Information and communications technology or (ict)

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY OR (ICT)

Information and communications technology or (ICT) is extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information.

The term ICT is also used to refer to the convergence of audio-visual and telephone networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system. There are large economic incentives (huge cost savings due to elimination of the telephone network) to merge the telephone network with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling, signal distribution and management.

ICT is a broad subject and the concepts are evolving. The term covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form, e.g. personal computers, digital television, email, robots. For clarity, Zuppo provided an ICT hierarchy where all levels of the hierarchy "contain some degree of commonality in that they are related to technologies that facilitate the transfer of information and various types of electronically mediated communications". Theoretical differences between interpersonal-communication technologies and mass-communication technologies have been identified by the philosopher Piyush Mathur. Skills Framework for the Information Ageis one of many models for describing and managing competencies for ICT professionals for the 21st century.

The phrase "information and communication technologies" has been used by academic researchers since the 1980s. The abbreviation "ICT" became popular after it was used in a report to the UK government by Dennis Stevenson in 1997, and then in the revised National Curriculum for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2000. However, in 2012, the Royal Society recommended that the use of the term "ICT" should be discontinued in British schools "as it has attracted too many negative connotations. From 2014 the National Curriculum has used the word computing, which reflects the addition of computer programming into the curriculum.Variations of the phrase have spread worldwide. The United Nations has created a "United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force" and an internal "Office of Information and Communications Technology".

Today

In modern society ICT is ever-present, with over three billion people having access to the Internet. With approximately 8 out of 10 Internet users owning a smartphone, information and data are increasing by leaps and bounds. This rapid growth, especially in developing countries, has led ICT to become a keystone of everyday life, in which life without some facet of technology renders most of clerical, work and routine tasks dysfunctional. The most recent authoritative data, released in 2014, shows "that Internet use continues to grow steadily, at 6.6% globally in 2014 (3.3% in developed countries, 8.7% in the developing world); the number of Internet users in developing countries has doubled in five years (2009-2014), with two thirds of all people online now living in the developing world."

However, hurdles are still large. "Of the 4.3 billion people not yet using the Internet, 90% live in developing countries. In the world's 42 Least Connected Countries (LCCs), which are home to 2.5 billion people, access to ICTs remains largely out of reach, particularly for these countries' large rural populations." ICT has yet to penetrate the remote areas of some countries, with many developing countries dearth of any type of Internet. This also includes the availability of telephone lines, particularly the availability of cellular coverage, and other forms of electronic transmission of data. The latest "Measuring the Information Society Report" cautiously stated that the increase in the aforementioned cellular data coverage is ostensible, as "many users have multiple subscriptions, with global growth figures sometimes translating into little real improvement in the level of connectivity of those at the very bottom of the pyramid; an estimated 450 million people worldwide live in places which are still out of reach of mobile cellular service.

Favorably, the gap between the access to the Internet and mobile coverage has decreased substantially in the last fifteen years, in which "2015 [was] the deadline for achievements of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which global leaders agreed upon in the year 2000, and the new data show ICT progress and highlight remaining gaps." ICT continues to take on new form, with nanotechnology set to usher in a new wave of ICT electronics and gadgets. ICT newest editions into the modern electronic world include smart watches, such as the Apple Watch, smart wristbands such as the Nike+ FuelBand, and smart TVs such as Google TV. With desktops soon becoming part of a bygone era, and laptops becoming the preferred method of computing, ICT continues to insinuate and alter itself in the ever-changing globe.

Information communication technologies play a role in facilitating accelerated pluralism in new social movements today. The internet according to Bruce Bimber is "accelerating the process of issue group formation and action" and coined the term accelerated pluralism to explain this new phenomena. ICTs are tools for "enabling social movement leaders and empowering dictators" in effect promoting societal change. ICTs can be used to garner grassroots support for a cause due to the internet allowing for political discourse and direct interventions with state policy as well as change the way complaints from the populace are handled by governments. Furthermore, ICTs in a household are associated with women rejecting justifications for intimate partner violence. According to a study published in 2017, this is likely because “[a]ccess to ICTs exposes women to different ways of life and different notions about women’s role in society and the household, especially in culturally conservative regions where traditional gender expectations contrast observed alternatives."

Computer

Today’s world is often called a computer world and it is truly so. Computer is an electronic device which can carry out a set of instructions. It is difficult to imagine the modern world of high technology without computers. Moreover, it is the fastest growing industry nowadays. Fifty years ago people had no idea what computers are and what they can do. Today, people can’t imagine living a day without them. While the first computer was the size of a minibus, modern devices can fit into a palm. And the computer revolution is still going on.

The first computers were developed during the Second World War to break the codes or send secret information. They were also used to do calculations for the first atom bomb. Today, they are used to store the data, handle banking transactions, manage governmental files, keep statistics etc. Generally, all that computes do is calculate. They turn numbers into pictures, words and sounds. The Japanese have already created the device which responds to human language. Computers have opened a new era in many spheres of life, especially in manufacturing and communication systems.

The word “computer” was first used in 1613 in a book, written by English writer. It referred to a person, who carried out calculations. Soon the first mechanical calculator was invented by Blaise Pascal. However, the actual father of the first recognizable computer was Charles Babbage. In the first half of the 19^th century he created a fully programmable mechanical device. The sophisticated analog computers appeared in the 20^th century. First functional computer was called Z1 and was created by Konrad Zuse.

Today, nearly everything in the world is done with the help of computers. No man alive can do 500,000 sums in one second, whereas computers can. They have a much better memory and faster reaction. Computers have extended the power of the human mind across the existing barriers. Many fields of science are dependent on this device today. For example, medicine is almost impossible without computers. Over the last 50 years all medical information, discoveries and data have been stored there. Moreover, computers play an integral part in diagnostics and treatment.

Although there are two types of computers, analog and digital, only digital type is widely used in every field. Digital computers perform a number of operations at an unbelievable speed. For example, they can handle 2,000 million discrete operations per second. More enhanced computers handle many billions of cycles per second. There have already been several generations of digital computers or processing units.

Computer science is even taught in modern schools. It’s called IT (Information Technology). Children at secondary schools learn how to handle computing machines and store basic information. Besides using computers for IT lessons, schools need this device for test and examination purposes.

A computer case is an enclosure that contains the main components of a computer. They are usually constructed from steel or aluminum combined with plastic, although other materials such as wood have been used. Cases are available in different sizes and shapes; the size and shape of a computer case is usually determined by the configuration of the motherboard that it is designed to accommodate, since this is the largest and most central component of most computers.

The most popular style for desktop computers is ATX, although microATX and similar layouts became very popular for a variety of uses. Companies like Shuttle Inc. and AOpen have popularized small cases, for which FlexATX is the most common motherboard size.

An exploded view of a modern personal computer and peripherals: (1) Scanner; (2) CPU (Microprocessor); (3) Memory (RAM); (4) Expansion cards (graphics cards, etc.); (5) Power supply; (6) Optical disc drive; (7) Storage (Hard disk or SSD); (8) Motherboard; (9) Speakers; (10) Monitor; (11) System software; (12) Application software; (13) Keyboard; (14) Mouse; (15) External hard disk; (16) Printer

Адрес публикации: https://www.prodlenka.org/metodicheskie-razrabotki/324908-information-and-communications-technology-or-