Week 4 Basic Office Automations
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ScribdTranslationsWeek 4 Basic Office Automations
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ScribdTranslationsFUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
Activities Guide WEEK 4 – BASIC OFFICE APPLICATIONS.
1. Describe how word processing and desktop publishing software
has revolutionized writing and publishing.
2. Explain the possible impact of desktop desktop publishing and
web publishing on the concept of press freedom.
3. Speculate about future developments in word processing and
digital publishing.
4. Describe the basic functions and applications of spreadsheet and
other types of statistics and simulation programs.
5. Explain how computers are used as tools for mechanical,
biological, and social simulation systems.
1.
Word processors. Word processing programs are the most used application for office
automation and almost all electoral organizations use them in their daily work.
Unlike typewriters, word processors allow you to change and correct the text in documents,
as well as exchange text between different documents without having to re-type them.
Illustrations can also be easily incorporated into the text such as diagrams, graphs, figures,
photographs and special characters. In addition, editing activities are easy to perform, such
as correcting typing errors, moving, deleting, copying or inserting text.
These features make the word processor a very powerful tool for automating the office,
because it reduces the time needed to prepare a new document or to return to an old one.
Software has forever transformed the way we write. Instead of suffering through the painful
process of writing and rewriting in pursuit of a “clean” draft, a writer can focus on developing
ideas and let the computer worry about the neat arrangement of the words on the page.
Word processing technology makes it possible for almost anyone to communicate effectively
through writing.
Self-publishing. Desktop publishing software can generate layouts and produce text
and images of typographic quality comparable to traditional letterpress and printing. Desktop
publishing is also the main reference for digital typography. This technology allows
individuals, businesses and other organizations to self-publish a wide variety of content, from
menus to magazines and books, without the costs of commercial printing.
Self-publishing offers several advantages for businesses: it saves money; Publications that
cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to produce through an outside printer can now be
produced at home for a fraction of their previous cost; Self-publishing also saves time, as it
can take a few days to have a publication ready through self-publishing, instead of weeks or
months that would be necessary if the same thing were published using traditional channels;
Finally, desktop publishing can reduce the number of publishing errors, because quality
control is easier to maintain when documents are produced in-house.
Thanks to this type of program, a single person can control the entire process of a
publication, thus avoiding the dispersion that previously involved having a scribe, an editor, a
photocomposer and a printer.
2.
Paperless publishing and the web.
Most companies are using paperless publishing, e-mail messages surpass that of traditional
mail. CD-ROM encyclopedias outsell their bulky paper equivalents. Adobe's PDF (Portable
Document Format) format allows documents to be stored, viewed, or modified on any
computer, making it possible for businesses to reduce paper flow.
The Web offers an unprecedented amount of publishing possibilities to millions of Internet
users. Programs as diverse as Microsoft Word, AppleWorks, and PageMaker can save
documents in HTML format so they can be published on the Web. Other programs,
specifically designed for Web publishing, offer advanced capabilities for publishing graphics,
animation, and multimedia.
3.
Word processing software has evolved rapidly in recent years. Evolution is not over; Current
trends suggest that big changes are underway in word processing technology.
4.
More than any other type of standalone PC software, the spreadsheet has changed the way
people do business. In the same way that a word processor can give the user control over
words, spreadsheet software allows the user to take control of numbers and manipulate them
in ways that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. A spreadsheet program can reduce
the work of tasks that involve repetitive calculations: budgets, investment management,
business projects, account books, scientific simulations, check books, etc. A spreadsheet
can also reveal hidden relationships between numbers, bringing to light many of the
guesswork of financial planning and speculation.
Computer simulations are widely used for research in the fields of physics, biology, social
sciences, and engineering. Schools, businesses, and the military also use simulations for
training purposes.
5.
Mechanical simulation.
This analysis technique is widely used to predict the different failure modes of the system
(elastic and structural instability, buckling, fatigue, resonance, etc.), allowing optimization
from the product design stage, with consequent cost reductions. This constitutes one of the
great advantages of simulation compared to the calculation techniques traditionally used.
Biological simulation.
Computational simulation techniques are used extensively to study biological systems, and in
general, solid and soft materials. Due to the complexity of biological phenomena, and the
impossibility of theoretically studying the behavior of systems such as proteins and
membranes, computational simulation is used to study the structure and dynamics of these
systems on different time scales.
Social simulation.
Social simulation or SimSoc is a method for exploring and understanding social processes
through computer simulations. A society is a complex non-linear system that is difficult to
model and study.
