You are on page 1of 3

Fundamentals of Information and

Communications Technology
Information Concepts

Data and Information


The words "data" and "information" are often used as if they are synonyms. Nevertheless, they have different meanings.

Data
 Raw facts, from which you can draw conclusions.
 Facts from which you can deduce new facts.
 Building blocks of Information

Information
 Information is a set of facts organized in such a way that it provides additional value beyond that of the
facts themselves.
 It is derived from data or raw facts, such as an employee number, number of hours worked in a week,
inventory part numbers, or sales orders.
 Information is often the result of combining, comparing, and performing calculations on data.

Example:
Think about test scores, for example. In one class, if every student receives a score, the scores can be calculated
to determine a class average. The class averages can be calculated to determine the school average.
Data: Each student’s test score is one piece of data
Information: The class’ average score, or the school’s average score

Data processing is the process of involved in converting data into usable information. The process may be automated
and run on a computer.

Information as Data
In the preceding example, we have seen that an information (class’ average score) can be used as a data for a larger
information (school’s average score).

Forms of Data / Electronic Data


Data Represented by
Alphanumeric Data Letters, Numbers, and other characters
Image Data Graphic images and pictures
Audio Data Sound, Noise or Tones
Video Data Moving images or pictures

Characteristics of Valuable Information


Accessible
 Information should be easily accessible by authorized users so they can obtain it in the right format and at the
right time to meet their needs.
Accurate
 Information should be free from error
Complete

1
 Complete information contains all the important facts
Cost effective
 The cost to produce the information should be less than the actual cost of the information.
 It should be economical
Flexible
 Information can be used for a variety of purposes.
Relevant
 Should be directly related to the needs and requirements of the user.
 Unnecessary information must be eliminated
Secure
 Information should be secure from access by unauthorized users.
Timely
 Has an age suited to its use
Verifiable
 User can conform and verify the information
 This means that you can check it to make sure it is correct, perhaps by checking many sources for the same
information.

Information Technology (I.T.)


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. That means the
term "IT," already highly overused, is here to stay.
Information and Communications Technology is the same as IT but focuses primarily on communication
technologies. This includes the Internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and other communication mediums.

What is a Computer?
A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or "data." It has the ability to store, retrieve, and
process data. You can use a computer to type documents, send email, and browse the internet. You can also use it to
handle spreadsheets, accounting, database management, presentations, games, and more.

What is a Computer System?


It is a system that is consists of hardware, software and people that are configured to collect, manipulate, store, and
process data into information.

Elements of Computer System


1. HARDWARE
These are the physical computer equipment used in computer system.

Categories of Computer Hardware


An input device is a piece of hardware that is used to enter data into a computer or a similar processing device
such as a smart phone.
Examples are keyboard, mouse, touchpad, joystick, touchscreen, scanner, microphone, and digital camera

The central processing unit (CPU) is the brain or heart of the computer. It does all the processing, manipulating,
or conversion of data. It is also known as the microprocessor.

A storage device is any media which is used to store data.


Examples of storage devices include hard disk, DVDs, CDs, magnetic tape, Flash drive/thumb drive/Flash
memory (USB memory sticks)

2
An output device is a piece of hardware that is used to output data that has been previously entered into a
computer or similar processing device.
In computing terms, an output device is a piece of hardware that obeys a computer command to do
something in the real world. For example a printer is an output device that will produce a page of information
when the correct commands are sent to it from a computer
Some examples include monitor, printer, plotter, projector, speaker, headphones, light / LED

2. SOFTWARE
A computer needs to be told what to do, otherwise it will just sit on your desk collecting dust and taking up
space.
Software are the applications and programming instructions that tell your computer what to do. Software
enables you to use a computer for things such as playing games, writing an essay or listening to music. There are
two main types of software. They are systems software which controls the way the computer works and tells it
what to do. Examples include operating system, utilities, user interface.

The other type of software is called application software. It is this type of software that you use to do your
work, keep in touch with friends and for entertainment. Some examples include:
 Word processors such as Word
 E-spreadsheets such as Excel
 Databases such as Access
 Game applications such as Half Life, Call of Duty etc.
 Instant messaging clients
 Video and telephone applications such as Skype
 Web browser

3. PEOPLEWARE
Peopleware can refer to anything that has to do with the role of people in the development or use of
computer software and hardware systems.

Electronic Data Processing Personnel & Their Responsibilities

Computer Operators
Computer operators monitor the operation of computers. They start the computer up and close it down.
They use the computers for specific tasks like creating documents and spreadsheets. Sometimes called the
end users.
System Administrators
The system administrator installs new software and maintains the operating system. In most businesses
the system administrator is the one you call if you cannot get your desktop computer to work.
Computer Programmers
Programmers encode the instructions that tell the computer what to do. They are given job instructions in
plain English and flowcharts and they turn these instructions and descriptions into code that the computer
can understand. The position requires a degree in computer science or other computer courses.

References
Stair, Ralph M. and Reynolds, George W., Principles of Information Systems, 8th Edition. (2011). Cengage Learning.
https://techterms.com
www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics
www.teach-ict.com/as_as_computing/ocr/H047/F451/311/a_components_system/miniweb/index.htm

You might also like