TECH1100 Week 1 Workshop.pdf

TECH1100 Professional Practice and Communication in IT Lesson 1 The IT profession: the past, the present and the future  COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING This material has been reproduced and...

TECH1100 Professional Practice and Communication in IT Lesson 1 The IT profession: the past, the present and the future  COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of Kaplan Business School pursuant to Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968 (the Act). The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further reproduction or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice.  Subject Learning Outcomes 1 Determine the factors of success for IT professionals that align with the expectations of diverse stakeholders. 2 Plan for the mitigation of risks associated with ethical, societal, legal and privacy- related IT issues. 3 Demonstrate as a team member the attributes and practices that contribute to effective and efficient IT teams. 4 Communicate complex IT-related concepts, problems, solutions, and outcomes to diverse stakeholders via the use of various communication methods.  The IT Profession Strong demand remains for IT professionals and is expected to continue to grow. Disruptive technologies are changing the way businesses are operating. Businesses need to innovate to survive in today’s competitive market. A technology-skilled workforce is crucial for innovation and the economic growth of the nation. This is an era of Digital Darwinism.  Activity In groups, identify the victims and victors of Digital Darwinism among the following list. Name an additional two examples of each. Netflix Amazon Apple Uber Taxis Combined Blockbuster Borders Books Google Maps UBD Street Directory Kodak  The History of Computers 1642: Blaise Pascal invents a calculating machine 1801: Joseph Marie Jacquard invents a loom that uses punch cards 1800s: – Charles Babbage attempts to build an analytical engine. – Augusta Ada Byron develops many of the fundamental concepts of programming. – George Boole invents Boolean logic.  Modern Computer Development 1937: Mark I is built – First electronic computer using relays. 1939: ABC is built – First fully electronic digital computer using vacuum tubes. 1943-46: ENIAC – First general purpose digital computer. 1945: Von Neumann computer architecture proposed. – Still the standard for present-day computers. 1951: UNIVAC I - The first commercial computer. – US Census Bureau used it for the 1952 presidential election predictions. – The computer used 5200 vacuum tubes and weighed 29,000 pounds. – The manufacturer sold 46 Univac machines at more than $1 million each.  Activity In groups, plot the following computer types on this graph: mainframe, workstation, mm-scale sensors, mini- computer, laptop, personal computer, smartphone. How does this apply to Bell’s Law? Lightest to heaviest 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020  The History of IT Information Technology - involves the processing of data by computers. As computers were applied to indexing and sorting written information the term “IT” was invented. The first official application appears in 1951. The development of Natural Language Programming (NLP) led the way to IT as we know it today.  Creation of the IT Field 1950s: a bachelor’s degree in mathematics was a must for computer programmers. 1960s: with the launch of electronic computers, the first IT jobs went to engineers and mathematicians. Late 1960s: programming became available to a business career enthusiast. – This was due to technological advancements such as monitors, keyboards, text editors and languages like FORTRAN and COBOL. In more recent decades, programmers, business analysts, and commissioning enterprises created the field of IT.  Activity Why are you enrolled in this IT qualification? What are your aspirations? What are your expectations? In groups, identify areas of commonality and difference.  Internet Evolution ARPANET: technical foundation of the internet in 1969. Internet: commercial operation began in the US in 1989. - includes three networks: UUNET, PSINET and CERFNET. Electronic Mail: created by Ray Tomlinson in 1971. World Wide Web: launched at CERN in 1991. MOSAIC: a browser with graphical user interface. - from the National Center for Supercomputer Applications in 1993. Mosaic 3.0 Source : http://www.ncsa.illinois.edu/enabling/mosaic  Internet and Smartphones The smartphone made the Internet readily accessible from wherever you could get a mobile signal. The Internet made the smartphone more useful by supplying it with access to the world’s knowledge, online. Innovation accelerating more rapidly than ever before.  Mobile App Downloads Worldwide data from 2016 to 2020 (in billions) In 2020 consumers downloaded 218b mobile apps to their connected devices. Mobile apps are expected to generate over $935b in revenue by 2023. Source: https://www.statista.com/  Activity Watch only the first four minutes of this August 2021 TED talk on the digital revolution: https://youtu.be/ndhWzx51J5A. Together as one class, discuss the following: What does the computer scientist mean when he asserts that IT professionals are “creators of the future”? Do you agree with his view that there is a “communication deficit” in the profession? What is he implying when he says we “have not been prepared” for the responsibility associated with the digital revolution? How does this influence the opportunities, challenges, jobs and skills that organisations ought to consider?  IT Skills The IT workforce has transitioned from a predominant focus on infrastructure and a profession of generalists into a diverse world of specialists. Companies are generally looking for candidates with deeper expertise. A technical skill within the existing specialisation enhances the employability of an IT professional.  COVID-19 Effects “Covid-19 has shifted many industries’ ‘techquilibrium’,” (Tan, A., 2021) COVID-19 is a catalyst for permanent business transformation. IT has transitioned from supporting business to being the business. There has been a change in how IT is financed rather than how much IT is financed.  Disruptive Technology A technology that displaces a well-established product or technology, creating a new industry or market. This decade’s disruptors are: – Digital reality technologies – Cognitive technologies – Blockchain Adoption of these technologies is proliferating across many industries.  Activity Together as one class, discuss the following: What examples of disruptive technologies can you think that will have an impact in the future? – Feel free to review the Wikipedia article on Disruptive Innovation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_innovation) for past and current disruptive innovations and ideas What factors do you associate with a successful disruptive technology innovation?  Digital Reality Technology Digital reality technologies include augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, voice interfaces, speech recognition, ambient computing, 360° video, and immersive technologies. Digital reality technologies promote more natural user engagement by seamlessly extending a human-centric experience beyond the confines of keyboards and screens. The goal is natural, intuitive, and potentially imperceptible interactions with underlying technologies.  Activity Each group will be assigned one of the following cognitive technologies. Identify three non-IT industries with the potential to be transformed by your allocated technology. Explain your findings to the class. Artificial intelligence Machine learning Natural language processing Speech recognition Robotics Process automation Neural networks Face recognition Image processing Human-computer interaction  Blockchain Blockchain is a decentralised and digital method of transferring a transaction of value from one individual or entity to another. It eliminates third-party intermediaries such as banks, accountants and lawyers. The first and most famous blockchain application is Bitcoin.  Blockchain-based Applications Blockchain 1.0 – used for cryptocurrencies with a focus on facilitating simple cash transactions. Blockchain 2.0 – expanded to include properties and contracts. Blockchain 3.0 – expanded further into government, education, health, business, science and other sectors.  Activity Blockchain is often associated with the following properties: (i) decentralisation; (ii) immutability; (iii) transparency; and (iv) security. As a group, you will be allocated one of those properties. Create your own definition in terms of how your allocated property relates to blockchain. Elaborate on how this leads to the concept of “trustlessness”.  Emerging forces on the horizon Ambient experience: a world where we shift to natural, intuitive, and unconscious ways of engaging with complex technologies. Exponential intelligence: General-purpose superintelligence able to build algorithms, confident predictions, and automated responses across complex, dynamic, and constantly evolving domains. Quantum Computing: Evolution of computing to harness the power of quantum dynamics to dramatically unlock new workloads and insights. (Buchholz et. Al., 2020)  Ambient Experience Envisions a future in which technology is simply part of the environment. Computing devices continue to increase in power and shrink in size. A future world where tiny, connected, context-aware devices are embedded throughout the office, home, and beyond, functioning as part of the background.  Exponential Intelligence Machines will be able to differentiate between causality and correlation. Technology will also be able to recognise and adapt to people’s moods. This intelligence will further lead to AI that in itself possesses a personality.  Quantum Computing Data scientists will be able to scan ever larger volumes of data. Material scientists will be able to simulate atoms in ways that are less realisable on classical computers. Further technological disruption is inevitable in terms of communication methods, logistics, security, energy, and more.  Activity Together as one class, discuss the following: The disruptive technologies discussed in this workshop so far: – What are examples of risks associated with respect to ethical, societal, legal and privacy-related IT issues? – With the risks outlined above, what plans, concepts or solutions may mitigate or eliminate these risks?  References Buchholz, S, Bechtel, M & Briggs, B 2020, ‘Tech Trends 2021’, Deloitte Insights, viewed 22 August 2021, Frizzo-Barker, J, Chow-White, PA, Adams, PR, Mentanko, J, Ha, D & Green, S 2020, ‘Blockchain as a disruptive technology for business: A systematic review’, International Journal of Information Management, vol. 51, April 2020. Metallo, C, Ferrara, M, Lazazzara, A & Za, S 2021, Digital Transformation and Human Behavior: Innovation for People and Organisations, Springer International Publishing, Cham. National Center for Supercomputing Applications 2021, ‘NCSA Mosaic’, Enabling Discovery, University of Illinois, viewed 22 August 2021, Statista Research Department 2021, ‘Number of mobile app downloads worldwide from 2016 to 2020’, Statista, 6 July 2021, viewed 22 August 2021, Strous, L, Johnson, R, Grier, D & Swade, D 2020, Unimagined Futures – ICT Opportunities and Challenges, Springer International Publishing, Cham. Tan, A 2021, ‘Australia’s IT spending set to bounce back in 2021’, Computer Weekly, 27 January 2021, viewed 22 August 2021, https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252495422/Australias-IT-spending-set-to-bounce-back-in-2021>