This document provides an overview of basic concepts related to information technologies and communication. It defines technologies of information and communication (TIC) and discusses their impact on society. It then describes the basic components of a personal computer including hardware components like processors, storage devices, input/output devices and software. It discusses different types of software licenses including free software, shareware, freeware, proprietary software and Creative Commons. Finally, it provides a brief introduction to the Internet, its origins and basic services.

1. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
2015
M.I.S.T. MIGUEL ÁNGEL ROMERO OCHOA
Universidad de Sonora
28-5-2015
Information Technologies and
Communication: Basic Concepts

2. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
CONTENT
Technologies of information and Communication: TIC.................................. 3
Personal computer............................................................................................. 3
Hardware............................................................................................................. 4
Processing devices: Processor......................................................................... 4
Input devices..................................................................................................... 5
Output devices.................................................................................................. 5
Storage devices................................................................................................ 5
Software.............................................................................................................. 8
Software Licenses ............................................................................................ 8
Software Licensing Types................................................................................. 9
Free Software.......................................................................................................................... 9
Shareware ............................................................................................................................... 9
Freeware ................................................................................................................................. 9
Proprietary software ............................................................................................................. 10
Creative Commons................................................................................................................ 10
Internet.............................................................................................................. 10
References........................................................................................................... 12
2015

3. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND COMMUNICATION: BASIC
CONCEPTS
TECHNOLOGIES OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION: TIC
Phone cells, fax, computer, Internet, DVD, Blu-ray, video and teleconferencing,
among other things, are elements that have become part of our daily life. It has
transformed the way we communicate and process information in our society. All
these technological tools that are used for communication and information
processing are referred as "Technologies of information and communication":
TIC´s. TIC´s are in all areas of the human life, whether public or private, transforming
people relations.
They include: telecommunications and audiovisual technology. Some examples are:
 Telecommunications: television, programs, teleconferences, network, web or
Internet with all its possibilities and radio.
 Audiovisual technology: videos with its different formats.
 IT: computer, software, multimedia, CDs, and databases.
The most representative element of the new technologies is undoubtedly the
personal computer and more specifically, Internet. As indicated by different authors,
Internet changes the way people meet each other.
PERSONAL COMPUTER
Personal Computer is a set of electronic components integrated in a system, which
allows the entry of data for processing different demands related with specific user
needs.
Computer have to do common tasks of modern computing like browse the web, write
texts, do office work for education, such as editing texts and databases. In addition
people can listen to music, watch videos, play, study, etc.

4. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
The system features clearly distinguish two dimensions of computer hardware and
software, which define it as a flexible system that is configured according to the
functions required by the user or users.
HARDWARE
It refers to the physical elements of the computer that we can "touch": keyboard,
monitor, speakers, printer, scanner, etc., although some of them are not visible at all
because are inside the cabinet or chassis of the computer (microprocessor, local
disk, RAM, etc.). All the elements are classified by its function: input and output
devices, processing and storage.
Figure 1: Operating diagram of the hardware
Processing devices: Processor
Inside the computer is the processor, a chip that is used to manage software and
hardware of the computer.
It is the part that performs the calculations, process instructions and manages the
flow of information passing through the computer. Examples of processors include
Pentium, AMD, among others.

5. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
Input devices
Input devices are the components that we use to interact with the computer. Through
them, computer receives the instructions to do the activities that the user want to do.
Examples of input devices are: keyboard, mouse, scanners, among others.
Output devices
Output devices are the components that allow us to obtain the information processed
by computer. Examples of output devices include monitor, speaker, and printers,
among others.
Storage devices
Storage devices are responsible for save all the information (programs, pictures, text
documents, etc.).
Examples of storage devices are:
 Hard Disk: is an element that stores all the information and computer
programs. They come in different capacities, more capacity means more
information that can be stored.
 RAM (volatile storage) is a part formed by integrated circuits encounter inside
the computer which can store information temporarily (only while the
computer is on). Furthermore it allows the computer to do different things at
the same time.
 Memory ROM (non-volatile storage) contains a set of instructions that remain
unchanged, so that the computer can be use. It store commands to check the
correct operative of the memory, the hard drive and other components when
the computer starts.
 CD / DVD / BLUE RAY: Regularly they are inside of the computer chassis,
allowing the insertion of a compact disc. The function of the unit is to read or
store information in them.
 Flash Memory: Type of non-volatile storage that is often used in cell phones,
digital cameras, flash drives, and other devices. They can be erased and
written many times as required.

6. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
The information stored on the computer is represented internally as 0 and 1. Each 0 or 1 is called “bit” and a combination of
eight-bit is called “byte”. The following table shows the various terms used to measure the memory or storage capacity:
Prefix Description
Bit
It is the smallest unit of information handled by a computer. One bit contains only one
of the values (0 or 1), which is always present. A bit transmits information of little value,
but if consecutive bits are combined into larger units, you can get more meaningful
information.
Byte
It is a combination of eight bits arranged in a particular sequence. Each sequence
represents a single character, symbol, digit or letter. A byte forms the basic unit used
to measure the storage capacity of a device
Kilobyte
A kilobyte (KB) is 1000 bytes. Most user data stored on a computer (e-mail message
or a text file) use a storage space of a few kilobytes.
Megabyte
A megabyte (MB) is 1000 KB. The amount of information contained in 1 MB is
approximately the same as a textbook.
Gigabyte
One gigabyte (GB) is 1000 MB, which is approximately one billion bytes. A lot of
computer have a large hard disk capacity that is measured in gigabytes. A GB denotes
a huge storage capacity. Thus, a video film stored on a computer can occupy more than
1 GB space.
Terabyte
A terabyte (TB) is 1,000 GB, which are roughly one trillion bytes. Usually storage devices
with capacities in terabytes are used in organizations that need to store large volumes
of data. A terabyte is so large that only a few terabytes of memory could contain the full
text of a large number of books.
Petabyte
A petabyte is 1000 TB, is a storage unit whose symbol is PB.

7. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
Previously the equivalence of a KB was 1024 bytes, but due to bad use of the equivalence (often used as 1000 bytes), the
IEC (International Electronic Commission), defined the new prefix KiB or Kibi.
To illustrate this, see the following table:
Prefix Equivalence in bytes Prefix Equivalence in bytes
Byte 1 Byte 1
Kilobyte 1,000 KiB 1,024
Megabyte 1,000,000 MiB 1,048,576
Gigabyte 1,000,000,000 GiB 1,073,741,824
Terabyte 1,000,000,000,000 TiB 1,099,511,627,776
Petabyte 1,000,000,000,000,000 PiB 1,125,899,906,842,624

8. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
SOFTWARE
It is the intangible part that refers to everything that communicate people with the
computer, which includes languages, programs and data. The software is classified
in two types:
1. System:
• Operating Systems: controls everything that happens in the computer, it
interacts as an intermediary between the user and the computer hardware.
Its main objective is that the computer be used comfortably, and its
secondary objective is that the hardware be used efficiently. Examples of
PC operating systems are Microsoft Windows, OS X, GNU / Linux, Unix,
Solaris, Google Chrome OS, Ubuntu, etc.
• Utilities: Perform routine tasks related to the maintenance of files, the hard
drive and the proper performance of the computer system.
• Other.
2. Apps
• Software productivity: word processing, spreadsheets, databases, etc.
• Educational software: Tutorials, simulators and encyclopedias.
• Other.
Software Licenses
We define software license as the authorization or permission granted by the owner
of copyright in any contractual way to the user of a computer program, for use it in
accordance with the agreed conditions form. It may be free or generate cost, so it is
required that the rights of use, modification or distribution be granted to the person
who will use it and the definition of the limits stated.

9. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
Software Licensing Types
Free Software
It is the name of the software that gives users freedom on their purchased product
and, therefore, once obtained, can be used, copied, studied, modified and
redistributed without restrictions.
According to the Free Software Foundation, free software refers to the users
freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software; more
precisely, it refers to four freedoms of software users:
• The freedom to run the program for any purpose.
• The freedom to study how the program works.
• The freedom to adapt it to their own needs.
• The freedom to distribute copies, which can help others to improve the
program and release the improvements, so the whole community acquire
benefits (for the second and final freedom mentioned, access to source code
is a prerequisite).
Shareware
Shareware software is distribution mode which the user can evaluate the product for
free, but with limited usage time or restrictions related with the final release.
To acquire a software license that allow the complete use of the software is
necessary pay for it, although there exist "shareware zero price," but this method is
rare. Shareware and freeware are different license types, freeware is totally free.
Freeware
Defines a type of software that is distributed completely free, available for use and
for an unlimited period and is a permitted shareware version, in which the goal is to
have a user trying the product for a limited time (trial) and if you are satisfied, you
pay for it, enabling full functionality. Sometimes the source code is included, but not
usual.

10. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
Freeware usually includes a license, which allows redistribution but with some
restrictions, such as not changing the application itself and not sell it ,although the
original author has to be mentioned. You can also disallow the use in a commercial
company or a government entity, or ask for payments if you are going to give
commercial use.
Proprietary software
Propietary software is the software which companies or individuals ask for payments,
as well as for distribution or support. Most of this money is used to cover salaries of
the people who helped create the software.
Creative Commons
It is an organization that allows the use and sharing of a series of legal instruments
free of charge. These legal instruments consist in a set of "licensing model contracts"
or copyright licenses (Creative Commons licenses or licenses "CC") that provide the
author of a simple work, standardizing the way to grant permission to the general
public to share and use his/her creative work under the terms and conditions of
his/her choice. In this sense, the Creative Commons licenses allow the author to
easily change the terms and conditions of his/her work from "all rights reserved" to
"some rights reserved".
One of the services most successful when people use a computer, is the Internet,
its origins date back to the 1960s, within DARPA (Defense Advanced Research
Project Agency) in response to the need for this organization to try to find better ways
to use computers.
INTERNET
Internet (International Network) is a global network of computers that are connected
together and can exchange information.
It is an interactive communication form, which means that users can interact in real
time with the information they receive.
The requisites for the computer to be in a network are:

11. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
• Physical environment: Is the one who can transfer information. In a
small network, it can be a cable that connects to the network card for
each computer, although Internet would be impossible to use with a
cable that join the millions of computers around the world; therefore,
the telephone line is used.
• Protocol: It is a common language of communication for all computers
within the network; this language is called protocol and is called TCP /
IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).
• Services: Internet offers different services, depending of the user that
will be using them, a variety of them can be found. Examples of these
services have navigation on websites, e-mail, newsgroups,
teleconferencing, videoconferencing, telephony, among others.

12. Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa
Espacio educativo NTIC
Universidad de Sonora
REFERENCES
Instituto nacional para la educación de los adultos. (2004). El uso de las tecnologías de la
información y comunicación en el proceso de aprendizaje de los jóvenes y adultos.
Obtenido de http://www.conevyt.org.mx/cursos/para_asesor/tics/imagen/lectura.pdf
Belloch Ortí , C. (s.f.). Las tecnologías de la información y comunicación. Obtenido de
http://www.uv.es/~bellochc/pdf/pwtic1.pdf
Corrado Marcos, F. (s.f.). Computadora personal (PC). Obtenido de
https://sites.google.com/site/informaticaenag/p1o-primer-ano/computadora-
personal-pc
Saldívar Vaquera, C., & Delgado Ibarra, R. (2010). Tecnologías de la información y la
comunicación. Pearson.
Wikipedia. (2015). Creative Commons. Obtenido de
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons
Wikipedia. (2015). Freeware. Obtenido de http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware
Wikipedia. (2015). Shareware. Obtenido de http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareware