Information and communication technology for AQA AS level

326 Pages·2008·7.58 MB·English

by  Julian Mott

AQA
&
information
communication
technology
for AS Level
THIRD EDITION

(cid:1)
Julian Mott
(cid:1)
Anne Leeming
Edited by a Chief Examiner:
(cid:1)
Helen Williams
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Acknowledgements:p.197Facebook;p.219Guardian Online; p.227Our Property.co.uk; p.310NHS website.
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Contents
Unit 1
Chapter 1 Health and safety and the use of ICT
systems 1
(cid:2) Health and safety problems 1
(cid:2) Health and safety legislation 5
(cid:2) Health and safety and the design of new software 5
(cid:2) Summary 8
(cid:2) Questions 9
Chapter 2 Analysis of problems and software 10
(cid:2) Choosing the problem 10
(cid:2) Creating a website 12
(cid:2) Creating a spreadsheet solution 20
(cid:2) Questions 22
Chapter 3 Design of solutions 23

(cid:2) Professional examples 23
(cid:2) Choice of software 24
(cid:2) Designing a website solution 24
(cid:2) Designing a spreadsheet solution 26
(cid:2) Questions 28
Chapter 4 Selection and use of input devices and
input media 29
(cid:2) Input devices 29
(cid:2) Which input device and input medium should I use? 37
(cid:2) Summary 39
(cid:2) Questions 40
iii
(cid:1)
Chapter 5 Selection and use of storage requirements,
S
T media and devices 41
N
E
T (cid:2) Why data is stored 41
N
O (cid:2) Common storage devices 41
C
(cid:2) Summary 46
(cid:2) Questions 47
Chapter 6 Selection and use of output methods, media
and devices 48
(cid:2) Screens 48
(cid:2) Printers 49
(cid:2) Data projectors 51
(cid:2) Speakers 52
(cid:2) Headsets 52
(cid:2) Summary 53
(cid:2) Questions 54
Chapter 7 Selection and use of appropriate software 55
(cid:2) Software 55
(cid:2) Systems software 56
(cid:2) Applications software 57
(cid:2) Which software should I use? 65
(cid:2) Sum mary 67
(cid:2) Questions 68
Chapter 8 Implementation of ICT-related solutions 69
(cid:2) Website solutions 69
(cid:2) Spreadsheet solutions 73
Chapter 9 Testing of ICT-related solutions 77
(cid:2) Test plan 77
(cid:2) Test reports 82
iv
Chapter 10 Evaluation of ICT-related solutions 88
(cid:2) Does it do what you were originally asked to do? 88
(cid:2) Is the solution an effective one? 92
(cid:2) Improvements 94
Chapter 11 Preparing for the Unit 1 exam 95
(cid:2) Sample work 95
(cid:2) Before the exam 95
(cid:2) Questions 97
Unit 2
Chapter 12 An ICT system and its components 98
(cid:2) What is information and communication technology? 98
(cid:2) Input, processing and output 98
(cid:2) Components of an ICT system 101
(cid:2) Summary 106
(cid:2) Questions 107
Chapter 13 Data and information 108
(cid:2) What do we mean by data? 108
(cid:2) How data can arise: direct and indirect data capture 108

(cid:2) Encoding data 109
(cid:2) Why things go wrong 116
(cid:2) What is information? 119
(cid:2) Summary 123
(cid:2) Questions 124
Chapter 14 People and ICT systems 125
(cid:2) Characteristics of users 125
(cid:2) Human–computer interface (HCI) 127
(cid:2) User support 136
(cid:2) Summary 140
(cid:2) Questions 141
v
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Chapter 15 People and ICT systems: User interfaces 142
S
T
N (cid:2) Command-line interface (CLI) 142
E
T (cid:2) Menu-based interface 144
N
(cid:2) Graphical user interface 146
O
C (cid:2) On-screen forms 150
(cid:2) Natural-language interface 153
(cid:2) Summary 155
(cid:2) Questions 156
Chapter 16 People and ICT systems: Working in ICT 157
(cid:2) Qualities and characteristics required of an ICT professional 158
(cid:2) The use and organisation of ICT teams 169
(cid:2) Summary 173
(cid:2) Questions 174
Chapter 17 Transfer of data in ICT systyems:
ICT networks 175
(cid:2) Global communications 175
(cid:2) Network environments 181
(cid:2) Elements of a network environment 183
(cid:2) The Internet and the Web 186
(cid:2) Intranets and extranets 191
(cid:2) Summary 195

(cid:2) Questions 196
Chapter 18 Transfer of data in ICT systyems:
Use of communications technologies 197
(cid:2) Use in the home 197
(cid:2) Business use 200
(cid:2) Communication methods 201
(cid:2) ICT networks for different geographic scales and uses 208
(cid:2) Protocols and standards 210
(cid:2) Summary 214
(cid:2) Questions 215
vi
Chapter 19 Safety and security of data in ICT
systems: Protecting data in ICT systems 216
(cid:2) Privacy of data in ICT systems 216
(cid:2) What is personal data? 217
(cid:2) Data protection legislation 217
(cid:2) Intrinsic value of data 225
(cid:2) Commercial value of data 225
(cid:2) Summary 229
(cid:2) Questions 230
Chapter 20 Safety and security of data in ICT
systems: Protecting ICT systems 231
(cid:2) Internal and external threats 231
(cid:2) Weak points within an IT system 233
(cid:2) Methods of protection 237
(cid:2) Computer Misuse Act 1990 245
(cid:2) Summary 248
(cid:2) Questions 249
Chapter 21 Backup and recovery 250
(cid:2) Backup requirements 251
(cid:2) Whose responsibility? 258
(cid:2) Bac kup procedures for batch processing 258
(cid:2) The need for continuity of service 262
(cid:2) Summary 264
(cid:2) Questions 265
Chapter 22 What ICT can provide 266
(cid:2) Why are computers used so much? 266
(cid:2) Limitations of information and communication technology 276
(cid:2) Summary 281
(cid:2) Questions 282
vii
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Chapter 23 What ICT can provide: Types of
S
T processing 283
N
E
T (cid:2) Batch processing 284
N
O (cid:2) Transaction processing 286
C
(cid:2) Interactive processing 287
(cid:2) Summary 291
(cid:2) Questions 292
Chapter 24 Factors affecting the use of ICT and
The consequences of the use of ICT:
The impact of ICT 293
(cid:2) Cultural issues 293
(cid:2) Economic issues 294
(cid:2) Environmental issues 295
(cid:2) Ethical issues 296
(cid:2) Legal issues 297
(cid:2) Social issues 299
(cid:2) Consequences for individuals and for society 299
(cid:2) Summary 311
(cid:2) Questions 312
Index 313

viii
Health and safety and the use of ICT
1
(cid:1)
systems
AQA Unit 1 Section 1
Health and safety problems (cid:1)
People who use computers for long periods must use the
equipment responsibly or they may face health problems
which can be serious and long term.
Fortunately most of these problems are avoidable. You
should be aware of what the problems are and how they can
be avoided, not only for answering exam questions but also
for your own health.
The main health problems associated with computers are
discussed below.
(cid:2)
Repetitive strain injury
It is widely accepted that prolonged work on a computer can
cause repetitive strain injury (RSI). The symptoms are stiffness,
pain and swelling, particularly in the wrists but also in the
shoulders and fingers. RSI can be a permanent injury which
prevents the employee from working.
RSI occurs especially if users:
■ are carrying out repetitive tasks
■ have positioned the keyboard so that their hands and arms
ha ve to be held at an awkward angle
■ are squeezing the mouse too tightly.
A TUC (Trades Union Congress) report claims that young
workers are more at risk from RSI than their older colleagues.
The key factors that put them at risk include having to carry
out repetitive tasks at speed, needing to use a good deal of
force when working, not being able to choose or change the
order of monotonous tasks and having to work in awkward
positions.
The TUC data shows that 78% of younger workers have jobs
which involve a repetition of the same sequence of movements
and more than half the UK’s four million workers aged 16–24
are forced to work in awkward or tiring positions. A young
graphic designer took her employers, Shell UK, to court and
won. She claimed that she was never shown how to use a
computer mouse. She was awarded £25,000 damages for RSI
that she began to suffer two years after joining the firm at the
age of 20.
1