Reading information technologies and communication basic concepts

Miguel Ángel Romero Ochoa Espacio educativo NTIC

Universidad de Sonora

2015

M.I.S.T. MIGUEL ÁNGEL ROMERO OCHOA


28-5-2015

Information Technologies and Communication: Basic Concepts



CONTENT

Technologies of information and Communication: TIC .................................. 3

Personal computer ............................................................................................. 3

Hardware ............................................................................................................. 4

Processing devices: Processor ......................................................................... 4

Input devices ..................................................................................................... 5

Output devices .................................................................................................. 5

Storage devices ................................................................................................ 5

Software .............................................................................................................. 8

Software Licenses ............................................................................................ 8

Software Licensing Types ................................................................................. 9

Free Software .......................................................................................................................... 9

Shareware ............................................................................................................................... 9

Freeware ................................................................................................................................. 9

Proprietary software ............................................................................................................. 10

Creative Commons ................................................................................................................ 10

Internet .............................................................................................................. 10

References ........................................................................................................... 12

2015



INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND COMMUNICATION: BASIC

CONCEPTS

TECHNOLOGIES OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION: TIC

Phone cells, fax, computer, Internet, DVD, Blu-ray, video and teleconferencing,

among other things, are elements that have become part of our daily life. It has

transformed the way we communicate and process information in our society. All

these technological tools that are used for communication and information

processing are referred as "Technologies of information and communication":

TIC´s. TIC´s are in all areas of the human life, whether public or private, transforming

people relations.

They include: telecommunications and audiovisual technology. Some examples are:

Telecommunications: television, programs, teleconferences, network, web or

Internet with all its possibilities and radio.

Audiovisual technology: videos with its different formats.

IT: computer, software, multimedia, CDs, and databases.

The most representative element of the new technologies is undoubtedly the

personal computer and more specifically, Internet. As indicated by different authors,

Internet changes the way people meet each other.

PERSONAL COMPUTER

Personal Computer is a set of electronic components integrated in a system, which

allows the entry of data for processing different demands related with specific user

needs.

Computer have to do common tasks of modern computing like browse the web, write

texts, do office work for education, such as editing texts and databases. In addition

people can listen to music, watch videos, play, study, etc.



The system features clearly distinguish two dimensions of computer hardware and

software, which define it as a flexible system that is configured according to the

functions required by the user or users.

HARDWARE

It refers to the physical elements of the computer that we can "touch": keyboard,

monitor, speakers, printer, scanner, etc., although some of them are not visible at all

because are inside the cabinet or chassis of the computer (microprocessor, local

disk, RAM, etc.). All the elements are classified by its function: input and output

devices, processing and storage.

Figure 1: Operating diagram of the hardware

Processing devices: Processor

Inside the computer is the processor, a chip that is used to manage software and

hardware of the computer.

It is the part that performs the calculations, process instructions and manages the

flow of information passing through the computer. Examples of processors include

Pentium, AMD, among others.



Input devices

Input devices are the components that we use to interact with the computer. Through

them, computer receives the instructions to do the activities that the user want to do.

Examples of input devices are: keyboard, mouse, scanners, among others.

Output devices

Output devices are the components that allow us to obtain the information processed

by computer. Examples of output devices include monitor, speaker, and printers,

among others.

Storage devices

Storage devices are responsible for save all the information (programs, pictures, text

documents, etc.).

Examples of storage devices are:

Hard Disk: is an element that stores all the information and computer

programs. They come in different capacities, more capacity means more

information that can be stored.

RAM (volatile storage) is a part formed by integrated circuits encounter inside

the computer which can store information temporarily (only while the

computer is on). Furthermore it allows the computer to do different things at

the same time.

Memory ROM (non-volatile storage) contains a set of instructions that remain

unchanged, so that the computer can be use. It store commands to check the

correct operative of the memory, the hard drive and other components when

the computer starts.

CD / DVD / BLUE RAY: Regularly they are inside of the computer chassis,

allowing the insertion of a compact disc. The function of the unit is to read or

store information in them.

Flash Memory: Type of non-volatile storage that is often used in cell phones,

digital cameras, flash drives, and other devices. They can be erased and

written many times as required.



The information stored on the computer is represented internally as 0 and 1. Each 0 or 1 is called “bit” and a combination of

eight-bit is called “byte”. The following table shows the various terms used to measure the memory or storage capacity:

Prefix Description

Bit

It is the smallest unit of information handled by a computer. One bit contains only one of the values (0 or 1), which is always present. A bit transmits information of little value, but if consecutive bits are combined into larger units, you can get more meaningful information.

Byte

It is a combination of eight bits arranged in a particular sequence. Each sequence represents a single character, symbol, digit or letter. A byte forms the basic unit used to measure the storage capacity of a device

Kilobyte

A kilobyte (KB) is 1000 bytes. Most user data stored on a computer (e-mail message or a text file) use a storage space of a few kilobytes.

Megabyte

A megabyte (MB) is 1000 KB. The amount of information contained in 1 MB is approximately the same as a textbook.

Gigabyte

One gigabyte (GB) is 1000 MB, which is approximately one billion bytes. A lot of computer have a large hard disk capacity that is measured in gigabytes. A GB denotes a huge storage capacity. Thus, a video film stored on a computer can occupy more than 1 GB space.

Terabyte

A terabyte (TB) is 1,000 GB, which are roughly one trillion bytes. Usually storage devices with capacities in terabytes are used in organizations that need to store large volumes of data. A terabyte is so large that only a few terabytes of memory could contain the full text of a large number of books.

Petabyte

A petabyte is 1000 TB, is a storage unit whose symbol is PB.



Previously the equivalence of a KB was 1024 bytes, but due to bad use of the equivalence (often used as 1000 bytes), the

IEC (International Electronic Commission), defined the new prefix KiB or Kibi.

To illustrate this, see the following table:

Prefix Equivalence in bytes Prefix Equivalence in bytes

Byte 1 Byte 1

Kilobyte 1,000 KiB 1,024

Megabyte 1,000,000 MiB 1,048,576

Gigabyte 1,000,000,000 GiB 1,073,741,824

Terabyte 1,000,000,000,000 TiB 1,099,511,627,776

Petabyte 1,000,000,000,000,000 PiB 1,125,899,906,842,624



SOFTWARE

It is the intangible part that refers to everything that communicate people with the

computer, which includes languages, programs and data. The software is classified

in two types:

1. System:

• Operating Systems: controls everything that happens in the computer, it

interacts as an intermediary between the user and the computer hardware.

Its main objective is that the computer be used comfortably, and its

secondary objective is that the hardware be used efficiently. Examples of

PC operating systems are Microsoft Windows, OS X, GNU / Linux, Unix,

Solaris, Google Chrome OS, Ubuntu, etc.

• Utilities: Perform routine tasks related to the maintenance of files, the hard

drive and the proper performance of the computer system.

• Other.

2. Apps

• Software productivity: word processing, spreadsheets, databases, etc.

• Educational software: Tutorials, simulators and encyclopedias.

• Other.

Software Licenses

We define software license as the authorization or permission granted by the owner

of copyright in any contractual way to the user of a computer program, for use it in

accordance with the agreed conditions form. It may be free or generate cost, so it is

required that the rights of use, modification or distribution be granted to the person

who will use it and the definition of the limits stated.



Software Licensing Types

Free Software

It is the name of the software that gives users freedom on their purchased product

and, therefore, once obtained, can be used, copied, studied, modified and

redistributed without restrictions.

According to the Free Software Foundation, free software refers to the users

freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software; more

precisely, it refers to four freedoms of software users:

• The freedom to run the program for any purpose.

• The freedom to study how the program works.

• The freedom to adapt it to their own needs.

• The freedom to distribute copies, which can help others to improve the

program and release the improvements, so the whole community acquire

benefits (for the second and final freedom mentioned, access to source code

is a prerequisite).

Shareware

Shareware software is distribution mode which the user can evaluate the product for

free, but with limited usage time or restrictions related with the final release.

To acquire a software license that allow the complete use of the software is

necessary pay for it, although there exist "shareware zero price," but this method is

rare. Shareware and freeware are different license types, freeware is totally free.

Freeware

Defines a type of software that is distributed completely free, available for use and

for an unlimited period and is a permitted shareware version, in which the goal is to

have a user trying the product for a limited time (trial) and if you are satisfied, you

pay for it, enabling full functionality. Sometimes the source code is included, but not

usual.



Freeware usually includes a license, which allows redistribution but with some

restrictions, such as not changing the application itself and not sell it ,although the

original author has to be mentioned. You can also disallow the use in a commercial

company or a government entity, or ask for payments if you are going to give

commercial use.

Proprietary software

Propietary software is the software which companies or individuals ask for payments,

as well as for distribution or support. Most of this money is used to cover salaries of

the people who helped create the software.

Creative Commons

It is an organization that allows the use and sharing of a series of legal instruments

free of charge. These legal instruments consist in a set of "licensing model contracts"

or copyright licenses (Creative Commons licenses or licenses "CC") that provide the

author of a simple work, standardizing the way to grant permission to the general

public to share and use his/her creative work under the terms and conditions of

his/her choice. In this sense, the Creative Commons licenses allow the author to

easily change the terms and conditions of his/her work from "all rights reserved" to

"some rights reserved".

One of the services most successful when people use a computer, is the Internet,

its origins date back to the 1960s, within DARPA (Defense Advanced Research

Project Agency) in response to the need for this organization to try to find better ways

to use computers.

INTERNET

Internet (International Network) is a global network of computers that are connected

together and can exchange information.

It is an interactive communication form, which means that users can interact in real

time with the information they receive.

The requisites for the computer to be in a network are:



• Physical environment: Is the one who can transfer information. In a

small network, it can be a cable that connects to the network card for

each computer, although Internet would be impossible to use with a

cable that join the millions of computers around the world; therefore,

the telephone line is used.

• Protocol: It is a common language of communication for all computers

within the network; this language is called protocol and is called TCP /

IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

• Services: Internet offers different services, depending of the user that

will be using them, a variety of them can be found. Examples of these

services have navigation on websites, e-mail, newsgroups,

teleconferencing, videoconferencing, telephony, among others.



REFERENCES

Instituto nacional para la educación de los adultos. (2004). El uso de las tecnologías de la

información y comunicación en el proceso de aprendizaje de los jóvenes y adultos.

Obtenido de http://www.conevyt.org.mx/cursos/para_asesor/tics/imagen/lectura.pdf

Belloch Ortí , C. (s.f.). Las tecnologías de la información y comunicación. Obtenido de

http://www.uv.es/~bellochc/pdf/pwtic1.pdf

Corrado Marcos, F. (s.f.). Computadora personal (PC). Obtenido de

https://sites.google.com/site/informaticaenag/p1o-primer-ano/computadora-

personal-pc

Saldívar Vaquera, C., & Delgado Ibarra, R. (2010). Tecnologías de la información y la

comunicación. Pearson.

Wikipedia. (2015). Creative Commons. Obtenido de

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons

Wikipedia. (2015). Freeware. Obtenido de http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware

Wikipedia. (2015). Shareware. Obtenido de http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareware