GT101: LEARNING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

TU170: COMPUTING ESSENTIALS

MEETING 1
CHAPTER 1: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, THE INTERNET, AND YOU
CHAPTER 2: THE INTERNET, THE WEB, AND E-COMMERCE

Prepared by:
ITC team – AOU, Kuwait branch
Based on the content of GT101 smart book @McGraw-Hill Education
CHAPTER 1: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, THE
INTERNET, AND YOU
Learning Outcomes:
• Explainthe parts of an information system: people, procedures,
software, hardware, data, and the Internet.
• Distinguish between system software and application software.
• Identify the four types of computers and the five types of personal
computers.
• Define data and describe document, worksheet, database, and
presentation files.
• Explain computer connectivity. 2
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Parts of the information system:
• People
• Procedures
• Software
• Hardware
• Data
• Internet

Parts of the information system

PEOPLE

• People are the most important part of an information system.

• Our lives are touched everyday by computers direct and indirect.
– Direct: such as creating documents using a word processing
program or when connecting to the internet.
– Indirect: such as using computers in medicine, entertainment,
education and business.

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PROCEDURES

• Procedures are the rules or guidelines for people to follow when

using software, hardware and data.
• They are typically documented in printed or electronic manuals
written by computer specialists.

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SOFTWARE

• Programs (Software)* are the instructions that tell the computer how to do
its work.
• The purpose of software is to convert data (unprocessed facts) into
information (processed facts)
• Two major kinds of software:
₋ Application Software (think of it as the kind of programs you use;
e.g. Word processors)
₋ System Software (think of it as the kind of programs the computer uses;
e.g. Operating Systems) 6

*Actually, there is a difference between the two terms but it is beyond the scope of this course.
HARDWARE

• Computers are electronic devices that can follow instructions to

accept input, process it and produce information.
• There are four types of computers :

– Supercomputers
– Mainframe computers Sorted from the most powerful to the
least powerful according to the storage
– Midrange computers and the processing capability.
– Personal computers
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HARDWARE

• Supercomputers: special, high-capacity computers used by very large

corporations. They are used to process massive amount of data; e.g.
used to analyze and predict worldwide weather patterns.
• Mainframe computers: occupy specially wired, air-conditioned rooms;
e.g. used by insurance companies to process information about millions
of policyholders.
• Midrange computers (Servers): used by medium-size companies or
departments of large companies; e.g. used for retrieving data from a
database.
• Personal computers (PCs): The most widely used and fastest-growing
type of computers. 8
HARDWARE

Types of PCs include:

• Desktops
• Laptops (Notebooks)
• Tablets
• Smartphones
• Wearables

Types of personal computers

HARDWARE

• Hardware is the equipment that processes the data to create

information. It is controlled by software.
• Hardware for a PC system falls into four basic categories:
– System unit
– Input/output
– Secondary storage
– Communication

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DATA
• Data is raw, unprocessed facts including text, numbers, images
and sounds.
• Processed data becomes information.
• Digital data is stored electronically in files.
• Four common types of files are:
– Document files
– Worksheet files
– Database files
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– Presentation files
DATA
• Document files: created by word processors to save documents
such as letters and memos.
• Worksheet files: created by spreadsheets to analyze things like
budgets and to predict sales.
• Database files: created by database management programs to
contain highly structures and organized data such as the
information stored about students of a university.
• Presentation files: created by presentation graphics programs to
save presentation materials.
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CONNECTIVITY
• Almost all information systems provide a way to connect to other
people and computers, typically using the Internet.
• Connectivity is the capability of your personal computer to share
information with other computers.
• Central to the concept of connectivity is the network.
• A network is a communications system connecting two or more
computers.
• The largest network in the world is the Internet.
• The web provides a multimedia interface to the numerous resources
available on the Internet. 13
CHAPTER 2: THE INTERNET, THE WEB, AND E-COMMERCE

Learning Outcomes:
• Explain the origins of the Internet and the web.
• Explain how to access the web using providers and browsers.
• Compare different web utilities, including plug-ins, filters, file transfer utilities, and
Internet security suites.
• Compare different Internet communications, including e-mail, text messaging,
instant messaging, social networking, blogs, microblogs, webcasts, podcasts, and
wikis.
• Describe search tools, including search engines and evaluating the accuracy of
information presented on the web.
• Describe cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT). 14
THE INTERNET AND THE WEB
• TheInternet is a large network that connects smaller networks all over the
globe.
• It was launched in 1969 when the US developed a national computer network
called ARPANET.
• Atthe beginning, the Internet was all text (no graphics, animation, sound or
video).
• The World Wide Web or WWW (introduced in 1991) made it possible to include
these elements.
• The web is not the Internet.
– The Internet is the physical network (made up of wires, cables, etc.).
– Being "online" refers to being connected to this network.
15
– The Web is the multimedia interface to the resources available on the Internet
THE INTERNET AND THE WEB
The most common uses of the Internet and the Web:
• Communicating
– Exchange e-mail, photos and videos.
– Discussion groups (forums).
• Searching (for information)
– Access some of the world’s largest libraries directly from home computer (virtual libraries).
• Education or e-learning
– You can take classes on almost any subject.
• Entertainment
– Find music, movies, magazines and computer games.
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• Shopping
INTERNET ACCESS: PROVIDERS

• Common way to access the Internet is through an Internet Service

Provider (ISP).
• The providers are already connected to the Internet and provide a
path or connection for individuals to access the Internet.
• The most widely used commercial Internet service providers use
telephone lines, cable, and wireless connections.

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INTERNET ACCESS: BROWSERS

• Browsers are programs that provide access to web resources.

• A browser connects you to remote computers, opens and
transfers files, displays text, images, and multimedia.
• Four well-known browsers:
– Apple Safari
– Google Chrome
– Microsoft Edge
– Mozilla Firefox
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INTERNET ACCESS: BROWSERS

• For browsers to connect to resources, the location or the address of

the resource must be specified.
• This address is called Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
• All URLs have at least two parts
1. Protocol: rules for exchanging data between computers (e.g. http, used for
web traffic)
2. Domain name: indicates the specific address where the resource is located.
– Each domain name ends with a Top-level domain (TLD) which tells what
kind of organization hosts an email account, such as .com and .edu. 19
INTERNET ACCESS: BROWSERS
TLD Type of organization
.EDU Educational
.COM Commercial
.ORG Charitable/Non-profit
.MIL Military
.GOV Government
Examples of TLDs

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Example of a URL
WEB UTILITIES
• Utilities are programs that make computing easier.
• Web Utilities are specialized utility programs that make using the
Internet and the web easier and safer.
• Some utilities are browser-related programs.
• Others are designed to protect children from dangerous and
inappropriate websites materials.
• Examples:
– Plug-Ins
– Filters
– File Transfer Utilities 21

– Internet Security Suites

WEB UTILITIES: PLUG-INS
• Plug-ins are programs that are automatically started and operate as a part
of your browser.
• Some of these plug-ins are included in many today’s browsers and
operating systems. Others must be installed.
• Some widely used plug-ins are shown in the table.

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Examples of plug-ins
WEB UTILITIES: FILTERS
• Filters are programs that allow
parents and organizations to block
access to selected sites.
• These programs can monitor use
and generate reports about total
time spent on the Internet and the
time spent at individual websites.
Examples of filters
• Listof the best-known filters is
shown in the table.
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WEB UTILITIES: FILE TRANSFER UTILITIES

• File Transfer Utilities help you upload and download files to and
from the Internet.
• Three popular types of file transfer are:
– File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
– Web-based file transfer services (E.g. Dropbox.com)
– BitTorrent

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WEB UTILITIES: INTERNET SECURITY SUITES
• An Internet Security Suite is a collection of utility programs designed to
maintain your security and privacy while you are on the Web.
• These programs control spams, protect against computer viruses,
provide filters and much more.
• You could buy each program separately; however, the cost of the suit is
typically much less.
• Three of the known Internet security suites are:
– Kaspersky
– McAfee 25

– Norton
COMMUNICATION

• Communication is the most popular Internet activity.

• Some Popular types of Internet communication are:
– Electronic mail (e-mail)
– Messaging
– Social networking
– Blogs, microblogs, webcasts, podcasts and wikis

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COMMUNICATION: E-MAIL
• E-mail or electronic mail is the transmission of electronic messages
over the Internet.
• E-mail can be a valuable asset in your life. However, like many other
valuable technologies, there are drawbacks too.
– Spam is junk, unwanted or unsolicited e-mail.
– Computer viruses or destructive programs are often attached to spams.
– To control spams:
• Spam blockers (Spam filters)
• Antispam laws (E.g. In USA, CAN-SPAM requires that every marketing-
related e-mail provide an opt-out option) 27
COMMUNICATION: MESSAGING
There are two main types of messaging:
• Text messaging (known as texting or SMS)
– It is the process of sending a short electronic message (typically less than 160
characters).
– It was originally limited to characters but now you can send images, video, and
sound using a variation of SMS known as MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service).
• Instant Messaging (IM)
– It allows two or more people to contact each other via direct, live
communication.
– Most IM programs also include video conferencing features, file sharing, and
remote assistance.
– Most widely used instant messaging services:
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Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts

COMMUNICATION: SOCIAL NETWORKING
• Social networking sites focus on connecting people and
organizations that share a common interest or activity.
• These
sites provide many tools that facilitate meeting,
communicating, and sharing.
• Some of the best known sites are:
– Facebook
– Instagram
– LinkedIn (Currently, it is the premier business-oriented social
networking site) 29
COMMUNICATION: BLOGS AND MICROBLOGS
• Blogs or web logs
– They are personal web sites where articles are regularly posted.
– Postings are time-stamped with the newest items first.
– Readers of these sites are allowed to comment.
– Some blogs are like online diaries with personal information; others focus on
information, hobby or theme (good books, electronic devices,…).
– Several sites provide tools to create blogs like Blogger and WordPress.
• Microblogs
– Publish short sentences that only take a few seconds to write, rather than long
stories like traditional blogs.
– Designed to keep friends and other contacts up-to-date on your interest and
activities. 30

– The most popular microblogging site is Twitter.

COMMUNICATION: WEBCASTS AND PODCASTS
• Both webcasts and podcasts deliver media content (such as music and
movies) over the Internet to your computer.
• Webcasts use streaming technology in which audio and video files are
continuously downloaded to your computer while you are listening to or
viewing the file content. After a webcast has been completed, there are
no files remaining on your computer. (e.g. YouTube.com)
• Podcasts do not use streaming technology. Before a podcast can be run,
the media files have to be downloaded and saved to your computer.

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COMMUNICATION: WIKIS

• A wiki is a website specially designed to allow visitors to use their

browser to add, edit, or delete the site’s content.
• Wikis support collaborative writing.
• The most common example is Wikipedia.
• Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written and edited by anyone
who wants to contribute.
• Creating blogs and wikis are examples of web authoring.
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SEARCH TOOLS
• The Web provides a huge source of information that requires tools
to help locate information.
• Search services are organizations operate websites that can help
you locate the information you need.
– They provide special programs called spiders that continually look for
new information and update the search services' databases.
– They also provide special programs called search engines to locate
specific information on the web.
– Search engines are specialized programs that assist you in locating
information on the web.
– Examples on search engines are: Google, Bing and Yahoo. 33
SEARCH TOOLS
• Not all the information you find on the web is accurate.
• To evaluate the accuracy of web information, consider the following:
– Authority: Is the author an expert in the subject area? Is the site an official site
for the information presented, or is the site an individual's personal website?
– Accuracy: Has the information been critically reviewed for correctness prior to
posting on the web?
– Objectivity: Is the information factually reported or does the author have a
bias?
– Currency: Is the information up to date? Does the site specify the date when
the site was updated? 34
CLOUD COMPUTING

• Cloud computing uses the Internet and the Web to shift many
computer activities from the user’s computers and other computers
on the Internet.
• It frees end-users from owning, maintaining, and storing software
programs and data.
• It provides access to these services from anywhere through an
Internet connection.

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 CLOUD COMPUTING
The basic components to cloud computing:
• Clients (end-users).
• The Internet.
• Service providers:
Cloud computing components
– Such as Google Drive Apps, which
provides free access to programs with
capabilities similar to Microsoft’s Word,
Excel and PowerPoint.

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Example of a service provider

THE INTERNET OF THINGS
• The Internet is becoming more and more a part of our lives.
• The Internet of things (IoT) is the continuing development of
the Internet that allows everyday objects embedded with
electronic devices to send and receive data over the Internet.
• These everyday objects include smartphones and wearable
devices.
• For example, Fitbit is a bracelet that measures health data Fitbit
(such as the number of steps walked, heart rate, quality of
sleep, steps climbed, ... ) and sends that data to your
smartphone or personal webpage. 37