Glossary

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Application An application (sometimes known as an app) is a computer program which allows the user to perform a specific task. Web browsers, email programs, wordprocessors, spreadsheets, games, and utilities are all examples of types of applications. Microsoft Word and PowerPointare specific examples of applications commonly used in schools.

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Blog A blog is a type of website where an individual can add and maintain a regular commentary like an online diary or journal, for other users of the site. The entriescan also include the addition of other material such as pictures,video or links to other pages. The word blog is a blend of the phraseweb log. Bulletin Board A bulletin board is an online version of the traditional message board where people can post messages, advertisements or add community news for others to view and comment on.It is also sometimes abbreviated to BBS for Bulletin Board System.

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CAD See Computer Aided Design. Compujector The compujector is a single device which consists of a computer and data projector built into a single unit. The computer stores material downloaded for use where internet connections are unreliable or unavailable. It was originally developed in South Africa to improve access to the wealth of information available with a low cost and easy to use solution. Computer Aided Design Computer Aided Design or CADis computer software which enablesthe user to produce technical drawings as 3D plans. Designing using a CAD application allows the drawing to be rotated and view from different angles, unlike traditional paper methods.

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Discussion Board An Internet forum or discussion board is an online conversation which takes place in the form of posted messages between two or more people. Messages posted to the discussion board are available for everyone to read and comment on. Sometimes also called an online message board, the discussions are usually organised by topics or threads. Messages on a discussion board are usually archived so you can search through a record of conversations.

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Email Electronic mail or email is a method of exchanging messages from one person to another using computer networks. Only the people addressed in the email are able to receive and read the message. Messages areusually in text formatbut can include attachments of other types of computer files such as pictures or video. Excel Excel is a spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft.

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File Sharing File sharing is the practice of providing access to digital information such as documents and images to other users. This can be achieved within an organisation by using a central server or globally over the Internet by using a product such as Microsofts SkyDrive. The sharing of copyright documents such as music or videos is illegal in many countries. Forum See Discussion Board.

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ICT See Information and Communication Technology. IMS IMS is an abbreviation for Instant Messaging Service where you can communicate by typing short messages to other people using the same application. Unlike email both

people are usually online at the same time so you can have a conversation or electronicchat. Information and Communication Technology Information and communication technology or ICT is a term used to cover all kinds of products and devices that store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information. Examples include; computers, robots, cameras, projectors, radio and television. Internet The Internet is a global system which allowsfor the exchange of information between interconnected computers.

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Moviemaker Microsoft Windows Live Moviemaker is an application which allows the user to create and edit digital movies by combining videos, photos and audio into a single movie. Multimedia Multimedia is any digital content that uses a combination of different forms such as text, audio, still images, video or animation.

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Office Office is a suite of applications written and distributed by Microsoft which includes Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. OneNote Microsoft OneNote is an application which acts as a digital notebook that gives the user a single place to gather and organise all of their notes and information, including text, pictures, audio and video.

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Podcast A podcast is a series of digital audio or video files that are available on the Internetas regular episodes. Each episode is maintained centrally and the user can access and download new files in the series. Usually a podcast has a central theme and can be downloaded automatically if you choose to subscribeusing an automated feed such as RSS. PowerPoint PowerPoint is a presentation application written and distributed by Microsoft. Originally designed for business use, it is now used widely in education. Projector A projector (also known as a data projector) is used to display video, images or computer data on a large screen typically to an audience.

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RSS RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a format used to publish frequently updated information, such as news headlines or podcasts, directly to a users computer. The user must subscribe to the RSS feed to receive the information.

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Scanner A scanner (also known as an image scanner) is a device that scans an image or text and converts it into a digital image. This digital image can then be used and manipulated on a computer. Some scanners can also convert printed text into digital for using optical character recognition (OCR). Search Engine A search engine is a website which enables the user to find information on the World Wide Web by typing in keywords. The search results are usually presented as a listwhich is created automatically with information from millions or even billions of webpages. Popular search engines are Bing, Yahoo and Google. SMS SMS stands for Short Message Service and is the facility to allow text messages to be exchanged between mobile phone devices. Computers can also send SMS messages to mobile phones using this technology. Messages are typically restricted to160 characters in length.

Social Network A social network is a website service for a group of individuals who are connected by a common interest or by friendship. Popular examples of social network sites are Facebook, Bebo, Linkedin, MySpace and Habbo. Spreadsheet A spreadsheet is an application which displays a 2-dimensional grid of rows and columns. It is frequently used to save and manipulate financial information.Excel is one of the most commonly used spreadsheet programs. Streaming Streaming is a method where digital media, such as video and audio, is steadily received and presented to the user while still being delivered to the computer or other device. This contrasts with downloading where a file had to be received completely before it can be used.

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Teleconference A teleconference or video conference is a meeting between several users in different locations linked by a telecommunications network. A telephone conference typically connects multiple users by audio only while a video conference includes a real time video images of the participants.

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Video Casting See Podcast. Video Conference See Teleconference.

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Webcam A webcam is a video camera which feeds images in real time to a computer. Webcams are often used in teleconferencing to enable the users to see each other. WiFi WiFi is a system which allows different devices such as computers, printers and smartphones to connect to each other and the Internet without wires or direct connections.

Wiki A wiki is a website which allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked pages by users with a common interest. It originated from the Hawaiian word for quick (wiki wiki) as an easy way to create, edit and update webpages. The best know example is Wikipedia. Word Word is a word processorapplication written and distributed by Microsoft. Word Processor A word processor is an application used to compose, edit, format and print any type of written material. Most current word processors also allow the inclusion of other media such as tables, pictures and charts. World Wide Web The World Wide Web (also known as the Web), is a system of interlinked documents which are accessed via the Internet. The documents can contain text, images, video and audio and are viewed using a web browser.

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