OCR Cambridge National in

ICT(Level 1/2)

R001Understanding computer

systems

Computers and Us

Computers are now part of everyday life. The majority of UK households now

own at least one computer.

In the last few years laptops, tablets, smartphones, games consoles and handheld gadgets have become commonplace in our society.

This unit will test your knowledge and understanding of computers in

today’s world.

The First Computers

The first computers were giant machines that did

little more than basic calculations.

They were so big they filled entire rooms!

The computer in this image was called ENIAC and weighed in at over 27

tonnes.

People said that it took so much power to use it that the lights in the city dimmed when

it was turned on.

During the 1980s and 1990s computers became

more popular.

Children all over the UK were enjoying programming in

BASIC (a computer language) and playing simple games like Space Invaders and Pacman.

Computers in the 1980s and 1990s

The first games consoles also appeared during this time from companies like

Sega and Nintendo.

Computers at Home

These days many people have computers in their home and use them for things like running a small business, keeping in touch with relatives and friends and playing

games.

It is now very easy to set up your own website, edit photos,

make a movie, create presentations and use the

internet for research, entertainment and shopping.

Computers for Learning

One area that has become popular is the use of computers for learning.

E-Learning uses computers to teach people in the comfort of their own homes.

Most schools and universities use the internet for learning through the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), email, blogs and for doing research for homework, projects and revision

exercises.

When you are out of the office you can read and send email, keep your appointments and use GPS to visit your clients.

You can also read important documents that allow you to keep in touch with the workplace whilst out and about.

Smartphones

These devices are not only functional but the large number of apps available make them very useful for business.

Getting Connected

Businesses and organisations connect their computers together to enable the sharing of printers, files and their

internet connectivity.

Local and wide area networks (LAN and WAN) allows employees of even the largest business to stay

connected even if they are in different countries.

Cloud Services

Cloud services have become popular in the last few years with iCloud, Skydrive and Dropbox allowing people

to backup their important files to the internet.

Using Microsoft Web apps and Google Docs it is possible to create, share and edit documents with others allowing

for collaborative work to take place.

Being Safe and Secure

Along with this technology comes the hacker, the virus, malware, pop-ups, adverts

and phishing.

You need to know how to stay safe and sound as well as the legal framework designed to keep you and your data safe.

Staying Legal

There are laws that prevent companies from misusing your personal data, stop hackers and ensure anything that is legally yours is protected from abuse and theft.

You will learn about how these laws apply to businesses and their day-to-day working practises.

You will learn…

How different people use computers.

The different ways computers help us at work.

How to stay legal and safe.How to keep your data safe and secure.

How software makes life easier for people.

How to be an informed user of new technology.

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