Introduction

Hardly an hour passes during our busy day (or night) when information and communication technology does not intrude into our lives. Look around you and your community. In one way or another we are all connected amongst ourselves as well as to most other parts of the world through telephone networks, the Internet and the World Wide Web. The ubiquitous mobile phone, the laptop and the PC are all but a few other common examples of ICT tools that you and I use to achieve this connection.

Invented around midway through the last century, the microchip has found many other uses beyond transistor radios and televisions to enrich our lives and enhance its quality. There are two terms that you will often come across in any discussion on ICT. These are data and information. These two terms are not the same although they are commonly used loosely and interchangeably.

This section is made up of five parts. They are tabulated below:

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you should be able to:

1. Describe the meaning of the most commonly-used terms in discussing ICT.
2. Describe the impact of ICT in your daily lives.