I

ICT
INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY NOTES

Govt: Post Graduate Jehanzeb College , Saidu Sharif Swat

 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:1 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Definition:

ICT (information and communications technology - or technologies) is a term that includes

any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones,
computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the
various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance
learning. ICTs are often spoken of in a particular context, such as ICTs in education, health care,
or libraries.

Or
ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology and are defined as a set of
technological tools and resources used to communicate, create, disseminate, store and manage
information. These tools include computers, the internet, broadcasting (radio and Television)
The importance of ICTs lies less in the technology itself than in its ability to create greater access
to information and communication in undeserved populations.

What is the difference between computer science and ICT?

A Computer Science and ICT both use computers as part of their programs of study. That is
where the similarities stop. Computer Science is the study of how computers work at a
fundamental level, and how the software, games and apps that we use are made & develop. In
ICT we look at how we can best use those software, games and apps to create digital products.

Use of ICTs in;

Education
Education is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills, in the traditional model, people learn
from others such as teachers. Many forms of printed materials such as books and manuals are
used in learning. Today education also are turning to ICT.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:1 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

E- Learning
1. Sometimes the delivery of education occurs at a place while the learning occurs at other
locations
2. (Distance learning). e.g. Students can take classes on web. In Pakistan Distance learning
education such as
3. Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU)
4. Preston University.
5. COMSATS University.
6. Virtual University
7. British Trade Test Institute (BTTI)

3. Students use software to assist with learning or complete assignment.

4. Through ICT there has been enhanced class room teaching through use of
presentations as well as projectors to deliver the information in a more convincing way
Schools and Institutions use computers to typeset examinations.
5. Online registration and admissions: Most institutes and schools have opened up websites
which offer
6. online registration and admissions without visiting the institute physically.
7. Ubiquitous learning (through virtual mentors / teacher)
8. Research. Teachers and students use the internet to carry out research on various topics.
9. Communication (Teacher-students / Teachers - parents communication) through e-
mail or some type special communications apps (Zoom , Skype , Google Meet)
10. Online discussion (video-conferencing).

E- Commerce.
E - Commerce is the general term used for companies trading online. It is a shorter way of saying
electronic trading. The “E” is for Electronic and commerce means trading or Business

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:1 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

The prevailing E-commerce activities have been divided into 3 major categories Business-to-
Consumer

1. Business-to-Business (B2B)
In a Business-to-Business E-commerce environment, companies sell their online goods to other
companies without being engaged in sales to consumers. In most B2B E-commerce environments
entering the web shop.

2. Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
In a Consumer-to-Business E-commerce environment, consumers usually post their products or
services online on which companies can post their bids. A consumer reviews the bids and selects
the company that meets his price expectations.

3. Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
In a Consumer-to-Consumer E-commerce environment consumers sell their online goods to other
consumers. A well- known example is eBay , Daraz , Facebook Markeeting.

Health
Nearly every area of health care uses computers whether you are visiting a family doctor for a
regular check-up.
1. Hospitals and doctors use computers to maintain patients’ records.
2. Computers monitor patients" vital signs in the hospital room and at home.
3. Computers and computerized devices assist doctors, nurses and technicians with medical
tests. (Digital X-Ray , MRI , City scan , ECG and lot of medical devices)
4. Doctors use the web and medical software to assist with researching and diagnosing
health conditions.
5. Doctors use e-mail to correspond with patients.
6. Surgeons use computer-controlled devices to provide them with precession during
operations such as for laser eye surgery and robot assist heart surgery.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:1 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

7. Surgeons implant computerized devices, such as pace makers that allow patients to live
longer.
8. Many websites provide up-to date medical fitness, nutrition or exercise information.
9. Websites even allow you to order prescriptions online. An exciting development in health
care is telemedicine, which is a form of long-distance health care.

Security
1. Use of CCTV cameras to monitor supermarkets for shop lifters / thieves and to monitor
crucial buildings like Banks, Home e. t. c.
2. Use of traffic camera to track traffic offenders.
3. Use of biometric devices like finger print scan, iris scan to keep records of right
employees.
4. Mobile phones have tracking records used to track down rebels and suspected criminal.
5. Walkie talkies that are used in communication by armies and police.
6. Surveillance cameras that help in capturing criminals.
7. Computers are used by police and other security agents in storing databases for
criminals.

Art, leisure and entertainment

One of the most compelling ways in which technology has affected our lives is in the way we are
entertained or we choose to entertain ourselves
1. The internet can be used to book tickets for concert or visit to the cinema.
2. Portable devices like phones are used for playback music and video files. (Youtube ,
Netflex etc)
3. Digital transmission is used to broadcast TV and radio programs. TV programs are
provided free to air or on a pay to view basis through satellite and cable services.
4. Music download from the internet, the internet is used as a channel for the distribution
of music
5. Playing of games is an important leisure activity for many computer users.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:1 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

Industrial, technical and scientific uses

Many processes that were traditionally performed manually in the manufacturing industry are
now done using a variety of technologies. Industries that manufacture products.

CAD (Computer Aided Design)

Computers are used to design the model of a product on the computer. This process is called
Computer Aided Design (AutoCAD , 3D Max)

ICT NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS

1. Social Networking has removed the boundaries of respect and direct dialogue between
and among youths and elders. (Tiktok etc)
2. Access of pornographic material and immoral movies by young people through the
internet has led to moral decay.
3. Culture degeneration due the exposure of western culture.
4. ICT has diluted traditional community religions.
5. Information poor: not all people have access to computers thus making it difficult to
access information that can be got from computers.
6. High level of unemployment as a result of introduction of ICTs in most companies. ICT
replace human beings.
7. Change in family patterns may be indirectly and partly caused by computerization.
Research has shown that families are spending less and less time together.
8. Many ICTs are being sold on the market. Most electronic equipment from certain country
are fake and do not last long

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

What is Computer?
A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored in its
own memory that can accept data (input), process the data according to specified rules,
produce information (output), and store the information for future use
1. Takes the data as input
2. Process the data and convert into a useful information
3. Generate the output

Computer Components
Any kind of computers consists of HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE.

Hardware:
Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitutes a computer system.
Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components of a computer such as the
monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard drive disk (HDD), system unit
(graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard and chips), etc. all of which are physical
objects that can be
touched.

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Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

Characteristics of Computer
Speed, accuracy, diligence, storage capability and versatility are some of the key
characteristics of a computer. A brief overview of these characteristics are •

Speed: The computer can process data very fast, at the rate of millions of instructions per
Second. Some calculations that would have taken hours and days to complete otherwise, can be
completed in a few seconds using the computer.

For example, calculation and generation of salary slips of thousands of employees of an

organization, weather forecasting that requires analysis of a large amount of data related to
temperature, pressure and humidity of various places, etc.

• Accuracy: Computer provides a high degree of accuracy. For example, the computer can
accurately give the result of division of any two numbers up to 10 decimal places.

• Diligence: When used for a longer period of time, the computer does not get tired or atigued.
It can perform long and complex calculations with the same speed and accuracy from the start
till the end.

• Storage Capability: Large volumes of data and information can be stored in the computer
and also retrieved whenever required. A limited amount of data can be stored, temporarily, in the
primary memory. Secondary storage devices like floppy disk and compact disk can store a large
amount of data permanently.

• Versatility: Computer is versatile in nature. It can perform different types of tasks with the
same ease. At one moment you can use the computer to prepare a letter document and in the
next moment you may play music or print a document. Computers have several limitations too.
Computer can only perform tasks that it has been programmed to do Computer cannot do
any work without instructions from the user. It executes instructions as specified by the user
and does not take its own decisions.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

RAM and ROM.

Ram (Random Access Memory)
Characteristic of Main Memory
1. These are semiconductor memories.
2. It is known as main memory.
3. Usually volatile memory.
4. Data is lost in case power is switched off.
5. It is working memory of the computer.
6. Faster than secondary memories.
7. A computer cannot run without primary memory.

A RAM (Random Access Memory) constitutes the internal memory of the CPU for storing data,
program and program result. It is read/write memory. It is called random access memory (RAM).
RAM is volatile, i.e., data stored in it is lost when we switch off the computer or if there is a power
failure. Hence, a backup uninterruptible power system (UPS) is often used with Computers. RAM
is small, both in terms of its physical size and in the amount of data

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

ROM (Read Only Memory)

ROM stands for Read Only Memory. The memory from which we can only read but cannot
write on it. This type of memory is non-volatile. The information is stored permanently in such
memories during manufacture. A ROM stores such instructions as are required to start
computer when electricity is first turned on, this operation is referred to as bootstrap. ROM chip
are not only used in the computer but also in other electronic items like washing machine and
microwave oven.

Secondary Memory

This type of memory is also known as external memory or non-volatile. It is slower than main
memory. These are used for storing Data/Information permanently. CPU directly does not
access these memories, instead they are accessed via input-output routines.

Characteristics of Secondary Memory

1. These are magnetic and optical memories.

2. It is known as backup memory.

3. It is non-volatile memory.

4. Data is permanently stored even if power is switched off.

5. It is used for storage of the data in the computer.

6. Computer may run without secondary memory.

7. Slower than primary memories.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

Use of Secondary memory

Secondary memory is used for different purposes but the main purposes of using secondary
memory are:

• Permanent storage: As we know that primary memory stores data only when the power
supply is on, it loses data when the power is off. So we need a secondary memory to
stores data permanently even if the power supply is off.

• Large Storage: Secondary memory provides large storage space so that we can store
large data like videos, images, audios, files, etc permanently.

• Portable: Some secondary devices are removable. So, we can easily store or transfer
data from one computer or device to another.

Types of fixed storage:

Following are the types of fixed storage:
• Internal flash memory (rare)
• SSD (solid-state disk)
• Hard disk drives (HDD)
• CD Disk (Compact Disk)

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

Software
Software is a set of instructions that drive a computer to perform specific tasks. These
Instructions tell the machine’s physical components what to do. A set of instructions is often
called a program. When a computer is using a particular program, it is said to be running or
executing the program. The two most common types of programs are system software and
application software

System Software
System software is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the individual
hardware This consists of programs that control or manage the operation of the computer and
its devices. System software serves as an interface between users, the application its software
and the computer's hard ware System software is computer software designed to operate the
computer hardware and to provide maintain a platform for running application software.
Examples of system software include;
Operating System (Windows , Mac , iOS , Android )

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

Application Software
Application software is used to accomplish specific tasks. It consists of programs that perform
specific tasks to a user. Application software is used for a variety of reason Application software
may consist of a single program, such as an image viewer; Microsoft Word , Excel , Powrpoint
, Photoshop , AutoCAD and otherpackages)

Computers classification
Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows, though there is Considerable
overlap:
• Personal computer: A small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor. In addition to
the microprocessor, a personal computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor for
displaying information, and a storage device
for saving data.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

• WORKSTATION : A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a personal

computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a
higher-quality monitor.
Use:
Workstations are most frequently used in creative, engineering,
scientific, and financial services industries. Intel® Core™ and
Intel® Xeon® processors enable workstations to meet the most
demanding workloads

• MINICOMPUTER : A multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to hundreds

of users simultaneously.
Use:
MINICOMPUTERS were used for scientific and engineering computations, business
transaction processing, file handling, and database management.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

• MAINFRAME : A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds

or thousands of users simultaneously.

In banking, finance, health care, insurance, utilities, government, and a multitude of other
public and private enterprises, the mainframe computer continues to be the foundation of modern
business.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

• SUPERCOMPUTER : An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of

millions of instructions per second

A supercomputer is a computer that performs at or near the highest operational rate for
computers. Traditionally, supercomputers have been used for scientific and engineering
applications that must handle massive databases, do a great amount of computation or both.

Nuclear and Materials Testing: They simulate nuclear explosions, structural integrity, and
material behavior under extreme conditions, which is vital for safety and compliance in nuclear
and civil engineering.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

• Deep Learning and Neural Networks: Supercomputers process enormous datasets to
train complex AI models, like natural language models, image recognition systems, and
recommendation algorithms.
• Natural Language Processing: They support the development of language models that
can understand and generate human language, such as those used in advanced
conversational AI.

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

Laptop: A laptop is a battery or AC-powered personal computer that can be easily carried and
used in a variety of locations. Many laptops are designed to have all of the functionality of a
desktop computer, which means they can generally run the same software and open the same types
of files. However, some laptops, such as netbooks, sacrifice some functionality in order to be even
more portable.

Netbook: A netbook is a type of laptop that is designed to be even more portable. Netbooks are
often cheaper than laptops or desktops. They are generally less powerful than other types of
computers,

Mobile Device: A mobile device is basically any handheld computer. It is designed to be

extremely portable, often fitting in the palm of your hand or in your pocket. Some mobile
devices are more powerful, and they allow you to do many of the same things you can do with a
desktop or laptop computer. These include tablet computers, e-readers, and smartphones

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 ICT Information & Communication Technology
Chapter No:2 By: Iftikhar Afzal Khan (MS-Computer Science) , LLB , MSc Economics

Smartphones: A smartphone is a powerful mobile phone that is designed to run a variety of

applications in addition to phone service. They are basically small tablet computers, and they
can be used for web browsing, watching videos, reading e-books, playing games and more.

DATA AND INFORMATION

Data: Facts and figures which relay something specific, but which are not organized in any way
and which provide no further information regarding patterns, context, etc. So data means
"unstructured facts and figures. Data is a collection of unprocessed items, which can include text
numbers, images audio and video. Data is raw facts and figures by its self it doesn't provide
anything meaningful.

Information: You get information when data is processed, organized, interpreted, and structured. The
comprehensible output derived from raw data helps inform decisions, strategies, and actions.
Information is essentially data made valuable and accessible:

Difference between Data and Information

• Data is raw and unstructured, like individual customer interactions or transaction logs.
• Information provides context and insights, like a trend analysis that shows increasing
customer satisfaction or sales figures over time.
• Data is often abundant and readily available but can be overwhelming without
interpretation.
• Information is curated and actionable, offering strategic insights to guide business
decisions.

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