Leccion 2 Sistemas Operacionales

Information Technology

Lesson 1

Meaning of “Information Technology (IT)”: A general term which includes all of

the computer system: the hardware, software and other services associated with computer operation.

Definitions:

Hardware: Objects that you see when the computer is turned off.

Software: Instructions that indicates the computer what to do with the data.

Services: Crucial activities to the entire operation of computers provided by the Information Technology specialists

Types of ComputersTwo Major Categories of Computers

1. Mainframe Computers

2. Microcomputers

Three Major Categories of Microcomputers

1. PDA (Personal Digital Assistants)

2. Laptop

3. DesktopMajor Uses of the Major Categories of Microcomputers

1. PDA- Has fewer applications to be used when you’re away from desktop or laptop.

2. Laptop- Has all types of applications available for road use.

3. Desktop- Has all types of applications available for home or office use.

The Block Diagram of the Computer System

Control

Input Processing Output

Memory

Input Devices

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1. Keyboard2. Mouse, Trackball or Touch

Pad3. Internal Drives4. External Hard Drive5. Printer

6. Scanner7. Modem8. CD/DVD9. Camera/Microphone 10. Touch Screen

Processing

1. 2

3

610

78

4

569

3

Calculate Controls operational logic Contains RAM for calculations Controls components Speed (Megahertz 1million operations per second)

Output Devices

1. Monitor 2. Printer 3. Internal Drives 4. External Hard Drive

5. Modem 6. Speaker System 7. CD/DVR Recorder 8. Thumb Drive

Memory Devices

4

1

5

37

46

8

2

Read-Only Memory(ROM)= Memory that retains operating system info permanently

Random Access Memory (RAM)- Temporaly stores data, volatile, the data disappear when the system is powered-down

Measurement of Memory: bit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte

Control

Control

Input Processing Output

Memory

Operating Systems- Windows XPApplications Programs- Microsoft OfficeSpecialized Programs on ROM- Plug-in games

Review of Key IT TermsIT Information Technology

Input Putting information into the computer

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Processing Doing something with the information put in the computer

Output Getting information out of the computer

Memory Storing and retrieving information in the computer

Control Directing input, processing memory and output

Monitor Visual display of information stored in memory

CPU Central Processing Unit

Applications Programs developed to produce products

System Software Programs that perform system operations

Byte 8 bits (a string of eight zeros and/or ones

CD-ROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory

Diskette Storage device that holds 1.2 megabytes of data

Digital Discrete as opposed to analogous

Analog Analogous, representing relative size

e-Commerce Business conducted on the Internet

e-Mail Mail sent and received via the Internet

Freeware Computer software which is free to the user

Bit A zero or a one

Touchscreen Special display that outputs video and inputs location of touch

Mouse A means by which any area of the screen can be reached

Trackball An alternative to the mouse

Touchpad Another alternative to the mouse, mostly on laptops

Modem A means by which data can be sent and received via the telephone

Megahertz Measure of speed; approx. a million cycles per second

Gigahertz Measure of speed; approx. a trillion cycles per second

Kilobyte Measure of quantity; 1024

Megabyte Measure of quantity; 1024 kb, approx. 1 million bytes

Hardware Physical parts of the computer and peripherals

PDA A hand-held computer

Quick Quiz

Directions: Using the system explained by your instructor, answer the following questions related to Information Technology.

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1. Which of the following are included as part of the concept, Information Technology?a. Hardware c. Personnelb. Software d. All of the above responses

2. Which of the following peripherals functions as both an input and output device?a. mouse c. trackballb. touch screen d. touchpad

3. What you see after turning off the computer’s main power switch is termeda. hardware c. softwareb. systems applications d. user applications

4. That computer component which tells the computer what to do with supplied data is calleda. firmware c. softwareb. directions d. all of the above

5. The smallest of the various types of general purpose computers is called thea. calculator c. programmable calculatorb. memory-based calculator d. PDA

6. Which of the following would be classified as input devices?a. touchpad c. trackballb. touch screen d. all of the above

7. A flat-bed scanner is classified as a/n ____________ devicea. processing c. controlb. memory d. input

8. Which of the following are both input and output devices?a. 3.5” floppy drive c. DVD playerb. CD player d. all of the above

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Measurement of Memor

9. The device which is used to modulate and de-modulate signals is called a/na. modem c. de-modulatorb. modulator d. converter

10.Which of the following is a task of the central processing unit?a. calculations c. control logicb. control components d. all of the above

11. A central processing unit, the heart of the computer, is approximately how large?a. 1 foot by 1 foot c. less than 4” squareb. 8” by 12” d. no more than .25” square

12. The speed of the CPU is measured ina. cycles/minute c. cycles/hourb. operations/second d. all of the above

13. In terms of output devices, which of the following is probably the most used?a. monitor c. printerb. CD-writer d. tape recorder

14. ROM stands for _______________ memorya. random operational c. read-onlyb. read-once d. recursive operational

15. Which of the following is true of RAM?a. It is permanent c. It is highly volatileb. It is extremely expensive d. all of the above

16. Which of the following is a good definition of a “bit”?a. a zero or a one c. one-eighth of a byteb. a binary digit d. all of the above

17. Memory is measured in bytes. What is the definition of a byte?a. eight zeros or ones c. 1/10,000 of a terabyte

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b. 210 bits d. 10 bits

18. A kilobyte is a. exactly 1024 bytes c. 25 bitsb. one million bits d. exactly 1024 bits

19. A terabyte is one million megabytes or approximately ____________ bytes.a. one thousand c. ten millionb. one hundred thousand d. one trillion

20. Windows XP is an example of a/na. MS Office application c. Operating Systemb. Off-line storage system d. all of the above

21. Which of the following would be classified as an application program?a. Word c. Photoshopb. PowerPoint d. all of the above

22. The type of monitor that can serve not only as an output device but also as an input device is called a/na. touchscreen c. touchpadb. trackscreen d. input/output video display

23.Which of the following can be read from a CD-ROM?a. word processing files c. digital picturesb. digital movies d. all of the above

24.The CPU is the central processing unit. With a desktop computer, CPU also may refer to thea. box, either metal or plastic, that contains the CPU and peripheralsb. control-program unitc.. monitor, the visual output displayd. main memory (both RAM and ROM)

25.Which of the following can function as an output device?

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a. mouse c. trackballb. CD-ROM reader d. monitor

Activity 1-1

Directions: In this first activity you will be exploring the Information Technology employment opportunities. You will first have the opportunity to read about such opportunities by means of a search on the Internet. You will see in this activity what the actual employment opportunities are and what are the needed skills for those desiring such employment.

1. Study the following excerpts from the classified ads, announcements of job opening which are all in the area of information technology. What are some of the major conclusions you can draw from announcements such as these? This type of pages is a good source of classified jobs. It has detailed information about the job that you are probably looking for. It not only presents you different options on Information Technology vacant, also gives you the place where employees are needed. Results of an Internet search related to jobs in the IT field.

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Note that the Category is Information Technology and 39,319 job postings were found. These jobs are listed in the “Newest jobs first” order, and the names of the companies and locations are indicated.Further exploration of this website produces the Job Title/Description, Company, Location, and Date Found categories for each of the opportunities listed.

Continued exploration of any of these job postings will provide information concerning the details of the job and the required background.

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Scrolling further down the required experience/knowledge is listed.

Note that in this class, you will be studying Windows XP, one of the requirements.

Activity 1-2

Be on the lookout for job listings in the area of Information Technology. Such listing may be found in newspapers, magazines related to Information Technology, and on the Internet. Be prepared for the next class session to share your findings concerning preparation for employment in the IT field.

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