Application of Information and

Communication Technologies
Lecture # 1

The slides are adapted from the publisher’s material

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow (Ch1, Ch4)
Course Information
Textbooks
 Computer Fundamentals, Pradeep K. Sinha & Priti Sinha

 Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, Comprehensive,

Deborah Morley, Charles S. Parker, Cengage Learning, 2017.

Reference Book
 Foundations of Computer Science, Forouzan, B., McGraw-Hill,
2017.
Class Expectations
 Come to lectures on time and participate
 Keep up with reading material
 Complete assignments, projects, etc on time
 Submit clean, organized, and to the point
assignments
 Key to
Success
Attendance

80% attendance is mandatory to sit in final exam.
Effort

Do homework on your own. Do not copy from
other classmates or any other internet resource.
Consistency

Keep up with reading and homework.
Computers in Your Life
Why learn about computers?
Pervasive computing (A World of Computers)
Also known as ubiquitous computing
Computers have become an integral part of
our lives
Basic computer literacy
Knowing about and understanding
computers and their uses is an essential
skill today for everyone

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Computers in Your
Life
Before 1980
 Computers were large, expensive
 Very few people had access to them
 Computers were mostly used for high-volume
processing tasks
Microcomputers in the early 80s
 Inexpensive personal computers
 Computer use increased dramatically
Today
 More than 80% of US households include a computer,
and most use computers at work
 Electronic devices are converging into single units
with multiple capabilities

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Elliot 903 Personal computer
Computers in the Home
Computers used for a variety of tasks:
 Looking up information and news
 Exchanging e-mail
 Shopping and paying bills
 Watching TV and videos
 Downloading music and movies
 Organizing digital photographs
 Playing games
 Telecommuting

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Computers in the Home
Convergence
 The computer has become the central part of home
entertainment
 Dual-mode mobile phones

Wireless networking
 Computers can be used in nearly any location
Smart appliances
 Traditional appliances with built-in computer or
communication technology
Smart homes
 Household tasks are monitored and controlled by a main
computer in the house

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Computers in the Home
Computers in
Education
Many students today have access to
computers either in a classroom or a
computer lab
Colleges and universities are even more
integrated
 Wireless hotspots allow usage of personal laptops to
connect to the college network
 Some colleges require a computer for enrollment
Distance learning
 Students participate from locations other than the
traditional classroom setting using computers and
Internet access

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Computers in
Education

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Computers on the
Job
Computers have become a universal on-
the-job tool for decision-making,
productivity, and communication
 Used by all types of employees
 Used for access control and other security measures
 Use by service professionals is growing
 Used extensively by the military
 Employees in all lines of work need to continually
refresh their computer skills

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Computers on the
Job

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Computers on the Go
Computers are encountered in nearly
every aspect of daily life
 Consumer kiosks
 ATM transactions
 POS systems at retail stores
 Self-checkout systems
 Portable computers or mobile devices
 M-commerce systems
 GPS systems

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Computers on the Go

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What Is a Computer and What Does It
Do?
Computer: A programmable, electronic device
that accepts data, performs operations on that
data, and stores the data or results as needed
 Computers follow instructions, called programs, which
determine the tasks the computer will perform
Basic operations
Input: Entering data into the computer
Processing: Performing operations on the data
Output: Presenting the results
Storage: Saving data, programs, or output for future use
Communications: Sending or receiving data

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What Is a Computer and What Does It
Do?

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Why use a computer?

What value do
Computers bring?

What are they good at?


fast
 
bored
storage

Advantages and Disadvantages

of Using
What are the Computers
advantages of using computers?

Speed Reliability Consistency

Storage Communications
Computers to Fit Every
Need
Six basic categories of computers:
 Embedded computers
 Mobile devices
 Personal computers
 Midrange servers
 Mainframe computers
 Supercomputers

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Embedded
Computers
Embedded computer: Embedded into a product
and designed to perform specific tasks or
functions for that product
Cannot be used as general-purpose computers
Often embedded into:
 Household appliances
 Thermostats
 Sewing machines

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Mobile Devices
Mobile device: A very small device
with some type of built-in computing or
Internet capability
Typically based on mobile phones
Typically have small screens and
keyboards
Examples:
 Smartphones
 Handheld gaming devices
 Portable digital media players

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Personal Computers
(PCs)
Personal computer: A small computer
designed to be used by one person at a
time
 Also called a microcomputer
 Range in size from desktop computers to UMPC’s

Desktop computers: Fit on or next to a

desk
 Can use tower case, desktop case, or all-in-one
 Can be PC- compatible or Macintosh
 Not designed to be portable

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Portable
Computers
Notebook (laptop) computers: Typically use
clamshell design
Tablet computers: Can
be slate tablets or
convertible tablets
Netbooks: Small
notebooks; rapidly
growing type of PC
Ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs):
Handheld computers

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Midrange
Servers
Midrange server: A medium-sized
computer used to host programs and
data for a small network
Users connect via a network with a
computer

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Mainframe
Computers
Mainframe computer: Powerful computer
used by several large organizations to
manage large amounts of centralized data
 Standard choice for large organizations, hospitals,
universities, large businesses, banks, government offices
 Located in climate-controlled data centers and connected to
the rest of the company computers via a network
 Larger, more expensive, and more powerful than midrange
servers
 Usually operate 24 hours a day
 Also called high-end servers or enterprise-class servers

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Mainframe Computers

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Supercomputer
s
Supercomputer: Fastest, most expensive,
most powerful type of computer
 Generally run one program at a time, as fast as possible
 Commonly built by connecting hundreds of smaller
computers, supercomputing cluster
 Used for space exploration, missile guidance, satellites,
weather forecast, oil exploration, scientific research,
complex Web sites, decision support systems, 3D
applications, etc.

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Supercomputer
s

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Quick Quiz
1. A tablet PC is an example of a(n)
_____________.
a. Desktop computer
b. Portable PC
c. Internet appliance
2. True or False: The terms mainframe
computer and supercomputer are
interchangeable; both refer to the largest,
most powerful computers.
3. A smartphone is an example of a(n)
_____________.
Answers:
1) b; 2) False; 3) mobile device
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Data vs Information
Data
 Data is raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed.
Can be in the form of text, graphics, audio, or video
Information
 When data is processed, organized, structured or presented
in a given context so as to make it useful, it is called
information.
Information Technology?
Technology
 Technology is humans using objects (tools, machines,
systems, and materials) to change the natural and
human-made environment.
 Technology is developed by people to modify their
environment.
Information Technology
 Information technology is “ anything related to
computing technology, such as networking, hardware,
software, the Internet, or the people that work with
these technologies”.
Computers and Society
The vast improvements in technology over
the past decade have had a distinct impact
on daily life, both at home and at work
Many benefits of a computer-oriented
society:
 Ability to design products before construction leads to safer
products
 Earlier medical diagnoses
 Devices that allow challenged people to perform job tasks
 Documents e-mailed or faxed in moments
 Download information, music, programs, movies, and more
on demand

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Computers and Society
Computer-oriented society also has risks
 Computer viruses and malware
 Identity theft and phishing
 Privacy issues
Differences in online communications
 Less formal than traditional
 Netiquette
 Emoticons
Information Integrity
 Check your source, not all information on the
Internet is accurate.
Von Neumann Model
 Von-Neumann proposed his computer architecture design
in 1945 which was later known as Von-Neumann
Architecture. It consisted of a Control Unit, Arithmetic, and
Logical Memory Unit (ALU), Registers and Inputs/Outputs.
 Von Neumann architecture is based on the stored-program
computer concept, where instruction data and program
data are stored in the same memory. This design is still
used in most computers produced today.
Von Neumann Model
M E M OR Y
M AR M DR

IN P UT OUTP UT
K eyb o a rd M o n ito r
M ouse P R OCE S S IN G UN IT P rin ter
S canner LE D
D is k ALU TE M P D is k

CON TR OL UN IT
PC IR
Input Devices
In computing, an input device is a piece of
equipment used to provide data and control
signals to processing system
Examples
Keyboards, mouse, scanners, cameras, joysticks,
and microphones
Input Devices (Keyboards)
Keyboard: An input device used to enter characters
at the location marked by the insertion point or
cursor
Can be wired or wireless
Most computers today are designed to be used with
a keyboard
Typically contains:
 Standard alphanumeric keys
 Numeric keypad
 Function keys
 Delete and Backspace keys
 Control and Alternate keys
 Arrow directional keys and special keys

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Input Devices (Keyboards)

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Input Devices (Keyboards)
Portable computers and mobile
devices often use:
 Built in or slide-out keyboard
 Pen or touch input (on-screen keyboard)

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Input Devices (Pointing
Devices)
Pointing devices: Used to select and
manipulate objects
 Used to input data
 Used to issue commands to the computer
Common types of pointing devices:
 Mouse
 Pen/stylus
 Touch screen

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Mice
Mouse: A common pointing
device that the user slides along
a flat surface to move a pointer
around the screen and clicks its
buttons to make selections
 Older mechanical mice use a ball
 Optical or laser mice track with light
 3D mice
 Can be wireless

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Pens/Styluses
Stylus: Pen-like device used to draw or write
electronically on the screen
Also called digital pen, electronic pen, tablet
pen
Commonly used with pen-based computers
Used to issue commands and input data
If handwriting recognition is used, written text can be converted to
editable typed text

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Handwriting Recognition

• Digital form: Used

to input
handwritten data
into the computer
and then convert it
to editable text

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Pens/Styluses
Other uses for pens/styluses:
Digital writing systems
Graphics tablets
Signature capture devices

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Touch Screens
Touch screen: Display device that is touched
with the finger to select commands or
otherwise provide input to the computer
Used with:
 Desktop and portable computers
 Mobile phones and mobile devices
 Consumer kiosks
Can be multi-touch

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Other Pointing
Devices
Other pointing
devices:
 Joysticks, gamepads,
and other gaming
devices
 Trackballs
 Buttons and wheels
 Touch pads

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Quick Quiz
1. An optical mouse is ____________.
a. the same as a wireless mouse
b. a mouse that tracks movements with light instead of a ball
c. a mouse that contains a scroll wheel on the top
2. True or False: With handwriting
recognition, text is input as a graphical
image so the text cannot later be edited as
text.
3. An input device that looks like an
upside-down mouse with the ball on top is
a(n) ____________.
Answers:
1) b; 2) False; 3) trackball
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Scanners, Readers, and Digital
Cameras
Source documents: Documents
containing data that already exists in
physical form (order form, photograph,
invoice, check, or price label)
Source data automation: Capturing
data directly from a source document
 Saves time
 Increases accuracy
 Scanning or reading devices

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Scanners
Scanner (optical scanner): Input device that
captures an image of an object and
transfers them to a computer in digital form
 Can scan photos, documents, drawings, (flat objects)
 Data is typically input as a single image
 If optical character recognition (OCR) is used, text is input as
individual text characters
Types of scanners
 Flatbed
 Portable
 Integrated (ATMs, etc.)

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Scanners

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Barcode Readers
Barcode readers: Input
devices that read barcodes
Barcode: Machine-readable
code that represents data as

a set of bars
Common types
 Universal Product Code (UPC)
 ISBN
 Code 39
 Intelligent mail code
 2D (QR) – hold more data

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Biometric
Readers
Biometric data: Based on unique
physiological characteristics or personal trait
 Fingerprint
 Hand or face geometry
 Iris of the eye
 Voice or signature
Biometric readers: Used to input biometric
data
 Can be stand-alone or built into another piece of hardware
 Used to allow access only by authorized individuals
 Most often used for access control and to verify transactions

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Biometric
Readers

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Output Devices
An output device is any piece of computer
hardware equipment which converts
information into a human-perceptible form or,
historically, into a physical machine-readable
form for use with other non-computerized
equipment. It can be text, graphics, tactile,
audio, or video.

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Display Devices
Display device: Presents output visually
Monitor: Display device for a desktop computer
Display screen: Screen built into a variety of devices
 Notebook and other portable computers
 Mobile phones and mobile devices
 Handheld gaming devices, home entertainment devices,
kitchen appliances
 Digital photo frames, e-book readers
 Digital signage systems, digital billboards

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Display Devices

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Data and Multimedia Projectors
Data projector: Display device that projects
all computer output to a wall or projection
screen
Found in classrooms, conference rooms
Can be wireless or integrated into devices

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Printers
Printers: Produce hard copy
Printer characteristics
Printing technology used
Impact vs. nonimpact
Color vs. black and white
Personal vs. network printers
 Dot-matrix printer
 Laser printer
 Ink-jet printer
Plotter:
A plotter is a device that receives commands
from the computer and then draws its picture on
the page

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Audio Output
Audio output: Output in the form of
voice, music, and other audible
sounds
 Speakers
 Headphones and headsets
 Earphones and earbuds

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Next Lecture
How Computer Process Data; Central Processing Unit:
Control Unit, Arithmetic & Logic Unit, System Clock &
Machine Cycle; Memory: Volatile & Non-Volatile, Flash
Memory, Registers, Cache Memory; Bus & Types, and Ports.

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