Module 1 - Introduction to the Modern I.T. Landscape

Information Technology

is the use of computers, storage, networking, and other physical devices, infrastructure, and processes to create, process, store, secure, and exchange all forms of electronic data.

• HARDWARE

• SOFTWARE

• NETWORKS

• DATA

Core Components:

HARDWARE

The physical components (computers, servers, routers, phones).

SOFTWARE

The programs and operating systems that run on hardware.

NETWORK

The infrastructure that connects hardware together (the internet, local networks)

DATA

The raw facts and figures that are processed into meaningful information.

• The Mechanical Era (Pre-1940s)

• The Electronic Dawn (1940s-1960s)

• The Microprocessor Revolution (1970s-1980s)

• The Internet Age (1990s)

• The Mobile & Cloud Era (2000s-Present)

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF IT

The Mechanical Era (Pre-1940s)

This era was defined by mechanical devices built to solve specific mathematical problems.

Examples:

• Abacus

• Pascaline calculator (Blaise Pascal

• Analytical Engine (Charles Babbage)

These were not electronic; they used gears, levers, and physical motion.

The Electronic Dawn (1940s-1960s)

These machines used thousands of unreliable, hot, and bulky vacuum tubes as switches. The invention of the smaller, faster, and more reliable transistor in 1947 was a pivotal moment.

EXAMPLES:

• ENIAC

• UNIVAC

World War II spurred the development of the first electronic computers.

The Microprocessor Revolution (1970s-1980s)

It dramatically reduced the size and cost of computers, making the Personal Computer (PC) possible.

• invention of mouse (60’s)

• COBOL (oldest high-level programming

  languages)

• email was invented in the 70’s

• introduction of the graphical user interface operating system, (Microsoft Windows and MacOS, in the 80’s)

The invention of the microprocessor, an entire computer processing unit (CPU) on a single silicon chip that changed everything.

The Internet Age (1990s)

This era connected the world, revolutionizing communication (email), commerce, and access to information on an unprecedented scale.

While the internet's foundations (ARPANET) were laid decades earlier, the 1990s saw it become a global public network.

• In 1996, the first fully optic fiber cable was laid across the Pacific Ocean, enabling the global internet network.

• Fiber optic cables (high-speed data transmission medium that use light to transmit information)

• The creation of the World Wide Web (by Tim Berners-Lee), graphical web browsers (like

  Mosaic and Netscape Navigator), and the rise of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) made the

  internet accessible and user-friendly

The Mobile & Cloud Era (2000s-Present)

Computing power became portable, powerful, and perpetually connected

• launch of the iPhone in 2007

• Android was founded in October 2003

DATA and INFORMATION

• Data are raw, unorganized facts.

• Information is data that has been processed to be meaningful and useful.

Algorithms

A set of rules or instructions given to a computer to solve a problem or perform a task. They power everything from search engines to social media feeds.

Cybersecurity

The practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks.

Cloud Computing

Storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer's hard drive (e.g., Google Drive, iCloud).

DIGITAL LITERACY

is the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, communicate, evaluate and create information safely and appropriately through digital technologies for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

Basic elements of Digital Literacy:

▪ Media Literacy

▪ Information Literacy

▪ ICT Literacy

▪ Communication Literacy

▪ Career and Identify Management

▪ Digital Scholarship

▪ Learning Skills

7 Core Skills of Digital Literacy

• Functional Skills

• Finding Information (Information Literacy)

• Critical Thinking

• Communication & Netiquette

• Collaboration and

• Creativity

• Online Safety Skills (Cybersecurity)

Data Privacy

Who owns your data? How is it being collected, used, and protected? (e.g., social media, online shopping).

Algorithmic Bias

Algorithms are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on. They can perpetuate or even amplify human biases in areas like hiring, loan applications, and criminal justice.

The Digital Divide

The gap between those who have access to modern information technology and those who do not.

Intellectual Property

How do we protect creative work (music, software, writing) in an age where it's easy to copy and share?

Misinformation & Disinformation

The rapid spread of false or misleading information, which can have serious societal consequences.