Concept Notes No.

1: Introduction to Information and Communication Technology

What is ICT? (ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology)

● Those technologies, which enable society to create, collect, consolidate, communicate, manage,
process information in multimedia and various digital formats for different purposes by using
telecommunication techniques. UNESCO defines ICT as “the scientific, technological and
engineering disciplines and the management techniques used to handle transmit information
with men and machines.
● The convergence of computers, microelectronics and communications constitute the
information and communication technology for the purpose of acquisition, processing, storage
and dissemination of information.

COMPUTER HARDWARE

Are the physical parts of the computer that you can see and touch. Some examples of computer
hardware are the CPU, monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, printer and motherboard. These are the
electronic devices used to build up the computer. Hardware is so called because it is hard or rigid. The
hardware is instructed or directed by the software to do any work.

COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Is the set of instruction that can be stored and run by hardware. The software is responsible for directing
the work to the hardware. The software is designed and developed by experienced programmer in high
level language. Software is soft because it is easy to change. Examples of software are ms word, ms
excel, powerpoint, google chrome, windows, ms paint, etc.

● Hardware cannot perform any task without software, and software cannot be executed without
hardware. The combination of hardware and software forms a usable computing system.

Impact of ICT on Society

● Transportation – it has decreased the distance of place , save valuable time and
established easy transporting, to travel hundreds of miles within a very short time to
send goods anywhere in the world.
● Military Force – to protect any country from the attack of enemies, a strong and
well-organized military force is needed. Information and communication technology plays
as key role to a strong and well organized military force of any country in the world by
providing real and accurate tactical information and surveillance on the ground, sea and
skies.
● Communication – it plays an important role to develop the system of communication it
has linked up the district parts of the world and even the outer space. The present
systematic and developed communication mediums such as telephone, fax, telegram,
e-mail, cellular or smart phone, text, call, chat, video call, the internet and many others
are the results of ICT. All of that have decreased our time, distance and made the world
closer to us.
 ● Economic Structure – strong economical structure is the key for the development of
any country. Also ICT handle the economical structure of any country now a days. It
strengthens the economy by providing proper knowledge about the economy of the
developed countries.
● Scientific-Exploration – the proliferation of ICT is increasing day by day. By the help of
it, the scientists have been able to invent & explore new technologies such as quantum
computer, smart phones, new medicines and even the rocket by which men have landed
on the moon and in the near future we may live on other planets.
● Education – no nation can develop without ICT based education. It is regarded as the
fuel of development. ICT based education is the essential ingredient in developing new
ideas, about the economy of the developed countries, in course content and curriculum
and in the creation of materials and methods of learning, for students pursuing academic
studies and teachers needing ICT based information for teaching.

Concept Note #2: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING, COMPUTER SAFETY AND SECURITY

● Computer Frauds and Crimes

Computer fraud, closely linked to internet fraud, is defined as
1) the use of a computer or computer system to help execute a scheme or illegal activity
2) the targeting of a computer with the intent to alter, damage, or disable it.

Computer fraud breaks down roughly into three categories:

THEFT OF INFORMATION
Theft of information refers to the theft of information from a secure or private computer
system, as when a hacker illegally breaks into a government system to obtain top secret
information. The theft of trade secrets and the computer-aided duplication of copyrighted
materials—such as video games, movies, and music—also fall into this category.

THEFT OF SERVICE
Theft of service is when a hacker uses a computer to access web sites or Internet
connections for which he did not pay. It may also include using a computer to break into long
distance systems to “steal” service for free calls. Usually, theft of service is classified as Internet
fraud, Often lumped together with computer fraud, Internet fraud includes any scheme that uses
a Web site, chat room, email account, or all three to defraud a company or individual. Examples
of crimes include offering nonexistent goods to a buyer (such as with an online auction), stealing
someone’s funds by hacking into his bank or credit card account, or illegally using access
devices, such as those of a paid news subscription service. Conversely, denial of service
includes “mail bombing", which is when someone purposely attempts to disable an email
account by sending massive amounts of emails to its address.

HACKING
Hacking refers to illegal entry into a computer’s hardware system. Hackers obtain
passwords and delete information, create programs to steal passwords, or even rummage
through company garbage to find secret information. Such criminals might pose as computer
repairmen in order to gain easy access to computer systems, or they might create and send out
dangerous computer viruses.
Computer Functions

There are necessary functions of computer that needs to perform by the computer
itself for completing all the task. Not every PC owner knows about the specific functions the
corresponding computing device performs.

Basically, a computer is an electronic machine, used for processing and storing, the data
given by the user. There are different types of computers from micro to supercomputers.
Some have many functions with complexity while the basic computer has only 4 functions.

So, this article explains the basic functionality of the computer system as well as the
functions of each component.

In the most general sense, The Four Basic Functions of Computers are: –
● Input Function
● Processing Data
● Storing Data
● Output Function

● Parts of a computer

The basic parts of a desktop computer are the computer

case, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power cord. Each part plays an important
role whenever you use a computer.

The computer case is the metal and plastic box that contains the main
components of the computer, including the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU),
and power supply. The front of the case usually has an On/Off button and one or
more optical drives.

The monitor works with a video card, located inside the computer case, to
display images and text on the screen. Most monitors have control buttons that allow
you to change your monitor's display settings, and some monitors also have built-in
speakers.

The keyboard is one of the main ways to communicate with a computer. There
are many different types of keyboards, but most are very similar and allow you to
accomplish the same basic tasks.

The mouse is another important tool for communicating with computers.

Commonly known as a pointing device, it lets you point to objects on the
screen, click on them, and move them.
Mouse alternatives

There are other devices that can do the same thing as a mouse. Many people find them easier
to use, and they also require less desk space than a traditional mouse. The most common
mouse alternatives are below.

⮚ Trackball: A trackball has a ball that can rotate freely. Instead of moving the
device like a mouse, you can roll the ball with your thumb to move the pointer.
⮚ Touchpad: A touchpad—also called a trackpad—is a touch-sensitive pad that
lets you control the pointer by making a drawing motion with your finger.
Touchpads are common on laptop computers.

Concept Note #3 :
COMPUTER ETHICS

Ethics are structure of standard and practices that influence how people lead their lives.

Computer ethics are set of moral standard that govern the use of computer.

PRIVACY CONCERNS

● HACKING- is unlawful intrusion into a computer or a network.

● MALWARE- means malicious software which is created to impair a computer system.
● DATA PROTECTION- also known as information privacy or data privacy is the process
of safeguarding data which intends to influence a balance between individual privacy
rights while still authorising data to be used for business process
● ANONIMITY- is a way of keeping user identity masked through various application.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

● COPYRIGHT- is a form on intellectual property that gives proprietary publication,

distribution and usage rights of author.
● PLAGIARISM- is an act of publishing and copying another person’s work without
proper citation.
● CRACKING- is a way of breaking into system by getting past the security
features of the system.
● SOFTWARE LICENSE- allows the use of digital material by following the license
agreement
EFFECTS ON SOCIETY

● JOBS- some jobs have been abolished while some jobs have become simpler as
computers have taken over companies and businesses.
● ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT- environment has been affected by computers and
the internet since so much time spent using computer increases energy usage.
● SOCIAL IMPACT- computers and internet help people stay in touch with family
and friends.