the employment sector
• Efficiencies mean employers can focus on soft skills
• Robot technology in roles like pharmacies allows staff to focus on tasks requiring human interaction
• Employers expect basic ICT skills, even in traditionally non-technical roles
• Job searching can be done from home using smartphones, laptops, or desktops

ICT in Socializing

• Social media has transformed how people find partners, access news, and organize political change
• Internet and social media empower young people, enabling them to maintain connections and access information
• Online communities help young people build self-confidence and social skills
• Social networking and collaborative services have grown rapidly, enabling broader communication

Impact of ICT in Society

• There's increased access to information and services, with cheaper communication options like VoIP
• Access to education is improved through distance learning and online tutorials
• New tools such as digital cameras and screen readers support people with disabilities
• Communication costs are reduced using VoIP, email, messaging and video conferencing
• Information management is enhanced through data mining and improved stock control

Security

• Encryption protects data, and promotes wider participation in society

Distance Learning

• Increased access and ability to perform ‘impossible’ experiments’ via simulators

Job Creation

• Creation of new more interesting jobs like systems analysts, programmers and help desk operators/trainers

Negative impacts of ICT

• Job automation leads to job losses in manual operations and data processing
• Job export occurs as work is sent to countries with lower operating costs
• Reduced personal interaction can lead to isolation and unhappiness
• Reduced physical activity contributes to health problems like obesity and heart disease
• ICT hardware and software can be expensive to purchase and maintain
• Increased competition can pose a problem for some organizations

Computing History

• The term "computer" initially referred to people performing calculations
• Human computers specialized in mathematical tasks, needing extensive training

Computing Tools

• Tally sticks were ancient memory aids to record numbers and messages

Abacus

• The abacus, invented in Babylonia around 2400 BC, aids mathematical calculations
• It performs basic arithmetic operations

Napier's Bones

• John Napier invented Napier's Bones in 1614
• It used rods and customized boards to calculate square and cube roots

Slide Rule

• William Oughtred invented the slide rule in 1622, based on Napier's logarithm ideas
• The device is primarily used for multiplication, division, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry

Pascaline

• Blaise Pascal invented the Pascaline in 1642, but it was limited to addition and subtraction and was expensive

Stepped Reckoner

• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz invented the Stepped Reckoner in 1672 to automatically add, subtract, multiply, and divide

Jacquard Loom

• Joseph-Marie Jacquard invented the Jacquard loom, a mechanical loom controlled by punched cards, in 1881

Arithmometer

• Thomas de Colmar invented the Arithmometer in 1820
• It was the first reliable, useful, mass-produced calculating machine capable of the four basic mathematical functions

Difference Engine and Analytical Engine

• Charles Babbage invented both in 1822 and 1834 respectively
• The Difference and Analytical Engines were automatic, mechanical calculators used to tabulate polynomial functions, making them the first mechanical computers.

First Computer Programmer

• In 1840, Augusta Ada Byronsuggested to Babbage that he use the binary system and she wrote programs for the Analytical Engine.

Scheutzian Calculation Engine

• Built in 1848 by Per Georg Scheutz, based on Babbage’s difference engine
• This was the first calculator produced

Tabulating Machine

• Herman Hollerith invented the tabulating machine in 1890 to summarizing information and accounting

Harvard Mark 1

• Howard H. Aiken invented the fully automatic Harvard Mark 1 and it was also known as the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC) in 1943
• It was the first electronic-mechanical

Z1

• Konrad Zuse built the first programmable computer — Z1 between 1936 and 1938
• To program the Z1 required that the user insert punch tape into a punch tape reader and all output was also generated through punch tape

Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC):

• Professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry designed the first electronic digital computer at Iowa State University between 1939 and 1942

ENIAC

• John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly constructed ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) by 1946
• This was the first electronic general-purpose computer

UNIVAC 1

• John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly designed the UNIVersal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC I)
• It was the first commercial computer

EDVAC

• Von Neumann designed the first computer with a stored program, the Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC) in 1952
• Has memory to hold both stored programs and data

First Portable Computer

• Osborne Computer Corporation released The Osborne 1 in 1981

First Computer Company

• The first computer company was the Electronic Controls Company (1949)
• It was founded by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly

Premechanical Computing

• The Premechanical Age began in 3000 B.C. , language and drawings were used to communicate

Mechanical Computing

• The Mechanical Age begin with machines such as the Slide ruler from William Oughtred, the Pascaline from Blaise Pascal and the difference engine from Charles Babbage from 1450-1840
• These machines were all predecessors to more modern calculators

Electromechanical Computing

• Communication innovations such as the telegraph, morse code and radio began in the electromechanical computing era that begun in 1840
• The Harvard Mark 1, created around 1940 was the first large machine capable of performing these functions and calculations

Electronic Computing

• Began in 1940 with the first fully integrated computer, the ENIAC
• There are 4 main sections of computing which began with vacuum tubes and punch cards, transistors replaced those, integrated circuits, metal oxide semiconductors(MOS) with operating systems (BASIC) and the development of the personal computer
• These were followed by advanced programming in the fourth generation as well as a CPU that all contained memory, logic and control circuits and the rise of GUI
• This has moved into advanced “Intelligent” computing

Computer Generations: First Generation (1946-1958)

• Computers used vacuum tubes, were massive and expensive, consumed vast electricity, and generated significant heat
• Machine language was the primary programming method, limiting computers to one problem at a time, input via punched cards, and output on printouts

Second Generation (1959-1964)

• Transistors replaced vacuum tubes, shrinking computers, improving speed and reliability, while lowering costs
• Symbolic or assembly languages made programming easier, though punched cards remained for input, with a move to magnetic core for storage
• Languages like Fortran and COBOL arose

The Third Generation (1965-1970)

• Integrated circuits (silicon chips) drastically increased computer speed and efficiency

Fourth Generation (1971-Today)

• Microprocessors enabled smaller computers and the creation of networks that led to the Internet
• Fourth generation machines also saw the development of GUIs, and hand held devices

Fifth Generation (Today to Future)

• Artificial Intelligence (Al) allows learning, voice and natural languages - still in development