ICT STUDY NOTES

Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 — Complete Review

Open University — ICT Book
Simple English — Easy to Understand
Topics book:
• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Objectives
• 1.3 ICT Introduction (Information, Communication, Technology)
• 1.4 Basic Concept of ICT
• 1.5 Role of ICT in Society
• 1.6 ICT Applications (Computer & Internet, Cell Phone)
• 1.7 ICT in Teaching and Learning
• 1.8 Sel Assessment Questions

CHAPTER 1
Introduction to ICT

1.1 What is ICT?

ICT = Information and Communication Technology
Any device that helps you store, send, or receive information is called ICT.
Simple Examples: Mobile phone, Computer, Internet, Television, Radio — all are ICT!

1.2 Three Big Words in ICT

To understand ICT, you need to know these 3 important words:

1. INFORMATION
Information = data that has meaning.
Example: NADRA collects your name, address, fingerprints = this is DATA. When they organize it and
make your ID card = this becomes INFORMATION.

2. COMMUNICATION
Communication = sharing ideas and messages between people.
It can happen through: computer, internet, cell phone, TV, radio, telephone.
Example: You call your friend = that is communication.

3. TECHNOLOGY
Technology = tools and machines that help us solve problems faster.
Example: Calculator helps us solve math quickly = that is technology.
ICT = using technology to store, send and receive information
1.3 Basic Concept of ICT
ICT is like an umbrella — many devices come under it:

Device How it is ICT

Radio Sends information through sound
Television Sends information through sound and picture
Satellite System Sends information from space
Internet Connects the whole world
Cell Phone Talk + message + internet
Computer Store + process + send information

ICT has created a Global Village — the whole world is now connected. People share ideas
easily across countries.

1.4 Role of ICT in Society

ICT has changed every part of our life:

Area How ICT Helps

Education Online books, e-learning, tutorials
Business Online shopping, marketing
Health Patient records, online doctors
Government Online services, NADRA
Employment Online jobs, work from home
Environment Monitoring weather, pollution

ICT devices like computer, internet, and cell phones are the cheapest and most convenient
way to communicate.

1.5 ICT Applications

Application 1: Computer and Internet

Computer is the MOST IMPORTANT ICT device.
What can you do with computer and internet?
• Play games
• Listen to music
• Watch videos
• Solve education problems
• Communicate through email
• Use social networking (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

Internet advantages:
• Online sale and purchase (shopping)
• Source of entertainment (movies/music)
• Download software and documents
• Share documents with others
• Search on Google or Yahoo
• Communicate through email, Skype, social media

Application 2: Cell Phone

Cell phone is another well known ICT device.

Feature Description
1. Calling Most important feature — connect with anyone
2. Messaging Send instant text messages to each other
3. Music/Videos Listen music, watch videos — entertainment
4. Games Many games available, popular with young people
5. Internet Modern phones have internet, send emails instantly

Cell phones have become so popular that young generation is fully dependent on them.

1.6 ICT in Teaching and Learning

This is very important — how ICT helps in schools and colleges.

ICT enables teachers and students to:

• Teach well
• Learn well
• Present well
• Work efficiently
• Share ideas easily
 • Solve problems easily
• Gain precise knowledge
• Achieve goals in less time

Why ICT in classrooms is good:

• Young students' minds become faster when they use computers
• They can think deeply while solving problems
• Computer education at school level is the easiest way of learning
• Students' vision becomes broad — they think, act and describe better

ICT can be used as an aid to computer teaching and learning. When teachers and students
interact with ICT together, it creates the best learning environment.

Chapter 1 — Quick Summary Table

Topic One Line Answer

ICT full form Information and Communication Technology
Information Data with meaning (NADRA example)
Communication Sharing ideas through devices
Technology Tools that solve problems faster
ICT examples Computer, internet, cell phone, TV, radio
ICT in society Education, business, health, government
Cell phone features Calling, messaging, music, games, internet
ICT in teaching Helps teachers teach better, students learn better
Global Village World connected through ICT
 CHAPTER 2
Overview and Organization of Computer

2.1 Pre-History Era (4th Century B.C. to 1930s)

These are the earliest calculating machines invented before modern computers.

Inventor Year Device What it did

— 4th Century Abacus Machine First ever machine, basic
B.C. addition
John Napier 1614 Napier's Bones Multiplication and division
(Scottish)
Wilhelm Schickard 1623 Mechanical Calculator Multiplication, 6-digit capacity
Blaise Pascal 1642 Mechanical Calculator Add, subtract, multiply, divide —
(French) 8-digit capacity
Charles Babbage 1820 Difference Engine Mathematical and statistical
tables
Charles Babbage 1842 Analytical Engine Basic math — 60 additions per
minute

2.2 Generations of Computer

With time, computers kept changing and improving. These time periods are called Generations. There
are 5 Generations total.

Generation 1 — (1951 to 1958)

Technology used = VACUUM TUBES
Point Detail
Technology Vacuum Tubes (fragile glass tubes)
Problem Consumed too much electricity
Input device Punched card + Magnetic tape
Processing Batch processing (data in bundles)
Language Machine language (0s and 1s), later Assembly language

Limitations of Generation 1:
• Vacuum tubes generated too much heat
• Covered a lot of space
 • Punched cards used too many cards
• Magnetic tapes could not retrieve data quickly

Generation 2 — (1959 to 1964)

Technology used = TRANSISTORS (replaced vacuum tubes)
Point Detail
Technology Transistors
Input Punched cards
Storage Magnetic tapes
Languages FORTRAN, COBOL, BASIC (high level languages)

Advantages of Generation 2:
• Transistors were more reliable
• Had greater computational speed
• Required no warm-up time
• Consumed less electricity

Generation 3 — (1965 to 1970)

Technology used = INTEGRATED CIRCUIT (IC) — replaced transistors. IC = thousands of
transistors on ONE silicon chip.
Point Detail
Technology Integrated Circuit (IC)
Input/Output Keyboard and monitors
Language PASCAL

Advantages of Generation 3:
• ICs were more reliable
• Smaller in size
• Better performance than transistors
• Silicon chips were cheap
• Consumed less electricity

Generation 4 — (1980)
Technology used = LSI and VLSI
Term Full Form Components on one chip
 LSI Large Scale Integration About 30,000 components
VLSI Very Large Scale Integration About 1 million components

Generation 5 — (Late 1990s)

Technology used = AI, Voice Recognition, Optical Fiber

Feature Description
Voice Recognition Also called speech recognition — computer can listen and understand
what you say
Optical Fiber Made of glass, light travels through it, used for communication
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer thinks like a human. Example: Robots. AI gives computers
thinking power and reasoning.

2.3 Classification of Computer

Computers are classified in 2 ways:

1. By SIZE
Type Description Example
Microcomputer Smallest, personal use, home use Desktop PC
Laptop Portable, has internal battery, all parts in one Notebook computer
unit
Minicomputer Between micro and mainframe, supports Toshiba DS1, AS400
hundreds of users
Mainframe Cupboard size, very expensive, supports IBM-360, NEC
thousands of users Mainframe
Handheld Very small, fits in palm, small keyboard and CS40, CK70, CK71
screen
Palmtop Carried in palm, uses pen as input device Nokia 9500, Nokia E90
PDA (Personal Digital Phone + fax + networking in one device Nokia 770, Nokia N800
Assistant)

2. By PURPOSE
Type Description
Digital Computer Processes info in characters and digits. Daily life use: games, music,
budget. Also called personal computer.
 Analog Computer Used for special purposes like wheel balancing, measuring
temperature, velocity. Used in scientific labs. Output = electrical waves.
Hybrid Computer Can process BOTH digital and analog data. Used in science labs
where both types of data are needed.

2.4 Applications of Computer

Field How Computer Helps
Education Notes, tutorials, textbooks online. E-learning is biggest revolution.
Business Online shopping, smart card payments, internet banking, marketing.
Banking Internet banking (check balance, transfer funds). ATM = draw money 24/7.
Defence GPS in missiles, track incoming missiles, tanks, aeroplanes, ships, design
new systems.
Entertainment Restaurant orders, computerized receipts, 3D movies, gaming.
Sports Record keeping, statistics, score display, ticket selling, training programs,
diet plans.

2.5 Important Terms

BUSES
Buses = electrical paths through which data is transferred from one location to another inside a
computer.

Bus Type Also Called Direction Description

Data Bus — BOTH directions (bi- Uses wires to transfer data
directional)
Address Bus Memory Bus ONE direction only Carries memory addresses for
microprocessor
Control Bus Command Bus BOTH directions Carries all commands within the
computer

2 Important terms about buses:

• WIDTH = size of bus = how much data is transferred at one time
• CLOCK SPEED = speed of bus, measured in MHz (Mega Hertz)

COMPUTER PORTS
Ports = interface/link through which data is communicated. There are 3 types:
 Port Also Called Pins Speed Used For
Serial Port Male Port 9 to 24 SLOW (1 bit at a Keyboard, mouse, modem
pins time)
Parallel Port Female Port 25 pins FAST (8 bits at a Printers, scanners
time)
USB Port Universal No pins Fast and portable Printer, scanner, camera —
Serial Bus concept every device now

MICROPROCESSOR
• Also called BRAIN OF COMPUTER
• Silicon chip with millions of transistors
• Also called CPU (Central Processing Unit)
• Famous brands: Intel and Motorola

Microprocessor has 2 parts:

Part Full Form What it does

ALU Arithmetic and Logical Does math (+,-,x,/) and logical operations (IF A>B then...)
Unit
Control — Supervises all parts, selects input/output, flows data, brings
Unit and executes instructions

MEMORY
Memory = place where data is stored temporarily while computer is working.

1. Primary Memory (Main Memory)

• Also called VOLATILE MEMORY
• Data is ERASED when computer shuts down
• Measured in bytes (1 byte = 8 bits)
• Bit = single binary digit (0 or 1)

Type Full Form Key Features

DRAM Dynamic Random Access Cheaper, refreshed every few milliseconds, SLOWER,
Memory 60 nano seconds reading speed
SRAM Static Random Access Does NOT need refreshing, used for cache memory,
Memory FASTER than DRAM, expensive

2. Secondary Memory (Secondary Storage)

 • Also called NON-VOLATILE MEMORY or auxiliary storage
• Data is NOT erased when computer shuts down
• Used to store large amounts of data PERMANENTLY

Storage Type Details

Hard Disk Also called hard drive or fixed drive. Stores large data, quick access. Sizes:
320 GB, 400 GB etc.
CD-R Compact Disk Recordable. Write only ONCE. Data cannot be erased.
Read-only memory.
CD-RW Compact Disk Re-Writeable. Write MORE than once. Can erase previous
data. Little expensive.
DVD-R Digital Versatile Disk Recordable. Record only ONCE. Cannot be rewritten
again.
DVD-RW DVD Re-Writeable. Record MULTIPLE times. Can erase previous data.
Magnetic Tape Also used as input/output storage device.

MOTHERBOARD
• Also called CIRCUIT BOARD of computer
• Called motherboard because it contains ALL KEY ELEMENTS
• Without motherboard, computer CANNOT work

Things mounted on motherboard:

• Microprocessor
• Computer memory
• Serial and parallel ports
• Expansion slots

Chapter 2 — Quick Summary Table

Topic Key Point to Remember

Abacus 4th century BC — first machine — basic addition
Napier's Bones 1614 — multiplication and division
Wilhelm Schickard 1623 — 6-digit mechanical calculator
Blaise Pascal 1642 — 8-digit — add/subtract/multiply/divide
Babbage Difference Engine 1820 — mathematical and statistical tables
Babbage Analytical Engine 1842 — 60 additions per minute
Generation 1 1951-1958 — Vacuum Tubes — Machine language
Generation 2 1959-1964 — Transistors — FORTRAN/COBOL/BASIC
Generation 3 1965-1970 — IC chips — PASCAL language
Generation 4 1980 — LSI (30,000) and VLSI (1 million components)
Generation 5 Late 1990s — AI, Voice Recognition, Optical Fiber
Data Bus Both directions (bi-directional)
Address Bus ONE direction only
Control Bus Both directions
Serial Port 1 bit at a time — SLOW — male port — 9-24 pins
Parallel Port 8 bits at a time — FAST — female port — 25 pins
DRAM Refreshed, slower, cheaper
SRAM NOT refreshed, faster, expensive
Primary Memory VOLATILE — data erased on shutdown
Secondary Memory NON-VOLATILE — data stays
Microprocessor Brain of computer = CPU
ALU Math operations + logical operations
Control Unit Supervises everything in computer
Motherboard Circuit board — contains all key elements

ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR EXAM! You Got This!