1. Technology In Action
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2. Technology In Action Chapter 1 Why Computers Matter to You:
Becoming Computer Fluent
Chapter one introduces the basics of becoming computer fluent, introducing many concepts that will be developed throughout the course.
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3. Chapter Topics Computer fluency Computers and careers
Computer functions
Data vs. information
Computer hardware and software
Societal challenges and computers
Future technologies
Topics include:
Computer fluency
Computers and careers
Computer functions
Data vs. information
Computer hardware and software
Societal challenges and computers
Future technologies
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4. What is Computer Fluency?
To be computer fluent you must:
Understand a computer’s capabilities and limitations
Know how to use a computer
The information age is upon us and every corner of our lives has been affected. Everything we do—our work, our play, the way we communicate, our commerce, and our relationships—have all been affected by computers. Becoming computer fluent—being familiar enough with computers that you understand their capabilities and limitations and know how to use them—has become a necessity to succeed. Becoming computer fluent is what this course is all about.
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5. Being a Savvy Computer User and Consumer
Make good purchase decisions
Maintain your computer
Keep abreast of changes in technology
Understand the real risks
Use the Internet wisely
Avoid online annoyances
Avoid hackers and viruses
Protect your privacy
Now that the personal computer is such a large part of our lives, knowing how to analyze, choose, purchase, and maintain your own computer system are required skills for success in the academic and business worlds.
Being a savvy consumer will help you accomplish all the things on this slide. It will save you money, make you more productive, help you protect your identity, and have a working system when you need it. As technology evolves, you will also be able to keep up and adapt.
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6. Computers in your Career?
Computer careers in:
Business
The Arts
The Medical Field
Law Enforcement
Legal Fields
Education
The Sciences
Gaming
Homes
Regardless of which profession you pursue, if computers are not already in use in that career, they most likely will be soon.
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that by 2010, 70 percent of the U.S. workforce will be using computers at work.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found that employees who use a computer on the job earn about 10 percent more than those who don’t.
Becoming truly computer fluent—understanding the capabilities and limitations of computers and what you can do with them—will undoubtedly help you perform your job more effectively.
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7. Computers in Business Point of Sale Terminals Tracking merchandise
Data mining
Business around the world is conducted on the computer screen. Information is stored in enormous databases. To make meaning of all that data, they use a process known as data mining.
Enormous leaps in business productivity are a direct result of the use of computers in all phases of business, from communications to product design. For example, the cash register is now a point of sale terminal that connects automatically to a database, providing managers with current data on sales. This allows for better tracking of merchandise.
Retail systems called Personal Shopper Systems are provided by some stores. These small computers can show prices, specials, information, and total purchase price.
Every segment of business has been transformed by the computer.
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8. Computers in Farming and Ranching
Assist in managing complex farming business and information systems
RFID tags track and record animals in case of diseases
Computerized sensors and equipment activation protect crops
Farm management programs assist in managing the complex business and information systems required.
RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification) are placed on the ear of livestock. Animals are tracked and a record is kept in case of diseases.
Computerized sensors and equipment activation are used to protect crops like cranberries.
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9. Computers in the Arts Virtual art Virtual dance
The creative arts have been widely enhanced by computers. Artists communicate and collaborate across oceans. Writers and editors complete their work together from across the country. New forms of graphic arts and cinematography are introduced every day, all globally and immediately. Even dance has been enhanced with the computer.
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10. Computers in the Medical Field
Virtual reality in medical applications
Patient simulator
Da Vinci Surgical System
Few fields have grown as fast and touched our lives more than modern medicine. The ability of the computer to store, process, and distribute vast amounts of information globally and immediately has led to tremendous breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals and disease prevention. People are living longer, healthier lives and computers have played a large part in this development.
Medical professionals can now train on patient simulators without risking a patient’s life.
In the Physiome Project bioengineers are creating realistic computer simulations of all systems and features of the human anatomy.
Surgery is being performed with robotic equipment.
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11. Computers in Law Enforcement
Computer forensics
Law enforcement uses computers to quickly find records, locate possible suspects, and investigate accounts. As the Internet and e-commerce become more and more popular, criminals stalk the wire for victims. Law enforcement officers must use computers to track and capture criminals.
Computer forensics is the application of computer systems and techniques to gather potential legal evidence.
Even parking enforcement uses technology today.
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12. Computers in the Legal Fields
Surveillance cameras
Forensic animation
Computers have changed the way the government interacts with the public. Records, laws, and transactions in electronic form are common and have increased the speed and usefulness of legal information. From the cop who can run a license plate number in seconds to the income tax form filed electronically, the computer has had an enormous effect on the law.
Surveillance cameras watch over us constantly, snapping a picture when we run a red light. In court, animators make animated movies of events the way things probably happened, bringing to the screen a far clearer picture than mere testimony would provide.
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13. Computers in Education
Computers in the classroom
Distance education
Computerized research
The Internet
Computers have given teachers tremendous new tools for presenting information and keeping records.
Colleges offer full degree programs, totally over the Internet.
Vast stores of information are available wherever there is an Internet connection. Libraries have brought the computer into their operations. Training tutorials are used to teach new tasks and research is done from the desktop. Education will never be the same as it was.
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14. Computers and the Sciences
Supercomputers
Archeology
Meteorology
Science has used the computer to streamline studies, eliminate redundancy, test hypotheses, develop theories, and communicate findings. The computer has brought vast new levels of global collaboration, advancing fields like engineering, chemistry, physics, and cosmology to unprecedented levels.
Supercomputers crunch enormous amounts of data carrying out experiments that could not be done before. Storms are being studied through intricate application of known data to form pictures that increase understanding.
3D modeling and imaging software is helping archeologists take data and simulate ancient civilizations.
Computer-controlled robots are being developed by NASA to explore in deep space.
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15. Computers in Sports Training Timing and scorekeeping
Data storage and statistics
“Smartballs” sense when soccer goals are scored
Watch an auto race and look at the computers in the pits. Coaches in football use computers constantly. Officials use them to control games. Computers are used to analyze performance and optimize training. The use of computers at the Olympic Games is legendary.
In soccer, smartballs are used to automatically sense when the ball cross the goal line.
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16. Computer Gaming Careers
Programming
3D animation
The computer and video game industry is enormous. In fact, revenues from computer gaming in the United States have surpassed revenues from Hollywood. Very intricate programming is behind these games. The animations are the result of years of research and development, with new games being developed everyday.
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17. Computers at Home Robotics Smart appliances
Internet-connected refrigerator
Already, robotic vacuums and lawnmowers are on the market.
The home of the future promises smart appliances that connect to the Internet. The wired home will converge with the computer, television, and telephone to totally surround us with devices programmed by our needs and desires.
Robomower
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18. Technology of Tomorrow
Nanoscience
Biomedical chip implants
Artificial Intelligence
Nanoscience involves the study of very small structures.
Tiny biomedical chip implants can electronically monitor and transmit our health.
Everyday computers are able to make more and more decisions on their own, a field called artificial intelligence. It truly is a brave new world.
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19. Nanoscience Molecules and nanostructures Nanomachines
Fluid flow inside Nanomachines
5.4nm
Nanoscience involves the study of molecules and structures (called nanostructures) whose size ranges from 1 to 100 nanometers. Nanotechnology is the science revolving around the use of nanostructures to build devices on an extremely small scale.
Working at the molecular level, scientists have built microscopic machines that perform assigned tasks. New materials and processes are emerging in this exciting new field of discovery.
Four-α-helix protein scaffold
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20. Biomedical Chip Implants
Technological solutions to physical problems
Identity chips
Retinal Implants
Electronic implants are replacing damaged nerves. They are being embedded as identification devices that can be scanned to prove a person is who he says he is. They are being implanted in children so so that they can be located if they are abducted. These implants can give doctors a remote sensor inside the body, monitoring systems for problems and catching them before they are out of control.
VeriChip
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21. Artificial Intelligence
Robots
Neurons vs. Microchips
Can computers think? The field of artificial intelligence shows us that they can make decisions based on criteria. As long as the facts are clear and the computer has a system to evaluate those facts, it can decide between alternatives.
A good example is how well computers play chess. The best computer plays the best human to a draw. However, the computer is less prone to make a mistake.
If a question requires creativity or dynamic thinking, the human brain’s neural network can’t be matched. It is so complex that science is just beginning to understand how it works.
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22. Challenges Facing a Digital Society
Computer use ethics
Privacy risks
Personal data collection
Monitoring
Copyright infringement
Software piracy
The information age brings to each of us a set of unprecedented challenges. Our identity can be stolen. Our work s may be viewed. Otherwise law-abiding citizens illegally copy software. Without thinking, we cut and paste from copyrighted material on the Web.
As computers become more and more embedded in our lives, all of these challenges will grow. Making the personal decisions required to efficiently, legally, and safely maneuver through cyberspace is tied to the knowledge and awareness of the user.
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23. Becoming Computer Fluent
Data processing
Bits and bytes
Computer hardware
Computer software
Computer platforms
Specialty computers
Fundamental knowledge about the computer is important to becoming truly computer fluent.
This knowledge includes understanding what a computer does and what its main parts are, understanding the language of bits and bytes, distinguishing between different types of computer programs, working with different platforms, and recognizing computers other than the PC.
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24. Computers are Data Processing Devices
Four major functions:
Input data
Process data
Output information
Store data and information
Strictly defined, a computer is a data processing device that performs four major functions:
1. It gathers data (or allows users to input data).
2. It processes that data into information.
3. It outputs data or information.
4. It stores data and information.
DATA IN
INFORMATION OUT
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25. Bits and Bytes: The Language of Computers
Binary digit
0 or 1
Byte
Eight bits
ASCII
Each byte represents a letter, number or special character
OFF ON 1
Microchip Switch
In order to process data into information, computers need to work in a language they understand. This language, called binary language, consists of just two digits: 0 and 1.
Everything a computer does is broken down into a series of 0s and 1s. Each 0 and 1 is a binary digit, or bit for short.
Eight binary digits (or bits) combine to create 1 byte.
In computers, each letter of the alphabet, each number, and each special character (such as sign) consists of a unique combination of 8 bits, or a string of eight 0s and 1s.
As it turns out, if 8 bits are put together there are 256 possible combinations that they can be in. That number of combinations allows for a code that can include all the upper and lower cases of the alphabet, all 10 digits, punctuation and a number of other much-used symbols. We call these 8 bits working together a byte. Bytes are the basic measurement for storage in a computer.
= 4 1 1 1
= A 1 1
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26. How Much is a Byte? Byte B Kilobyte KB Megabyte MB Gigabyte GB
NAME
ABBREVIATION
NUMBER OF BYTES
RELATIVE SIZE
Byte B
1 byte
Can hold one character of data.
Kilobyte KB
1,024 bytes
Can hold 1,024 characters or about half of a typewritten page double-spaced.
Megabyte MB
1,048,576 bytes
A floppy disk holds approximately 1.4 MB of data, or approximately 768 pages of typed text.
Gigabyte GB
1,073,741,824 bytes
Approximately 786,432 pages of text. Since 500 sheets of paper is approximately 2 inches, this represents a stack of paper 262 feet high.
Terabyte TB
1,099,511,627,776 bytes
This represents a stack of typewritten pages almost 51 miles high.
Petabyte PB
1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes
The stack of pages is now 52,000 miles high, or about one-fourth the distance from the Earth to the moon.
Not only are bits and bytes used as the language that tells the computer what to do, they are also what the computer uses to represent the data and information it inputs and outputs.
Kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes are therefore simply amounts of bytes.
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27. Computer Hardware Input devices System unit Output devices
Storage devices
Computer hardware consists of all the real stuff a computer is made of. If you can drop it on the floor, it is hardware.
Hardware devices include input devices like keyboards, components in the system unit like microprocessors, output devices like monitors, and storage devices like a hard drive.
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28. Input Devices Enter data to be processed C B D A Keyboard Scanners
Mouse
Trackball
Touch screen
Microphone
Game controller
Digital camera C B D A
Input devices include keyboards and mice, but also scanners, cameras, microphones, and even network cards and modems. Data that gets into the computer must come through an input device.
The rain in Spain
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29. System Unit Cabinet that houses all components Motherboard CPU
Memory modules
System Unit
CPU
Once data is entered into a computer, the computer processes that data.
Those components that process data are located inside the system unit. The system unit is the metal or plastic case that holds all the physical parts of the computer together. The part of the system unit that is responsible for the processing is called the CPU.
Memory chips hold (or store) the instructions or data that the CPU processes.
The CPU and memory are located on a special circuit board in the system unit called the motherboard.
Memory Module
Motherboard
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30. Output Devices Enable us to see or hear the processed information
Monitor
Speakers
Printers
In addition to input devices and the system unit, a computer includes output devices that let you see your processed information. The monitor displays information temporarily, while a printer makes the output permanent. Audio output is through speakers.
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31. Storage Devices
Enable us to store data or information to be accessed again
Finally, when your data has been input, processed, and output, you may want to store the data or information so that you can access and use it again.
Specialized storage devices such as hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, flash drives, and CD drives allow you to store your data and information.
Hard Disk Drive
Floppy Disk
CD / DVD Drive
Flash Drive
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32. Computer Software
Software - programs that enable the hardware to perform different tasks
Application software
Tools for getting things done
Software is the set of computer programs that enables the hardware to perform different tasks. There are two broad categories of software: application software and system software.
Application software actually performs the tasks that users desire.
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33. Computer Software System software
Essential for platform operation and support
System software works to control and maintain the hardware and give the user access to resources.
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34. Computer Platforms: PCs and Macs
CPU – Intel, AMD
Operating system – Microsoft Windows
Mac
CPU – Motorola
Operating system – Apple Mac OS
The kind of OS you have depends on your computer’s platform. The two most common platform types are the PC and the Apple Macintosh (or Mac).
A platform represents both the base hardware and software that programs must run on and devices must run with. The most used is the Intel-Microsoft platform. The closest competitor in the personal computer field is the Apple-Motorola platform. These platforms have evolved over 25 years and are still competing today. Recently, however, Apple has designed an operating system that works with Intel.
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35. Specialty Computers PDA Server Mainframe Supercomputer
Microcontrollers
Mainframe
PDAs are small, one-task-at-a-time computers, that serve highly mobile users.
Servers are powerful computers that control networks and often use Unix as an operating system.
Mainframes are large, expensive multifaceted computers designed to handle thousands of users.
Supercomputers are large, fast computers assigned to concentrate on specific scientific tasks.
Embedded computers are specially designed computer chips that reside inside other devices such as your car or your electronic thermostat in your home.
Supercomputer
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36. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What does it mean to be “computer fluent”?
What does it mean to be “computer fluent”?
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37. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What is a savvy computer user and consumer?
What is a savvy computer user and consumer?
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38. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
How can becoming computer fluent help you in a career?
How can becoming computer fluent help you in a career?
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39. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What are some future technologies?
What are some future technologies?
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40. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What kinds of challenges do computers bring to society?
What kinds of challenges do computers bring to society?
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41. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What are a computer’s four main functions?
What are a computer’s four main functions?
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42. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What is the difference between data and information?
What is the difference between data and information?
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43. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What are a bit and a byte?
What are a bit and a byte?
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44. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What hardware does a computer use to perform its functions?
What hardware does a computer use to perform its functions?
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45. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What are the two main types of software?
What are the two main types of software?
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46. Chapter 1 Summary Questions
What different kinds of computers are there?
What different kinds of computers are there?
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