USES OF ICT
Information and communications technology applications can be found in practically every area of life; they shape our private lives and our work. .Various tools of information and communication are used in fields like business, education, entertainment, science and home, in more details.
(I) In business
Computer have now permeated all aspects of business and the economy. It is a sophisticated tool than can significantly increase productivity. In a manufacturing industry, certain steps are required in the development of a wide range of items. These steps are:
1. Preliminary designing
2. Advance design
3. Model development
4. Model testing
5. Final testing
6. Production and construction
In the past, preliminary sketches, design drawings and engineering drawings were usually prepared early in the design and development of new products and projects. When designers or engineers had a new thought, they would make some preliminary sketches to get the idea down on paper so that it could be analyzed more thoroughly. As the design was modified, additional drawing would be required. When the design was finally approved, further detailed production drawings were prepared. Thus, the preparation of drawing could occupy a substantial portion of the designer’s time and effort. Computers now make possible quick changes and modification in the sketches made by an engineer. Interactive communication between designed and’ computer may continue until a design with a desirable set of characteristics is produced. Once the initial drawings are finished and displayed to the engineer’s satisfaction, the computer may then be instructed to analyze the displayed design and report on certain characteristics. Such interaction between designer and machine is !low relatively common. This method of designing is popularly known as Computer-aided design (CAD). Again if one imagined factory site even a few years back, a picture automatically used to zoom in – thousands of people involved in jobs of huge labour and danger. But now the scenario has changed. Today robots controlled by computers are used to perform thousands of factory jobs that are dangerous or boring for humans. In fact, it has been found in a study, robots may reduce overall costs in manufacturing industries.
The impact of computers has been deeply felt in the financial sector also. One such sector is banking. Banks depend heavily on computers to process transactions around the world. Banks communicate with each other and send funds-transfer instructions through computers. Computers also help in dealings with millions of accounts. It helps these segments in their integrated communication with their own branches and that of peers. It helps in magnetic coding of cheques, in the use of tellers in some cases the tellers are being replaced by automated teller machines (ATMs). An ATM is a device that’s located on or off the financial institution’s premises to receive and dispense cash and to handle routine financial transactions 24 hours a day. The implementation of credit cards that are used for automatic and instantaneous banking transactions has become possible only for computers. The concept of “bank anywhere, anytime” depends on the computer. Recently impressed by the increasing number of customers owning personal computers, many banks like Bank of America, Citibank, ABN Amro etc. are now offering a special service: banking by personal computers. Customers who have computers can call the banks and use their computers to check on accounts; transfer funds from one account to another and even pay bills.
The advantages of using a computer are also available to small entrepreneurs. This includes office automation applications, interconnection of computers, e-mail, browsing etc.
(II) In Science
Scientists are now able to use computers to conduct research into complex problem areas that could not otherwise be considered. Powerful computers control all the satellites, which are orbiting in space. Even the instruments in satellites that perform experiments and transmit the results to earth are operated by computers. The data sent by the satellites are received from world wide tracking stations, are processed and the information is recorded. This information, in tum, adds to the storehouse of scientific knowledge, leads to plans for additional space experiments and serves to reinforce or change existing scientific theories. Computers are also used for environmental control purposes. The National Center for Health together with the Geological Survey is using computers to evaluate and control the level of pollution. To cite one example from the many, the Empire State System of New York collects water and air data from monitoring stations located at critical sites around the state. Data from the stations are automatically forwarded to a central computer. Each air-monitoring station reports every 15 minutes, and each water station transmits once every hour. Upon receiving transmitted data, the computer edits the message, sends any necessary operating instruction to the station, compares edited information to acceptable environment standards, and, if standards are not met, sends an appropriate alarm message to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Computers are also helping to conserve natural resources. California’s State Water project, for example, is designed to conserve water by moving it from surplus areas in norther California to needy areas in the south and west. All these facilities are monitored by computers located at five remote control centers. Many tasks such as weather forecasting were at one time considered impossible because of the time span and efforts involved in performing the necessary calculations. Now the application of computers, such jobs have become possible. Another example could be the application of computers in astronomical calculations and computations involved in the modelling of chemical reactions for producing new drugs.
(III) In the Field of Medicine
Computers are now used for planning and control purposes by health care professionals. Applications of computers that have medical planning and decision making implications include computer-assisted diagnosis and research, and medical history preparation and retrieval. Doctors are using the computer as a diagnostic tool in hospitals and clinics. Nowadays in a diagnostic center, ‘only some physical examination take place which consists of some basic tests. Data from these tests are fed into a computer, Within a few minutes after the examination procedures are completed, the computer output is ready. The computer may also be programmed to suggest tentative diagnosis to explain abnormal test results. The patient’s physician, of course, is responsible for the final diagnosis.
Computers are also being used for such diagnostic purposes as displaying body functions on a terminal screen from motion-picture x-rays and other technologies and calculating the volume and width of the patient’s internal organs by means of a Computer-Aided Tomography (CAT) scanner, Magnetic Resonance Image Scanner Or Positron Emission Tomography scanner. These devices take pictures of body structures and then combine the thousands of shots into a single picture of the area in the body that has been malfunctioning; so that proper medication can be given right away.
In addition to being a diagnostic tool, the computer is also a research tool that’s providing insights into the causes and prevention of stroke, as well as causes of drug addiction. In developing a record of a patient’s medical history, a usual practice is for the doctor or nurse to ask the patient a series of questions about past illnesses or health problems. This history taking is a time consuming aspect of the patient-physician relationship. Computer can be used to reduce the time involved and to tailor the question is to the patient’s situation with the help of the expert system.
(IV) In Education
Computers are becoming increasingly useful tools-of education. It can bring to the educational process such attributes as untiring patience, around-the-clock availability. For some applications, such as routine instructions, computers can be superb adjuncts to the teacher, The computers are also being used for educational simulation in various subjects. For example, a program can be run which simulates an Apollo moon landing. This simulation program would help a student to implement what has been taugh tin the theory class. Not only this, the computers are ideally suited for delivering self paced instruction where the course objective and contents are well defined. The learning process of many subjects can be enriched because of the scale and range of information provided by computer databanks. New methods of training like Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), Computer based training (CBT) etc have since become realities. Let us discuss these new methods of teaching in more details; . .
CAI refers to a leaning situation in which the students interact with and are guided by a computer, through a course of study aimed at achieving certain instructional goals. In a typical CAI setting, the student sits with a personal computer and communicates with the program . Interaction may take place in the following ways: ‘ , ,
- The computer presents instructional, information and questions.
- The students studies the information or instructions presented and answers the questions.
- The computer then accepts, analyzed and provides immediate feedback to the student’s response. It also maintains records of the student’s performance for evaluation purposes.
The simplest and most used form of CAI is the drill and practice approach that’s designed to complement instruction received from teachers and printed materials Student response is given to factual questions presented by the computer. Learning is facilitated because the computer can quickly supply correct answers as feedback to a student’s mistakes. The drill-and-practice approach has been found useful in learning areas such as mathematics, statistics, languages, reading, spelling, etc. where substantial memory work is required. A second and more complex level of interaction between a student and a CAI computer program is found in the tutorial approach. With this approach, the program assists in presenting new material to the student. The intent of the tutorial approach, of course, is to have the computer program judge the actions of a student and very patient tutor working with an individual student. Numerous sub- options in the CAI program permit a choice of materials to be presented, depending on how a student responded to the previous questions.
Another method education that is gaining popularity is Computer-based Training using multimedia. To put simply, multimedia Computer-based Training (CBT) is the use of computers and multimedia technology for training in a way that promotes student interest and motivation. The computer’s multimedia capability to show graphics, run simulations, and play sound, video and animation greatly enhances the learning experience. Multimedia creates a complete multi-sensory learning pro- gram, allowing students to interact with the material, and to learn according to their own needs, pace, and learning styles. Rather than replacing instructor-led training, CBT’s flexibility and economy augment traditional training methods. In fact, the very nature of computer-based training-its avail- ability at any time and any place-makes it an ideal resource for on-the-job training. The delivery of training to remote locations, multiple offices, and to a variety of training levels are all needs that CBT can satisfy on both performance and budgetary levels. Computer-based training can be delivered on a floppy disk, or over the Internet.
There are many advantages of using computers in educational institutions. They provide one-to- one interaction with a student, as well as an instantaneous response to the answers, and allow students to proceed at their own pace. Computers are particularly useful in subjects that require drill, freeing teacher’s time from classroom tasks so that a teacher can devote more time on developing new materials and doing research. A computer program can be used diagnostically, and once a student’s problem has been identified, it can then focus on the problem area. Finally, because of the privacy and individual attention afforded by a computer, some students are relieved of the embarrassment of giving an incorrect answer publicly or of going more slowly through lessons than other classmates.
(V) For Domestic Purpose
Computers have also entered homes in large numbers. Most of the home computers are used mainly for entertainment, but they have great potential for education, house- hold management and household control. Today, the computer is fast becoming a household gadget, which combines a TV, a telephone, an answering machine, a fax, a CD player and internet connection, all in one. Apart from it, the computer offers a lot of entertainment for the entire family, like games. A key feature in the entertainment and educational aspect of personal computer is interactivity; the user is a participant rather than a passive observer. Remote working or telecomputing i.e., doing a job from home is also on the rise. There is also a trend of “small” appliances of various types. Besides microwave ovens and fully automatic washing machines, there are programmable recorders and radios, home security system and intelligence telephones, all controlled by built in computing devices.
(VI) For Entertainment
Another area computers have had a impact on is the entertainment area .Many people like science fiction or action movies, especially the one with the special effects Well, those graphics are mostly made by computers. Most of the movies today use computer graphics to make things more realistic. Computer graphics and special effects are mostly used on games like spaceships. Moreover, they linked to considerable financial risk in the case of lost or misfiled documents. Computers are potentially capable o storing, in a safe and rapidly accessible manner, a digitized document. It is therefore natural that since the introduction of computers in offices, there has been continuous discussion of the paperless office. Another objective of electronic filling system is to save on costly office space occupied from file storage. The first operational electronic filling systems is to save costly office space occupied from file storage. The first operational electronic filling systems were put into operation in the early 80’s. Two types of systems are currently available these days. One is based in a VHS cassette, and the other on an optical.
