Unit 1:

Knowing and Using Computers

WUC118/03
Computers in a Networked Society

© Wawasan Open University 2017

Introduction to Unit 1
• This unit introduces you to computers. It is
divided into three sections.
• The first section aims to familiarise you with
computer technology.
• The second section provides you with a
brief history of computers and the Internet.
• The last section introduces you to
information systems that are used to fulfil
business needs.
 Unit Objectives
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
Describe the four basic operations that a
computer performs.
Identify the hardware devices that use in
input, process, output and storage in
computers.
Discuss the various types of computers.
Explain how computers affect society.
Thinking About Technology
• Many of us use computer technology without
knowing how or why it works.
• For example, you can write an email using a
keyboard and then send it to recipients who are
thousands of miles away without knowing how this
is possible.
• However, to use computer technology effectively
and safely, it is essential for you to understand the
fundamental computing process, and the basic
components of computers and their functions.
Thinking About Technology
Computer Fundamentals
Operations of the IPC

Data In Data Out

Getting data into Displaying

the computer Information
Transforming data
into information

Moving data between

computers:
Communications

Holding Programs and

data for Future Use
Types of computers
• Computer for individuals

Desktop Apple IMac

Types of computers
• Computer for organisations
Types of computers
• Special-purpose computers

ATM Machine Cash Registers Washing Machine

Advantages of Computers
• Computers help in tedious and repetitive
work
• Store massive amounts of data
• Access information throughout the world
• Allows you to edit and save documents by
using different computers at different
locations
Disadvantages of Computers
• Reduced level of interaction among people
• Cause of various health hazards
• Leak of private information to an untrusted
environment
• Computer manufacturing process and
computer waste can damage the
environment
• Loss of data in the computers due to
hackers or system crash
Technologies currently in use
• The cloud
• Client side scripting
• Linked data
• Mobile Technology
• Nanotechnology
• No-touch interfaces
The Cloud
• A term applied to services that are
provided across networks by groups of
remote servers
• Through the cloud, we can borrow large
stores of data from anywhere, and at any
time we desire.
• Provides large amounts of processing
power and distributed storage, which can
be used by any Internet-connected device
that has a web browser.
Client-side Scripting
• Client-side scripting allows the writing of
computer programs using languages such as
JavaScript
• JavaScript enables programs to be run client-
side (i.e. by the user’s web browser), rather
than server-side (i.e. on the web browser)
• Web pages can be scripted to have unique
and changing content depending on user
input, environmental conditions or other
variables
• Social media use these technologies
Linked data
• An effective way of designing and
publishing data on the World Wide Web.
• Enables the creation of a web of data.
• Enables computers to automatically read
shared data using Web technologies.
• Enables data from various sources to be
linked and queried by computers
• Uses hyperdata to allow users to find data
that was not previously linked
Mobile Technology
• Uses multiple connected devices which
are better than desktops
• Uses cloud-based services and have
applications to carry out tasks
• Has ability to synchronise information
between numerous devices
• Reliable and convenient to use
Nanotechnology
• A field which aims to manipulate individual
atoms and molecules to create computer
microprocessors, memory and other
devices which are thousands of times
smaller than what is available today
• To reduce the size of microprocessors and
other devices further, nanotechnology will
likely need to be applied in the future
No-touch interfaces
• An advanced technology that allows us to perform
tasks on computers without using keyboard or
mouse
• Certain smartphones have no-touch interface
features which allow you to answer phone calls or
browse pictures just by waving your hands over
the smartphone’s screen
• Voice recognition technology has been integrated
into cars, allowing for hands-free calling and
control of applications such as navigation
• Surgeons can use a product called “Kinect for
Windows” which can control medical images and
scans on a computer with hand gestures
Information Systems: Definition
and Concepts
• Backbone of every organisation.
• A consolidation of hardware, people, software,
data resources, communications, policies and
procedures, and networks
• Capabilities of storing, retrieving, transforming
and distributing information in an organisation.
Information Systems: Functions
Information Systems: Solutions

IS
Information Systems: Examples
Information Systems: Types
• Transaction Processing System (TPS)
• Process Control Systems (PCS)
• Office Automation Systems (OAS)
• Management Information System (MIS)
• Decision Support System (DSS)
• Executive Information System (EIS)
• Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Information & Communication
Technology (ICT)
• handle the electronic computers, software
applications to store, convert, protect, retrieve
and transmit information from anyplace, every
time and the communication devices.
Information & Communication
Technology (ICT)
The Fundamental Role of ICT
• There is an improvement in the productivity due
to the reduction in the transaction costs
• It presents immediate connectivity (voice, data,
visual), transparency, accuracy, and improving
efficiency
• It is an alternative to expensive method of
transaction and communicating, such as
physical travel
The Fundamental Role of ICT
• There is a wide spread of choices for
marketplace and gives access in another way to
the unavailable goods and services
• It provides potential markets by enlarging the
geographic scope, and
• It is a pathway for knowledge and information of
all kinds
Summary of Unit 1
• Thinking About Technology
– Computers: Past, present and future
– Computers fundamentals
– Types of computers
– Computers in society
• Historical Context of Computerisation and
the Internet
– A brief history of computers
– History of the Internet
– Technologies currently in use
Summary of Unit 1
• Computer Technology Around Us
– Information systems: Definition and concepts
– Types of information systems
– What is Information & Communication
Technology (ICT)
– The fundamental role of ICT