Introduction to IT Lecture – 01

Welcome to the Information Age The Evolution of the Information Age (Continued)

Welcome to the Information Age The Evolution of the Information Age Agricultural Age: - The period up to the 1800s, when the majority of workers were farmers whose lives revolved around agriculture.

Welcome to the Information Age The Evolution of the Information Age (Continued) Industrial Age: - The period from the 1800s to 1957, when work processes were simplified through mechanization and automation.

Welcome to the Information Age The Evolution of the Information Age (Continued) - The period that began in 1957, in which the majority of workers are involved in the creation, distribution, and application of information. Knowledge Workers: Workers involved in the creation, distribution, and application of information.

Welcome to the Information Age The Characteristics of the Information Age An information-based society in which more people work at handling information than at agriculture and manufacturing combined has arisen. Businesses depend on information technology to get their work done. Work processes are being transformed to increase productivity.

Welcome to the Information Age The Characteristics of the Information Age (Continued) Information technology provides the means of rethink—that is, recreate or reengineer—conventional business processes. Success in business is largely determined by the effectiveness with which information technology is used. Information technology is embedded in many products and services.

What is Information Technology Definition A term used to refer to a wide variety of items and abilities used in the creation, storage, and dispersal of data and information. Its three main components are computers, communications networks and know-how.

What is Information Technology Definition (Continued) Data: Raw facts, figures, and details. Information: An organized, meaningful, and useful interpretation of data. Knowledge: An awareness and understanding of a set of information and how that information can be put to the best use.

What is Information Technology Definition (Continued)

What is Information Technology Computers An electronic programmable machine that can be instructed to accept, process, store, and present data and information. Computers come in four sizes: Microcomputers Midrange computers Mainframes Supercomputers

What is Information Technology Computers (Continued) Microcomputers: A relatively compact type of computer also called PC’s, used in business and at home. Five types of Microcomputers: Desktop Computers Notebook Computers/Laptop Computers Tablet PCs Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s) Palm PCs

What is Information Technology Computers (Continued) Midrange computers and Mainframes: A computer uses to interconnect people and large sets of information. More powerful than a microcomputer, the minicomputer is usually dedicated to performing specific functions. Supercomputers: The most powerful of all computers, supercomputers were designed to solve problems consisting of long and difficult calculations.

What is Information Technology Computers (Continued) Hardware: The computer and its associated equipment. Program: A set of instructions that directs a computer to perform certain tasks and produce certain results. Software: The general term for a set of instructions that controls a computer or a communications network.

What is Information Technology Computers (Continued) System: A set of components that interact to accomplish a purpose. Information System: A business information system designed to produce the information needed for successful management of a structured problem, process, department, or business.

What is Information Technology Computers (Computers)

What is Information Technology Communication Networks Communication: The sending and receiving of data and information over a communications network. Communications Network: A set of locations, or nodes, consisting of hardware, programs, and information linked together as a system that transmits and receives data and information. Data Communication: The transmission of data and information through a communications medium.

What is Information Technology Know - How The capability to do something well. Information technology know-how consists of: Familiarity with the tools of IT; including the Internet Possession of the skills needed to use these tools An understanding of when to use IT to solve a problem or create an opportunity

The Functions of Information Technology

The Principles of Information Technology The Functions of Information Technology (Continued) Capture: The process of compiling detailed records of activities. Processing: The process of converting, analyzing, computing, and synthesizing all forms of data or information. Data Processing Information Processing Word Processing Image Processing Voice Processing

The Principles of Information Technology The Functions of Information Technology (Continued) Generation: The process of organizing information into a useful form, whether as numbers, text, sound, or visual image. Storage and Retrieval: Storage is the computer process of retaining information for future use. Retrieval is the process by which a computer locates and copies stored data or information for further processing or for transmission to another user.

The Principles of Information Technology The Functions of Information Technology (Continued) Transmission: The computer process of distributing information over a communications network. Electronic Mail, or E-Mail Voice Messaging, or Voice Mail

The Benefits of Information Technology

The Principles of Information Technology The Opportunities of Information Technology Helping People Solving Problems Problem: A perceived difference between an existing condition and a desired condition. Problem Solving: The process of recognizing a problem, identifying alternatives for solving it, and successfully implementing the chosen solution.

The Principles of Information Technology Information Technology Is All Around Us, Improving Our Lives Television Education Training Entertainment Shipping Banking Agriculture Health and Medicine Manufacturing Journalism Energy Sports

The Principles of Information Technology The Responsibilities of Using Information Technology To be Informed - Users have to know how computers and networks can be applied in different situations, and the capabilities and limitations of IT in those situations. To Make Proper Use of IT - Users need to take responsibility for employing IT in desirable and ethical ways that help people and do not infringe on their privacy, rights, or well-being. To Safeguard - Users must take responsibility for protecting data and information that are in a computer or transmitted over a network against intentional or accidental damage or loss. They also need to guard against the failure of all processes that rely on information technology.

The End Thank You 