Lesson 1: Introduction to the World of Technology
entertainment activities.
Computer savvy means knowing what
computer can do and what they can’t, knowing how they
can benefit you and how they can harm you, knowing
when you can solve computer problems and when you
have to call for help.
Among the practical payoffs are these:
1. You will know how to make better buying decisions.
No matter how much computer prices come down, you
will always have to make judgments about quality and
usefulness when buying equipment and software.
2.You will know how to fix ordinary computer problems.
Whether is replacing a cartridge, obtaining a software
improvement or pulling photos from your digital camera
3. You will know how to protect yourself against online
villains
The online world poses real risks to your time, your
privacy, your finances and your peace of mind-
spammers, hackers, virus senders, identity thieves.
4. You will know what kind of computer uses can
advance your career.
This topic will give ideas about how the technology can
benefit you in whatever work you choose.
Information Technology is a general term that
describes any technology that helps to produce,
manipulate, store, communicate and or disseminate
information
The term IT refers to the entire industry that
uses a computer and software to manage information. In
some company, it refers to MIS..
Pervasive computing—few aspects of daily life remain
untouched by computers and computing
technology.
Convergence- many devices today include computing or
internet capabilities
Computer Literacy, also known as digital literacy,
involves having a current knowledge and
understanding of computers and their uses.
Computer Competency is applying your skill with
computers to meet your information needs and
improve your productivity.
Computing Devices in the Home
1. Reference-- Retrieving information, obtaining news,
viewing recipes, shopping online, and
exchanging e-mail are popular reference
activities.
2. Productivity-- Online baking and shopping, editing and
managing digital photos and home videos,
creating and editing work-related documents,
and paying bills are common productivity tasks.
3. Entertainment – Watching online TV and movies.
Viewing photos and videos, playing games, and
viewing Web content are popular
Computing Devices in Education
1. Computer Labs and Classrooms – computers and
internet access are often available in the
classroom and /or computer lab for student use.
2. Campus Wireless Hotspots – Students can often access
the internet from anywhere on the campus to
do research, check e-mail, and more, via a
campus hotspot.
3. Distance Learning ---With distance learning, students
can take classes from home or wherever they
happen to be at the moment.
Computing Devices on the Job
1. Decision making—computers are used to help make
on-the-job decisions
2. Productivity – computers are used to perform on-the-
job tasks efficiently and accurately
3. Offsite communications—portable devices are used to
record data, access data, or communicate with
others
Computing Devices on the Go
1. Mobile Devices --- enable individuals to remain in
touch with others and to access internet
sources while on the go
2. Consumer kiosks – are widely available to view c
onference or gift registry information, print
photographs, order products or services, and
more
3. Mobile payment systems – allow individuals to pay for
purchases using a smartphone or other device
4. Wearable Devices – Enable individuals to easily view
smartphone messages or their fitness activities
while on the go
Computer Literacy, also known as digital
literacy, involves having a current knowledge and
understanding of computers and their uses.
Computer Competency is applying your skill
with computers to meet your information needs and
improve your productivity.
A computer is an electronic device, operating
under the control of instructions stored in its own
memory, that can accept data, process the data
according to the specified rules (arithmetically and/or
logically), produce results, and store the results for
future use.
Computers process data into information. Data
is a collection of unprocessed items, which can include
text, numbers, images, audio, and video. Information
conveys meaning and is useful to people.
Four basic operations which a computer performs
(IPOS):
1. Input: the process of entering data into a computer.
Ex.Through encoding (keyboard and mouse),
data from camera, data from a cellphone, data
from a scanner.
2. Processing: performing operations on data that has
been input in into a computer to convert that
input to output.
3. Output: The computer produces an output on a device,
such as a printer or a monitor, that shows the
result of the processing operations.
4. Storage: The computer stores the result of processing
operations for future use in some storage
device, such as a hard disk or a floppy disk.
In addition to these four primary computer
operations, today’s computers almost always perform
communications functions such as sending or retrieving
data via the Internet, accessing information located in
shared company database or exchanging data or e-mail
messages with others.
Data vs Information
Terms
Communication- The transmission of data from one
device to another
Data – raw, unorganized facts
Information – data that has been processed into a
meaningful form.
Information processing – (the conversion of data into
information) is a vital activity today for all
computer users, as well as for businesses and
other organizations.
COMPUTERS THEN AND NOW
A. Pre-computers and Early Computers (before
approximately 1946)
1450 B.C. Abacus (China)
The abacus is the first known calculating device.
It was invented by the Chinese for commercial
calculations. The device has a frame with beads strung
on wires or rods and arithmetic calculations are
performed by manipulating the beads.
1600 Napier’s Bones
This is another counting device invented by
John Napier, a Scottish mathematician who became
famous for his invention of logarithms. His “bones” are a
set of eleven rods with numbers marked on them in such
a way that by simply placing the rods side by side,
products and quotients of large numbers can be
obtained. The sticks were called bones because they
were made of bones or ivory.
Oughtred’s Slide Rule
An invention attributed to William Oughtred,
basically, it consists of two movable rulers placed side by
side. Each ruler is marked off in such a way that the
actual distances from the beginning of the ruler are
proportional to the logarithms of the numbers printed
on the ruler. By sliding the rulers, one can quickly
multiply and divide.
1642 A.D. Adding Machines (Blaise Pascal)
Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician who
devised a calculating machine that was capable in adding
and subtracting numbers. The machine was operated by
dialing a series of wheels which could add and subtract
numbers containing up to eight digits.
1692 A.D. Multiplying Machine (Gottfried Leibnitz)
Like Pascal, Gottfried Leibnitz was a
seventeenth century scientist who recognized the value
of machines that could do mathematical calculations and
save labor. He utilized the same techniques for addition
and subtraction as Pascal’s device but could also perform
multiplication and division, as well as extract square root,
although not always accurately.
1822 A.D. Difference Engine (Charles Babbage)
Since the early 19th century, Charles Babbage,
an Englishman, had been working on the development of
the machine which could perform complex calculations.
On 1822 A.D., he invented the “Difference Engine” which
could perform complex calculations and print them as
well. This machine was a steam-powered machine.
1862 Arithrometer (Charles Xavier Thomas)
This was the first calculator with commercial
prospects developed by Frenchman Charles Xavier
Thomas. The machine performed addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division and square root functions
accurately.
1863 A.D. Analytic Engine (Charles Babbage)
Charles Babbage, a nineteenth century
Englishman, is frequently considered the father of
modern computer. Although he did not actually build an
operational computer himself, his ideas became the
basis for modern computational devices. He had
conceived of a mechanism, which could carry out long
sequence of complex calculations under automatic
control. It would have the ability to store 1000, 50-digit
numbers in one second and multiply 20-digit numbers in
three minutes. He used a form of the punched card for
inputting the data. Lady Ada Byron worked with Babbage
and wrote a demonstration program for the Analytical
Engine prompting many to refer her as the first female
computer scientist and programmer.
1896 A.D. Punch Card Machine (Dr. Herman Hollerith)
Herman Hollerith, a statistician with the US
Bureau, used the idea of employing punched cards in
speeding up the collation job of the American Census of
1880. Using a 3” by 5” punched cards to record the data,
he constructed an electromagnetic counting machine to
sort the data manually and tabulated the data.
B. First-Generation Computers (approximately 1946-
1957)
Characteristics
• The first computers were enormous, often
taking up entire rooms
• Powered by thousands of vacuum tubes
which needed replacing constantly, required a
great deal of electricity, and generated a lot of
heat.
• Could solve only one problem at a time
because they needed to be physically rewired
with cables in order to be reprogrammed
1946 A.D. ENIAC (Harvard University-USA)
Scientists of Harvard University brought out the
Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC)
under the direction of Presper Eckert Jr. and John
Mauchly, which was the first electronic calculator. It
weighed nearly 30 tons and occupied a space equivalent
to 2 big rooms and could perform all the calculations
that a small pocket calculator of today can perform. It
used 18,000 vacuum tubes and was able to do 300
multiplications per second. On its test run in February
1946 the ENIAC took only two hours to solve a nuclear
physics problem that would previously require 100 years
of calculation by a physicist.
1951 UNIVAC (J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly)
Initially built for the U.S. Census Bureau was
used to analyze votes in the 1952 US Presidential
election. UNIVAC became the first computer to be mass
produced for general commercial use.
C. SECOND-GENERATION COMPUTERS (approximately
1958-1963)
• Transistors allowed second-generation computers to
be smaller, less expensive, more powerful, more
energy-efficient, and more reliable than first-
generation computers.
• Typically, programs and data were input on punch
cards and magnetic tape, output was on punch
cards and paper print outs, and magnetic tape
as used for storage.
• Hard drives and programming languages (such as
FORTRAN and COBOL) were developed and
implemented during this generation.
D. THIRD-GENERATION COMPUTERS (approximately
1964-1970)
• Integrated circuits (ICs) marked the beginning of the
third generation of computers
• ICs incorporate many transistors and electronic circuits
on a single tiny silicon chip, allowing third-
generation computers to be even smaller and
more reliable than computers in the earlier
computer generations. Instead of punch cards
and paper printouts, keyboards and monitors
were introduced for input and output, hard
drives were typically used for storage.
E. FOURTH-GENERATION COMPUTERS (approximately
1971-present)
✓ invention of microprocessors which contain the core
processing capabilities of an entire computer on
one single chip.
✓ e.g IBM PC and Apple Macintosh computers and most
traditional computers fall into this category.
✓ typically use a keyboard and mouse for input, a
monitor and printer for output, and hard drives,
flash memory media and optical discs for
storage.
✓ this generation also witnessed the development of
computer networks, wireless technologies, and
the Internet.
F. FIFTH GENERATION COMPUTERS (now and the future)
 based on artificial intelligence, voice and touch
input and speech recognition are in use today.
 in the future, expected to be constructed
differently such as in the form of optical computers
that process data using light instead of electrons,
tiny computers that utilize nanotechnology, or as
entire general-purpose computers built into desks,
home appliances, and other everyday devices.
HARDWARE
The physical parts of a computer. Hardware can
be internal (located inside the system unit of the
computer) or external (located outside the system unit
and connected to the system unit via a wired or wireless
connection). There are hardware devices associated with
each of the five computer operations previously
discussed (input, processing, output, storage, and
communication)
Input Devices- any piece of equipment that is used to
input data into the computer.
Processing Devices- the main processing device for a
computer is the Central Processing Unit (CPU),
as well as additional processors such as the
graphics processing unit (GPU).
Output Devices- accepts processed data from the
computer and presents the results to the user,
most of the time on the display screen
(monitor), on paper (via a printer), or through a
speaker.
Storage Devices- are used to store data on or access
data from storage media
Communications Devices- allow users to communicate
electronically with others and to access remote
information via the Internet or a home, school,
or company computer network.
SOFTWARE
 Refers to the programs or instructions used to tell
the computer hardware what to do
 software is traditionally purchased on a CD or DVD
or is downloaded from the Internet.
 software can also be run directly from the Internet
(via Web pages) without being installed on your
computer; this is referred to as cloud software,
Web-based software, Software as a Service (SaaS),
and cloud computing
 computers use two basic types of software; system
software and application software.
System Software
The main system software is the operating
system, which starts up the computer and controls its
operation.
Application Software
Programs designed to allow people to perform
specific tasks using a computer, such as creating letters,
preparing budgets, managing inventory and customer
databases, playing games, watching videos, listening to
music, scheduling appointments, editing digital
photographs, designing homes, viewing web pages and
exchanging e-mail
COMPUTER USERS AND PROFESSIONALS
A computer system includes people.
Computer users are the people who use
computers to perform tasks or obtain information (e.g.
an accountant electronically preparing a client’s taxes, a
parent e-mailing his or her child’s teacher).
Computer professionals include programmers
who write programs that computers use or systems
analysts who design computer systems to be used within
their companies.
Categories of Computers (based on size, capability, and
price)
1. Personal Computers. A personal computer is a
computer that can perform all of its input,
processing, output, and storage activities by itself. A
personal computer contains a processor, memory,
and one or more input, output, and storage devices.
Personal computers also often contain a
communications device.
Two types of personal computers
a. Desktop computer- is designed so that the
system unit, input devices, output devices and
any other devices fit entirely on or under a desk
or table.
b. Portable computers- are small personal
computers designed to be carried around easily
Examples of Portable Computers
Notebook computer- also called a laptop
computer, is a portable, personal computer
often designed to fit on your lap.
Netbook. It is a type of notebook computer that
is smaller, lighter, and often not as powerful as
a traditional notebook computer and are
designed primarily for accessing Internet-based
applications and resources. If run by the
Chrome operating system are often referred to
as Chromebooks.
Tablet PCs. It is a special type of notebook
computer that allows you to write or draw on
the screen using a digital pen/stylus or touch
input.
2. Mobile Devices. A Mobile device is a computing
device small enough to hold in your hand. It usually
stores programs and data permanently on memory
 inside the system unit or on small storage media
such as memory cards.
Examples of Mobile Devices
a. Smart phones. Is an internet enabled phone that
usually provides personal information management
functions such as a calendar, an appointment book,
an address book, a calculator and a notepad. In
addition to basic phone capabilities, a smart phone
allows you to send and receive e-mail messages and
access the web
b. PDAs. Provides personal management functions
such as calendar, an appointment book, an address
book, a calculator and a notepad. Most PDAs also
offer a variety of other application software such as
word processing, spreadsheet, and games. A
common input device for a PDA is a stylus.
c. Portable Media Players. A mobile device in which
you can store, organize, and play digital media. For
example, you can listen to a music, watch videos,
movies and television shows.
d. Digital Cameras. It is a device that allows users to
take pictures and store the photographed images
digitally, instead of the traditional film.
3. Servers. A server controls access to the hardware,
software, and other resources on a network and
provides a centralized storage area for programs,
data, and information. Servers support from two to
several thousand connected computers at the same
time.
4. Mainframes. Is a large, expensive, powerful
computer that can hundreds or thousands of
connected users simultaneously. Major
corporations use mainframes for business activities,
enterprises are able to bill millions of customers,
prepare payroll for thousands of employees, and
manage thousands of items in inventory.
5. Supercomputer. The fastest, most powerful
computer—and the most expensive. Applications
requiring complex, sophisticated mathematical
calculations use supercomputers. Large scale
simulations and applications in medicine, aerospace,
automotive design, online banking, weather
forecasting, petroleum exploration.
6. Embedded Computers. It is a special purpose
computer that functions as a component in a larger
product. A variety of everyday products contains
embedded computers.
Ex. Consumer electronics, home automation devices,
automobiles
COMPUTER NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET
A computer network is a collection of
computers and other devices that are connected in order
to enable users to share hardware, software, and data,
as well as to communicate electronically with each other.
What is the Internet and the World Wide Web?
The Internet is the largest and most well-known
computer network in the world. It is technically a
network of networks because it consists of a vast
collection of networks that can all access each other via
the main backbone infrastructure of the Internet.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)—a company
that provides Internet access, usually for a fee (which
include conventional and mobile telephone companies
like AT & T, Verizon, and sprint; cable providers like
Comcast and Time Warner) function as gateways or
onramps to the Internet, providing Internet access to
their subscribers.
World Wide Web (often just called the Web)
refers to one resource – an enormous collection of
documents called Web pages—available through the
Internet.
Web pages typically contain hyperlinks—text or
images that are clicked to display other Web pages or
Web resources. A group of Web pages belonging to one
individual or company is called a Web site.
Web pages are stored on computers (called
Web servers) that are continually connected to the
Internet; they can be accessed at any time by anyone
with a computer or other Web enabled device and an
Internet connection.
Web pages are viewed using a Web browser,
such as Edge, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, Opera ,
or Firefox. Web browser is a program used to view Web
pages.
To request a Web page or other resource
located on the Internet, its Internet address—a unique
numeric or text-based address- is used. The most
common types of internet addresses are IP addresses
and domain names(to identify computers), URLs (to
identify Web pages), and e-mail addresses (to identify
people)
IP Addresses and Domain Names
IP Addresses and their corresponding domain
names are used to identify computers and other devices
available through the Internet, IP( short for Internet
Protocol) addresses are numeric, such as 134.170.185.46
and are commonly used by computers and other devices
to refer to other computers or devices.
UNIFORM RESOURCEL LOCATORS (URLs)

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) uniquely

identifies a specific Web page (including the protocol or
standard being used to display the Web page, the Web
server hosting the Web page, the name of any folders on
the Web server in which the Web page file is stored and
the Web page’s filename, if needed).

The most common Web page protocols are

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http://) for regular web
pages or Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (https://)
for secure Web pages that can be used to transmit
sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, safely.
File Transfer Protocol (ftp://) is sometimes used to
upload and download files. The file extension used in the
Web page filename indicate the type of Web page that
will be displayed (such as .html and .htm for standard
Web page

E-Mail Addresses
To contact people using the Internet, you often
use their e—mail addresses. An e-mail address consists
of a username (an identifying name), followed by the
@symbol, followed by a domain name for the computer
that will be handling that person’s e-mail (called a mail
server).