Introduction to ICT

To store Data we use many methods like writing on paper, recording or we can type the content in
digital format. All these are used to store data. Some data are stored in digital format in mobiles,
computers or any other digital devices, these devices are called ICT(information and communication
technology) devices. In this section, we will read about the functioning of some devices which we use in
daily life.

ICT at Workplace
ICT is a very important part of the workplace. Almost all the sectors of the economy use ICT to store
information and for the transaction of money. Nowadays all the information is being digitalised as it is
very easy to send to many people in a very little time.

At the workplace, we use different programs to complete our tasks like in banking we use ICT for
maintaining records of people and for the transaction of money. In the same manner, we use computers
for editing videos, booking tickets, animating, recording, storing data etc.

ICT at Home
ICT has also become a part of our home appliances. These days Television is very common in every
house for entertainment and Mobile for calling. Now mobile is also used for online classes. Smartphones
with internet connections are very helpful to stay connected with our friends, family through Facebook,
Instagram etc.
Here are some examples of ICT uses in different sectors
Agriculture: Activities related to research and development
Beauty and Wellness: Use for Training programmes
Banking and Finance: Storing data and for the secure transaction of money
Health Care: Research and development of health facilities

. 2: ICT Tools: Smartphones and Tablets - I

Smartphone: Once the mobile phone was only used for talking but nowadays smartphones came into
existence. With smartphones we can purchase things online, we can play games, watch movies, make a
video call, book a ticket and many more things. Android, IOS and Windows are some common operating
systems of smartphones.
Tablet: Tablet is also like a smartphone. It has a wider screen. Some activities like reading and watching
movies need a wider screen so we use tablets. It can do almost all the things that a computer does.
TV and Radio: TV and Radio are used as ICT tools for a long time. Radio is used to broadcast only sound.
TV is used to broadcast both sound and video. It is the easiest way to reach a large number of people at
a time.
Applications or apps: Apps are just like a program on the computer. different apps have different
functions. Some apps are already present on phones or tablets. There are many apps present in an
online stores like google play store and Apple App Store. We can purchase or download it free of cost.

Commonly found Apps

. 3: ICT Tools: Smartphones and Tablets — II
Mobile device layout
Power Button: used to start and shut down
Screen: on which we perform functions
Back Button: used to back screen
Microphone: Used while talking
Menu Button: Used to show options
Home Button: It brings back the home screen
Earpiece: used to listen to the voice on calls
Volume Button: Used to increase or decrease sound

Basic features of a mobile device

Bluetooth: Short-range wireless connectivity
Rechargeable Battery: To powerup device
WiFi: To connect local area network or internet
Cellular Network: Provides network to Call, send messages and connect with internet
GPS: to provide location services

Home Screen of a Mobile Device

Top: It s a status bar that displays icons of the network, wifi, battery level etc.
Middle: the main part of the screen on which we do all tasks.
Bottom: It has a back, recent and home button

Basic Gesture use

Tap: to select
Tap and hold: It acts like right-click on the mouse which shows options
Pinch: to Zoom in or out
Double-tap: to Zoom

Parts of a Computer and Peripherals

Input Device: Device through which we input data in a computer. Like- Mouse, Keyboard
Keyboard
Types of keys on Keyboard
1. Function keys: Keys from F1 to F12 which performs special functions
2. Control Keys: Ctrl, Alt, Tab, Shift are control keys
3. Enter Key: to enter the data
4. Navigation Key: The four arrow keys(Up, Down, Left, Right) are navigation keys
5. Command Keys: Delete and backspace are command keys.
6. Windows Keys: It opens the start menu
Pointing Devices:
Mouse: It allows to control the pointer of the mouse on the screen and select icons.
Joystick: It is commonly used for video games
Light pen: used to make graphic designs
Graphic Tablet: It allows you to write on the screen.
Touchscreen: To send touch signals to a computer
Trackball: It is just like a mouse but used for special purpose
Scanner: It scans the document and converts it into digital form
MICR: Magnetic Ink Character Reader used to read Cheques in Banks.
OCR: Optical Character Reader to convert books and prints to electronic form
OMR: Optical Mark Reader used to detect marks on paper of MCQ type exams
Barcode Reader: It is used to read barcodes on different things like books, food packets etc
Microphone (Mic): To Input audio
Web Camera: to input Video
Biometric Sensor: To input Fingerprints
Smart Card Reader: It reads Credit and Debit Cards

Output Devices
Output Devices are used to get the output of the task done on the computer. First of All, we input some
data and then it goes into processing after all we get the final result.

We get output from these devices: Monitor, Printer, Plotter, Speaker, Headphone, Projector, Speach
Synthesizer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

It is the part of the computer which carries out all the tasks. It mainly processes the input data and gives
the output data.

ALU: Arithmetic and Logic Unit carries out all logical and arithmetic tasks like addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, <,>,= etc.
Control Unit (CU): It mainly coordinates with input and output devices.
Motherboard
A motherboard also referred to as a system board, is the main circuit board inside a computer. It
connects input, processing and output devices.

Computer Memory
It is a storage area where all the data is stored.

Primary Memory
RAM: Random Access Memory is an internal memory that is volatile means no data is saved in RAM.
Only tasks are carried out in this memory.

ROM: Read Only Memory stores all the data. It is non Volatile that means once data is saved it remains
there until you delete it.

Secondary Memory
It is an external device to store data. Example: Pendrives, CDs, External Hard Disk Drive, Memory Card
etc.
Key Concepts
• 8 bits make a byte
• 1024 bytes make a kilobyte(KB).
• 1024 KB make 1 megabyte (MB)
• 1024 megabyte make 1 gigabyte (GB)
• 1024 gigabytes make 1 terabyte (TB)
Ports and connections
The slots in which we connect a mouse, keyboard, pen drive, internet etc.

USB: Universal Serial Bus Port used to connect a mouse, keyboard pen drives
Display Port: It connects video devices like Monitor and Projector
Audio Ports: It is used to connect audio devices like Mic, Speakers
Ethernet Port: It connects to high-speed internet
Power Port: It is used to connect the power supply.

. 5: Basic Computer Operations

Computer hardware: The physical part of a computer which we can touch like monitor, CPU, UPS,
keyboard, Mouse etc are the hardware of the computer.

Software: The part that we cannot see or touch like programmes on a computer. The software makes
hardware work or interacts with humans. The most important software is OS (Operating System). It
starts working as soon as we start the computer. Example: Windows, Ubuntu, Linux etc.

Starting a computer
To start a computer, press the Power button on the CPU. This will start the Windows operating system
and display the Windows desktop on the monitor.

Basic functions performed when a computer starts

When we start the computer, it runs automatically a basic program BIOS which self tests. If everything is
ok then it runs OS and finally, the computer starts.

Login and logout

When multiple users use the same computer and want to secure their data separately then they can
create login IDs. each one has a different password to start the computer and after completing the task
logout is done.

Shutting down a computer

It is a process to turn off the computer. To shut down the computer in Ubuntu by clicking “Systems” at
the top right and then click on Shut Down. In windows, we can click Alt+F4 to shut down the computer.
Files and folders

File: All information are kept in files. Files have names and extensions. Different files have different
extensions to identify the file types. Ex- .txt for text document, .jpeg for image, .avi for video etc
Folder: It is a location where a group of files can be stored. We can create a no. of folders inside the
folder. A folder within folded is called a subfolder.
Communication and Networking — Basics of Internet
Internet is a huge network of computers around the world. World Wide Web (WWW) is a collection of
all websites we visit on the internet.

Uses Of Internet
• Search information
• Shopping
• Online booking
• Entertainment
• E-mail and chatting
• Online learning
• Social networking
• Online banking

Connecting to the Internet

An Internet Service Provider (ISP)─i.e., the telephone company which provides Internet connec vity
using the phone lines or a wireless network.
Types of connections
(a) Wired connections: When the internet is connected through a wired medium like ethernet cable.
(b) Wireless connection: When the internet is connected through a wireless medium like Wifi.

Bandwidth: The amount of data transferred in a certain amount of time. In analogue devices, the
bandwidth is expressed in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). Data transferred digitally is measured by bits
per second (bps)

1 Kbps (kilobits per second) = 1000 bits per second

1 Mbps (megabits per second) = 1000 kilo bits per second
1 Gbps (gigabits per second) = 1,000 mega bits per second

Internet browser: The application software is used to visit websites. Example -Chrome, Firefox

Communication and Networking — Internet Browsing

World Wide Web (WWW)
It is a vast network of files stored in computers all over the world.It is made up of

1. Web Page: A web page is a document present on a computer that is connected to the internet each
webpage has a unique address like https://www.google.com

2. Web browser: Application software to use the information available on the Internet. Ex- Chrome,
Opera, Firefox

3. Hyperlinks: Highlighted words on a webpage. If you click on that it will redirect you to another page.
Important parts of a web browser

(i) Address bar: To type the address of the webpage

(ii) Tabbed browsing (Ctrl+T): It is used to view multiple web pages in the same window
(iii) Back and forward buttons: Used to get back or next page
(iv) Refresh button (F5): To refresh the page

. 9: Communication and Networking — Introduction to e-Mail

Electronic Mail (E-mail) is a quick way to send messages to people using the internet. We can send
videos, documents, spreadsheets, etc., along with the e-mail as attachments.

E-mail ID or Address
The e-mail address is made up of two parts separated by the @ symbol. Ex- [email protected],
avi00719 is the name given by the user and gmail.com domain which provides mail service.

Advantages of e-mail
1. Delivery of mail is very fast.
2. Cost of mail is almost free.
3. Multiple copies can be sent at a time
4. pictures, documents can be attached

Comparison between Post mail and E-mail.

. 10: Communication and Networking — Creating an e-Mail Account
Go to gmail.com click on create an account. After filling in all the details set up a new account.

. 11: Communication and Networking— Writing an e-Mail

To write a new e-mail, connect to the Internet and open Gmail. Sign In with your login Id. Click on
compose and write the message. after entering the mail address of the receiver set the mail.

Draft Folder: All emails are stored which are written but not sent.
Junk/Spam: The mail which is not useful is stored in it.
Trash: Holds all deleted emails.

. 12: Communication and Networking — Receiving and Replying to e-mails

Receiving an e-mail: All emails received are in Inbox.
Replying to an e-mail: To reply to the email click on the reply button.
Forwarding an e-mail: To send the same message click on forward
Deleting an e-mail: Click on the delete icon to delete emails.