IT 10 [INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY]

LESSON 1:
INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:
 Discuss the important trends in computer technology.
 Discuss the importance of computer literacy.
 Discuss various computer applications in society.

Introduction: Information Age

S ince the 1940’s, the computer has dramatically changed our way of life. We are in the dawn of new
age – the Information Age. It changes our way of living, thinking, and working. Like the Industrial Age,
the Information Age is causing massive changes in the society. However, changes are occurring more
quickly in our time – mainly due to the computer. The first step toward the joining the Information Age
includes understanding how we got to where we are today. We also need to understand how computers
work and the ability to control them for our own purposes.

Computers are everywhere – in our home, in offices, in the malls, in school, in any place you go. It is a must
for work and even for play. We all depend on them. If we cast them out – how can we communicate with
our loved ones who are very far away from us, how can we get electricity, how can we run trains, planes,
and ships. There will be so many “hows” if we put them aside. Well, I don’t want to live a life without
computers – just imagine how poor the services will be, especially in the government if we don’t have
computers.

But why are these so many people who are afraid of computers? Terms such as
computer anxiety and computer phobia have entered our language to describe “Computers
such wariness. Many people try to avoid situations in which they might be
forced into contact with computers. Even business people who deal with
are
computers daily may experience some form of cyberphobia – fear of everywhere
computers. What are such people afraid of? People feel intimidated by ”
computers; others fear computer errors, invasion of privacy, job loss or change
and depersonalization.

Luckily, fewer and fewer people are suffering from computer anxiety. The availability of inexpensive,
powerful, and easier-to-use personal computers is reducing the intimidating factor. A lot of people are now
studying computer. In addition to their curiosity, they probably realize that it will not be easy to get through
the rest of their life without knowing about the computers. More and more people are becoming computer
literate. Being computer literate does not mean that you need to be an expert with computers. It means
that you are aware of the importance, versatility, pervasiveness and their potential for fostering good and
evil, learning what computers are and how they work, sometimes require knowing some technical jargons.
And finally, you can say that you are computer literate if you are able to interact with one, even for some
simple applications. To use computer, however, you do not need to write the instructions that tell the

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computer what to do. So after taking this course, we hope that you can proudly say that you are now
computer literate or even an expert in the field of computer. [Albano, G. A, et. 2000]

Part of the reason computers have become so common is they are very powerful
“Computers are machines. They can do simple tasks over and over without getting tired. They
are very good at math and memorizing things -better than most people. But,
necessary parts they are very bad at inventing new things or doing some things that people
of our work and find very easy -like recognizing a friend's face and knowing who they are.
Knowing how to use a computer is like knowing how to read.
our lives…”
Understanding computers -even a little -is very important today. A long time
ago, people didn't know how to read, but they got along pretty well. Today, if
you can't read, your life is a lot harder because people assume you can read.
Knowing how to use computers today is like leaning how to read. In a few years, people will
assume that you can use a computer, and if you can't, you might have trouble finding a job or even buying
groceries. Finally, in the same way that knowing how to read and write helps you to make decisions about
your life, being computer literate is helpful in other parts of your life; when you hear that intelligent
computers will soon be taking over the world, or that the Internet will change the way you live, if you are
computer literate, you can make sense of what you hear.

AREAS OF COMPUTER USE/APPLICATIONS

Graphics
 Architecture: uses computer animated graphics to experiment with possible exteriors, to give
clients a visual walk-through of proposed buildings, and to subject buildings to hypothetical
earthquakes.
 Medicine: brain-scan computers produce color-enhanced maps to help diagnose mental illness.
 Business: executives can utilize computer graphics too, by making bar graphs and pie charts out of
tedious figures and using color to convey information with far more impacts than what number can
do alone.
 Arts: uses computers to create cartoon animation,
landscapes, television logos, and still life.

Commerce
 Zebra-striped bar codes that can be read by scanners at
supermarket checkout stands to determine price.
 Modern-day warehousing and inventory management cannot
exist without computers.

Energy
 Energy companies use computers to locate oil, natural gas, and uranium.
 Electric companies use computers to monitor vast power networks. Meter readers use handheld
computers to record how much energy is used each month in homes and businesses.

Transportation
 Computers are used to run rapid transit systems, load containerships, track railroad cars across the
country, safeguard airport takeoffs and landings, monitor air traffic, and schedule travel.
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 They are also used in cars and motorcycles to monitor fluid levels, temperatures, and electrical
systems and even improve fuel mileage.

Paperwork
 Using a computer and word processing for typing and editing
paperwork/reports before printing the final copy.
 Sending e-mail instead of writing your letter on stationery and
mailing it in the post office.
 Newspaper and magazines now have their electronic editions.
 Computerized bookkeeping, record keeping, and document
sending have made paperwork more efficient.

Money
 Computers speed up record keeping and allow banks to offer same-day services, do-it-yourself
banking over the phone, and the remote transactions via an ATM.
 Computers have helped fuel the cashless economy, enabling the widespread use of credit cards and
instantaneous credit checks by banks, department stores, and other retailers.
 Some oil companies even use activated credit card and self-service gasoline pumps.

Government
 Computers are used for social security services, medical services, and tax collection.
 Computers are also used for forecasting weather, servicing parks, processing immigrants, meting
justice, and tallying the votes during election time.
 In tracking suspected criminals.
 In record keeping (birth certificates, land titles, marriage contract, business permits, etc.)
 For census
 For military and intelligence purposes.

Education
 For record keeping and accounting
 In the classroom, as a tool for teaching
 In the libraries, for easy access to more information through the Internet.

The Home
 As an education tool for children
 To keep records, write letters, prepare budget, draw pictures, prepare newsletters, and connect
with other computers and information services via the
telephone.
 To control heating and air conditioning, answer telephone
calls, safeguard the house during vacations, and so on
 For entertainment – playing games.

Health and Medicine

 Computers help monitor the gravely ill in ICU and provide
cross-sectional views of the body through ultrasound pictures.
 To store huge amount of data and processing them to fight
diseases.
 To diagnose patients for common or more complex diseases or ailments

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 Computers are also being used for health maintenance, in everything from weight-loss programs to
recording heart rates and blood pressures.
 In administering the operations of the hospital

Robotics
 To take over many of the jobs that place human life at
risk
 Cost-sensitive jobs are also targeted for robots
 Robots are used for military purposes when they perform
underwater missions to search out mines, handle
surveillance for installations, and do pinpoint targeting.
 Robots are also used to patrol jail corridors at night and
report any persons encountered.
 Robots do tedious jobs better that what humans do –
jobs such as welding or paint spraying in new-car plants.

Science
 For scientific research
 Can simulate environments, emulates physical characteristics, and generally allow us to replicate
studies and provide proofs in a cost-effective manner.
 To generate models of DNA, the molecules that house the genetic instructions that determine the
specific characteristics of organisms.
 To test experimental airplanes wherein aerospace engineers use computer to simulate wind tunnel
experiments.
 For contacting alien beings in outer space
 For studying the universe.
Training
 Computers are being used as a training device in industry and in the government.
 Computerized, interactive training gives a new dimension to simulations, allowing the use of full-
motion video to put live participants in situations that can be changes quickly.

References:

Information Technology Fundamentals

Albano, Gisela A. 2000

Computing Essentials: Making IT work for you

O’Leary, Timothy, 2011

Introduction to Computer
Peter Norton’s, 2006

Computer Education for Teachers: Integrating Technology

Sharp, Vicki, 2005

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