Informatio

n
Technolog
y
Study Aid
CISB 1

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE INFORMATION AGE

Time Period
Majority
Workers
Partnership
Principal Tool

of

Agricultural Age
Pre-1800s
Farmers

Industrial Age
1800s to 1957
Factory Workers

Information Age
1957 to present
Knowledge workers

People and Land

Hand Tools

People and Machines

Machines

People and people

Information technology

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION AGE

The Information age came about with the rise of an information-based society
Information society a society wherein more people work at handling information than at
agriculture and manufacturing combined
Businesses in the Information Age depend on information to get their work done
In the Information Age, work processes are transformed to increase productivity
o Work Processes the activities that workers perform, the way they perform these
activities, and the tools they use
o Productivity measure of work done or accomplished with a given level of effort
o Effectiveness the extent wherein desirable results are achieved
o Success in the Information Age is largely determined by the effectiveness with which
information technology is used
In the Information Age, information technology is embedded in many products and
services
What is information technology?
Information technology a wide variety of items and abilities used in the creation,
storage, and dispersal of information.
Data raw facts, figures and details
Information an organized, meaningful and useful interpretation of data
Knowledge an awareness and understanding of a set of information and how that
information can be put to the best use.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IS DIVIDED INTO THREE PRIMARY COMPONENTS:
1. Computers
2. Communications networks and
3. Know-how.
COMPUTERS a computer is any electronic system that can be instructed to accept,
process, store and present data and information.
Computer, machine that performs tasks, such as calculations or electronic
communication, under the control of a set of instructions called a program.
Programs usually reside within the computer and are retrieved and processed by
the computers electronics. The program results are stored or routed to output
devices, such as video display monitors or printers. Computers perform a wide
variety of activities reliably, accurately, and quickly.

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CATEGORIES OF COMPUTERS
Personal Computers (desktop)
o Can perform all of its input, processing, output and storage activities by itself.
These contain processors, memory, and one or more input, output, and
storage devices.
o Two popular styles of personal computers are the PC and the Apple.
o A desktop computer is designed so the system unit, input devices, output
devices, and any other devices fit entirely on or under a desk or table.
Mobile Computers and mobile devices
o A mobile computer is a personal computer you can carry from place to
place. Similarly, a mobile device is a computing device small enough to hold
in your hand.
o Notebook Computers
A notebook computer, also called a laptop computer, is a portable,
personal computer designed to fit on your lap.
Resembling a letter-sized slate, the Tablet PC is a special type
of notebook computer that allows you to write or draw on the
screen using a digital pen. With a digital pen, users write or
draw by pressing the pen on the screen, and issue instructions
to the Tablet PC by tapping on the screen.
o Mobile Devices three popular mobile devices are handheld computers, PDAs,
and smart phones.
A handheld computer, sometimes referred to as an ultra personal
computer (uPC) or a handtop computer, is a computer small enough to
fit in one hand.
A PDA (personal digital assistant) provides personal organizer
functions such as a calendar, an appointment book, an address book, a
calculator, and a notepad.
A smart phone is an Internet-enabled telephone that usually also
provides PDA capabilities. In addition to basic telephone capabilities, a
smart phone allows you to send and receive e-mail messages and
access the web.
Game Consoles
o A game console is a mobile computing device designed for single-player or
multiplayer video games. Standard game consoles use a handheld controller
as an input device; a television screen as an output device; and hard disks,
CDs, DVDs, and/or memory cards for storage.
Servers
o A server controls access to the hardware, software, and other resources on a
network and provides a centralized storage area for programs, data, and
information. Servers can support from two to several thousand connected
computers at the same time.
Mainframes
o A mainframe is a large, expensive, powerful computer that can handle
hundreds or thousands of connected users simultaneously. Mainframes store
tremendous amounts of data, instructions, and information.
Supercomputers
o A supercomputer is the fastest, most powerful computer and the most
expensive. The fastest supercomputers are capable of processing more than
100 trillion instructions in a single second.
o Applications requiring complex, sophisticated mathematical calculations use
supercomputers. Large-scale simulations and applications in medicine,

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aerospace, automotive design, online banking, weather forecasting, nuclear

energy research and petroleum exploration use a supercomputer.
Embedded Computers
o An embedded computer is a special-purpose computer that functions as a
component in a larger product.
o Because embedded computers are components in larger products, they
usually are small and have limited hardware. These computers perform
various functions, depending on the requirements of the product in which they
reside.

COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK the interconnection of different locations through

a medium that enables people to send and receive data and information
A computer network is any set of computers or devices connected to each other
with the ability to exchange data. Examples of different networks are:
LAN Local Area Network usually a small network, within a small geographic
area. An example of this would be a small office, with 2 or more computers
connected to the same printer. Another example would be a school, where several
computers are connected to shared resources (pronters, faxes, etc) and are then
connected to the internet or some other kind of WAN.
WAN Wide Area Network usually a large network of interconnected
computers and devices. WANs typically span a large geographic area. An example
could be a large enterprise that has systems that communicate with each other
throughout several offices located in numerous cities and/or countries. Ex. Internet or
world wide web
Many WANs are built for one particular organization and are private. They are
commonly implemented in enterprise networking environments to link offices in
different cities, states, countries and even continents. WANs are also built by Internet
service providers (ISPs) to provide connections from the LANs of their customers to
the Internet. The Internet, which is a world-wide network of interconnected computer
networks, is a WAN, and thus it is the largest WAN in existence.
Communication the sending and receiving of data and information over a
communications network Data Communication the transmission of data and
information over a communications medium

KNOW-HOW the capability to do something well

Familiarity with the tools of IT
The skills needed to use these tools
Understanding when to use IT to solve a problem or capitalize on an opportunity

The most important principle of information technology: The purpose of information

technology is to solve problems, to unlock creativity, and to make people more effective
than they would be if they didnt involve IT in their activities.
FUNCTIONS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
1. Capture the process of compiling detailed records of activities
2. Processing the process of converting, analyzing, computing, and synthesizing all forms
of data or information
a. Data Processing the process of handling data and transforming them into
information

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3.
4.
5.
6.

b. Information Processing a general term for the computer activity that entails
processing any type of information and transforming it into a different type of
information.
c. Word Processing the creation of text based documents
d. Image Processing converting visual information into a format that can be managed
within a computer system or transmitted between people and locations
e. Voice Processing the processing of spoken information
Generation the process of organizing information into a useful form, whether as text,
sound, or visual image
Storage the process by which a computer keeps data and information for later use
Retrieval the process by which a computer locates and copies stored data or
information for further processing or transmission to another user
Transmission the sending of data and information from one location to another
a. Electronic Mail the acceptance, storage and transmission of text and image
messages between users of a computer system.
b. Voice messaging a form of voice processing in which callers leave spoken messages
entered through their telephone receiver.

BENEFITS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Speed
Consistency
Precision
Reliability
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
1. Helping People
2. Solving Problems
o Problem the perceived difference between a particular condition and a desired
condition
o Problem Solving the process of recognizing a problem, identifying alternatives for
solving the problem, and successfully implementing a solution
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PEOPLE WHO USE IT
1. To be informed to know the capabilities and limitations of IT
2. To make proper use to use IT in a desirable and ethical manner
3. To safeguard to protect data and information against damage or loss