Using information technology : a practical introduction to computers & communications

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Contents
To the Instructor
1 INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: THE FUTURE NOW
	UNIT 1A: The Mobile World, Information Technology, & Your Life
		1.1 Information Technology & Your Life: The Future Now
			Two Parts of IT: Computers & Communications
			Education: The Promise of More Interactive & Individualized Learning
			Health: High Tech for Wellness
			Money & Business: Toward the Cashless Society
			Government & Electronic Democracy: Participating in the Civic Realm
			Jobs & Careers
			Your Personal Life
		1.2 Information Technology Is Pervasive: Cellphones, Email, the Internet, & the E-World
			The Phone Grows Up
			"You've Got Mail!" Email's Mass Impact
			The Internet, the World Wide Web, & the "Plumbing of Cyberspace"
	UNIT 1B: The Basics of Information Technology
		1.3 The Practical User: How Becoming Tech Smart Benefits You
		1.4 The "All-Purpose Machine": The Varieties of Computers
			All Computers, Great & Small: The Categories of Machines
			Supercomputers
			Mainframe Computers
			Workstations
			Microcomputers
			Microcontrollers
			Servers
		1.5 Understanding Your Computer
			How Computers Work: Three Key Concepts
			Customizing a Desktop Computer: Basic Knowledge of How a Computer Works
			Input Hardware: Keyboard & Mouse
			Processing & Memory Hardware: Inside the System Cabinet
			Storage Hardware: Hard Drive & CD/DVD Drive
			Output Hardware: Video & Sound Cards, Monitor, Speakers, & Printer
			Communications Hardware: Modem
			Software
		1.6 Where Is Information Technology Headed?
			Computers: Miniaturization, Speed, & Affordability
			Communications: Connectivity, Interactivity, & Multimedia
			When Computers & Communications Converge: Portability, Personalization, Collaboration, Cloud Computing, & Artificial Intelligence
			"E" Also Stands for Ethics
2 THE INTERNET & THE WORLD WIDE WEB: EXPLORING CYBERSPACE
	UNIT 2A:  The Internet & the Web
		2.1 Connecting to the Internet: Narrowband, Broadband, & Access Providers
			Narrowband (Dial-Up Modem): Low Speed but Inexpensive
			High-Speed Phone Lines: More Expensive but Available in Cities & Most Towns
			Problem for Telephone Internet Connections: The Last Mile
			Cable Modem: Close Competitor to DSL
			Satellite Wireless Connections
			Other Wireless Connections: Wi-Fi, 3G, & 4G
			Internet Access Providers
		2.2 How Does the Internet Work?
			Internet Connections: POPs, IXPs, Backbone, & Internet2
			Internet Communications: Protocols, Packets, & IP Addresses
			Who Runs the Internet?
		2.3 The World Wide Web
			The Face of the Web: Browsers, Websites, & Web Pages
			How the Browser Finds Things: URLs
			The Nuts & Bolts of the Web: HTML & Hyperlinks
			Using Your Browser to Get around the Web
			Web Portals: Starting Points for Finding Information
			Search Services & Search Engines & How They Work
			Four Web Search Tools: Individual Search Engines, Subject Directories, Metasearch Engines, & Specialized Search Engines
			Smart Searching: Three General Strategies
			Multimedia Search Tools: Image, Audio, & Video Searching
			Tagging: Saving Links for Easier Retrieval Later
	UNIT 2B: The Riches & Risks of Internet Use
		2.4 Email, Instant Messaging, & Other Ways of Communicating over the Net
			Two Ways to Send & Receive Email
			How to Use Email
			Instant Messaging
			Discussion Groups: Mailing Lists, Newsgroups, & Message Boards
			FTP: For Transferring Large Files
		2.5 The Online Gold Mine: Telephony, Multimedia, Webcasting, Blogs, E-Commerce, & Social Networking
			Telephony: The Internet Telephone
			Multimedia on the Web
			The Web Automatically Comes to You: Webcasting, Blogging, & Podcasting
			E-Commerce: B2C, B2C, & C2C
			Web 2.0, the Social Web: Social Networking, Media Sharing, & Social-Network Aggregation
			Web 3.0: Computer-Generated Information with Less Human Interaction
		2.6 The Intrusive Internet: Snooping, Spamming, Spoofing, Phishing, Pharming, Cookies, Spyware, & Malware
			Snooping on Your Email & Texts: Your Messages Are Open to Anyone
			Spam: Electronic Junk Mail
			Spoofing, Phishing, & Pharming: Phony Email Senders & Websites
			Cookies: Convenience or Hindrance?
			Spyware—Adware, Browser & Search Hijackers, & Key Loggers: Intruders to Track Your Habits & Steal Your Data
			Malware: The Viciousness of Viruses
			Passwords
3 SOFTWARE: TOOLS FOR PRODUCTIVITY & CREATIVITY
	UNIT 3A: System Software: The Power behind the Power
		3.1 The Operating System: What It Does
			Booting
			CPU Management
			File Management
			Task Management
			Security Management
		3.2 Other System Software: Device Drivers & Utility Programs
			Device Drivers: Running Peripheral Hardware
			Utilities: Service Programs
		3.3 Common Features of the User Interface
			The GUI: The Graphical User Interface
			The Help Command
		3.4 Common Operating Systems
			Stand-Alone Operating Systems: Macintosh & Windows
			Network Operating Systems: OES, Windows Server, Unix, & Linux
			Embedded Operating Systems
	UNIT 3B: Application Software: Getting Started
		3.5 Application Software: Where to Get It, How to Use It
			Sources of Software: For Sale, For Free, or For Rent?
			Tutorials & Documentation
			Types of Application Software
		3.6 Data Files & Program Files
			Data Files
			Program Files
			Exchanging Data Files: Exporting & Importing
			Data Compression: Putting More Data in Less Space
		3.7 Word Processing Software
		3.8 Spreadsheet Programs
			The Basics: How Spreadsheet Programs Work
			Analytical Graphics: Creating Charts
		3.9 Database Software
			The Benefits of Database Software
			The Basics: How Databases Work
		3.10 Software Suites & Integrated Packages
			Software Suites
			Integrated Packages
			Personal Information Managers
		3.11 Specialty Application Software
			Presentation Graphics Software
			Financial Software
			Desktop Publishing
			Drawing & Painting Programs
			Video/Audio Editing Software
			Animation Software
			Multimedia Authoring Software
			Web Page Design/Authoring Software
			Project Management Software
			Portable Document Format (PDF)
			Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
4 HARDWARE: THE CPU & STORAGE—THE SOURCE OF COMPUTING POWER
	UNIT 4A: Processing: The System Unit, Microprocessors, & Main Memory
		4.1 Microchips, Miniaturization, & Mobility
			Miniaturization Miracles: Microchips & Microprocessors
			Miniaturization Leads to Mobility
			The System Unit
		4.2 Representing Data Electronically
			The Binary System: Using On/Off Electrical States to Represent Data & Instructions
			Machine Language
		4.3 Inside the System Unit: Power Supply, Motherboard, & Microprocessors
			Bays, Buttons, & Boards
			Power Supply
			The Motherboard & the Microprocessor Chip
			The System Clock & Processing Speeds
		4.4 The Central Processing Unit & the Machine Cycle
			The Control Unit & the Machine Cycle
			The Arithmetic/Logic Unit
			Registers
			Buses & Word Size
		4.5 Memory
			RAM
			Cache Memory
			ROM
			Flash Memory
			CMOS
		4.6 Expansion Cards, Bus Lines, & Ports
			Expansion Slots & Adapter Cards
			Expansion Bus Lines
			Ports
	UNIT 4B:  Secondary Storage
		4.7 Secondary Storage
			Hard Disks
			Optical Disks: CDs, DVDs, & Blu-ray Disks
			Flash & Solid-State Memory
			Smart Cards
			Cloud Storage
		4.8 Future Developments in Processing & Storage
			Future Developments in Processing
			Future Developments in Secondary Storage
5 HARDWARE: INPUT & OUTPUT—TAKING CHARGE OF COMPUTING & COMMUNICATIONS
	UNIT 5A:  Input Hardware
		5.1 Keyboards
			The Different Types of Keyboards
			Terminals
		5.2 Pointing Devices
			The Mouse
			Variations on the Mouse: Trackball, Touchpad, & Pointing Stick
			Touch Screen
			Multitouch Screen
			Pen Input
		5.3 Source Data-Entry Devices
			Scanning & Reading Devices
			Image-Capture Devices
			Audio-Input Devices
			Sensors
			Biometric-Input Devices
		5.4 The Future of Input
			Toward More Input from Remote Locations
			Toward More Source Data Automation
			Designs That Imitate the Physical World: Will They Be Abandoned?
	UNIT 5B:  Output Hardware
		5.5 Softcopy Output: Display Screens
			Features of Display Screens
			Types of Display Devices
		5.6 Hardcopy Output: Printers
			Impact Printers
			Nonimpact Printers
			Multifunction Printers: Printers That Do More Than Print
			Plotters
			Specialty Printers
		5.7 Mixed Output: Sound, Voice, & Video
			Sound Output
			Voice Output
			Video Output
		5.8 The Future of Output
			More Unusual Forms of Output
			More Data Used in Output
			More Realistic Output
		5.9 Quality of Life: Health & Ergonomics
			Health Matters
			Ergonomics: Design with People in Mind
6 COMMUNICATIONS, NETWORKS, & CYBERTHREATS: THE WIRED & WIRELESS WORLD
	UNIT 6A: Networks & Wired & Wireless Media
		6.1 From the Analog to the Digital Age
			Analog versus Digital Electrical Signals: Continuous Waves versus Discontinuous Bursts
			Purpose of the Modem: Converting Digital Signals to Analog Signals & Back
		6.2 Networks
			The Benefits of Networks
			Types of Networks: WANs, MANs, & Others
			Network Architectures: How Networks Are Structured—Client-Server & Peer to Peer
			Intranets, Extranets, VPNs, & Firewalls
			Components of a Network
			Network Topologies
			Ethernet
		6.3 Wired Communications Media
			Wired Communications Media: Wires & Cables
			Wired Communications Media for Homes
		6.4 Wireless Communications Media
			The Electromagnetic Spectrum, the Radio-Frequency (RF) Spectrum, & Bandwidth
			Five Types of Wireless Communications Media
			Long-Distance Wireless: One-Way Communication
			Long-Distance Wireless: Two-Way Communication
			Short-Range Wireless: Two-Way Communication
	UNIT 6B: Cyberthreats, Security, & Privacy Issues
		6.5 Cyberintruders: Trolls, Spies, Hackers, & Thieves
			Trolls
			Spies
			Hackers
			Thieves
		6.6 Cyberattacks & Malware
			Online Safety
		6.7 Concerns about Privacy & Identity Theft
			The Threat to Privacy
			Identity Theft
7 PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY: THE FUTURE IS YOU
	UNIT 7A: Personal Devices for Improving Productivity at School & Work
		7.1 Convergence, Portability, & Personalization
			Convergence
			Portability
			Personalization
			Popular Personal Technologies
		7.2 Smartphones: More Than Talk
			How Do Cellphones & Smartphones Differ?
			How a Mobile Phone Works
			Text Messaging
			Using Mobile Phones in College
			The Societal Effects of Mobile Phones
		7.3 Tablets & E-Readers
			The Tablet: What It Is, What It Does
			The E-Reader: The Reading Machine
			The Benefits of E-Readers
			How an E-Reader Works
			The Drawbacks of E-Readers
		7.4 Portable Media Players
			Principal Features of MP3 Players
			The Societal Effects of MP3 Players
			Using MP3 Players in College
	UNIT 7B: Personal Devices for Enriching Leisure & Life
		7.5 Digital Cameras: Changing Photography
			How Digital Cameras Work
			The Societal Effects of Digital Cameras
		7.6 High-Tech Radio: Satellite, Hybrid Digital, & Internet
			Satellite Radio
			HD Radio
			Internet Radio
		7.7 Digital Television
			Interactive, Internet, & Internet-Ready TV: What's the Difference?
			Three Kinds of Television: DTV, HDTV, SDTV
			The Societal Effects of the New TV
		7.8 Videogame Systems: The Ultimate Convergence Machine?
8 THE ERA OF BIG DATA: DATABASES, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
	UNIT 8A:  Files & Databases
		8.1 Managing Files: Basic Concepts
			How Data Is Organized: The Data Storage Hierarchy
			The Key Field
		8.2 Database Management Systems
			The Benefits of Database Management Systems
			Three Database Components
			The Database Administrator
		8.3 Database Models
			Hierarchical Database
			Network Database
			Relational Database
			Object-Oriented Database
			Multidimensional Database
		8.4 Data Mining
			The Process of Data Mining
	UNIT 8B: Big Data, Information Systems, & Artificial Intelligence
		8.5 The Evolving World of Big Data
			Three Implications of Big Data
			The Uses of Big Data
		8.6 Information Systems in Organizations: Using Databases to Help Make Decisions
			The Qualities of Good Information
			Information Flows within an Organization
			Computer-Based Information Systems
			Office Information Systems
			Transaction Processing Systems
			Management Information Systems
			Decision Support Systems
			Executive Support Systems
			Expert Systems
		8.7 Artificial Intelligence
			Conventional AI versus Computational Intelligence: "Neats" versus "Scruffies"
			Weak AI versus Strong AI
			Expert Systems
			Natural Language Processing
			Intelligent Agents
			Pattern Recognition
			Virtual Reality & Simulation Devices
			Robotics
			Fuzzy Logic
			Neural Networks
		8.8. Artificial Life, the Turing Test, & the Singularity
			How Can We Know a Machine Is Truly Intelligent?
			"The Singularity": The Concept of Smarter-Than-Human Computers
			Ethics in AI
			Databases: Concerns about Privacy & Identity Theft
9 THE CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL AGE: SOCIETY & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TODAY
	UNIT 9A: Security, Privacy, & Surveillance Concerns
		9.1 Security Issues: Threats to Computers & Communications Systems
			Errors, Accidents, & Natural Hazards
			Computer Crimes
		9.2 Security Safeguards: Protecting Computers & Communications
			Deterrents to Computer Crime
			Identification & Access
			Encryption
			Protection of Software & Data
			Disaster-Recovery Plans
		9.3 Privacy & Surveillance: Data Collectors & Spies
			Business & Cyberspying
			Government & Cyberspying
			Spying, Hacking, & Cyberwarfare by Foreign Governments & Groups
	UNIT 9B: Other Social, Economic, & Political Issues
		9.4 Truth Issues: Manipulating Digital Data
			Manipulation of Sound
			Manipulation of Photos
			Manipulation of Video & Television
		9.5 Quality-of-Life Issues: The Environment, Mental Health, Child Protection, & the Workplace
			Environmental Problems
			Mental Health Problems
			Protecting Children: Pornography, Sexual Predators, & Online Bullies
			Workplace Problems: Impediments to Productivity
		9.6 Economic & Political Issues: Employment & the Haves/Have-Nots
			Technology, the Job Killer?
			Digital Divide between Rich & Poor
			Whom Does the Internet Serve?
			In a World of Breakneck Change, Can You Still Thrive?
10 BUILDING SYSTEMS & APPLICATIONS: SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, PROGRAMMING, & LANGUAGES
	UNIT 10A: Systems Development & Programming
		10.1 Systems Development & the Life Cycle of a Software Project
			The Purpose of Systems Analysis & Design
			Getting the Project Going: How It Starts, Who's Involved
			The Six Phases of Systems Analysis & Design
			The First Phase: Preliminary Investigation
			The Second Phase: Systems Analysis
			The Third Phase: Systems Design
			The Fourth Phase: Systems Development
			The Fifth Phase: Systems Implementation
			The Sixth Phase: Systems Maintenance
		10.2 Programming: Traditionally a Five-Step Procedure
			The First Step: Clarify the Programming Needs
			The Second Step: Design the Program
			The Third Step: Code the Program
			The Fourth Step: Test the Program
			The Fifth Step: Document & Maintain the Program
	UNIT 10B: Programming Languages
		10.3 Five Generations of Programming Languages
			First Generation: Machine Language
			Second Generation: Assembly Language
			Third Generation: High-Level or Procedural Languages
			Fourth Generation: Very-High-Level or Problem-Oriented Languages
			Fifth Generation: Natural Languages
		10.4 Programming Languages Used Today
			FORTRAN
			COBOL
			BASIC
			Pascal
			C
			C++
			LISP
		10.5 Object-Oriented & Visual Programming
			Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
			Visual Programming: The Example of Visual BASIC
		10.6 Markup & Scripting Languages
			HTML
			VRML
			XML
			JavaScript
			Flash
			ActiveX
			CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
			Perl
			PHP (Personal Home Page, or PHP Hypertext Preprocessor)
Notes
Credits
Index
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