IT-101Section 001

Introduction to Information Technology

Lecture #1

Overview

Basic information Course objective Course content Definition of IT Historical perspective

Student Questionnaire Indicate on a separate sheet of paper

the following information about yourself:

Major Age Mathematics background How many IT related Courses you have taken A list of topics you would like to learn in this course

Course Objectives:

IT-101 aims to provide information on the following subjects:

Evolution of IT Role of IT Quantitative aspect of IT Components of IT State-of-the-art technologies

Can you give some applications of IT in your everyday life?

Course Content: Introduction to information systems

Information, messages and signals Examples of information systems Analog and digital representation of information

Binary representation and Information coding

Representing information in binary form Numbering systems and conversions Error detection and correction Protocols Data compression Digitizing images and audio

Course content (cont…) Telecommunications

Telephone systems RF and satellite systems Wire and fiber transmission systems Signal and channel bandwidth Modulation schemes

Computer architecture History of computing Computer hardware Computer software

Computer Networks Network topologies LAN, MAN, WAN Multiple access schemes The internet and WWW Protocols VoIP and convergence

Course content (cont…)

Possible scenarios after completing this course:

You might meet someone in class

You might earn more money now that you are “technology proficient”

You can impress everyone with your IT skills

Information and Technology:

Information (Latin: idea, conception) Knowledge communicated or received concerning a

particular fact or circumstance Quantity needed by a system to complete a task

Technology (Greek: systematic treatment) The practical application of knowledge in a particular

area (ex: Engineering, science, etc..)

Information Technology:According to WhatIs.com

IT (information technology) is a term that encompasses all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its various forms (business data, voice conversations, still images, motion pictures, multimedia presentations, and other forms, including those not yet conceived). It is a convenient term for including both telephony and computer technology in the same word. It is the technology that is driving what has often been called “The Information Revolution."

Historical Perspective

Information and its uses have always been an integral part of mankind

The very first indication of information communication/storage/retrieval is considered to be through cave drawings

Mankind later developed pictures, words and subsequently languages to more efficiently communicate with each other

Information sharing was made possible by the invention of the printing press in the early 1450’s by Johannes Gutenberg through the process of printing and distributing manuscripts

The printing press is widely thought of as the origin of mass communication. It marked Western culture's first viable method of disseminating ideas and information from a single source to a large and far-ranging audience (Jones telecom & multimedia encyclopedia)

Significant developments in IT include: The telegraph by Samuel Morse in 1837 The Atlantic cable in 1858 The telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 Black and white TV in the 1940’s The ENIAC during WW-II The transistor by Bell lab scientists, replacing the vacuum tube in 1947 The integrated circuit by Jack Kilby in the late 1950’s The digital computer in the 1970’s The world wide web in 1993

Information Technology Timeline

Egyptian Book of the Dead

Johannes Gutenberg

Telegraph KeyCirca 1840

Bell’s Telephone

1876

Flat Disk Gramophone

1887

75,000 B.C.Rock

Carvings

<4000 B.C.Hieroglyphi

cs2200 B.C.Papyrus

1500 B.C.Alphabetic

Writing

1450 A.D.Printing Press

1876 Telephon

e

1835Photograph

y

1895Silent Movies

1894 Wireless Telegraph

1840Telegraph

1876 Phonograph

Information Technology Timeline (cont.)

Sputnik 1957

Fiber Optics 1977

Apple Mac1984

IBM PC1981

AOL has 200K Subscribers1992

1922 Radio

Broadcasts

1993 World Wide

Web

1965 Local

Cable TV

1973 Fax Machines

1980s Cell

Phones

1970s

VCR

1954 Transistor

Radio1983 CDs1977 Apple II

Home Computers

1990 Digital

Photography

1998 MP-3 (Compressed Sound

Files)

1940 Black and White TV

Comments for next class Please read chapters 1 and 3 from Cyganski Topics to be covered:

Definition of information, messages and signals Examples and components of information systems Analog and digital representation of signals Examples of analog and digital systems Representing information in binary form