Introduction

ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. ICT includes computers, the Internet,
broadcasting technologies (radio and television) and telephony.

The various ICT tools that are used include computers, smartphones, Internet for communication
through e-mail and social networks, watching movies and TV shows, etc

ICT skills help us to communicate, run our business and stay connected with our family and friends.

Session 1: Introduction to ICT

When information is stored and recorded on electronic devices (tablet, smartphones, laptop), it
takes on a ‘digital’ form. The basic ICT skills that you need are:

knowing how to operate computers; and

knowing how to browse the Internet for collecting, storing and disseminating information.

ICT at Workplace

At workplace, we use computer software and applications to complete tasks like making documents,
calculations, tables, graphs, etc.

We can also use applications to do every day work, like buying things, booking train or bus tickets,
Internet
banking and making online payments.

So employees are expected to possess a sound knowledge of all these to work independently on
various software and computers.

ICT at Home

We use computers and mobile phones for talking to each other, sending and receiving information,
watching videos and news, listening to music and playing games.

Session 2: ICT Tools: Smartphones and Tablets — I

Smartphones and tablets are very important as we use them in daily activities like sending e-mails
and messages, sharing pictures, etc. Smartphones are now being used to stay connected with social
media and exchange information.

Smartphones

Smartphone can be used to make calls and do things that we normally do using a computer, such as
browsing the web, sending e-mails, making video calls, playing games, listening to music, watching
movies and much more.

Some of the popular operating systems for smartphones are Android OS, Apple iOS and Windows
Mobile.

Tablets
A tablet is a mini computer with input, output and processing functions that are all combined into
one ‘touchscreen’, where you can do various tasks just by touching its screen. It is bigger than a
smartphone.

Smartphone Tablet
Screen size is smaller Screen size is bigger
Watching a movie or making changes Watching videos and making changes to a
to a picture is difficult photo
is better and easier due to bigger screen size
You need to charge phones more often Usually have a longer battery life

Applications or apps

Apps are software programs that perform different functions. Some of the apps are already present
on the phone or tablet. These are called “default” apps. Besides, there are hundreds of apps that can
be purchased and downloaded or downloaded free of cost from online stores like Google Play Store
for Android and Apple App Store for Apple.

TV and Radio

TV and radio are being used as an ICT tool since a long time. Radio is used to broadcast audio while
TV is used to broadcast audio-visual information. We can hear news, songs, stories, cricket
commentary, etc., on radio, while TV is used for watching movies, news, weather forecast, songs,
cartoons etc.

Session 3: ICT Tools: Smartphones and Tablets — II

Mobile Device Layout

Some of the basic controls you see on mobile device are as follows

Power button: This is used to start and shut down a mobile device.

Screen: A screen on which we perform functions by touching with our fingers.

Back button: We use the Back Button to go back to the previous screen in an application.

Microphone: This is present at the bottom of the mobile and we speak into the microphone when
we talk to someone.

Menu button: This is used to show the options available in a particular app.

Home button: This brings you back to the Home Screen from wherever you are in your mobile.

Earpiece: This helps you to listen to voice calls.

Volume button: This helps you to increase or reduce the sound of your mobile

Basic Features of a Mobile Device

1. Bluetooth
2. Chargeable Battery
3. Wi-Fi
 4. Touch Screen
5. Camera
6. Clock
7. Cellular network connectivity
8. Global Positioning System

Home screen of a mobile device

The home screen is the first (start) screen of a mobile device. There are three main parts of the

home screen.

1. The top part of the screen is called the Status bar. It shows icons of network signals, battery life,
wi-fi etc.

2. The middle part of the screen consist of icons of applications. These icons can be placed on any
icons.

3. The lower part of the screen is called dock. The icons of app in the dock can always be seen even if
we move to another page.

Basic gestures used

Gestures are used to interact with the touchscreen of your mobile device. Some of these gestures
are given below.

1. Tap
2. Tap and hold
3. Drag
4. Swipe
 5. Double tap

Session 4: Parts of a Computer and Peripherals

Parts of a computer

Computer is an electronic device which takes input, process and gives output. It consists of three
main units:

Input Unit:

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Output Unit.

The CPU is further divided into three parts:

Control unit (CU): It coordinates between different parts to perform various operations

Arithmetic and logic unit (ALU): It performs all Mathematical and Logical Operations.

Memory unit (MU): It stores the data temporarily (RAM) as well as for a long time (ROM).

Difference between RAM and ROM

RAM ROM
It stands for Random Access Memory. It stands for Read Only Memory.
It stores the data temporarily It stores the data permanently
It is volatile It is non volatile
Information is lost when computer is Information cannot be changed easily
switched off

Motherboard

Motherboard, also referred to as a system board, is the main circuit board inside a computer. It
connects input, processing and output devices.

Storage devices

Storage devices are used to store digital information. The commonly used storage devices are USB
flash drive, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc

Units of Memory

Data is stored in the form of bits and bytes. Bit (Binary Digit, represented by 0 or 1) is the smallest
storage unit.

Eight bits combined together form a byte.

1024 bytes make a kilobyte (KB).

1024 KB make 1 megabyte (MB)

1024 megabyte make 1 gigabyte (GB)

1024 gigabyte make 1 terabyte (TB)

Input devices:

An input device is used to enter information into the computer. for example Keyboard, Microphone
etc.

Output devices:

Output devices bring information from the computer to the user. for example Monitor, Printer,
Speaker etc.

NOTE: Input and output devices are also called ‘peripherals’. These are plugged into the computer
using connection ports.

Ports and connections

The slots into which we connect the mouse/keyboard/external hard disk wires are called ports. Thus,
ports help us to connect input, output and storage devices in a computer system. for example

Universal serial bus or the USB port: It helps to connects peripheral devices, such as a mouse or a
keyboard or a printer

Display port: These can be of different types, like Video Graphics Array (VGA) and High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

Audio port: It help to connect microphone, speakers, and headphones to a computer system.

Ethernet port: It is used for connecting the system to high-speed Internet cable.

Power port: It is used for connecting the computer system to the power supply.

Session 5: Basic Computer Operations

Hardware

The physical parts that we can see and touch are called the hardware. for example Keyboard,
Mouse, Printer etc.

Software

It is a set of instructions which tells the computer how to perform a specific task. The most
important software in any computer is the Operating System (OS). Most commonly used operating
systems for computer are

Ubuntu, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.

Some of the mobile operating systems are Apple iOS and Google Android.

Basic functions performed when a computer starts

A computer automatically runs a basic program called BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) as soon as it
is switched on. The BIOS first does a self-test. If the self-test shows that the system is fine, the BIOS
will load the Operating System.

Using the keyboard

A keyboard is an input device used to type text, numbers and commands into the computer. Various
types of keys available on keyboard are listed below.

Function keys

Keys labelled from F1 to F12 are function keys. The function of the F1 key in most programs is to get
help on that program.

Control keys

Keys, such as Control (CTRL), SHIFT, SPACEBAR, ALT, CAPS LOCK, and TAB, are special control keys.

Enter key

ENTER or the RETURN key is used to move the cursor to the beginning of a new line.

Punctuation keys

It includes keys for punctuation marks, such as colon (:), semicolon (;), question mark (?), single
quotation marks (‘ ’), and double quotation marks (“ ”).

Navigation keys

Keys, such as the arrow keys, HOME, END, PAGE UP, and PAGE DOWN are navigation keys. These are
used to move up and down, right and left in a document.

Command keys

Keys, such as INSERT (INS), DELETE (DEL), and BACKSPACE are command keys. The DELETE key
remove the character from right side of the cursor while BACKSPACE key remove the character from
left side of the cursor.

Windows keys

Pressing this key opens the Start menu.

Using the Mouse

A mouse is a small device that we can use to move, select, and open items on our computer screen.
Actions performed by mouse are listed below

1. Roll over/hover : Moving a mouse over a file in File Explorer, it will show the details of that file.
2. Point and click: The mouse allows you to select an item on the screen. When you click a particular
file, it gets selected.

3. Drag and drop: To move an item, you need to click it, and then holding the mouse button down,
move the item to a new location. After you move the item to the new location, you release the
mouse button. This is called drag and drop.

4. Double-click: It means to quickly click the left mouse button twice.

Session 6: Performing Basic File Operations

Files and Folders

All information stored in a computer is kept in files. Each file is given a file name and has a file name
extension that identifies the file type. For example, a document created using Notepad will have the
extension .txt. An image file usually has an extension .jpg, while a sound file usually has .mp3

A folder is a location where a group of files can be stored.

Creating a file (using a text editor in Ubuntu)

 To open a text editor, type ‘editor’ in the search dialog box.

 Double-click the text editor icon.
 A blank file open and type the text.
 To save the file click Save.
 In Save As dialog box, type the name of file and click Save as.

Keyboard shortcut of common Operations in Windows

Operations Keyboard Shortcut

Undo Ctrl + Z

Redo Ctrl + R

Select all Ctrl + A

Cut Ctrl + X

Copy Ctrl + C

Paste Ctrl + V

Print Ctrl + P

Save Ctrl + S

Session 7: Communication and Networking — Basics of Internet

The Internet is a huge network of computers around the world. Using the Internet you can get any
information. The information is stored in a big library/storehouse, called the World Wide Web
(WWW) or the Web.

When our computer is connected to the Internet, then we say that our computer is online.

Uses of the Internet

Some of the most common uses are given below

  Search information
 Entertainment
 E-mail and chatting
 Social networking
 Online Shopping
 Online Ticket Booking
 Online Learning
 Online Banking

Requirement for connecting to the Internet

1. A device, such as a computer, laptop or mobile.

2. Modem
3. ISP (Internet Service Provider)

Types of connections

There are two types of connections

1. Wired Connection: When our computer is connected to the Internet using a wire (Ethernet Cable),
it is called a wired connection.

2. Wireless connection: When our computer is connected to the Internet without wire(using wireless
technology), it is called a wireless connection.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted over a network in a certain amount of
time. The bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second. for example

1 Kbps (kilo bits per second) = 1000 bits per second

1 Mbps (mega bits per second) = 1000 kilo bits per second

1 Gbps (giga bits per second) = 1,000 mega bits per second

Internet Browser

An Internet Browser is a software program which helps us visit the various websites. Some examples
of browsers are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Search information using Internet Browser

 Open an Internet browser.

 Type the topic, on which you want information, in the search box.
 Press Enter key from keyboard
 The search results having the required information will be displayed

Session 8: Communication and Networking – Internet Browsing

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (WWW) or simply the Web is a huge collection of information. It is a vast
network of linked hypertext files, stored on computers throughout the world. It is made up of

 A web page
 A web browser
 A system to transfer information between the web browser and the web pages.

Web Page

A web page is a document present on a computer that is connected to the Internet. Each web page
has a unique address called URL(Uniform Resource Locator).

Hyperlinks

There are hyperlinks (highlighted and underlined words) present on web pages. If we click on
hyperlink, it will take us to another part on the same page or to a different page.

Important parts of a web browser

 Address bar (Alt+d)

 Tabbed browsing (Ctrl+T)
 Back and forward buttons (Alt+Left or right arrow keys)
 Refresh button (F5)

Session 9: Communication and Networking— Introduction to e-Mail

Electronic mail or e-mail is a quick way of sending messages to people using the Internet. Files
containing videos, documents, spreadsheets, etc., can be sent along with the e-mail as attachments.
E-mail is fast and easy to use and it can be sent to multiple people at the same time.

E-mail ID or E-mail Address

An e-mail address is made up of two parts separated by the @ symbol. The part before the @
symbol is created by the user. for example, amankukreja_1, ananya123 etc.

The part after the ‘@’ symbol is the domain name of e-mail service provider, i.e., the company that
provides the e-mail service. For example, Gmail by Google, Outlook.com by Microsoft and
yahoo.co.in by Yahoo!

Advantages of E-mail

1. E-mails can be sent to multiple users along with the attachments.

2. They are fast as they reach anyone around the world immediately.
3. They are free as most services do not charge money.
4. It is environment friendly, as no paper is used.