AS Applied ICT

Unit 1 – The Information AgeOpportunities Created by the

information age

Opportunities created by the information age

Opportunities

Presenting information in different ways

Sharing information

quickly

Greater interaction with

othersVirtual

communities

Mobile technologies

A self-service environment

Presenting information in different ways

• Allows us to present information in exciting and eye catching ways– Text styles– Graphics– Colour– Graphs/Charts

• Content rich documents• Professional style

2007 UK Elections (Jeremy Vine, BBC News)

Sharing Information Quickly

• Files are stored in digital format• Large files can be e-mailed• Files can also be uploaded to servers and

accessed anywhere– Google docs– www.mediafire.com– www.youtube.com

• This facilitates collaborative work• This is a vast improvement on faxes/mail etc

Greater interaction with others

• More opportunities to interact with other people and organisations

• Business & Leisure

Business Opportunities

Virtual Communities

• E-mail, Blogs, Chat rooms, Forums, News Groups

• Like minded people are brought together through common interests

• People “meet” in a virtual world in order to discuss common interests

• MagicSeaweed

Virtual Communities: Business Perspective

• These communities can be targeted for marketing and advertising purposes

• Communities can be created by these businesses

• Virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, Second Life etc are commercial operations

Mobile Technologies

• “Desk-bound” computer systems are now mobile– Blackberry, iPhones, laptops, 3G technology

• The distinction between the boundaries of work and home are becoming blurred

• Mobile technologies used again as a marketing tool

A self service environment

• ICT has created a self-service culture

NYC Media Convergence Conference

Issues and challenges

Issues and challenges

The need for lifelong learning

Privacy Rights

Copyright and legislation

Impact on employment

The digital divide

The Need for Lifelong Learning

• In order to make the best of today’s technology, we need to learn how to use it.

• Technology is moving so quickly, we need to continually update our skills

• ICT provides the need for lifelong learning, and enables us to learn more efficiently

• Some people find this a challenge, some people see it as an opportunity

Privacy Rights

• The ease of communication brings with it the importance of respecting and protecting personal privacy

• There are laws regarding information exchange– Computer Misuse Act (1990)– Data Protection Act (1998)

• Postman scammed, ID Theft

Copyright and legislation

• A Movie, film, album or books in digital format is very transportable

• Very easy to transport over the internet• Writable CD-Rs meant CDs started to be

widely copied and spread• Now MP3/4 players have helped compound

the problem• Music stars at war

Impact on employment

Impact upon employment

• ICT is widely accepted within most workplaces• Employers spend time and money investing in

ICT resources, and training the staff• Employers are keen to employ workers with

proven ICT skills, who are willing to adapt• Inevitably, jobs have been lost, however some

jobs have been created

The digital divide

• The difference between the people who have the ICT equipment, and the education to use it efficiently, and those that do not

• It can also be used to describe countries/areas that have a communications infrastructure, and those that do not

• Equality?

I don’t need a computer. We didn’t

have them when I was a girl, and we got on ok. I like to do all my shopping in the High

Street

I spend almost all my spare time online...

Before I buy anything, I always look for product

reviews and the best price on the web...

Write up notes on the following:• Opportunities

– Presenting information in different ways– Sharing information quickly– Greater interaction with others– Virtual communities– Mobile technologies– A self-service environment

• Issues and challenges– The need for lifelong learning– Privacy Rights– Copyright and legislation– Impact on employment– The digital divide