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