ICT And Career Development For French Graduates

Atâyi Babs Opaluwah A Paper Presentation By @ The 10th Anniversary of the RETURN OF THE SAINTS Nigerian French Language Village 20th June 2009

What is ICT? ICT (information and communications technology - or technologies) is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning. it is the study or business of developing and using technology to process information and aid communications. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an umbrella term that covers all advanced technologies in manipulating and communicating information.

The term is sometimes used in preference to Information Technology (IT) which is is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information. When computer and communication technologies are combined, the result is information technology, or "infotech". Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information. Today, the term information technology has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term has become very recognizable. The information technology umbrella can be quite large, covering many fields.

IT or ICT encompasses all mediums, to record information (magnetic disk/tape, optical disks (CD/DVD), flash memory etc. It also includes technology for broadcasting information - radio, television; and technology for communicating through voice and sound or images - microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones. It includes the wide varieties of computing hardware (PCs, servers, mainframes, networked storage). Rapidly it develops personal hardware market that comprises mobile phones, personal devices, (MP3, MP4, MP5 and MP6) players, and so much more. Thus, the term "ICT" makes more explicit that technologies such as broadcasting and wireless mobile telecommunications are included.

To underscore its importance, many countries around the world have established organizations for the promotion of ICTs like NITDA, NCC, because it is feared that unless less technologically advanced areas have a chance to catch up, the increasing technological advances in developed nations will only serve to exacerbate the already-existing economic gap between technological "have" and "have not" areas. Internationally, the United Nations actively promotes ICTs for Development (ICT4D) as a means of bridging the digital divide. The United Nations General Assembly has recognized the critical role of ICTs by endorsing the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). It went further to state “We (----) declare our common desire and commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society, where everyone can create, access and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential in promoting sustainable development and improving their quality of life”.

What Are The Basic ICT Tools That Are Relevant to The French Graduate? Internet - E-mail, website, blogspot, podcasting, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo/Google Groups Software - Microsoft applications, corel, photo applications, adobe, jpeg Broadcasting - Radio/Television programming Sound Devices - Phones, Ipods, CDs, DVDs Storage Devices - PCs, laptops, Diskette, Flash drive, memory card reader, Hard disk,

ICT & THE FRENCH GRADUATE As An Undergraduate: -E-mail, search engines,microsoft, group mailing, thesis, assignments, etc As A Job Seeker: - submission of applications, uploading cvs, radio/tv, flash drive, As A Teacher -PC/Laptop, Internet for downloading audiovisual materials/podcasting/search engines As A Consultant/Professional=translation/admin materials As An Entrepreneur = excel/powerpoint/corel/

As A Pastor/Missionary = Church websites, Bible software, Bible on CD, Website Designer, IT Specialists, Network specialists Thank you