IT

1. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Introduction to ComputingCHAPTER # 6

2. Introduction to Computing 2Chapter # 6
The Evolution of the Information Age
 Agricultural Age
 The period up to the 1800s, when the majority of workers
were farmers whose lives revolved around agriculture
 Industrial Age
 The period from the 1800s to 1957, when work processes
were simplified through mechanization and automation
 Information Age
 The period that began in 1957, in which the majority of
workers are involved in the creation, distribution, and
application of information
 Knowledge Workers
 Workers involved in the creation, distribution, and application of
information

3. Introduction to Computing 3Chapter # 6
The Evolution of the Information Age

4. Introduction to Computing 4Chapter # 6
The Characteristics of the Information Age
 An information-based society has arisen
 Information Society
 A society in which more people work at handling information than
at agriculture and manufacturing combined
 Businesses depend on information technology to get
their work done

5. Introduction to Computing 5Chapter # 6
The Nature of Information
 Information implies
 facts
 knowledge
 significance and meaning

6. Introduction to Computing 6Chapter # 6
Information Technology
 Technologies are artificial instruments, processes or
systems that extend our natural capabilities
 e.g. the wheel, agriculture, electric light bulb
 Information technologies extend natural forms of
representing and communicating information to
incorporate artificial and external forms
 e.g. writing, the printing press, telephone

7. Introduction to Computing 7Chapter # 6
Information Technology
 A term used to refer to a wide variety of items and
abilities used in the creation, storage, and dispersal
of data and information
 Its three main components are
 computers
 communications networks, and
 know-how

8. Introduction to Computing 8Chapter # 6
Information Technology
The Forces of Information Technology

9. Introduction to Computing 9Chapter # 6
Information Technology
 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

10. Introduction to Computing 10Chapter # 6
3 Classes of Information Users
 Information Consumers
 individuals who need or benefit from information services
for both work or leisure
 Information Producers
 vendors, distributors of information services
 Information Workers
 professions that depend on the analysis, assessment, and
use of specific forms of information

11. Introduction to Computing 11Chapter # 6
Information Technology
Embedded IT in Personal Travel

12. Introduction to Computing 12Chapter # 6
Communication in IT
 Communication
 The sending and receiving of data and information over a
communications network
 Communications Network
 A set of locations, or nodes, consisting of hardware,
programs, and information linked together as a system that
transmits and receives data and information
 Data Communication
 The transmission of data and information through a
communications medium

13. Introduction to Computing 13Chapter # 6
The Functions of Information Technology
The Functions of Information Technology

14. Introduction to Computing 14Chapter # 6
The Functions of Information Technology
 Capture
 The process of compiling detailed records of activities
 Processing
 The process of converting, analyzing, computing, and
synthesizing all forms of data or information
 Data Processing
 Information Processing
 Word Processing
 Image Processing
 Voice Processing

15. Introduction to Computing 15Chapter # 6
The Functions of Information Technology
 Generation
 The process of organizing information into a useful form,
whether as numbers, text, sound, or visual image
 Storage and Retrieval
 Storage is the computer process of retaining information
for future use
 Retrieval is the process by which a computer locates and
copies stored data or information for further processing or
for transmission to another user

16. Introduction to Computing 16Chapter # 6
The Functions of Information Technology
 Transmission
 The computer process of distributing information over a
communications network.
 Electronic Mail, or E-Mail
 Voice Messaging, or Voice Mail

17. Introduction to Computing 17Chapter # 6
The Benefits of Information Technology

18. Introduction to Computing 18Chapter # 6
Information Technology Is All Around Us,
Improving Our Lives
 Television
 Education
 Mobile Networks
 Training
 Entertainment
 Shipping
 Paperwork
 Money and Investments
 Agriculture
 Taxation and Accounting
 Health and Medicine
 Manufacturing
 Journalism
 Energy
 Sports