GCSE ict revision

GCSE ict revision

ICT and society

Introduction

ICT is constantly changing and advancing as scientists and engineers create new technologies for us to use and enjoy.
For example in the last 50 years these technologies have become commonplace
Personal Computers
Mobile Phones
The Internet
Medical scanners
Satellites
Lasers
CD and DVD
Television
Car electronics
Credit cards
And so on. Imagine what our society was like back in the 1950's compared to today.

Entertainment

ICT is everywhere in the modern UK home. It has affected the way we go about our daily lives.
For example, entertainment. ICT has provided many ways of whiling away an hour or two
Multi-channel digital television

There are now many digital channels to choose from - you can either use the Freeview service or choose to subscribe to a satellite service. These services also include dozens of 'radio' channels such as Radio 1,2,3 and 4.
Good points: Choice - There are so many transmission channels now available, that broadcasters create special interest channels to attract an audience e.g. Sports, Science, Cooking, Travel and so on
Bad points: Quality - With so much 'air time' to fill, it is hard for broadcasters to find good quality material to fill all those hours of viewing.
Stories:
TVs and PCs 'take over US homes
Computer games
In recent times, computers have become so powerful and low cost that many of us play computer games for entertainment. You can buy specialised games machines that hook up to a television.

or you can use the Internet to play online games with thousands of other people who are also online with you.

Good points: Very involving and good fun to play with your friends
Bad points: Can be so distracting that 'real life' relationships and demands on your time can suffer. Addictive - there have been news stories reporting that gaming can be a very serious problem for some people who are not able to balance this form of gaming with 'real life'.
Stories:
Online worlds draw gamers closer
Malaysia gamers face night curfew
'My life as an online gamer'
Music.
Back in the 50's there were vinyl records and the radio. There were no affordable recording methods. Today we listen and gather our music in a number of new ways.
The invention of the Compact Disc made a huge leap in sound quality - no more hiss crackle and pops that the old vinyl records suffered from. We are able to record our music straight on to a computer. We can pay for a music track in an online music store and download it to our personal MP3 player.
Good points: Many ways of listening to our music - on the move or through our living room Hi-Fi.
Bad points: The music industry is so concerned about illegal copying that Digtial Rights Management (DRM) methods have become common. These sometimes cause a problem when trying to listen to perfectly legal music.

Family life

Generation gap
ICT technology moves at such a pace that older generations may be 'left behind'.
Today, ICT is taught as a core subject in schools, so the technology is very familiar to schoolchildren. Not so for older people, who have less opportunity to use the technology available.
Research shows that nearly a third of parents and grandparents had been encouraged to surf the net by a child aged between 13 and 16.
'Silver surfers'
Those older people who have embraced the internet and made it part of their life are called 'silver surfers' by the media.
For example, some people have a serious illness to cope with, such as cancer. And they have turned to online diaries called 'weblogs' to share their experience with others.
Silver surfers, as a group, have a lot of money to spend and so advertisers are making great efforts to attract them to their products.

Stories:
Surfing the long wave

Managing family life
Here is a quote from a news article on how the internet is changing the way we manage family life
Women in Scotland are increasingly using the internet to help them manage their lives, researchers have found.
Online shopping was said to be one of the most popular uses, with 40% of women questioned admitting to feeling more independent by using the internet.
We can now do many chores online if we wish. For example food shopping is simple with most of the big supermarkets having an online store. Once an order is placed, it will be delivered by van within an agreed time slot.. Other specialist shops can supply organic food and direct-from-farm produce.
Stories
Kids to teach elderly net skills Busy women turn to the internet

digital divide

The Digital Divide
This term is used to describe the fact that not everyone in Society is able to take advantage of new technologies such as the Internet or mobile phone technology.
Another term used to describe the Digital Divide is "Social Exclusion"
Poverty
It costs money to buy a computer, then it costs more to subscribe to an Internet Service Provider. If you are poor , it becomes a luxury you cannot afford.
Efforts are being made to provide homeless people with Internet and Mobile phone access.
Homeless people who want to apply for jobs can use a mobile phone number as a contact point.
An e-mail address could be the first step to finding a permanent place to live, by enabling people to receive information about long-term living places while moving between hostels.
The government has invested heavily in providing public access computers in our libraries, so allowing any citizen to make use of the internet.
Stories
Call to give Homeless Broadband

computer literacy

Being able to type and use a computer is fast becoming as basic a skill as reading or writing. This is called 'computer literacy'. Many of the benefits of ICT derive from being able to use a computer and so those who can't are at a disadvantage. Some of the reasons for not being able to make use of a computer and the Internet are:
• the need for being able to read and write • language issues;
People who speak languages other than the main European and Asian languages may also be left behind because most of the Internet makes use of just a small number of languages.In India, efforts have been made to help illiterate citizens with this problem by developing the 'Simputer'
http://www.simputer.org/
Quote from the web site above: The Simputer is a low cost portable alternative to PCs It has a special role in the third world because it ensures that illiteracy is no longer a barrier to handling a computer.
Many Community projects are underway to help people become computer literate.
Another project supported by the United Nations is the 100 dollar computer. Nicknamed the green machine, it can be used as a conventional computer, or an electronic book. A child can control it using a cursor at the back of the machine or a touchpad on the front.
It is powered by a wind-up crank so it can be used even where there is no electricity.
Stories
UN debut for $100 laptop for poor
Simputer for poor goes on sale

Computer Literacy and Work.
Many types of jobs now expect you to have some level of computer skills. For example
being able to type - if only with two fingers!
being able to use basic Office applications,
being able to use email.
Those people who cannot do these things are immediately at a disadvantage

counrtry

A quote from a recent news article in 2006:
"According to a report carried out by the Welsh Consumer Council in 2005, 56% of the Welsh population has no access to the internet at home or at work."
And it is predicted that 90% of all new jobs require some knowledge of technology.
Most cities are well served with excellent communication and computer networks, this is because there are plenty of customers living close together to pay for services.
But in the countryside there are fewer people and they live in widely scattered communities.
This makes it difficult for companies to make any profit, as there are relatively few people to cover the cost of setting up networks.

But in the UK, great efforts have been made to enable broadband access to even the most remote village.

Stories
Half of Wales 'has no web access'
Communities get broadband access

Developing

Developing countries
There is a 'Digital divide' between rich and poor countries. In the UK it is taken for granted that the electricty supply works, that a telephone system is in place. But there are many poorer nations that do not have these things to any extent..
ICT can be very useful in developing countries. For example, farmers are able to check the prices they may get for their harvest before setting out to market.
Health messages can be sent by text if a mobile phone system is in place.
Many organisations are setting out to help break down the digital divide between nations.
This lady in Bangladesh was able to purchase a single mobile phone by borrowing from a bank.
She was then able to sell phone calls to the rest of the village, who were able to contact family and friends from afar.
She is called the 'telephone lady' by the villagers and one of the first things she bought with her new income was a bicycle for her son so he could get to school.

Stories
The article below has personal views on the Digital divide from people around the world.
Is technology leaving you behind?

communication

Communication technology has advanced at an incredible rate over the last 40 years. For example these have become commonplace.
Mobile phones
Satellite and Undersea cables.
Internet
Email
Instant Messaging
Texting
Video Conference
24 hours rolling news.
This has changed the way people in our Society talk or communicate with one another. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. The next two pages describes each these.

benefits

Friends and family , no matter where they are on the planet, people can talk to one another if they have access to the right technology. For example there is a very busy Internet cafe set up at the base camp of Mount Everest!
Story:
High Hopes for Everest Internet Cafe

Travel and the Environment: Video conferencing and email have reduced the need for business travel, this has allowed people to have more time at home with their families rather than being stuck in an airport somewhere. Less travel also means less pollution, as fewer cars and aircraft need to be used.
Story:
Airlines sport their green colours

Education and Training: Video conferencing and remote control of another computer has allowed teachers and trainers to run lessons from far away. For example, an International corporation located in the UK may want to train their staff located in Thailand on a new computer application. Normally, the Thai staff would have to come to the UK for training. But now, the UK office sets up a video link with the Thailand office, they also set up remote control of the PCs in Thailand and they run the training course directly from the UK. Everybody wins.

Working anywhere: Being able to access the company network from anywhere means that people are no longer tied to the office, they could just as easily work from home. Because of this, home working ('Teleworking') is becoming more common.
Also, people working for international corporations can travel from country to country on business and yet settle down to a fully networked local office desk and work as it they are in their home office.
Story: Working from home trend gathers pace
World Awareness: The 24 hour news networks brings us events from around the world as they happen. This means that as a Society we can react almost immediately. In natural disaters such as the Boxing day Tsunami, massive aid from nations from around the world was brought to bear within hours. Wars, crimes, tragedies, celebrations are much closer to us than they were 50 years ago.
Quote from the story below: "There was such a huge impact immediately [that] people acted immediately," said Helen daSilva, a spokeswoman for Oxfam America. "The numbers have been incredible."
Story:
Internet aids Tsunami recovery

Social connections:
From the story quoted below:- Research has shown that over 60 million American citizens turn to the Internet when they need career advice, helping people through an illness or finding a new house.
It shows that the Internet has become a cornerstone when searching for vital information. The thing to be really careful of though, especially on health matters, is how accurate is the information? Just because a 'fact' appears on a web page somewhere, does not mean that it is true. Good judgement is even more vital as you try and sort out the dross from the good information.
Story: Internet serves as 'social glue'

issues

Laziness: Having all these methods of communicating has a tendency to make people lazy. They may no longer bother to talk face to face, instead they send an email to a work colleague only a few feet away. Some organisations have even introduced 'email free days' to encourage people to actually talk to one another!
Family members, each playing or working on their own computers may actually send Instant Messages to each other in the same house rather than talk to one another.

Stories:
Email makes people lazy
E-mail ban for council staff

Distraction:
At home: With so much available to entertain us, there is less need to actually sit around the dinner table and talk to one another, so technology can have a negative effect on family relationships.
At school: text messaging during lessons are a distraction and so this has a bad effect on learning.
Stories:
Txt Means Goodbye to Hello

Unfit people: Being able to communicate with colleagues from a desk means that people just don't walk around enough to keep fit. So eventually, having a growing population of unfit people may impact on their health and the National Health Service.

Crime:
Items such as Mobile phones are very expensive items and so they tend to encourage theft and other crimes.
Quote from the story below: "Flashing your mobile phone is just like flashing your wallet. "We are urging youngsters in the Borough to be discreet, particularly when using their phone in public.
Story:
Cards aid mobile phone security

CONCLUSION
As with most technologies, there is always a blend of good and bad effects on society. But for a technology to succeed, it must show an overall benefit for people. It is always a balance.
This web site has tried to show you the advantages and disadvantages that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has brought to society.

Hardware

Inroduction

Input means to enter data into a computer for processing. An input device is any device that can get data into the computer.
Each input device is suitable for a different purpose. Some devices are manual and some are automated.
This web site describes common MANUAL input devices. There is a companion web site that covers AUTOMATIC input devices that you may also wish to use.

Keyboard

The keyboard is the most widely used input device and is used to enter data or commands to the computer. It has a set of alphabet keys, a set of digit keys, and various function keys and is divided into four main areas:
Function keys across the top
Letter keys in the main section
A numeric keypad on the right
Cursor movement and editing keysbetween the main section and the numeric keypad.
The layout of the letters on a keyboard is standard across many countries and is called a QWERTY keyboard. The name comes from the first six keys on the top row of the alphabetic characters.
Some keyboards come with added keys for using the Internet and others have an integrated wrist support. Ergonomic keyboards have been developed to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injury to workers who use keyboards for long periods of time.
The computer's processor scans the keyboard hundreds of times per second to see if a key has been pressed. When a key is pressed, a digital code is sent to the Central Processing Unit (CPU). This digital code is translated into ASCII code (American Standard Code of Information Interchange).
For example, pressing the 'A' key produces the binary code 01100001 representing the lower case letter 'a'. Holding down the shift key at the same time produces the binary code 01000001 representing the upper case letter 'A'.
Advantages:
Most computers have this device attached to it
It is a reliable method for data input of text and numbers
A skilled typist can enter data very quickly.
Specialist keyboards are available
Disadvantages:
It is very easy to make mistakes when typing data in
It can be very time consuming to enter data using a keyboard, especially if you are not a skilled typist.
It is very difficult to enter some data, for example, details of diagrams and pictures.
It is very slow to access menus and not flexible when you want to move objects around the screen
Difficult for people unable to use keyboards through paralysis or muscular disorder.

Mouse

A mouse is the most common pointing device that you will come across. It enables you to control the movement and position of the on-screen cursor by moving it around on the desk.
Buttons on the mouse let you select options from menus and drag objects around the screen. Pressing a mouse button produces a 'mouse click'. You might have heard the expressions 'double click', 'click and drag' and 'drag and drop'.
Most mice use a small ball located underneath them to calculate the direction that you are moving the mouse in. The movement of the ball causes two rollers to rotate inside the mouse; one records the movement in a north-south direction and the other records the east-west movement. The mouse monitors how far the ball turns and in what direction and sends this information to the computer to move the pointer.

Advantages:
Ideal for use with desktop computers.
Usually supplied with a computer so no additional cost.
All computer users tend to be familiar with using them.
Disadvantages
They need a flat space close to the computer.
The mouse cannot easily be used with laptop, notebook or palmtop computers. (These need a tracker ball or a touch sensitive pad called a touch pad).

Trackball
A tracker ball, is like an upside down mouse with the ball on top. Turning the ball with your hand moves the pointer on the screen. It has buttons like a standard mouse, but requires very little space to operate and is often used in conjunction with computer aided design. You will often find a small tracker ball built into laptop computers in place of the conventional mouse.

Advantages
Ideal for use where flat space close to the computer is limited.
Can be useful with laptops as they can be built into the computer keyboard or clipped on.
Disadvantages
Not supplied as standard so an additional cost and users have to learn how to use them.

joystick

A Joystick is similar to a tracker ball in operation except you have a stick which is moved rather than a rolling ball.
Joysticks are used to play computer games. You can move a standard joystick in any one of eight directions. The joystick tells the computer in which direction it is being pulled and the computer uses this information to (for example) move a racing car on screen. A joystick may also have several buttons which can be pressed to trigger actions such as firing a missile.

Advantages:
There is an immediate feel of direction due to the movement of the stick
Disadvantages:
Some people find the joystick difficult to control rather than other point and click devices. This is probably because more arm and wrist movement is required to control the pointer than with a mouse or trackerball.
Joysticks are not particularly strong and can break easily when used with games software.

concept keyboard

A concept keyboard is a flat board that contains a grid of buttons. Each button can be programmed to do whatever you want. An overlay sheet with pictures or symbols is placed on the grid so that the user can tell what pressing on different areas will do.
Concept keyboards are used when fast input is needed and are ideally suited to selecting from a limited range of choices such as fast food restaurants. Checkout tills such as McDonalds use symbols to make ordering faster and easier. Primary schools often use them with young children. The overlay image could be a picture of a farmyard. Pressing on an animal would cause the computer to make the right animal noise.
Concept keyboards are particularly useful for people who would find using an ordinary keyboard difficult. It is also very handy in locations where an ordinary keyboard might be damaged, e.g. by spillage or dust.

Advantages:
Much faster for making non-text selections such as menu choices on the till of a fast-foot outlet
The keyboard is waterproof which can be useful where there is dirt or the risk of splashes.
Disadvantages:
Poor for text or numeric input although these keyboards can include a numeric keypad so the operator can enter the amount sold etc.

touch screen

These screens do a similar job to concept keyboards. A grid of light beams or fine wires criss-cross the computer screen. When you touch the screen with your finger, the rays are blocked and the computer 'senses' where you have pressed. Touch screens can be used to choose options which are displayed on the screen.
Touch screens are easy to use and are often found as input devices in public places such as museums, building societies (ATMs), airports or travel agents. However, they are not commonly used elsewhere since they are not very accurate, tiring to use for a long period and are more expensive than alternatives such as a mouse.

Advantages
Easy to use
Software can alter the screen while it is running, making it more flexible that a concept keyboard with a permanent overlay
No extra peripherals are needed apart from the touch screen monitor itself.
No experience or competence with computer systems are needed to be able to use it.
Disadvantages
Not suitable for inputting large amounts of data
Not very accurate, selecting detailed objects can be difficult with fingers
Tiring to use for a long period of time
More expensive than alternatives such as a mouse.
Touch screens are not robust and can soon become faulty.

Digital camera

A digital camera looks very similar to a traditional camera. However, unlike photographic cameras, digital cameras do not use film. Inside a digital camera is an array of light sensors. When a picture is taken, the different colours that make up the picture are converted into digital signals (binary) by sensors placed behind the lens.
Most digital cameras let you view the image as soon as you have taken the picture and, if you don't like what you see, it can be deleted. The image can then be stored in the camera's RAM or on a floppy disk. Later, the pictures can be transferred onto a computer for editing using photo imaging software.
The amount of memory taken up by each picture depends on its resolution. The resolution is determined by the number of dots which make up the picture: the greater the number of dots which make up the picture, the clearer the image. However, higher resolution pictures take up more memory (and are more expensive!).
Resolution range from about 3 million (or Mega) pixels up to 12 Megapixels
Digital cameras are extremely useful for tasks such as producing newsletters.
There is often a digital camera built into mobile phones that operates in exactly the same way as a standard one.

Advantages
No film is needed and there are no film developing costs
Unwanted images can be deleted straight away
You can edit, enlarge or enhance the images
Images can be incorporated easily into documents, sent by e-mail or added to a website.
Disadvantages
Digital cameras are generally more expensive than ordinary cameras.
Images often have to be compressed to avoid using up too much expensive memory
When they are full, the images must be downloaded to a computer or deleted before any more can be taken.

scanner

A scanner is another way in which we can capture still images or text to be stored and used on a computer. Images are stored as 'pixels'.
A scanner works by shining a beam of light on to the surface of the object you are scanning. This light is reflected back on to a sensor that detects the colour of the light.
The reflected light is then digitised to build up a digital image.
Scanner software usually allows you to choose between a high resolution (very high quality images taking up a lot of memory) and lower resolutions.
Special software can also be used to convert images of text into actual text data which can be edited by a word processor . This sofware is called an "Optical Character Reader" or OCR.
There are two types of scanner:
Flatbed Scanner
Handheld Scanner

The most popular type of scanner is the flatbed. It works in a similar way to a photocopier. Flatbed scanners can scan larger images and are more accurate than handheld scanners.
Handheld scanners are usually only a few inches wide and are rolled across the document to be scanned. They perform the same job but the amount of information that can be scanned is limited by the width of the scanner and the images produced are not of the same quality as those produced by flatbed scanners.
Advantages
Flat-bed scanners are very accurate and can produce images with a far higher resolution than a digital camera
Any image can be converted from paper into digital format and later enhanced and used in other computer documents.
Disadvantages
Images can take up a lot of memory space.
The quality of the final image depends greatly upon the quality of the original document.

copy right

Introduction

You have spent three months working on your coursework. It is absolutely brilliant, even if you do say so yourself, you just know that it is worth that A* grade. How would you feel if you found out someone in your class had secretly copied your work when you went out of the room for five minutes and then handed it in as their own? I bet you would feel pretty miffed, to put it mildly.

How about that song that you spent last week writing? You are sure it is great chart material and is going to get you that break into the music industry. You record a demo of it and send it to a record company, but you don't hear anything from them. How does it make you feel when you see the latest boy band performing your song on Top of the Pops, and you haven't been paid a single penny for it?

Its not fair is it? That's why we need a law to protect the author of any original material from someone else taking it and claiming it as their work.
There is such a law, it is called the 'Copyright, Designs and Patents Act' and it was passed in 1998.

Covers

This Act was introduced to protect the investment of time, money and effort by the people who create original pieces of work.
This can mean authors of books, composers of music, the makers of a film, a computer game designer or a company that creates applications such as word processing software.
They all invest a great deal of time and money to produce these things and quite rightly, their work belongs to them.

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act has two main purposes:
1. To ensure people are rewarded for their endeavours
and
2. To give protection to the copyright holder if someone tries to copy or steal their work.

Copyright and ICT

As you have seen, the Act protects a wide range of work, both written and computer based.
We are more concerned here with the ICT examples. Some of these are:
Copying software
Copying or downloading music
Copying images or photographs from the web
Copying text from webpages

How many of these are you guilty of?
After all, does it really matter if you copy your mate's computer game?
How about downloading a few tracks from the internet - they are free aren't they?
How many times have you been to a website and just copied what was written and pasted it into your own work?
Come on, if we tell the truth, I bet we have all done these things. Does it really matter?

Does it matter?

It is estimated that almost 40% of software is copied. This has a huge impact on the software industry. By just cutting the software piracy rate from 25% to 15% would result in an extra 40,000 jobs in the IT sector and an extra £2.5 billion in tax revenues.
The extra revenue that software companies would receive would mean that they could reinvest more into new product development, perhaps a new game or a new application package.

It’s estimated, in fact, that people breaking the law and downloading copyrighted music costs the industry something like £8.5 billion a year – and loses £1.5 billion for the VAT man.
So, the end result, if everybody that has a PC in the UK decided to download ripped off music rather than buy it, would be an end to the music industry in the UK.
That’s a pretty sobering thought.

A new and growing concern is the large amount of 'instant essays' or even full pieces of coursework now readily available for purchase over the internet.
Exam boards and universities are clamping down on this and have had to put in place sophisticated monitoring systems to ensure that a student is handing in theit own work.
One university student recently failed his degree when the university caught him cheating after he submitted a dissertation that he had purchased from the Internet.
Exam boards will instantly disqualify you if they catch students trying to submit work which is not their own.

Softwear licences

When you purchase a piece of software you don't actually own the software. What you have purchased is a 'single user licence' for you to be able to use it.
You are able to load your software onto your machine at home and use it for as long as you like. You are not however, allowed to take it to your mates and load it onto his computer - he doesn't have a licence to use it.

Your school or a business needs the same piece of software to be available for many people.
They don't buy lots of copies of the software, they buy one copy and will buy either a 'multi-user licence' or a 'site licence'.
A multi-user licence allows a certain number of users e.g. 15 to use the software at any one time. When they log off the machine, another 15 can use it. However, if they allow the software to be used by 16 people at the same time then they are breaking the terms of the licence.
A site licence allows everyone on that site or in that office to use the software. It can be loaded onto every machine and people can use it whenever they want.

myths about copyright

" I didn't know so I'm not guilty"
You won't get way with saying ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know’. If you copy things and pass them off as your own, you are guilty of breaching Copyright..
"If it doesn't have a copyright notice, it is not copyrighted."
Nope, you won't get away with this one either. Any original work is copyright, whether it has a copyright notice on or not. If something looks copyright then you should assume that it is.
"If I don't charge for it, I can copy it’False. It doesn't matter if you charge someone or not, copying is copying is copying, whichever way you look at it.
Breaking the copyright laws can result in very heavy penalties - you can get a hefty fine and even get sent to jail!

Confusion about copyright

When you write copy you have the right to copyright the copy you write. You can write good and copyright but copyright doesn't mean copy good - it might not be right good copy, right?
Now, writers of religious services write rite, and thus have the right to copyright the rite they write.
Conservatives write right copy, and have the right to copyright the right copy they write. A right wing cleric might write right rite, and have the right to copyright the right rite he has the right to write. His editor has the job of making the right rite copy right before the copyright would be right. Then it might be copy good copyright.
Should Thom Wright decide to write, then Wright might write right rite, which Wright has a right to copyright. Copying that rite would copy Wright's right rite, and thus violate copyright, so Wright would have the legal right to right the wrong. Right?
Legals write writs which is a right or not write writs right but all writs, copied or not, are writs that are copyright. Judges make writers write writs right.
Advertisers write copy which is copyright the copy writer's company, not the right of the writer to copyright. But the copy written is copyrighted as written, right?
Wrongfully copying a right writ, a right rite or copy is not right.

The Data Protection Act

Introduction

Many organisations store large amounts of personal information about people on their computer systems. This may be data on customers, employees, suppliers, competitors, etc.
The increasing trend to store vast quantities of such data has worried many people. Some of their concerns are:

Who will be able to access this data? Will information about me be available over the Internet, and therefore vulnerable to hackers? Can my records be sold on to someone else?

Is the data accurate? If it is stored, processed and transmitted by computer, who will check that it is accurate? People often think it must be true if 'it says so on the computer'.

Will the data be sold on to another company? For example, could my health records be sold to a company where I have applied for a job? Could my personal details, collected by my employer, be used by a commercial company for targeting junk mail?

Will data about me be stored even if it is not needed?

Terms you should know

There are certain terms you must know for your exam. You may need to explain what they mean. They are:

*Data subject

*Data user

*Data controller

*Data commissioner

Data protection act standard terms

Data Subject

This is the person that the data is being collected from or stored about. This could be you!

Data User

This is any person who needs to access or use the data as part of their job. This could be a secretary who needs to look up your address so that they can send a letter home, it could be a personnel officer who needs to know the medical history of an employee who regularly takes time off sick.

Data Controller

This is often the person in charge of the organisation - but it doesn't necessarily have to be. This person decides what data the organisation needs to collect and what it will be used for. This is the person who must apply for permission to collect and store data in the first place.

Data Commissioner

This is the person who enforces the Data Protection Act. This is the person that organisations need to apply to in order to gain permission to collect and store personal data.

Personal Data

Personal data covers both facts and opinions about a living individual. Facts would include name, address, date of birth, marital status or current bank balance. Results in examinations, details of driving offences, record of medications prescribed and financial credit rating are further examples of facts that could relate to an individual. Personal opinions such as political or religious views are also deemed to be personal data.

The 8 principles

Data Controllers must ensure that their organisation follows the eight principles of the Data Protection Act when dealing with personal data.
It is unlikely that you will be asked to know all 8 principles by heart, but you must have an understanding of them and be able to discuss at least three of four of them.

1. Personal data should be obtained and processed fairly and lawfully.
This means that you should be told that data is being collected about you, and you should know what the data will be used for.

2. Personal data can be held only for specified and lawful purposes.
The Data Controller has to state why they want to collect and store information when they apply for permission to be able to do so. If they use the data they have collected for other purposes, they are breaking the law.

3. Personal data should be adequate, relevant and not excessive for the required purpose.
Organisations should only collect the data that they need and no more. Your school needs to know your parent's phone number in case they need to contact them in an emergency. However, they do not need to know what your grandmother's name is, nor do they need to know your eye co lour. They should not ask, nor should they store such details since this would be excessive and would not be required to help with your education.

4. The personal data should be accurate and kept up-to-date.
Companies should do their best to make sure that they do not record the wrong facts about a data subject. Your school probably asks your parents to check a form once a year to make sure that the phone number and address on the school system is still correct.
If a person asks for the information to be changed, the company should comply if it can be proved that the information is indeed incorrect.

5. The personal data should not be kept for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it is collected.
Organisations should only keep personal data for a reasonable length of time. Hospitals might need to keep patient records for 25 years or more, that is acceptable since they may need that information to treat an illness later on. However, there is no need for a personnel department to keep the application forms of unsuccessful job applicants.

6. Data must be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subjects.
People have the right to inspect the information held on them (except in certain circumstance - see later). If the data being held on them is incorrect, they have the right to have it changed.

7. Appropriate security measures must be taken against unauthorised access.
This means information has to be kept safe from hackers and employees who don't have rights to see it. Data must also be safeguarded against accidental loss.

8. Personal data cannot be transferred to countries outside the European Union unless the country provides an adequate level of protection.
This means that if a company wishes to share data with an organisation in a different country, that country must have similar laws to our Data Protection Act in place.

Sensitive data

The Act mentions specific things which it deems to be sensitive or personal to an individual. If a company was to collect this data, it cannot be disclosed or told to anyone else.
Some things which are classed as Sensitive Personal Data are:

*racial or ethnic origin
*membership of a trade union
*criminal convictions or offences
*political opinions
*religious beliefs
*mental or physical welfare.
*the commission or alleged commission by them of any offence.

Under some circumstances, it may be necessary to collect this information. For example, a Catholic school who only employs Catholics, might wish to know the religious beliefs of new teachers. The police force will need to know if new recruits have any previous criminal convictions.

Your rights

Under the sixth Data Protection principle, data subjects have the right to:

1. see data held on themselves. They must apply in writing and pay a small fee (often around £10). The company must respond to the request within forty days.

2. have any any errors corrected

3. claim compensation for any distress caused if the Act has been broken

4. prevent processing likely to cause damage or distress

5. prevent processing for direct marketing by writing to the data controller to inform them that advertising material is not to be sent

6. prevent processing for automated decision taking by writing to the data controller to inform them that no decisions should be taken based on automatic processing. Some banks determine whether or not a customer should be given a mortgage on the basis of a computer program. The data subject has the right to prevent that happening.

Exemptions in the DPA

Not everyone is automatically entitled to see the data which is held on them. There are certain circumstances under which data controllers are exempt from providing information to data subjects.
These are:

1
National Security
If required for the purpose of safeguarding national security, data controllers do not have to disclose the data held to data subjects.

2
Crime
Data which is being held in order to prevent or detect a crime does not have to be disclosed.

3
Taxation
any data collected for taxation purposes is exempt

4
Heath, Education and Social Work
Personal data about the physical or mental health of the data subject. You have no automatic right to view your medical records. If a doctor believes that viewing them would harm your mental well being, they can be withheld from you.
Personal data relating to the present or past pupils of a school
Examination scripts and examination marks held by examination authorities

5
Personal data being processed by government departments or local authorities which is being used in the course of any investigation or monitoring.

6
Personal data that could form part of a confidential reference (application for employment or a college course etc) is also exempt from access. This means that you have no legal right to ask to see a confidential or personal reference about yourself.

Viruses

Computer Virus

This is a phrase coined from biology to describe a piece of software that behaves very much like a real virus (only it spreads from computer to computer rather than people!).
This website will introduce you to what a computer virus is and what can be done to deal with them.

What is a computer virus

A Computer Virus is a computer program that is designed to copy itself repeatedly and attach itself to other computer programs.
In the early days of personal computing (1980's) some of the people who created them had a certain misplaced sense of humour. For example, there was a virus that caused all the characters on screen to drop into a heap at the bottom of the display. Very annoying, but relatively harmless.
However, quite soon some really nasty versions came out that were deliberately designed to corrupt and delete your files as well as trying to copy itself everywhere.
Viruses can cause an immense amount of time wasting and financial loss for people and businesses.
It is estimated that there are now around 53,000 computer viruses in existence.

how a computer virus spreads

The most common way of getting a virus these days is to open an email attachment. Many viruses have been especially designed to take advantage of the way people send emails to each other.
Another way is to load an infected file into your computer from some kind of storage device
floppy disk
memory stick
CDROM
DVD

how to get rid of viruses

As computer viruses became more of a menace, companies began to develop software to detect and remove them. These became known as anti-virus software.
There are a number of anti-virus programs available for wiping out viruses.
New and more damaging viruses are being written all the time and so to keep up with these new threats, the anti-virus companies provide constant updates to their software. Normally, you log on to the internet and the software will update itself either automatically or after a certain period set by you.
There is usually a small annual fee involved for this service, but it is a small price to pay for peace of mind. The screen below is a typical anti-virus management screen, it shows the date of the last update, whether you want it to update itself automatically and it also shows when you last carried out a full virus scan.

preventing a virus

Viruses can be prevented by taking sensible precautions, including:
Using anti-virus software to scan your system daily or weekly
Update the scanning software regularly
Not allowing people to load applications \ executable files on your system
Using special filtering software to prevent downloads of computer programs
Scanning all incoming e-mails
Not opening suspicious emails or attachments.
Avoiding software from unreliable sources
Backing up data regularly so you can recover your data with clean copies.

other pests

As the internet has grown and millions of people are online, so has the development of other types of software pests. These include:
Trojan software. This is an application that appears to do something useful such as a computer game (which is why you loaded it on to your computer in the first place) but quietly, behind the scenes it is doing something with ill-intent. A trojan may:-
Log all your keystrokes and then send the details to a remote computer / server. Used to capture your passwords
Allow someone else to take control of your computer whilst you are online.
Capture screenshots and send them to a remote computer, once again with the intent of obtaining confidential information such as financial screenshots.
Worms. These are a bit like a computer virus but they spread on their own through compuer networks. Their biggest problem is the sheer amount of computer time and bandwidth they soak up, so making the network slow to a crawl.
Adware / Spyware: These are programs designed to keep track of which adverts you click on and then they send specific adverts to your browser. Fairly harmless but annoying and hard to get rid of.

The law

The law did eventually catch up with the problem of computer viruses and other bad practices to do with computers. The new law is called The Computer Misuse Act (1990). It covers various computer crimes such as Hacking, computer fraud and the deliberate spread of viruses.
This law specifies a virus as: 'unauthorised modification of the contents of a computer, impairing the operation of any program or reliability of data'.
Anyone caught distributing viruses knowingly faces an unlimited fine and up to a five year prison sentence.

Health and Safety

Home

There are verious health problems associated with the regular use of computers, such as stress, eye strains, indjurys to the wrists, neck and back.
Employers must take steps to protect employees whose work involves the regular use of computers.
This website will introduce you to some of the most common problems and look at what can be done to reduce the risks.
Work your way through the site by accessing each menu item on the left hand side.
Once you have read all of the materials, have a go at the interactive quizzes at the end.
Your teacher will probably set you a task to complete, use the information on this site to help you.

Stress

Stress brought on through the use of computers is one of the major causes of work related illness.
There are many different reasons why people become stressed at work. However, here is a list of some of the major causes brought about by the use of computers:
Many people are afraid of computers, they don't understand them and feel they will look stupid if they admit that they don't know how to operate one.
People worry that a computer will be able to replace them and they might lose their jobs.
Things change so fast in the world of computing that it can be very stressful just trying to keep up to date with new ideas, techniques and equipment, especially for older people.
It is getting increasingly hard to separate work and home life. People can be contacted easily by their bosses or clients. E-mail, the Internet and mobile phones mean that people continue to work even after they have left the office.
The amount of information that ICT systems can produce is often far too much for anyone to take in. This results in 'information overload' and people end up feeling they can't cope and become stressed.
Workers can be monitored using ICT systems. Call centre staff are monitored to make sure that they don't spend too long on any one call. The number of products that a check-out person scans during a minute are counted. This feeling of being constantly 'watched' can be very stressful.

Back Pain

Many computer users suffer serious back problems. This is probably due to a poor posture or an awkward position while sitting at a computer.
Maintaining good posture can help defeat another common VDT problem,Solutions:
A fully adjustable chair should avoid poor posture
Sit with your back straight and head up
Footrests can reduce these problems
Position the monitor so that your neck doesn't have to bend
Adjust your "view angle" by tilting your monitor up or down.

Eye Strain

Eyes can become strained after staring at a computer screen for a long time, particularly if working in bad light, in glare or with a flickering screen.
Fortunately, eyestrain is usually a temporary problem.
The symptoms include:
Burning or itching eyes.
Blurring or double vision.
Headache.
Nausea.
Fatigue.

Solutions:
Screen filters can remove a high percentage of the harmfulrays emitted from a computer screen.
Use screens that do not flicker
Take regular breaks - do not work for more than one hour without a short break
Keep your eyes at least 18 inches from the screen
Regularly look away from the screen and focus on something in the distance e.g. across the office or out of the window (not an excuse to day dream though!).
Lighting must be suitable and blinds fitted to windows to reduce glare.
Have regular eye tests
All new monitors must comply with EU standards which ensure that radiation emissions are as low as possible.

RSI

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is damage to the fingers, wrists and other parts of the body due to repeated movements over a long period of time.
Causes:
Repetitive finger, hand or arm movements e.g. typing
Poor posture and awkward movements
Amount of force used
Badly designed workstations

Symptoms:
In the arms and hands:
aching
pain, even after rest
weakness
swelling
tenderness
numbness
pins and needles
In the shoulders and neck:
stiffness
aching

Solution:
To prevent RSI, make sure your posture is correct
Raise your chair or use a cushion so that your wrists can be straight when you type
Keep your elbows close to your sides
Use wrist rests and avoid bending your wrists
Have a five minute break from typing every hour

Employer support

Laws have been passed to ensure that employers provide a safe working environment for anyone who works with computers.

The law states that an employer must:
Provide tiltable screens
Provide anti-glare screen filters
Provide adjustable chairs
Provide foot supports
Make sure lighting is suitable
Make sure workstations are not cramped
Inspect workstations to make sure that they meet the required standards for health and safety.
Train employees how to use workstations correctly
Plan work at a computer so that there are frequent breaks
Pay for regular eyesight tests for anyone who needs prescription glasses in order to use the computer.

Note: These regulations apply only to offices - not to students or pupils in schools
There is also a requirement that employees:
Use workstations and equipment correctly and follow the training provided by their employers
Inform their employer of any problems relating to Health and Safety as soon as they arise.

Workplace safety

Don't forget that rules for all electrical appliances apply in a computer room. This means:
There should be no trailing wires
Food and drink should not be placed near a machine
Electrical sockets must not be overloaded
There must be adequate space around the machine
Heating and ventilation must be suitable
Lighting must be suitable with no glare or reflections
Benches must be strong enough to support the computers

Ergonomics

This is the science concerned with designing safe and comfortable machines for use by people.
This includes furniture design and the design of periperals that you need to use, such as mouse and keyboard.
Have a look at these top tips to ensure that you work safely and comfortably:
checklist/tips

1. The right lighting can reduce eyestrain, neckstrain and headaches. Sunlight is the best light, but make sure it doesn't create glare on your computer screen.

2. The proper desk will let you find the perfect working position. It sould be deep enough to support your arms when you work at the computer.

3. Place your computer screen at eye-level or just below. For optimal comfort, set it about 45 cm (18 in.) from your face.

4. Sit up straight in your chair. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your knees slightly lower than your thighs.

5. Choose an office task chair that lets you tilt forward to reach objects in front of you and backward to stretch your arms when you're tired.

6. When you type, hold your fingers, wrists and lower arms in a straight line from your keyboard.

7. Keep equipment that you use a lot, like your telephone and computer keyboard, within a distance of about 75 cm (30 in.) when you're sitting at your desk. Keep other storage and equipment farther away. This encourages you to change working positions during the day.

All about Networks!

Computer networking is the scientific and engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems.
There are many ways in which people can communicate such as telephone, internet, faxing or writing letters.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using a network. The advantages are;
*printers and scanners can be shared.
*the whole network can be backedup centrally.
*messages can be sent between users.
*users can share files, which prevent duplication of information.
*software for a network is cheeper than individual licenses.

The disadvantages are;
*a trained person is needed to manage the network.
*wiring can be expensive to buy and install.
*security is an issue as a virus can affect all computers.
*if the network is down, all computers are out of use.
*external communication equipment can be expensive to run.

Two methods of communication are:
*they can be connected by using a radio transmitter, these provide a wireless LAN.
*they can also be connected by using global communications, one of these are a satelite.

LAN stands for Local Area Network!
WAN stands for Wide Area Network!

Computers in a Local Area Network are fairly close together, generally within buildings. Computers can be connected together using cabling. They can also be connected by using radio transmitters to provide a wireless LAN.
A Wide Area Network (WAN) is spread over a much larger area and connects computers in different buildings, on different buildings, on different sites or even in different countries.
WANs use global communications such as telephones, satellite or cable to connect the computers.

User names and passwords are used to prevent some people seeing personal information.

It is important to have different levels of access to keep personal stuff personal because if everyone had the same levels of access, students could delete files and change settings etc.

The internet is a global WAN; Wide Area Network.

The headteacher in a school would have access to view finance records and staff records. An ICT teacher would have access to view students records and changed shared files. Network technician would have access to everything that students, ict teachers, staff and head teachers look at. Students have access to their own files, to change their own password and to use software for homework and classwork.

introduction

Heya and welcome to my blogger. r
On my blogger there will be revision notes for my ict work.
There will also be blogs with notes andother information on to help me with my revision. !feel free to leave a comment on my blogger!