history of information technology

A History of Information Technology and Systems

• Four basic periods
  Characterized by a principal technology used to solve the input, processing, output and communication problems of the time:

  1. Premechanical,
  2. Mechanical,
  3. Electromechanical, and
  4. Electronic

A. The Premechanical Age: 3000 B.C. - 1450 A.D.

1. Writing and Alphabets--communication.
   1. First humans communicated only through speaking and picture drawings.
   2. 3000 B.C., the Sumerians in Mesopotamia (what is today southern Iraq) devised cuniform
   3. Around 2000 B.C., Phoenicians created symbols
   4. The Greeks later adopted the Phoenician alphabet and added vowels; the Romans gave the letters Latin names to create the alphabet we use today.
2. Paper and Pens--input technologies.
   1. Sumerians' input technology was a stylus that could scratch marks in wet clay.
   2. About 2600 B.C., the Egyptians write on the papyrus plant
   3. around 100 A.D., the Chinese made paper from rags, on which modern-day papermaking is based.
3. Books and Libraries: Permanent Storage Devices.
   1. Religious leaders in Mesopotamia kept the earliest "books"
   2. The Egyptians kept scrolls
   3. Around 600 B.C., the Greeks began to fold sheets of papyrus vertically into leaves and bind them together.
4. The First Numbering Systems.
   1. Egyptian system:
      • The numbers 1-9 as vertical lines, the number 10 as a U or circle, the number 100 as a coiled rope, and the number 1,000 as a lotus blossom.
   2. The first numbering systems similar to those in use today were invented between 100 and 200 A.D. by Hindus in India who created a nine-digit numbering system.
   3. Around 875 A.D., the concept of zero was developed

Information and communication technology spending in 2005

Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware."^[1] IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.

Today, the term information has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term has become very recognizable. IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals perform may include data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design, as well as the management and administration of entire systems.

When computer and communications technologies are combined, the result is information technology, or "infotech". Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information.

In recent days ABET and the ACM have collaborated to form accreditation and curriculum standards for degrees in Information Technology as a distinct field of study separate from both Computer Science and Information Systems. SIGITE is the ACM working group for defining these standards.

See also

Wikiversity has learning materials about Information technology

Main article: Outline of information technology

• Communications-enabled application (CEA)
• Information and communication technologies
• Information and communication technologies for development
• Information and communication technologies in education
• Information and communication technologies for environmental sustainability
• List of emerging information technologies

References

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (February 2008)

1. ^ ITAA.org, p30, Accessed March 3, 2008

• Adelman, C. (2000). A Parallel Postsecondary Universe: The Certification System in Information Technology. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
• Allen, T., and M.S. Morton, eds. 1994. Information Technology and the Corporation of the 1990s. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Shelly, Gary, Cashman, Thomas, Vermaat, Misty, and Walker, Tim. (1999). Discovering Computers 2000: Concepts for a Connected World. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Course Technology.
• Webster, Frank, and Robins, Kevin. (1986). Information Technology—A Luddite Analysis. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

PRESENTATION SKILLS

Presentation Skills

(Started 29 April 1997)
Updated 20 August, 2009

As engineers, it is vitally important to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively, using a variety of tools and medium. You will need to develop and use this skill throughout your years in University; when you attend job interviews and especially when you start working in the big wide world. But, it is often said that engineers do not possess the ability to communicate well. Of course that is a load of b*&%@ks - not enough coaching and practise that's all!

This page contains links to material that is designed to improve your presentation skills. Most of the links are to the Web sites of business consultants, so they should know what they are talking about. If you are a member of the IChemE, you should have received a little booklet entitled "Communication Skills for Engineers and Scientists". Nevertheless, you may still find these links useful.

Homegrown Advice and Tips
☻Making Oral Presentations
☻Poster Presentation of Research Work
☻Sue Haile's tips on oral presentations

GENERAL ADVICE,TIPS AND GUIDELINES
☻How to write a presentation - the WHPI method
>Tips from Pacific Lutheran University's Media Services
>Designing Presentation Visuals
>Using Overhead Projectors
>Using Slide Projectors
☻Presentation Resources from Maynard Leigh Associates
☻Presentation Skills from PowertoPresent.com (requires registration for full, free access to a ☻whole load of tips and advice)
☻Presenters University - contains online courses as well as tips and guidelines (archived version)
☻The Art of Speech Making - from the Impact Factory
☻One Minute Pause Get emailed weekly presentation tips from Natural Training
PUBLIC SPEAKING

Advice and tips
☻Making Effective Oral Presentations is written by Edward G. Wertheim, Associate Prof. in ☻Human Resources Management, Northeastern University, Boston
☻Oral presentation advice - how to deliver a conference paper by Mark Hill
☻Power Public Speaking - a website containing numerous articles on how to improve your oral presentation skills
☻Presentation Skills for Emergent Managers is an article by G. Blair aimed at engineers. This ☻page also contains links to matters related to Basic Management Skills. He has also written an article on Conversation as Communication
☻Speakers Tips (from The Image Maker)
☻Tips of the Month (from Gorin Communications, Inc.)
☻Tips of the Month (from Lenny Laskowski, a professional speaker)

OVERCOMING THE FEAR AND SHYNESS

☻Crossing a Bridge of Shyness, written by Diane Ullius, gives pointers on how to overcome your fear or shyness to public speaking
☻Overcome the Fear of Speaking to Groups by Ron Kurtus
☻Overcoming fear of public speaking from Pagewise

Definition of Ethics

Ethics is a set bof belief about right and wrong behavior. Ethical behavior conforms to generally accepted social norms, many of which are almost universal. However, although nearly everyone would agree that lying and cheating are unethical, what contitutes ethical behavior on any other issues is a matter of opinion. For example, most people would not steal an umbrella from someone's home but a person who find an umbrella in a theater migth be tempted to keep it. A person's opinion of what represents ethical behavior is strongly influenced by a combination of family influences, life experiences, education, religious beliefs, personal values, and peer influences.
As childrengrow, they learn complicated tasks-walking, riding a bike, writing the alphabet-that they perform out of habit for the rest of thier lives. People also develop habits that make it easier to choose between what society considers good or bad.

WHAT IS ETHICS?

Each society forms a set of rules that establishes the boundaries generally accepted behavior. These rulesare often expressed in statements about how peaple should behave, and they fit together to form the moral code by which a society lives. Unfortunately, the different rules often have contradictions, and you can be certain about which rule to follow. For instance,if you witness a friend copy someone else's answers while taking an exam, you might be caught in a conflict between loyalty to your friend and the value of telling the truth. Sometimes, the rules do not seem to cover new situations, and you must determine how to apply the existing rules or developes new ones. You may strongly support personal privacy, but in a time when employers track employee e-mail and Enternet usage, what rules do you think are acceptable to govern the appropriate use of company resources?
The term morality refers to social conventions about right and wrong that are so widely shared tha they become the basis of an established consensus. However, one's view of what is moralmay vary the age, cultural group, ethnic background, religion, and gender. There is widespread agreement on the immorality of murder,theft, and arson, but other behaviors that are accepted in one culture might be acceptable in another. For example, in the United States it is perfectly acceptable to place one's elderly parents in a managed care facility in their declining years. In most Middle Eastern countries, however, eldrely parents would never be placed in such a facility; they remain at home and cared for by other family members.
Another example concerns attitude toward the illegal copying of software (piracy), which range from strong opposition to acceptance as astandard approach to business. In 2003, 36 percent of all sofewarein circulation worldwide was pirated, at a cost of $29 bilion to sofeware vendors. The highest piracy rates were in Vietnam and China, where 92 percent.
Even wuthin the same society, people can have stong disagrements over important moral issues-in the United States, for example, issues such as abortion, the death penalty, ad gun control are continuously debated, and both sides feel their arguments are in solid moral ground.