APPLICATION OF ICT IN EVERY DAY LIFE

Meaning of ICT

ICT is an acronym that stands for Information and Communication Technology. ICT refers to
technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. Information and
Communication Technology deals with the use of diverse technological tools and resources to convert,
store, protect, process, transmit and retrieve information. It comprises of computers, networks, satellite
communications, robots, videotext, cable television, electronic mail, electronic games and automated
office equipment.

Uses of ICT

The three main uses of ICT include the following:

1. Communication

Information can be transmitted from one place to the other with the use of ICT. For example
sending and receiving e-mail messages, making phone calls, audio and video conferencing, sending and
receiving fax messages, chatting and instant messages etc.

2. Information Processing and Management

It can be used in storing, retrieving and manipulating data and information, typing of letters,
notes and other documents, keeping records of inventory, transmitting information etc.

3. Timing and Control

It can be used in manipulating and controlling equipment used in aircraft, ships, oil rings,
automated teller machine (ATM), and scientific research. It can also be used in monitoring and reporting
on status of equipment etc.

ICT and Society

Today, almost the whole world depends on ICT. There is no organization that cannot do without
information technology. Learning institutions, industries, banks, hospitals, supermarkets etc all depends
on daily information in carrying out their daily activities. ICT has led to development of so many things
and reduced the world to global village.

ICT and Development of society

 The impacts of ICT in the society include:

(a). Education

ICT is been used in schools by students and teachers in searching for knowledge and educative
materials.

(b). Commerce

The ICT has brought about the easiest way of buying and selling of goods on internet which is
called e-commerce (Electronic Commerce). In e-commerce, the prospective buyer will book or register
for the needed goods or services which will be delivered to them within a stipulated time.

(c). Communication

ICT has been the major part of communication, the use of internet, video conferencing; one can
communicate with other people outside ones country.

(d). Banking

ICT has made all banks to go online i.e. have internet access in their branches which makes their
transactions easier. The use of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is connected to the internet which pays
money to different banks customers.

(e). Manufacturing

ICT is used in almost all manufacturing companies e.g. Textile industry, AutoCAD in engineering
etc. this makes it so simple for industries/factories to produce many things within few minutes or hours
since everything has been programmed.

(f). Libraries

Almost all libraries are now using information and communication technology (ICT) one can log
books in and out.

ASSIGNMENT

1. ENUMERATE WAYS HOW ICT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SOCIETY

 Information Transmission

Definition of Information Transmission

Information Transmission is the process of sending out processed data from one person or place to
another in a meaningful form through a communication medium. Human beings have been transmitting
information since ancient times thus there are both ancient and modern means of transmitting
information.

Ancient Methods of Transmitting Information

These are the methods used by our forefathers. They include the following:
a. Oral (Face to Face) Communication
This is a method whereby the sender (informant) meets with the receiver (recipient) face to face in
order to pass information across.

b. Beating Drums
Drum beating is another way of transmitting information from the sender to the receiver. Drums are
used to inform the Villagers of certain invents such as hunting, farming, death announcement e.t.c.
Every event has its unique tune that the villagers can understand.

c. Smoke Signals
This method is used to pass information by bush burning to alert the people in the environment of the
incoming danger.

d. Making representation
Information could be sent from one village to another with the use of representation. E.g. tying a cutlass
with red cloth which will inform the receiver that something bad is coming, if proper attention is not
taken.

e. Town Crier
Information was passed by town crier shouting the information repeatedly around the town.

f. Drawing diagrams
The diagram will be drawn on the walls or on the banks of trees. The messages are always understood
by the person it was made for.

Modern Methods of Transmitting Information

With the development in technology, it is now possible to pass information straight to the audience.
Ancient means of communication have been replaced by more efficient modern ones. Modern means of
transmitting information include:

a. Writing
Instead of making marks or using objects to communicate, in modern times, information can be
transmitted by writing, which is done either by hand, or by using machines such as computers or
typewriters.

b. Printing Machine
Printed materials are just like typewritten ones. Printing allows mass production of informative materials
that could be spread far and wide e.g. production of invitation cards, handbills newspapers etc.

c. Radio
Voice information is broadcast to group of people in geographical location at the same time within few
minutes.

d. Television
This is used to broadcast information in form of both voice and pictures to people in different location.

e. Internet
This means international network, information in this case is globally broadcast to the whole world for
those that have interest in updating themselves.

f. Fax
This transmit text and graphic messages from one location to the other, it might be within the country
or outside the country with the use of series of numbers called fax number.

g. Telephone
Telephone allows people’s voices to be transmitted over long or short distances.

h. Telex
A telex machine is used to transmit textual information from one person to another usually over a long
distance.

i. Satellite
A satellite is an object which has been placed into the orbit by human endeavor in other to improve
sending radio, telephone and internet signals to any part of the world. Such objects are sometimes
called artificial satellite to distinguish from natural satellite such as moon.

j. GSM
GSM means Global System for Mobile Communication. We use this to send and receive phone calls. One
benefit of GSM phone is the addition of SIM card or Subscriber Identification Module.

Classification of means of transmitting information

Both ancient and the modern means of transmitting information can be classified under Electronic and
Non-Electronic. Those that involve the use of electronics include prints, telephone, Radio, Television,
Fax, Satellite, Internet and GSM.

Those that do not involves the use of electronic include Oral, Beating of drums, Fire lighting, whistling,
drawing diagrams and making representation

Modes of Receiving Information

Messages can be received by three major ways. These include:

i. Audio
ii. Visual
iii. Audio-visual

Audio: This is a mode of communication where data are received via sound or voice without seeing the
pictures. E.g. through Radio, Telephone, Beating of drums, Town crying (except the town crier is closer)
etc

Visual: This is a mode of receiving information through prints or pictures alone without sound or voice
e.g. prints, Drawings, Computer printers, Telex, fax machines etc

Audio-visual: This is a mode of receiving information in both visual and audio form; i.e. both hearing
sound and voice, and seeing pictures. E.g. Television, Oral, etc.

ASSIGNMENT

1. HIGHLIGHT FOUR WAYS OF TRANSMITTING INFORMATION

Definition of Software

Software is a set of instructions and procedures passed to the computer to perform certain activities or
task. It can also be defined as a set of instructions that direct the activities of the computer system in
order to undertake a specific task. Unlike the hardware, software cannot be seen or touched.

Types of Software

Software is divided into two broad groups, these are:

1. System Software

2. Application software
1. System Software

These are software that control the way the different computer components communicate with one
another. It can also be defined as programs that help run the computer hardware and software. The
system software consists of programs, written by manufacturers, which contributes to the proper
control and good performance of the computer system. System software generally comprises three
groups. These are:

a. Operating system

b. Utility software

c. Translators

a. Operating system: Operating (OS) is software program that manages the hardware and software
resources of the computer. Examples Disk Operating System (DOS), Microsoft windows, UNIX, LINUX,
MAC etc

Utility software: utility software (service programs) are used for general housekeeping of the computer
such as repairing the computer, backing up files, copying, sorting and printing. Examples of utility
programs include: window explorer, Anti-virus, Network manager, Registry cleaner, data compression
utilities, etc

Translators: Translators are programs for converting programs in other languages into machine
language instruction so that the computer can execute them. Examples include assembler, compiler and
interpreter.

2. Application Software

These are software that allows humans to accomplish one or more specific (non-computer) task.

There are different types of application software, they include:

a. Word processing software: These are software used for creating, editing and printing document.
Example include: Microsoft Word, Notepad, Corel WordPerfect, WordPad, etc.

b. Spreadsheet software: These are software for performing accounting and statistical calculations.
Examples are: Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, etc.

c.    Graphics software: These are software that are used for drawing and designing purposes, examples
CorelDraw, Paint, Photoshop, Instant Artist, etc.
d. Database Application: Database software allows you to enter, retrieve and update data in an
organized and efficient manner. Commonly used database programs include Microsoft Access and Lotus
1-2-3

e. Presentation: A presentation program is a computer software package used to display information,

normally in the form of a slide show. Examples are MS power point Corel Presentations, OpenOffice.org
Impress, SlideSlider, SlideRocket SlideWiki, Audience (software), Ease, Emaze, WPS presentation, etc

ASSIGNMENT

1. DESCRIBE WHO IS A SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Application Software

Definition of Application Software

1. Application software is a program or group of programs designed for end users.

2. A program is called an application program if it performs some human-oriented task.

 Types of Application Software

It is divided into two which are

(i) User application software: These are user-written software tailored to meet the user’s specific needs.
This includes spread sheet templates, word processor macros, scientific simulations, graphics, and
animation scripts. Users create this software themselves and often overlook how important it is.

(ii) Application packages: This consists of multiple programs bundled together to address a specific
need.  It is also known as application suite or integrated package. Examples are Microsoft office, Open
office.org, and iwork which bundle together a word processor, a spread sheet, and several other
discrete applications. The separate applications in a suite usually have some capability to interact with
each other in ways beneficial to the user.

Application Package Categories

1.   General purpose application software packages: General-purpose application software is software

used to perform a broad variety of tasks and is useful to nearly all computer users. It is not limited to
one particular function. Examples are

(i)        Word Processing: This is the process of using a computer to create, edit and print text – based
documents. Examples are Ms – word, Word star, Word perfect, Window Word pad etc.

(ii)    Spreadsheet: Spreadsheet applications are computer program that let you perform mathematical,
statistical and accounting calculations electronically.  Google Sheets - (Online and free) iWork Numbers,
Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel, VisiCalc, WPS spreadsheet, etc.
(iii) Presentation: A presentation program is a computer software package used to display information,
normally in the form of a slide show. Examples are MS power point Corel Presentations, OpenOffice.org
Impress, SlideSlider, SlideRocket SlideWiki, Audience (software), Ease, Emaze, WPS presentation, etc.

(iv)  Database management: This is a program lets one or more computer users create and access data in
a database. Examples of DBMS are MS Access, Oracle, Paradox, SQL Server, SyBase, FOXPRO, Dbase, etc.

(v)     Graphics package: A graphics package is an application that can be used to create and manipulate
images on a computer. Examples are Corel draw, Microsoft paint, Photoshop etc.

(vi)  Games: This is an electronic game that involves interaction with users interface to generate visual
feedback on a video device

2.     Special (specific) purpose application software packages: These are software that is limited in what
they can do, but usually does that one thing much better than general purpose program. They include:

(i)          Accounting Management: This is the practical application of management techniques to control

report on the financial health of an organisation.

(ii)      Payroll System: This is a program designed for calculating the regular salary, wages or other
compensation paid to every employee in a company.

(iii)   Banking software: It enables the management, monitoring and control of transactions for financial
institutions and banks.

(iv)    Hospital Management Software: It is also known as Hospital information System. It is a

comprehensive, integrated information system designed to manage the administrative, financial and
clinical aspect of a hospital. It benefits are easy access to patient data, helps in decision support system
for health care polities, efficient and accurate administration of finance, improved monitoring of drug
usage, etc.

(v)       Reservation System: A computer reservations system is a computerized system used to store,

retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air travel. It is designed and operated by
airlines.

(vi)    Human Resources (HR) Management: It functions includes a variety of activities, and key among
them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire
employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, dealing with performance
issues, etc.

(vii) Attendance System: There are three components that make up a Time and Attendance system.
First, Barcode readers are used to allow employee to make quick and adequate time transaction.
Second, data taken from devices needs to be managed and stored by PC’s. Third, management of the
time transactions, payroll generation and detailed reports is done by the Time and Attendance software.

(viii)                         Billing system: This is a system that tracks customer usage of services, and calculates
the impact on a customer’s account, based on the price of the service. Billing systems have come to
include noncore functionality such as customer management, integration with payment gateways, and
statistical analysis. 
ASSIGNMENT

1. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AN OPERATING SYSTEM IN A COMPUTER

Definition of System Software

a.   System software is a collection of program design to operate, control and extend the capabilities of
computer. 

b.  These are software that control the way the different computer components communicate with one
another.

c.   It can also be defined as programs that helps run the computer hardware and software.

Types of System software

The major types of system software are:

i.     Operating System

ii. Translators

iii.         Utility programs (or tools)

A.           Operating System

Operating (OS) is software program that manages the hardware and software resources of the computer
and provides common services for program. The operating system is the most important program that
runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other
programs.

Examples of Operating Systems

Mac (Macintosh), Windows, Linux, UNIX, DOS, Android, IOS, etc.

Functions of the Operating System

The major functions of the operating system are:

a. Starting the computer automatically when the power is turned on.

b. Scheduling processes

c.   Controlling program execution

d. Managing the main memory

e.  accounting resource usage

f.   managing and manipulating  files

g. controlling input and output

h.  Easy interaction between human and computer

i.    Loading and scheduling users’ programs along with necessary compilers.

Types of Operating System

a.   Real-time operating system (RTOS) - A Real Time Operating System, commonly known as an RTOS, is
a software component that rapidly switches between tasks, giving the impression that multiple
programs are being executed at the same time on a single processing core. Example VxWorks,
QNX, eCos, RTLinux

b. Single-user, single task - As the name implies, this operating system is designed to manage the
computer so that one user can effectively do one thing at a time. Examples Palm OS, Pocket PC, MS-DOS

c.   Single-user, multi-tasking - - As the name implies, this operating system is designed to manage the
computer so that one user can effectively do more than one thing at a time. Examples Windows Family,
Mac OS, Linux

d. Multi-user - A multi-user operating system allows many different users to take advantage of the
computer's resources simultaneously. Examples UNIX, Novell, Windows Server

e.   Distributed - A distributed operating system manages a group of independent computers and makes
them appear to be a single computer. Examples, Solaris, AIX, Mach/OS

f.    Embedded - Embedded operating systems are designed to be used in hand held computer systems.
Examples:

Symbian

Embedded Linux - Of which Android is a subset.

BlackBerry OS - For BlackBerry phones

iOS - Subset of Mac OS X, used in Apple’s mobile devices

Palm OS

Windows Mobile

User interfaces

A user interface (UI) refers to the part of an operating system that allows a user to enter and receive
information

1.  Graphical user Interface (GUI) operating system: This operating system allows users to click and drag
objects with a mouse instead of entering command line. Examples of GUI based operating system are
Mac, Windows, and Linux.
2.  Text User Interfaces (TUI)/Command line also known as command screen is a user interface that
requires the user to type in commands via the keyboard in order to pass instruction to the computer.
Examples are DOS (Disk operating System), Unix, etc. in MS-DOS the command line prompt is “C:/>”..

B.            Translators

Translators are programs for converting programs in other languages into machine language instruction
so that the computer can execute them. A computer language translator is a program that translates a
set of code written in one programming language into a functional equivalent of the code in another
programming language. Examples of translators include, Assembler, compiler and interpreter.

Assembler: An assembler is a computer program for translating assembly language into machine
language. Assembly language is a mnemonic representation of machine language. The computational
step where an assembler is run is known as assembly time.

Compiler: A compiler is a computer program that translates text written in a computer language into
another language. The original sequence is called the source code and the output called the object code.

Interpreter: An interpreter is a computer program that directly executes instructions written in a

programming language, without previously compiling them into a machine language program. An
interpreter translates one statement at a time to machine code and executes it immediately before
taking the next statement.

C.      Utility Program

Utility software also known as service program, service routine, tool, or utility routine) is a computer
software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain the computer.

Examples of Utility program

1.  Anti-virus: Antivirus or anti-virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malwares.
Computer viruses, computer worms, Trajan horse, spyware and adware from the computer

2.  Backup utilities: Backup utility can make a copy of all information stored on a disk, and restore either
the entire disk or selected files in event of disk failure or accidental deletion.

3.  Data compression utilities: output a smaller file when provided with a file.

4.  File managers: It provide a convenient method of performing routine data management tasks, such
as deleting, renaming, cataloging, copying, moving, merging, etc.

5.  Cryptographic utilities: cryptographic utilities encrypt and decrypt streams and file.

6.  Disk Cleaners: Disk cleaner can fine files that are unnecessary to computer operation, or take up
considerable amount of space. It helps the user to decide what to delete when their hard disk is full.

7.  Disk partitioners: Disk partitioners can divide an individual drive into multiple logical drives.