C O M P U T E R S I N O U R DA I LY L I F processing.

The outputs or results

TOPICS C H A R AC T E R I S T I C S A N D C A PA
●​ Introduction BILITIESOFCOMPUTER
●​ What is Information Technology? ●​ Speed - The computer can work
●​ Advantages and Disadvantages of very fast. It takes only a few seconds
IT? for calculations that we take hours to
●​ What is Information and complete. A computer can perform
Communications Technology? millions (1,000,000) of instructions
●​ Uses of ICT In Our Daily Lives and even more per second.
●​ Impact of ICT on the Society ●​ Accuracy - The degree of accuracy
of a computer is very high and every
I N T RO D U C T I O N calculation is performed with the
●​ Today, all people use computers same accuracy.
and rely on computers to perform ●​ Diligence - A computer is free from
their tasks whether personal or tiredness, lack of concentration,
professional. Professionals are fatigue, etc. It can work for hours
different in their fields and skills, but without creating any errors.
one thing is common to all of them, ●​ Versatility - It means the capacity to
they use computers to do their jobs. perform completely different types of
●​ The accountant uses computers for work. You may use your computer to
financial management; programmers prepare payroll slips.
use them to create programs;
teachers prepare lectures and C H A R AC T E R I S T I C S A N D C A PA
presentations; architects create BILITIESOFCOMPUTER
blueprints; students use computers ●​ Power of Remembering - A
for various reasons like creating computer has the power of storing
reports and thesis and for research any amount of information or data.
purposes. Any information can be stored and
●​ Businesses, companies, and recalled as long as you require it, for
organizations use computers to any number of years. \
process data, store and retrieve ●​ No IQ (Intelligence Quotient) - A
information, and provide results and computer is a dumb machine and it
outputs. cannot do any work without
instruction from the user. It performs
THECOMPUTER the instructions at tremendous
●​ A computer refers speed and with accuracy. It is you to
to an electronic decide what you want to do and in
device that what sequence. So a computer
accepts data and cannot take its own decision as you
instructions, performs logical and can.
mathematical operations, and ●​ No Feelings - It does not have
generates the outputs of the feelings or emotions, taste,
 knowledge, or experience. Thus it part of our everyday lives and has
does not get tired even after long greatly impacted society. o We use
hours of work. It does not distinguish information technology to do school
between users. work, research for work, recreation,
●​ Storage - The Computer has an and almost anything else that can be
in-built memory where it can store a imagined. Family and friends can
large amount of data. You can also stay connected through internet
store data in secondary storage applications and smart devices
devices.
A D VA N TA G E S O F I N F O R M AT I O
W H AT I S I T ? NTECHNOLOGY
●​ Information ●​ Protecting and Storing Information -
technology (IT) is Electronic storage systems are
the use of any being created to hold the information
computers, storage, that is being shared over the internet
networking, and other physical and internal intranets. Secure
devices, infrastructure, and maintenance of customer and
processes to create, process, store, company files is vital to the integrity
secure, and exchange all forms of of the company.
electronic data ●​ Virtual vaults keep information safe
by limiting access to a select few.
I T S O F T WA R E A N D H A R D WA R E Security systems are put in place to
●​ IT includes several layers of protect your electronic information
physical equipment (hardware), and keep it from being wiped out or
virtualization and management or damaged during a system
automation tools, operating systems, breakdown. Hackers are also kept at
and applications (software) used to bay with intense securities.
perform essential functions. ●​ Automated Processes - The ability to
●​ User devices, peripherals, and find ways to complete more work in
software, such as laptops, a shorter amount of time is essential
smartphones or even recording to the success of a company.
equipment, can be included in the IT Information technology improves a
domain. company’s efficiency by
●​ IT can also refer to the implementing automated processes
architectures, methodologies, and to make employees more capable of
regulations governing the use and handling a larger workload. Reports,
storage of data. queries, and monitoring financials
can be completed by computer
I M P O R TA N C E O F I N F O R M AT I O programs, leaving employees free to
NTECHNOLOGY complete other tasks.
●​ We are living in the information age ●​ Communication - Communication in
and are constantly inundated from every aspect of human interaction is
every area of our lives with essential. In the business world,
information technology. It is now a communication is imperative to the
 success of the company. Emailing, communication devices, and
video conferencing, and chat rooms software applications to convert,
allow for easier communication store, protect, process, transmit and
between employees and supervisors retrieve information from anywhere,
as well as employees and clients. anytime.
●​ o Remote Access or Telecommuting
- When a company has implemented W H AT I S I N F O R M AT I O N A N D C O
an information technology system, M M U N I C AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y
many times employees can then (ICT)?
access the company’s network ●​ Information refers to the knowledge
electronically. This enables obtained from reading, investigation,
employees to work from home or study, or research. We need
while on the road. This gives the information to make decisions and to
employees more flexibility and they predict the future. For example,
are more productive because they scientists can detect the formation of
can still work when not in the office. a tsunami using the latest
●​ Expenses of Implementation and technology and warn the public to
Maintenance - Setup costs for avoid disasters in the affected areas.
implementing an information ●​ Communication is an act of
technology system within a home or transmitting messages. It is a
business can be very costly. process whereby information is
Software training can also take exchanged between individuals
another big bite out of the budget. using symbols, signs, or verbal
Information technology interactions. Previously, people
●​ Elimination of Jobs - By communicated through signs or
implementing IT systems into a symbols, performing drama and
company, tasks take less time, and poetry. With the advent of
therefore, employees have more technology, these ‘older’ forms of
time throughout the day. Paperwork communication are less utilized as
is processed and filed immediately, compared to the use of the Internet,
reports are generated with the touch e-mail, or video conferencing.
of a button, and financial statements ●​ Technology is the use of scientific
are generated automatically. knowledge, experience, and
Companies are finding that they can resources to create processes and
combine jobs and need a smaller products that fulfill human needs.
staff to operate fully. Technology is vital in
communication.
W H AT I S I N F O R M AT
IONANDCOMMUNI U S E S O F I C T I N O U R DA I LY L I V E
C AT I O N T E C H N O L S
OGY(ICT)? ●​ Communication - Nowadays people
●​ ICT is the technology required for are in touch with the help of ICT.
information processing, in particular, Through chatting, E-mail, voice mail,
the use of electronic computers, and social networking people
 communicate with each other. It is range of benefits, and opportunities
the cheapest means of to empower themselves in a variety
communication. It also provides of ways. Young people can maintain
students from remote areas access social connections and support
to expert teachers and learning networks that otherwise wouldn't be
resources and gives administrators possible and can access more
and policymakers the data and information than ever before. The
expertise they need to work more communities and social interactions
efficiently. young people form online can be
●​ Job Opportunities - In the invaluable for bolstering and
employment sector, ICT enables developing young people's
organizations to operate more self-confidence and social skills
efficiently, so employing staff with ●​ Access to information: Increase in
ICT skills is vital to the smooth access to information and services
running of any business. Being able that has accompanied the growth of
to use ICT systems effectively allows the Internet. Some of the positive
employees more time to concentrate aspects of this increased access are
on areas of their job role that require better, and often cheaper,
soft skills. For example, many communications, such as VoIP
pharmacies use robot technology to phones and Instant Messaging.
assist with picking prescribed drugs. Improved access to education, e.g.
This allows highly trained distance learning and online
pharmaceutical staff to focus on jobs tutorials. New ways of learning, e.g.
requiring human intelligence and interactive multi-media and virtual
interaction, such as dispensing and reality.
checking medication ●​ New tools, new opportunities: ICT
●​ Education - Schools use a diverse gives access to new tools that did
set of ICT tools to communicate, not previously exist: digital cameras,
create, disseminate, store, and photo-editing software, and
manage information. In some high-quality printers, screen
contexts, ICT has also become magnification or screen reading
integral to the teaching-learning software enables partially sighted or
interaction, through such blind people to work with ordinary
approaches as replacing text rather than Braille.
chalkboards with interactive digital ●​ Communication: Cost savings by
whiteboards, using students’ own using e.g. VoIP instead of the normal
smartphones or other devices for telephone, email, messaging instead
learning during class time, and the of post, video conferencing instead
“flipped classroom” model where of traveling to meetings,
students watch lectures at home on e-commerce web sites instead of
the computer and use classroom sales catalogs. Access to larger,
time for more interactive exercises. even worldwide, markets.
●​ Socializing - The internet and social ●​ Information management: Data
media provide young people with a mining of customer information to
 produce lists for targeted ●​ Reduced physical activity: This can
advertising. Improved stock control, lead to health problems such as
resulting in less wastage, better obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
cash flow, etc. ●​ Cost: A lot of ICT hardware and
●​ Security: ICT solves or reduces software is expensive, both to
some security problems, e.g. purchase and to maintain. An ICT
Encryption methods can keep data system usually requires specialist
safe from unauthorized people, both staff to run them and there is also
while it is being stored or while it is the challenge of keeping up with
being sent electronically. ever-changing technology.
●​ Distance learning: students can ●​ Competition: this is usually thought
access teaching materials from all of as being a good thing, but for
over the world. some organizations being exposed
●​ Creation of new more interesting to greater competition can be a
jobs. Examples would be systems problem. If the organization is
analysts, programmers, and competing for customers, donations,
software engineers, as well as help or other means of funding nationally
desk operators and trainers. or even internationally, they may
lose out to other organizations that
N E G AT I V E I M PAC T S O F I C T can offer the same service for less
●​ Job loss: Manual operations are money.
being replaced by automation. e.g.
robots replacing people on an
assembly line. Job export. e.g. Data
processing work being sent to other
countries where operating costs are
lower. Multiple workers are being
replaced by a smaller number who
are able to do the same amount of
work. e.g.
●​ A worker at a supermarket checkout
can serve more customers per hour
if a bar-code scanner linked to a
computerized till is used to detect
goods instead of the worker having
to enter the item and price manually
●​ Reduced personal interaction: Most
people need some form of social
interaction in their daily lives and if
they do not get the chance to meet
and talk with other people they may
feel isolated and unhappy.