Why is ICT important in the world today?

Answer 1

The Use of ICT Today

We live in an age where vast amounts of information pass from one side

of the World to the other in seconds. At home, at school, at the

office, even in the streets, we are bombarded with a dazzling variety

of information, which is right at our fingertips IF we know how to use

it!

The important issue closely related to working with ICT is how to use

it effectively. The majority of ICT equipment, especially modern

computers and software, are expensive and as all schools have limited

recourses, it is important to use them effectively to provide the best

possible ICT teaching. It is much more efficient to use a class set of

graphic calculators with special OHP calculator used by the teacher

than just one or two PC per class, which would be comparable in price.

There is an opinion that the future in using ICT in teaching

mathematics lies not in using computer classes but in using

interactive whiteboards in every lesson. Personal computers are

excellent resources but by their very nature they are best used for

individual independent learning, not in class situation. In my

experience in working in computer classes the teaching plans had to be

adapted in such way that the pupils could follow instructions on the

specially prepared worksheets individually.

There are many different ways that ICT affects our everyday life here

are some examples.

ICT has the potential to make radical changes in the links between

home and school. The huge increase in home-based computers and the

ability of people to access the web from the comfort of their own PCs

has created new possibilities for ICT to increase opportunities for

pupils to extend learning beyond their schools' walls.

It is not just extended classroom-based tasks using ICT that can

contribute to the developing links between home and school. Some

games, for instance, are known to have educational benefits as they

develop skills.

The internet is a network that links other networks of computers, and

allows them to exchange information around the world. Internet

technologies make use of the Internet. These technologies were

created to facilitate better communication across vast areas.

Internet technologies include:

World Wide Web (WWW)

E-mail

Multimedia

Encryption

Internet connections are technologies that provide access to the

Internet. These technologies have allowed both organisations and home

computer users to join/access the Internet. Internet connections

include:

Modem

ISDN

ASDL

Broadband

Mobile telephone technologies have developed rapidly over recent

years. The phones and the functions have become more advanced. Some

phones even allow access to the Internet through a computer or

directly. Mobile telephone technologies include:

SMS

WAP

Currently television is broadcasted using an analogue signal, but the

analogue signal is due to be cut by 2010. This will mean television

pictures will only be available on the digital network. Digital

broadcasting allows more information to be transmitted at a faster

rate, improving the quality and quantity of the services provided. A

digital network will also allow a whole host of services to be carried

together on the same circuits - telephone, Internet, television, etc.

Digital television can be interactive, for example playing games and

communicating.

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and organisers are small hand-held

computers and they have evolved rapidly and continue to do so. They

can be used for keeping diaries, an address book, making notes and

sending and receiving e-mails. Most PDAs use touch screen technology

and can be linked to a PC. With links to a telephone network, PDAs

allow network computing anywhere and at any time.

Storage media allows data to be saved and used again. The types of

storage media available have increased rapidly over the past few

years. Magnetic storage media, such as floppy discs, has been

gradually taken over by other forms such as CD's, which allows greater

volumes of data to be stored. This type of technology is developing

even further, with media such as:

DVD

Minidisk

Touch screen technologies allow options/menus to be selected at the

touch of the screen. On touch sensitive screens there are

criss-crossing beams of infra-red light just in front of the glass.

When the screen is touched and the rays are broken and the computer

detects the position of the finger. This technology is seen in a wide

variety of areas. For example electronic tills, Video Games, ticket

ordering, etc.

Computers are now used in almost every aspect of daily life. It

would be virtually impossible to carry out every day activities if the

technology were to be removed. The availability and the cost of

technology, home computers and Internet access, means that more and

more people have a PC for home use. It is important to understand how

this technology works in order to recognise the affects it has on the

quality of life.

One aspect where we can see this effect is in the development of

on-line services, allowing business customers to shop, bank and

investigates products and services from home with a click of the

mouse.

Online Shopping

A number of businesses in order to attract more customers provide

facilities for shopping on-line. With varied working hours, 24-hour

access to an Internet shopping facility and home delivery can appear

highly attractive to someone that finds it difficult to get to the

shop in person.

Online Banking

ICT is used in banking in three main ways - processing cheques,

operating ATMs and it allows home banking. Home banking uses the

Internet or telephone to give the customer access to their bank

accounts 24-hours a day. It allows people to make payments and

transfer funds at any time, again making it more convenient for the

customer. Tesco have even made it possible to send text messages to

the mobile phone of their customers, to let them know how much there

bank account holds.

Comparing Products - Travel, Financial Services and Online Auctions

Another aspect is that such technology has allowed the customer to

search for a product and the prices from a variety of businesses,

whether it is finding a holiday, a pension or visiting an auction

online. It reduces travel and the time spent by the customer when

weighing up their options.

ICT has allowed businesses to offer and provide more specialised,

technical services that help their customers personally or

professionally.

They can design and construct a customised database for the business,

making their operations run more efficiently and effectively. For

example, BT's directory enquiry service makes use of a database

whether you ring them up or access it through the Internet.

Another aspect is regarding the security side of a business's

operations. Security could refer to the security of their network or

their premises and ICT can be used to protect either. Hardware and

software has been developed to provide state of the art security

systems making the information or premises more secure.

Call centres deal with a wide variety of issues. For example they

could be a customer help line or where a customer can order a

product. With ICT having a direct influence on the telephone network,

this allows businesses that run call centres to process a greater

volume calls. Once a call is taken, the operators have access to a

workstation that means they have access to their business database and

can deal with the customer efficiently.

Customer enquiries could be dealt with at a call centre or many

businesses with a web site have a link where you can e-mail them with

your enquiry.

Marketing is about getting the potential customer to buy your product,

a product that the customer wants. Advertising is linked in with

marketing. Advertising is any message about itself or its products or

services that the business has paid for.

There are 4 main reasons why businesses advertise. These are:

To make consumers aware of new products

To remind consumers about existing products

To persuade consumers to switch from rival products

To improve the image of the business

All this leads to the business ultimately wanting to sell more of its

product or service.

CD players and Walkmans are becoming a thing of the past as MP3

players and minidisk players are breaking through head to head to

become number one.

ICT USED IN SCHOOLS

Interactive whiteboards enable teachers to demonstrate and not have

their backs to pupils. Touch screens can be used in education centres,

not necessarily just in schools. Tests should be completed on touch

screen computers because they will also tell you how much time you

have left and they allow you to change an answer as many times as you

like. It will record the answers you give. They use these on driving

theory tests.

ICT can affect the place where you work because with e-mail and

Intranets you can work from home. The pupils could use distance

learning. This is also available for adults who enrol on Learn Direct

courses. Also, working from home is convenient because you can change

the hours you work, and where you work to what is more comfortable for

you. This benefits you because your stress load will decrease because

you can e-mail work to the person in charge. This would be useful for

someone who is unable to attend school/college and needed to make up

the work with homework assignments because they can e-mail the

completed work to the teacher. Although, working from home would cut

off contact with people you see everyday at work. Learning in school

means people have advantages when they go into work, e.g. having word

processing skills means people need less training in basic skills.

Teachers can carry around mobile phones and laptops to keep in contact

with other colleagues when they are not at work because they are on

courses.

Students can type up homework, coursework and revision notes. They can

research on the Internet. They can also back up pieces of work, and if

the first version was lost, they could retrieve the backup copy and

continue to work from that. They can also carry between home and

school, this dramatically reduce the amount of paperwork the pupils

have to carry to and from school. Although, they must remember to take

care of the disk and not subject it to extreme heat (by putting it

near radiators) or magnets because they could destroy the disk.

Teachers will need to restrict Internet usage and put filters on

offensive pages. This prevents them from being shown to students. The

Internet can be useful for student's work and revision, e.g. finding

past exam papers. Although using copyright material is illegal,

security is not always good on the Internet because people can hack

into the Internet and find anything.

Using computers for a long period of time can have health risk:

radiation, backache, wrist pain and eyesight.

The codes and practise rules must be identified for use with software,

for example, the copying of software is illegal (computer misuse act).

Schools admin systems and files to prevent damage to files, and the

anti virus program needs to be updated regularly because viruses are

being updated. There are many viruses that can be transferred to your

computer by:

· E-mail attachment

· Floppy disk

· CD ROM drive

· Off the Internet

Ted Attikons has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and he also has a

Psychiatric disability, this means he cannot sit calmly and do a set

task, a psychiatric disability (or mental illness) can develop at any

age and is often apparent to other people. Psychiatric disabilities

are often the most misunderstood disabilities in the community, and

peoples' attitudes are often based on prejudice and myth (e.g.

schizophrenics are potentially violent). Mental illnesses can include

stress-related conditions, major depression, bipolar disorder

(formally called manic-depressive illness), anxiety, and

schizophrenia. Depression is the most common non-psychotic mental

illness (psychosis being a disorder which features the loss of contact

with reality). The causes of different mental illness are not clearly

understood, but they are often linked with genetic and environmental

factors.

He cannot talk or walk, and communicates in different ways, he waves

and use sign language, but the kind he uses is when playin charades,

he under stands everything that is said to him, he depends on a

wheelchair that is hooked to a touch system, this allows mobility, he

also uses a touch system to communicate to his helpers

A.C.Hammath(HNDIT)

Answer 2

ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is important today because it enables efficient communication, access to vast amounts of information, and automation of processes in various sectors such as business, healthcare, education, and government. It also promotes innovation, improves productivity, and enhances global connectivity.