1 In this reading report we will tackle Information and Technology, its definition, function, comparison other branches of computer

technology, and its History. Definition of Information Technology According to International Foundation for Information Technology (IF4IT): Information Technology is used for the study, understanding, planning, design, construction, testing, distribution, support and operations of software, computers and computer related systems that exist for the purpose of Data, Information and Knowledge processing. Another Organization, Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) said that: Information Technology is the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect process, transmit, and securely retrieve information. The combination of telecommunication and computer science for the capture, storage and transmission of information to every nook and corner of the world is said to be IT. Those are the two international organizations that defined Information technology and theyre definitions are hard to understand. I did not change nor alter their definition as it was written on their website because if I did, I could be accused of plagiarism. Information Technology is abbreviated as IT. It is a pronoun used to describe something or anything. Its a career that can be anything you want to be. For us, it is storing information (from a computer, server or cloud etc.) and getting information out and sharing with people using the technology available at a certain age. You may be wandering why I added at a certain age in our definition. Well, let me inform you, before the term Information Technology was invented it was already used dated back to Stone Age. During that age they store information by carving into cave walls, onto surfaces of stone using a stone. As thousands of years pass people reach the modern age. That is our age; are primary way of storing and retrieving information is through modern computer technology. Many are asking, What is information technology and what activities involve IT? I find it a weird question. The good question is what is not affected by IT?, what is not affected by computers these days?. I think none is not affect by IT: mobile cellphone, industrial factories, schools, hospital, government and private offices, bank, financial institution, agriculture, military and etc. The truth is all of us use IT. As what I have stated above, IT is a career that can be anything you want to be. Here are some examples: Health Informatics or Nursing Informatics.

2 There are many ways we could define IT one is through IT as itself. Meaning we dont relate to other body of knowledge or other branch of engineering or other branch of computer technology. Thanks to "Mr. Google" we were able to find a way to define IT using a diagram in the modern age. It is very obvious in the picture presented that IT is the combination of the three major fields. IT is now a body of knowledge more in tuned to softwares/programs and less on hard ware. IT professionals could also make software/programs; they are master network builders in software side. As a young body of knowledge they reach out to its consumer/costumers (e.g. business, banks, financial institutions.) through consultation. IT consultancy means advising consumer how to use information technology and implement software/programs provided by IT professionals. For example a hospital bought system software from an IT company to make hospital management easier. The second way we could define Information Technology as provided by Mr. Google is through its roles in computer technology. We also made a Diagram picture for these. But first we need to understand the term IT professionals, Computer Engineers, and Computer Science. Computer Engineer. Computes Engineers specializes on building or designing computer hardware like the CPU (computer processing unit). They are also knowledgeable in computer software. Computer Scientist. Well, they are scientist who acquired knowledge from computer science. They specialize on scientific and computational approach, computations within the computer. For example, the ALU (arithmetic and logic unit) that performs arithmetic and logical operations. Lets make it simple, the ALU in the CPU is responsible for interpreting the electric signals in the circuits of the motherboard and convert it into bits or digital signals or binary (0 and 1). They are more on theory and also knowledgeable on computer hardware. They are the major producers of different programming languages.

3 IT Professional You may be wondering what it means to be an It professional, what are their functions. First thing to remember is one must hold a degree in IT related fields (e.g. computer science, BS IT, Software engineering etc.). When computer engineers and scientist work together they produce a computer like desktop containing software. The only problem is most people werent able to use it since it is very complicated. And that were the roles of an IT professional used. The major role of IT is to make ways that people who are not highly computer literate be able to use computers. In other words, IT is innovation. Using the knowledge and technology generated by computer engineers and scientist to make a simpler one. Making computer technology available to all people.

4 Importance of Information Technology in Modern days. Picture out yourself without a mobile phone, schooling without computers or internet or imagine the world without computers. For us we could not picture it out. What will you feel if you used binary codes in texting, using computers, or reading school related topics on a binary format or in computer programming codes? For us, wed rather handwrite or read books. Almost all human activities nowadays are affected by IT. An IT professional finds ways on how to make computer technology easier to use or understand by people who are not expert to it. They are the people responsible for converting binary codes into letter to words, images, video that is displayed into our computer monitors. Biology, Health Care and Research nowadays heavily uses IT. Let me show example of it. Bioinformatics is the study of methods for storing, retrieving and analyzing biological data like DNA of human cells, bacteria and virus using different program software developed by IT professionals. This generates new information that is very useful in fields like drug design. In Health care we call it Health Informatics; its main purpose is fast storage and retrieval of patients health data in hospitals. Nowadays doctors and nurses in the hospital is equip with a mobile gadgets that displays information like vital signs and drug allergies of their patient. For example, when a patient experiencing a heart failure. The medical equipment connected to their bodies sends patient vital signs to mobile gadgets. Through this prompt medical intervention is delivered to patients. By the way, health informatics is the fastest growing field in IT now. Medical professionals like nurses who are also IT professionals are responsible for this great advancement in health care. If a certain researcher wants to make a study about Effective Drugs in treating a certain disease, with the help of computer software the researcher could access data generated from bioinformatics and health informatics. This way the researcher will save time and effort.

5 History of Information and Technology. Information Technology is storing information and getting information out and sharing with people using the technology available at a certain age. That is our own definition of Information and technology and we will use that definition to discuss its history. And to summarize it, we divided the discussion on 4 main Ages: Pre-mechanical age, Mechanical age, Electro-mechanical age, and Electronic age. Pre-mechanical Age Obviously, it the earliest age of information technology and this dates back from 3000 BC to 1450 BC. Tools and resources used to are sharpened stones and cave wall, stone and rock surfaces and a creative mind. For example, when our Stone Age ancestor want to share their way of living to others and future generation, they carve information to cave walls. Archeologist call it petroglyphs, it

is depicted as pictures with meanings not alphabets.

As years pass, man became more intelligent and invented clay tablet to pen and papers for storage of information. Information this time were coded as alphabets and then numbers. Scroll were invented like the scrolls of Egypt. Egyptians also created the earliest libraries.

Mechanical Age This age can be defined between 1450 and 1840. In the year 1450 Johann Gutenberg (Mainz, Germany) invented the first movable printing press. This led to the easy mass production of books which spread knowledge in Europe. Still information is stored in form of papers but it is a lot faster than handwriting. The widespread spread of different knowledge and ideas serves as a major precursor in the famous Industrial Revolution (1750 to 1850). Charles Babbage (1792-1871) observed that solutions to long math problems are repetitive so he invented a steam powered adding machine which he called the the difference engine. It can automatically solve math problems. Ada Augusta Lovelace (1815-1852) or Lady Byron was an English Mathematician who was fascinated by Charles Babbage work and inventions. Just like Babbage himself, she saw the great potential of the inventions and created the first program ever created for Babbages computer. She was the first computer programmer. Many inventions related to computer were created and their inventions have one in common. It is the Punch Card. Punch Cards are the earliest form of data or information storage using a computer and it is obsolete now in our modern times. Is just a piece of paper where information is represented with a hole and having no hole. Works more like a binary with a value of 0 and 1, or electric signals

6 that are interpreted by CPU which is high frequency = 1 and low frequency 0. One perfect example here in the Philippines is the mechanical bandy clock or punch clock or time recorder. This machine is used to monitor employees. An employee insert a piece of paper to it and then the machine punches some hole to it containing your time you log in and log out to your office. Of course this information is code as holes = 1 and no holes = O. Joseph Marie Jacquard invented the punch card and other inventors adopted it to their inventions like Charles Babbage.

Electro-mechanical age The electromechanical age can be defined as the time between 1840 and 1940. This age closely resembles the modern age or electronic age. Its plain and simple; invention during this time also uses punch card as data storage but this time the machine is powered by electricity. Electricity was not invented its natures gift to us. Samuel Morse around 1840 put electricity in great used when he invented the telegraph. Later it was followed by telephone, radio and television. Electronic Age This is the age started from 1940 up to present. Let us make it simpler; during mechanical age punch cards were used, there are holes and have no hole in a piece of paper. And the mechanical computer interprets those in a manner they are arranged. Electronic age is different, they use electricity. By the use of a device, they were able to control the flow of electricity into two (with electricity = 1 and without electricity = 0).

7 Electronic Age can be divided into four and the basis of division is on advancements of the capability of device used to manipulate electricity. Control circuit is the collective term for those devices. 1. Vacuum tubes control circuit Dr. Lee De Forest an American Scientist developed vacuum tubes in 1906. Still uses punch card, punch card as used to command the computer to make calculations. Drum memory or magnetic drums were used for internal storage. Serve as a RAM or random access memory. Its computing capability is a thousand times faster that of electromechanical computers. The disadvantage is it very enormous in size and generates large heat that damage it part sensitive to heat. Computers: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) Harvard Mark I (IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator)

Vacuum tubes

magnetic drums

2. Transistors - control circuit Transistors were invented by a team of scientist for a telephone company in 1940. Vacuum tubes is replaced with transistors Punch card is replaced with magnetic tapes. Just like CDs or DVDs data is encoded through with bumps = 1 or with no Bumps 0 and converted into binary when the computer reads it. Serve as a RAM or random access memory. Magnetic drums are replaced with magnetic cores programming languages were created such as FORTRAN and COBOL Computers: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)

transistors

magnetic tapes

magnetic cores

8 3. Integrated Circuits - control circuit Jack Kilby invented integrated circuits in 1958 Transistors were replaced with integrated circuits Magnetic tape is used. Magnetic core turned into metal oxide semiconductors (MOS). Serve as a RAM or random access memory. More advanced programming language which is BASIC and an actual operating system showed up.

Integrated Circuit

MOS
CPUs (central processing units) The Intel Company invented the CPU. Memory, logic and control circuit put into a single chip. The first personal computer was created by the apple company Apple II by the Apple Computer now Apple Inc.

Intel 4004 Microprocessor

Apple II