Computer Science and ICT PDF

# Computer Science and ICT 1 ## Computer Science: what's in a name Computer Science, sometimes abbreviated CS, is not just the study of programming. It's a good card to play when looking for a real job opportunity in the new global economy and when trying to compete more successfully on the job m...

# Computer Science and ICT 1 ## Computer Science: what's in a name Computer Science, sometimes abbreviated CS, is not just the study of programming. It's a good card to play when looking for a real job opportunity in the new global economy and when trying to compete more successfully on the job market and pursue one's career. In the 1960s, George Forsythe, the founder of the first Computer Science Division of Stanford University, considered this new scientific field as the educational system's right answer to the continuous developments and advances in computing courses at his university. Forsythe coined the term and defined the discipline as "the theory of programming, numerical analysis, data processing, and the design of computer systems" (Knuth D.E., George Forsythe and the development of computer science, Published by ACM, 1972). However, since 1961, when this term was first used, Computer Science has always been a somewhat nebulous topic because of the vastness of its fields of application. Nowadays, Computer Science courses are focused on allowing students to acquire computational thinking and to develop their flexibility, creativity and curiosity. This goal has been achieved partly thanks to the introduction of the Liberal Arts Degree in Computer Science in the 1980s, which is aimed at broadening the students' skills in problem solving, reasoning and analysis. In fact, computing professionals are expected to manage the different steps of team-work activities and to communicate with experts coming from multiple fields: after all, it's only by knowing the project application domains and all of their specific languages well, that new and strategic plans can be defined to outline good software projects. One of the most complete definitions of Computer Science is given by the Linux Information Project (LINFO): "Computer science is the study of the storage, transformation and transfer of information. The field encompasses both the theoretical study of algorithms (including their design, efficiency and application) and the practical problems involved in implementing them in terms of computer software and hardware". It is therefore a field in continuous evolution, flexibility and resilience being two basic and necessary qualities when approaching the subject not forgetting updating, which remains the keyword to be successful in this open land of competitors. ## Answer these questions: 1. What do you think of a definition for computer science? 2. Do you know what ICT refers to? 3. Do you think you are digitally literate? ## Vocabulary - **Raggiungere:** to reach, to achieve - **Acquisire:** to acquire, to obtain - **Essere:** to be - **Ampliare:** to expand, to enlarge - **Coniare:** to coin, to create - **Concorrente:** competitor, rival - **Dominio:** domain, field, area - **Compass:** compass, range, extent - **Foridatore:** founder, originator - **Oscurо:** obscure, dark, hidden - **Delineare:** to outline, to sketch - **Intraprendere:** to undertake, to take on - **Resilienza:** resilience, toughness - **Piuttosto:** rather, quite, pretty - **Ampiezza:** amplitude, width, breadth