TOPIC 1

INTRODUCTION TO ICT
OBJECTIVES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:-
a) explain the meaning of ICT
b) explain the uses of ICT
c) describe ICT equipment / facilities found in
organizations
d) explain the impact of ICT in contemporary society
 Leading Questions

Why choose ICT?

Have you ever had of ICT before?
What do you want to be in future?
Welcome to the world of ICT where CREATIVITY
is the KEY and PASSION is the DRIVER
 Meaning of ICT
Analogy
 ICT can be simply seen from the angle of a mobile
phone that was manufactured on a given standard/skills
with its main purpose being to transmit/pass a message
Equivalence
 Information = Message
 Communication = Transmission
 Technology = Skills
 Meaning of ICT… cont
Information Communication Technology Initials
Information
 Information refers to the knowledge obtained from
reading, investigation, study or research.
 Information also refers to processed data
 Data is or are raw facts and figures that is meaningless
e.g. P1a2s3Sw4or-d = meaningless
 Processed data = information
e.g. P1a2s3Sw4or-d – processed = Password-1234
 Meaning of ICT… cont
Information Communication Technology Initials
Communication
 Communication is an act of transmitting information from sender
to the receiver through a given medium.
 It is also a process whereby information is exchanged between
individuals using symbols, signs or verbal interactions.
Technology
 It is the use of scientific knowledge/skills, experience and resources
to create processes and product that fulfill human needs?
 ICT is therefore the use electronics computers, communication
devices and application software to convert, store, protect, process,
transmit and retrieve information from anywhere, anytime.
 Uses of ICT in the society
a) Education
Use in such areas as
i. Administration
 Used in keeping huge chunks of records and faster processing
ii. Teaching
 Nowadays teachers use projectors and smart board to teach
 Learners are also evaluated digitally by use of ICT
iii. Distance learning
 Today education is provided to people who are far away from the
learning institutions
 Uses of ICT in the society
b) Hospitals
Use in such areas as
i. Administration
 Used to keep such records as visits, admissions, tests and treatment
ii. Diagnosis
 ICT equipment are used in such tests as CT scan and ultra sound
iii. Monitoring
 There are computer based machines that are used to monitor patient’s
heartbeats, blood pressure and sugar level amongst others
 Uses of ICT in the society
c) Banking
Use in such areas as
i. Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)
 Offers efficient transaction services hence solving long queues
ii. Checking system
 Today cheques can be processed electronically by use of Magnetic Ink
Character Readers (MICR)
iii. Plastic Money
 Today banks has avoided handling of cash by introducing credit and
debit cards such as Visa and MasterCard
iv. Online Banking
 Today such banking transactions as deposits, withdrawals, money
transfer and balance enquiries amongst others can be carried out online
 Uses of ICT in the society
d) Business
Use in such areas as
i. Transacting
 ICT equipment like mobile phones are used to carry out such banking
transactions as sending and receiving money and making payments for
goods and services
ii. Marketing
 ICT resources such as internet e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. are
used to tell more information about given businesses
iii. Communication
 ICT equipment allow business people to communicate with one another
promptly even if located in far away
iv. Planning
 ICT software can be used to plan the future of a business by use of
prediction and forecasting technique
 Uses of ICT in the society
Other areas where ICT is used
e) Government
 Government has used ICT resources to enhance its service delivery to people
e.g. such tasks as census, filing of tax returns, voter registration and voting
are carried out electronically
f) Manufacturing Industries
 Robots are used in manufacturing industries to curry out too risk or complex
operations that would not be done by humans
g) Engineering
 Today advanced ICT equipment(s) have been developed to help and aid in
engineering processes. For example, computer Aided Design software is
used by architects to draw house plans
h) Entertainment
 Nearly all equipment(s) used in entertainment industry belong to ICT.
Without ICT equipment(s), there will be no entertainment.
 Impacts of ICT in Contemporary Society
Positive Impacts
1. Access to information
 ICT has brought about access to lots of information such as notes, music and
video amongst others
2. Improved access to education
 New ways of learning have been introduced, , e.g. distance learning, on-line
tutorials, interactive multi-media and virtual reality.
3. New tools, new opportunities
 ICT gives access to new tools that did not previously exist e.g. digital
cameras, photo-editing software and high quality printers amongst others
4. Ease communication
 Access to larger and even worldwide market within less time and little costs.
5. Security
 ICT solves or reduces some security problems, e.g. Encryption methods can
keep data safe from unauthorized people

 Impacts of ICT in Contemporary Society
Negative Impacts
1. Job loss
ICT has led to unemployment. e.g. robots replacing human labour.
2. Reduced personal interaction
The use of ICT has prevented people from meeting
3. Reduced physical activity
This can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and
diabetes.
4. Increased cost
A lot of ICT hardware and software is expensive, both to purchase and to
maintain.
5. Competition
ICT has made organizations to compete for customers, donations, or other
means of funding hence creating serious crisis