GRADE 7-UNIT 1

UNIT 1

The Use of  Information and Communications technology

1.1          Information and Informationn Technology

Information is stimuli that has meaning in some context for its receiver. When information is entered into and stored in a computer, it is generally referred to as data. After processing (such as formatting and printing), output data can again be perceived as information.

Information technology (IT) is the use of any computers, storage, networking and other physical devices, infrastructure and processes to create, process, store, secure and exchange all forms of electronic data.

1.2          Information and Communication Technology

Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extended term for information technology (IT) which stresses the role of unified communications^[1] and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information.

1.3    Information and Communications Device

·         Radio

·         Television

·         Cellular Phones

·         Computer

·         Faximili

1.4    The role of information and communication technology

The pace of change brought about by new technologies has had a significant effect on the way people live, work, and play worldwide. New and emerging technologies challenge the traditional process of teaching and learning, and the way education is managed. Information technology, while an important area of study in its own right, is having a major impact across all curriculum areas. Easy worldwide communication provides instant access to a vast array of data, challenging assimilation and assessment skills. Rapid communication, plus increased access to IT in the home, at work, and in educational establishments, could mean that learning becomes a truly lifelong activity—an activity in which the pace of technological change forces constant evaluation of the learning process itself.

• Access to variety of learning resources
• Immediacy to information
• Any time learning
• Collaborative learning
• Multimedia approach to education
• Authentic and up to date information
• Online library
• Distance learning
• Better accesses to children with disabilities

1.5    The advantages of using information and communication technology

·         Education - used in schools, ICT has motivated students as well as facilitating completion of work and the communications between teachers and students. It is an equalizing agent in that all students can have access to it and work together.

·         Control - network set-up can control access to specific information and processes. It is also easy to monitor work as well as communications.

1.6    The negative impact of the use of information and communication technology

The disadvantages stem largely from the architectures of ICT, which are complex and therefore contain some inherent disadvantages.

·         User competence - as systems become more and more complex, users require more and more specialized training.

·         Vulnerability - networks are open to abuse in the form of hacking. Viruses spread on a network and it is open to things like email spams and phishing.

·         Complexity - if one part of the system breaks down it can affect many others. If the server of a network is down, for example, no one can work.