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ECDL / ICDL Module 1
Concepts of Information Technology (IT)
Approved ECDL Courseware Training Materials
1. GENERAL CONCEPTS
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
- Hardware
- Software
- Information Technology (IT)
TYPES OF COMPUTER
- What is a mainframe computer?
- What is a PC?
- What is a Mac?
- What is a networked computer?
- What are laptop & palmtop computers?
- What is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)?
- Types of computer - Mainframe
- Types of computer - PC
- Types of computer - Networked PC
- Types of computer - Laptop
- Types of computer - Palmtop
- Types of computer - PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
MAIN PARTS OF A PERSONAL COMPUTER
- The System Unit
- The System (Mother) Board
- The CPU
- Memory (RAM)
- ROM-BIOS
- Serial Port
- Parallel Port
- Universal Serial Bus (USB)
- What are input devices?
- What are output devices?
- What is a peripheral device?
- The Keyboard
- The Mouse
- CD
- DVD Drives
- Floppy disk
- Zip Disc
- Hard (Fixed) Disk
- The Monitor
- Additional items or cards
- Sound cards and speakers
- Modems
- Printers
- Scanners
- Recordable CDs
- Tape backup
- What is PCMCIA?
COMPUTER PERFORMANCE
- Factors affecting performance
2. HARDWARE
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
- The CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- MEMORY
- What is computer memory?
- What is RAM?
- What is ROM?
- What is the ROM-BIOS?
- What is flash BIOS?
- What is video (graphics) memory?
INPUT DEVICES
- The Mouse
- The Keyboard
- Tracker Balls
- Scanners
- Touch Pads
- Light Pens
- Joysticks
- Voice input for PCs (microphones)
- Web Cams
- Digital Cameras
OUTPUT DEVICES
- The VDU (computer monitor or screen)
- Flat screen monitors
- Screen size
- Graphics for games
- Computer presentation projection devices
- Different types of printer
- Laser printers
- Colour laser printers
- Inkjet printers
- Dot Matrix printers
- Printer Memory
- Cost of running a printer
- Plotters
- Speakers
- Speech synthesizers
INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICES
STORAGE DEVICES
- Internal hard disks
- External hard disks
- Zip drives
- Jaz drives
- Diskettes (floppy disks)
- CD Disks
- DVD Drives
- What is the difference between internal and external hard disks?
- Why format a disk?
3. SOFTWARE
TYPES OF SOFTWARE
- What is an Operating System?
- What is an Application Program?
- Why are new versions of software released year after year?
OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE
- What is an Operating System?
APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE
- What is an application program?
- Word processing
- Spreadsheets
- Databases
- Presentation
- Accounts / Payroll
- Web browsing
- Web authoring
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI)
- What is a Graphical User Interface?
- The advantages of using a GUI (Graphical User Interface)
SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
- What is systems development?
- What is a systems development cycle?
4. INFORMATION NETWORKS
LAN AND WAN
- What is a LAN (local Area Network)?
- What is a WAN?
- What does client/server mean?
- What is workgroup computing?
- Advantages of workgroup computing
- Disadvantages of workgroup computing
INTRANET, EXTRANET
- What is the difference between the Internet and an Intranet?
- What is the difference between an Intranet and an Extranet?
THE INTERNET
- What is the Internet?
- What is the Internet and how is it useful?
- What is the difference between the World Wide Web (WWW) and the Internet?
THE TELEPHONE NETWORK IN COMPUTING
- How is the telephone line used in computing?
- Where to get help about technical terms
- What is PSTN?
- What is PSDN?
- What is ISDN?
- What is ADSL?
- What is DSL?
- Digital vs. analogue
- Modem
- Baud rate
5. THE USE OF IT IN EVERYDAY LIFE
COMPUTERS AT WORK
- Where computers might be more appropriate than people
- Where people might be more appropriate than computers
- Examples of large scale computer applications in business
- Uses of large scale computers applications within government
- Uses of computer applications within hospitals and the health care system
- Uses of computer applications in education
- What is tele-working?
- Some of the advantages of tele-working
- Some of the disadvantages of tele-working
ELECTRONIC WORLD
- What is email?
- What is E-commerce?
- What is E-banking?
- The process of shopping online
- The advantages of e-commerce
- The disadvantages of e-commerce
6. HEALTH AND SAFETY, ENVIRONMENT
ERGONOMICS
HEALTH ISSUES
- Using a computer incorrectly can damage your health
- Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
- Glare from screens
- Bad posture
PRECAUTIONS
- Make sure that cables are safely secured
- Make sure that power points are not overloaded
THE ENVIRONMENT
- Computers and the environment
- Don't Waste Paper
7. SECURITY
INFORMATION SECURITY
- What is information security?
- Advantages of proactive information security
- Passwords
- The Importance of shutting down your computer
- What is a UPS?
- Electrical surge protection
- Things computers like
- Things to avoid
- What to do if the computer breaks down
- Dealing with security problems
- Responsibilities for dealing with security problems
- Security rights and obligations
- User IDs and passwords?
- Choosing a secure password
- How secure is your software?
- How do your manage data securely?
- How do you dispose of data securely?
- What is visitor control?
- Why do you need to back up your computer?
- Organising your computer for more efficient backups
- Complete vs. incremental backups
- Why you should use 'off-site' storage?
- Beware of 'open files'
- What if your laptop is stolen?
- What if your mobile phone is stolen?
COMPUTER VIRUSES
- What are computer viruses?
- How do viruses infect PCs?
- How to prevent virus damage
- To make a diskette read-only
- To password protect your computer
- How do your protect computers from attack?
- What to do if you discover a virus on your computer
- The limitations of anti virus software
- What is virus disinfecting?
- Anti-virus Precautions
8. COPYRIGHT AND THE LAW
COPYRIGHT
- Software Copyright Issues
- What are site licences?
- Copyright Issues
- How to check a software Product ID
- What is freeware?
- What is shareware?
- What about software which you find on the Internet
- What is an end-user licence agreement?
DATA PROTECTION LEGISLATION
- Data Protection Legislation
9. ABBREVIATIONS & TERMINOLOGY
ECDL | European Computer Driving Licence
ICDL | International Computer Driving Licence
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