MODULE I

FUNDAMENTALS OF
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Lesson 1 Information Technology

Lesson 2 Elements of Computer

System

Lesson 3 Apps in Our Day-To-Day

Activities
 URDANETA CITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
AND ARCHITECTURE

MODULE 1
FUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION:

This module presents the fundamentals of information technology. It talks

about the basic concepts of information. You will be exploring the elements
involved in the operation of computer systems and learn to appreciate what it
can bring to this information age.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
After studying the module, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the concepts of information.

2. Identify the elements of computer system.
3. Categorize different types of applications software.

DIRECTIONS/MODULE ORGANIZER:
There are three lessons in the module. Read each lesson carefully then
answer the activities. For instructions about submission, you will be guided by
your instructor.

In case you encounter difficulty, do not hesitate to discuss this with your
instructor during the face-to-face meeting or through other means of
communication.

Bright future starts here

Module 1: Fundamentals of Information Technology
 URDANETA CITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
AND ARCHITECTURE

LESSON 1
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Data and Information

The words "data" and "information" are frequently used interchangeably. However,
they have different meanings.

Data are raw facts from which you can derive conclusions or new facts. On the other
hand, information is a set of facts organized in such a way that it provides additional
value beyond that of the facts themselves. Information is often the result of
executing related processes on data or simply called data processing. Data
processing is the process involved in converting data into usable information. The
process may be automated and run on a computer. To put it simply, data are the
building blocks of information.

For example, think about scores gathered from students. These scores are raw facts
or data. These are just pieces of facts which cannot determine how well a student
performs in the class. The scores (data) must undergo in a data process such as
categorizing, computing, and organizing. After the data process, the output are the
grades of the students. This is now the information. Compared to the grades
(information), we can see that the scores (data) is not used to determine whether a
student passed or failed the course.

Let’s take it further. Information at times can also serve as data for larger information.
In the example, the grades are already an information. Let’s say we want to get the
grade point average or GPA of the students. To do this, the grades from the students’
subjects will be collectively computed to get the GPA. In this case, the grades serve
as data for the larger information which is the GPA.

Forms of Data

We will now look at the forms of data which we will see on the table below. These
forms of data come from or stored into computers.

Bright future starts here

Module 1: Fundamentals of Information Technology
 URDANETA CITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
AND ARCHITECTURE

The table shows the forms of data that a computer works on. Alphanumeric are
those that convey information through text, numbers, and other characters such as
symbols and punctuation marks.

Image data such as graphic images and pictures are data that are composed of
pixels (short for picture element). You can find image files in computers in different
format, such as jpeg, gif, png, bmp, and more.

Bright future starts here

Module 1: Fundamentals of Information Technology
 URDANETA CITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
AND ARCHITECTURE

Audio data are those that produce sounds such as music, tones, and noise. You can
find them in different formats such as mp3, wav, aac, amr, ogg, and more.

Video data are combinations of image and audio, such as movies and video clips.
You can find them in format such as mp4, avi, flv, mkv, and more.

THE INFORMATION AGE

The information age (also known as the computer age, digital age, new media age,
or IT era) is a period that shifted from a traditional industry to an economy driven by
information technology. The use of computer technology has become prevalent in
processing, producing, and communicating information. This is the modern era
where valuable information plays a major role in political, social, and economic
activities, and have become dependent on information and communication
technology.

What is Information Technology?

Information Technology (IT) refers to anything related to computing technology,

such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with
these technologies. Since we live in the information age, information technology has
become a part of our everyday lives.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is another term used which you
may have encountered. ICT is the same as IT but focuses on the use of
communication medium such as computer networks, smartphones, and the
internet.

Information Technology in Various Fields

Information can be thought of as a lifeline of an organization. Think about a company

or a system. Every transaction, process, and work done involves the handling of
information. Without proper handling of information, things could go wrong.
Imagine a company that never records or communicates data and information.
Surely this company would not do well. Nowadays, one must involve the use of
information especially the handling of information. Therefore, Information
Technology in integrated in various fields where information exists and obviously
information exists everywhere.

Bright future starts here

Module 1: Fundamentals of Information Technology
 URDANETA CITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
AND ARCHITECTURE

1. IT and Education

As evidenced by the pandemic brought by the CoViD-19 disease, education has

shifted from face-to-face to virtual. Some schools have integrated the use of IT as a
mode of teaching and learning. Although, this was already the case for others before
the pandemic. We can find the use of virtual classrooms such as Google Classroom,
Edmodo, Schoology, and Moodle. Classrooms have resources such as televisions,
projectors, and computers to facilitate learning.

2. IT and Finance

The financial world is not spared with the advent of Information Technology. Banks
use ATM (Automated Teller Machine) which is a product of IT. The use of computers
in the banks help ease workload of daily transactions. Also, payment through bank
transfers can now be done with our devices through the Internet.

3. IT and Marketing

The creation of advertisements has now become popular through the use of online
tools such as Google AdSense and Facebook Ads among the myriad of
advertisement platforms online. Selling of digital products has also become a new
economy nowadays. Even physical products are now sold over the Internet where
customers can buy. Examples of these are Lazada, Shoppe, and Zalora, which are the
most popular online e-commerce in the Philippines.

4. IT and Recreation

Computers have become a source entertainment and recreation. I bet there are
more games that you can play with your devices more than in real world. Also, movies
and music can be played on your computer as source of entertainment. Children in
this generation are inclined to computers. That’s one reason why this generation is
called the Information or Digital Age.

5. IT and Communication

One of the major benefits of using Information Technology is the ease to

communicate with our loved ones and friends. With just a click of a button, you can
now talk with them in real time without days of waiting time for a reply to be
received.

Bright future starts here

Module 1: Fundamentals of Information Technology
 URDANETA CITY
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
AND ARCHITECTURE
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

1. Write an example where a data is transformed into an information.

2. Tell a short story of your best experience on how information technology

helped you in solving a problem.

3. Aside from the given fields where Information Technology is involved,

where else can we find them? Relate how IT is involved in that field.

Prepared by:

REYNANTE M. PASCUA, CpE

Faculty, College of Engineering and Architecture

Bright future starts here Module 1: Fundamentals of Information Technology