INTRODUCTION TO ICT

THE CONCEPT OF ICT

ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology.

ICT is the combination of computer-based technologies and telecommunication technology for

the purpose of gathering data or information, processing data, sharing and disseminating
information from one place to another.
ICTs refers to the various devices and machines that come together to make clear the meaning of
ICT. Examples of ICTs include, Mobile phones, Television, Radio, Computers and the Internet.

 USES OF ICT:
 They are used to conduct research.
 They are used to generate all forms of reports in administration.
 They are used to facilitate teaching and learning.
 They are used for online banking or e-finance.
 They are used for e-learning.
 They are used in tele-communication.

CAREERS IN ICT:

There are many careers in the ICT sector and they require various types of education, skills and
experience.

Some careers are;

 ICT educator
 Web designer
 Computer Engineer
 Internet Café Operator
 Network Administrator
 Database Administrator
 Programmer
 Software developer

DATA AND INFORMATION:

Data is said to be raw or unprocessed fact or material. It comes in form of letters numbers, text or
symbols. Data is the source or foundation from which information may be extracted.

Information is known as a collection of organised or processed data, which is meaningful to the

receiver or user.

USES OF INFORMATION

The use of information can be classified into five areas;

 Planning
 Recording
 Controlling
 Measuring .Decision making
CHARACTERISTICS OF VALUABLE INFORMATION
Information can be right but may not be valuable. Valuable information is the one which is useful to
the receiver such that it can have impacts on the decisions or choices one makes.

Valuable information must be;

1. Accurate 7. Simple

2. Complete 8. Timely

3. Flexible 9. Verifiable

4. Reliable 10. Accessible

5. Economical 11. Secure

6. Relevant

E-LEARNING

E-learning stands for Electronic Learning and it simply refers to how knowledge or formal education
in recent times is acquired through the use of virtual facilities such as the internet, email, tele-
conferencing, etc without necessarily sitting in the physical classroom.

Information Processing Cycle

Normally, the I.P.C. are is a sequence of steps or stages through which data is input, processed,
stored, and output.
Information Processing Cycle
Stage 1 - Receiving data (Input operation)
Stage 2 - Processing data (Processing operation)
Stage 3 - Display information (Output operation)
Stage 4 - Storing information (Storage operation) communication of information by electronic
means.

Devices Used in the Information Processing Cycle

- Input devices - keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner

-Processing devices – CPU Such as Celeron, Pentiums AMD, MC68040 etc.

-Output devices - printer, monitor, speakers, LCD Projector

-Storage devices and media – hard disk drive – hard disk CD/DVD drive – CD, DVD ROM etc.
Introduction to Computer
A computer is an electronic device that accepts data, processes it and outputs it as human
understandable information.
The Components of the Computer System

 Hardware
 Software
 User (liveware)
 Procedure (i.e., interaction between the user and the computer)
Computers can be classified according to the following:

 Classification by Purpose
 Classification by Capacity and Size
 Classification by Nature / Type

Classification by Purpose
Under this category, computers are classified into two main types

General Purpose Computers

By definition a general-purpose-computer is designed to solve a wide range of problems depending
on the software used. For example, the personal computer can be used for business, education,
entertainment and so on.

Special / Specific Purpose Computers

The Special – Purpose computers are designed to perform a specific task.
Examples include digital calculators, Automatic Teller Machines, Mobile phones and digital watches
and so on.

Capacity and size

Under the classification of computers by capacity and size, computers are grouped according to their
physical size, speed, storage capacity, cost, and the number of users who can assess the computer at
a given time. Computers are classified into:

 Super computers
 Mainframe computers
 Mini computers
 Micro-computers

Classification by Type
Under classification by type, there are three types of Computers and these are;

 Analogue computer
 Digital computer
 Hybrid computer

Analogue Computers: They are the computers that represent data in a discrete form with the
continuing varying data.

Examples of analogue computers are; thermometer, speedometer, Voltmeter

Digital Computers: They are the computer that represents data using binary coded decimal in form
of zeros (0’s) and ones (1’s) or True/ False or Yes/No
Examples of digital computer are; personal computers, super computers, and digital watches, and
etc.
Hybrid: A hybrid computer is a computer that combines both the features of an analogue computer
and a digital computer. Example;
 Money Counting Machine
 Automated Teller Machine (ATM)
 Petrol or Diesel Pumping Machine

Uses of Computers
 accept data, process data, give information and store data or information.
 enhance teaching/learning,
 produce documents
 Entertainment, etc.

Boot, Reboot and Shutdown Computer Correctly.

 Booting is the act of putting on the computer.
 Rebooting is the act of restarting the computer.
 Shutting down is the act of putting off the computer.

Booting a computer is the process of starting or restarting a computer. They are two main types of
booting namely; cold booting and warm booting

Cold Booting

Is process of turning on a computer after it has been powered off completely for sometimes using
the power on button located on the front side of the system unit.

Warm Booting

Is the process of restarting a computer that is already powered on or in use. They are three basic
ways for warm booting a computer namely;

 Reset Button
 Shut Menu selection
 Keyboard Short (CTRL-ALT-DELETE)