Section 1

Section 1.1: It’s all about ICT

Role of ICT in the workplace:

 Work wherever you have a computer + internet

 Store a lot of information
 Communicate effectively
 Adapt to change quicker

The Computer:
 Take input (keyboard/mouse)
 Do something with it (process it)
 Create an output (screen/printer)

 Input/output usually stored

 Usually connected to other computers/devices so that they can communicate

What makes a computer more powerful than another computer:

 Speed of performance of the CPU
 Amount/type of storage you have
 Size of the memory (because then more programs/data can be processed at once)
 Types of graphic cards

 Graph A: Processing power and physical size graph (pg 4)

 Portable computers:
 Used for both work and entertainment (music/games/movies)
 Portability makes it so that the device can be used anywhere

 Examples of portable computers

- Laptops:
- Low power consumption because of smaller parts
- More expensive than desktops
- Hinged screen + touchpad
- Tablets
- Computer with a touch screen
- Ideal for quick/small scale things
- Long battery life with Data/Wi-Fi
- Also get hybrids of Tablets + Laptop = Screen can lay flat/removed (more powerful than a
tablet but also have a shorter battery life
- Smartphones
- Combination of many separate devices
- Operating system (Google Android or IOS)
- Large colour screens
- Built-in data modem (3G, HSDPA, 4G/Lite)
- GPS
- One or 2 cameras
- Wi-Fi
- Speakers/Microphone

 Servers and Clients

- Servers: The computers that provide the service
- Clients: The people who use the services
- Network: Multiple servers and many clients
- Clients do not have to be as powerful as the servers

 Dedicated devices: Designed to perform 1 specific task

Example: GPS/ Washing machine/ ATMs

 Computers: Multi-purpose devices with more than one task

Example: Different apps can provide different services

Hardware theft and protection:

 Use cable locks to anchor equipment to the wall
 Use lockable cabinets to place system units of a desktop
 Use motion sensors that goes off when the computer is moved
 The smaller the device = the easier it’s to steal

 Uninterrupted power supply (UPS): used to protect a computer against power surges and spikes
- Connected to the mains (to charge the battery) and provide power if the main power fails
- Thus, giving you time to save your work

Textbook summary is on Page 8 – 10)

Section 1.2: Input and Output
 Section 1.2: Input and Output
Input
 Provides running software with instructions on what to do next
 Can be data that must be processed (may need to be used immediately by a program or may be
stored for processing later)
They love to ask Advantages
Types of image capturing: and Disadvantages in general,
 Digital cameras so pay special attention to that
- Range from Smartphone camera/digital cameras/ Professional DSLR
(Digital single-lenses reflex)
- Point and Shoot camera: Cannot change the lenses/compact/quick use
- DSLR: Professional se and can change the lenses

Advantages Disadvantages
Can take hundreds of pictures depending on the Can be expensive
memory card
Can see the image immediately
Can easily transfer/edit images easily between
devices
Can sometimes record videos

Graph B: Specifications that determine quality (pg 12)

  Scanners
- Input device that scans images to a computer (barcodes/photos/documents)
- Quality of scanned images
- Resolution = dpi (dots per inch)
- Greater the dpi = more pixels = better image = bigger file size
- Colour depth: number of different colours that can be represented by a pixel
- Higher number of colours = the higher the number = the bigger the file
- 24 bit colour (16.7 million different colours) is standard for practical purposes
- Greyscale = less space

Advantages Disadvantages
Large documents can be scanned and saved Scanning takes a lot of time
into a single digit file (pdf)
Electronic copies are stored digitally and don’t Quality of the scanned image is dependent on
take up office space the quality of the image being scanned
Can take pictures of text and make it texted
document by using OCR (Optical Character
Recognition) software
Old documents/photos can be stored without
damage
Barcode scanners can be used in places like
libraries and speed up check out tasks
QR codes are a quick way to give/get
information
Number plates can be scanned on e-toll roads

Advantages Disadvantages
More secure than passwords Very expensive to implement and maintain
Difficult to steal because its tied to a person Needs additional hardware/software
 Biometric input
- Capturing biological features of a person (fingerprints/eyes/face)
- Common in Smartphones/laptops
- Used instead of typing n passwords and mainly in businesses

 ATM’s
- Input from PIN and other sources such as:
- Card readers (magnetic strip in card)
- Touch screen (Touching the screen)
- Money counter (Sensor to ensure you don’t get too much or too little)
- Money deposit slot (Sensor detects when something is placed in the slot)
- Modem/Network connection (For communication between the machine and your bank)

Advantage Disadvantage
Allows banking transactions to happen any Open to criminal if you get cash
time of the day/night
You are not limited to your own bank and can Scammers add fake card readers to steal your
use any bank’s ATM bank information/PIN
 POS System
 Barcoded and RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification) provide fast/reliable means of identifying an
object and perfect for POS (point of Sale)
 Why? Faster processing at pay points and better stock control
 How?
1. Scanner records stock in shop and stored in the database with a price allocated to it
2. At the till the cashier uses the scanner to record each item that is being bought

Advantages Disadvantages
System is faster than typing out prices If the system is offline the shop will struggle to
function
Prices can easily be updated and accurate The software is expensive
The shop can record how much of each item is
sold/is in stock

Graph C: Process of POS (pg 17)

 Touch Screen (Input device)
- Makes screen control feel more natural
- Pen tablet computers have a pen (stylus) and communicates wirelessly with the screen (using
radio)

Advantages Disadvantages
More screen space because a keyboard isn’t Typing with a stylus is not as fast as typing
needed with a keyboard
Type of intimacy because the person feels more The screen gets dirty easier = interferes with
personal touching the screen the input
Little training is needed understand how it works
Allows input such as drawings/gestures

 Data collection devices

- Uses sensors/switches/cameras/microphones to collect data
- Example: Used by a meter reader to see how much water a household uses

Advantages Disadvantages
Data is captured automatically without human Sensors can fail without being detected which
intervention can mess up the data
Data is captured accurately Only sensor-detectable data can be detected
which means no sensor-detectable date no
data being collected at all
Data is captured faster Can be expensive to maintain

 Input into smartphones and consumer tablets

- Have multiple types of input
- Allow:
- Touch screen
- Hardware buttons
- Camera and Video cameras
- Accelerometer (Detects how the device s held to change the screen orientation)
- Microphone

 Alternative keyboards
- Tablets and smartphones usually have virtual keyboards
- Can also get wireless keyboards

Output
 Purpose of Output:
- Provide user with feedback
- Provide user with more permanent/ non-electronic copy of results of processing
- Allow the transmission of data between computers/electronic devices

Display devices
 Do all the same thing
- Displaying options that allow the user to make choices/interact with the program and operating
system
- Displaying the results of processing that has taken place
 Types of output:
- Visual (text/images)
- Sound (feedback sounds like “error” sound/ entertainment sounds like music)
- Touch (like how a controller will vibrate if something happens in a game)
- Other (Not designed for humans like transmission of data between devices)

Advantages Disadvantages
Provide immediate feedback on what the Output is not permanent
computer is doing
Allow interaction between user and computer Output is difficult to share
Display content is easily changed/updated Can lead to eyestrain and headaches
Text can be enlarged for disabled Work is not private to passer-bys
Very expensive to replace
Single component uses a lot of electricity
Difficult to read in bright light
Quality is related to size (the bigger the better)

Things that
effect
output quality
Pg. 22
 Printers
- Laser/Inkjet printers: things that effect quality (pg 23)

 Compared to inkjet printers, laser jet printer:

- More reliable
- Easier to maintain
- Better for black/white and general colour
- Cheaper to run specially for higher amount of printing
 3D Printers
- create physical 3D object using CAD/3D modelling
- Makes it possible to print out prototypes before building something
- Revolutionary

 Wireless technology in output devices:

- Wireless printing: Can print wirelessly as long as its placed close to wireless network
- Sound without wires (Bluetooth headphones)
- Wireless video/images (some cameras can transmit their images to devices without an accessory)
 Interactive whiteboard

Advantage Disadvantage
Person using it can manipulate the computer Needs a dimly lit venue to bee seen properly
Better interaction/participation to enhance the If the board is small = limited
process of teaching/learning
Notes made on the board can be saved You cannot use normal white boards markers n
them
Presenting content in multimedia format help The system is only as good as the quality of
learners who learn better with visuals software that it has installed
Expensive
Repairs can be expensive
Teachers can be hesitant to learn how to use it

 What makes it all work: (NB to Know)

- Drivers: Software that allows your computer to communicate with hardware/devices and control
them
- Operating systems have a large collection of standard drivers that work with standard devices
- Hardware manufacturer has to write/supply a driver if the device doesn’t work with the standard
- Plug-and-play: Series of technologies where the operating system automatically detects and
configures a device that has been plugged in
- When the computer has identified the device it checks if it has a driver
- No driver = will ask you to install it

 Input/Output for physically challenged

- Blind:
- Braille keyboards
- Magnification devices
- Large-key keyboards
- Braille printers
- Deaf
- On-screen notices or flashing screen instead of sound
- Vibration devices
- Motor impaired
- Eye tracking devices
- Head movement devices
- Large-key keyboards
- Joysticks
- Foot pedal control devices
- Sip and puff devices (Sucking and blowing into a tube)

Input/Output and health issues

 Do not sit for hours on end
 Do not stare at the screen for a long time
 Learn keyboard shortcuts so you don’t have to move between mouse and keyboards frequently
 Do exercises to relieve tension in yur joints
 Do not listen to high volume things with your earphones
 Adjust the brightness so it doesn’t hurt your eyes

Textbook summaries on Page 28 - 33