Overview of Computing Technology

Since the beginning of time technology has helped us out as a human race. From the invention of the wheel to the Internet, technology has been a great factor on the way our civilization has grown. With more and more technological advances just around the corner, our civilization will continue to grow faster and faster than ever before. Computers make life easier for people every day. They help us to do tasks quicker and communicate with friends and family with the click on a button. Computers play a significant role in the school system as well. They help students to learn more efficiently and help them do their work. Computers offer the Internet which helps students research information for projects they may have. School computers also offer programs which can help anyone learn. An example of this is the program All the Right Type. This program helps students as well as teachers, to learn how to type faster and more efficiently. Also there are other programs which younger students can go on to help them with developing and reinforcing their math skills and reading skills. Programs like Math Circus and matching the word with the picture. Programs like these make it easy to understand and use computers, yet it also makes learning fun. Computers also make writing and doing homework easier to complete. With spell check and other spelling tools, it makes it easier and faster to complete work. This is because you are not spending all your time going through your homework looking for spelling mistakes, because the computer automatically does it for you, making your life easier. Further, Computers also benefit the development of fundamental skills. Good educational software enables children to practice and develop broad range skills. It can help them learn, for example, about shapes, letters, numbers, rhythm, and colors. Good educational software can also help children develop their understanding of cause and effect, procedural thinking, higher order problem solving and creative expression. Many students have become too reliable on computers however. Many children come to libraries to access the computers and CD-ROMs rather than to read. Though such computer activities are purported to be educational, there is a fundamental difference between the skills used in reading versus those used to engage in an interactive CDROM. Librarians as well as teachers, should guide as many children as possible towards the text books rather than the computer. Emotional skills are also enhanced by using a computer. Children develop self-confidence and self-esteem as they master computer skills and use the computer to make things happen. Computers also develop social skills. In a classroom setting with many other students, or in a home when the students friends or parents are available, children often prefer working with one or two partners over working alone, which leads to the development of social skills. Lastly, computers benefit children with special needs in the school system. Computers have proven extremely beneficial to students with certain speech, audio, and motor limitations. Students with special needs can use alternative input and output devices to interact with computers and do things that they normally could not accomplish independently. What they can do through using a computer boosts their self-esteem and provides them with a greater sense of control with the world around them and their own individual lives. The Internet or the information highway provides them with the best of knowledge for their treatments and they can

keep in touch with doctors or friends throughout the world with the Internet. Computer technology will continue to assist special needs students far into the future.

Computer history:
A complete history of computing would include a multitude of diverse devices such as the ancient Chinese abacus, the Jacquard loom (1805) and Charles Babbage's ``analytical engine'' (1834). It would also include discussion of mechanical, analog and digital computing architectures. As late as the 1960s, mechanical devices, such as the Mar chant calculator, still found widespread application in science and engineering. During the early days of electronic computing devices, there was much discussion about the relative merits of analog vs. digital computers. In fact, as late as the 1960s, analog computers were routinely used to solve systems of finite difference equations arising in oil reservoir modeling. In the end, digital computing devices proved to have the power, economics and scalability necessary to deal with large scale computations. Digital computers now dominate the computing world in all areas ranging from the hand calculator to the supercomputer and are pervasive throughout society. Therefore, this brief sketch of the development of scientific computing is limited to the area of digital, electronic computers. The evolution of digital computing is often divided into generations. Each generation is characterized by dramatic improvements over the previous generation in the technology used to build computers, the internal organization of computer systems, and programming languages. Although not usually associated with computer generations, there has been a steady improvement in algorithms, including algorithms used in computational science. The following history has been organized using these widely recognized generations as mileposts.

The Computer Generations:

First Generation 1951 to 1959 First generation computers were powered by vacuum tubes; they were extremely large machines, occupying huge rooms and consuming vast amounts of energy. Second Generation 1959 to 1965 Second generation computer systems took advantage of semiconductor technology which meant that transistors replaced the vacuum tubes. This resulted in reduced physical size, faster computing and greater power. The transistor was initially developed by Bell Laboratories, a large US corporation. Third Generation 1965 to 1971 Third generation computers were made from integrated circuits, again reducing size, faster computing and greater power. Integrated circuits at this time consisted of a piece of silicon about 10mm square on which up to one thousand transistors could be placed. Magnetic discs were improved, greatly increasing storage capacity. Input/output devices such as monitors and keyboards were introduced and the operating system was first adopted. A new concept was also developed; "families" of computers, which allowed for upgrading and expansion.

Forth Generation 1971 to Present From integrated circuits to large scales integration to very large scale integration; this was the start of the microprocessor age. The microprocessor used continued to improve from the 8086, 80286 to the 80486, then Pentium, Pentium 2, and now Pentium 3.

How are computers useful?

With ever increasing availability of more complex and dynamic operating systems, the primary use of a computer is only limited to the imagination and technical know how of the user. Some examples of use in the home:

Network attached storage (Linux distribution named FreeNAS) Media Server (Hewlett-Packard makes a dedicated version of this) Graphics design (Adobe is the forefront in design software) Architectural design (AutoCAD leads this category) On-line banking (savings, loans, insurance, credit, mutual funds...) Gaming (always fun, sometimes aggravating) Social Networking (Myspace, Facebook, Twitter). Knowledge sharing (WikiAnswers, Wikipedia, Lifehacker, Gizmodo) Science (Folding at Home is a great example of home-based cloud computing)

These are few examples.

What Do Us Use Computers For?

Word Processing: Word Processing software automatically corrects spelling and grammar mistakes. If the content of a document repeats, you don't have to type it each time. You can use the copy and paste features. You can print documents and make several copies. It is easier to read a word-processed document than a handwritten one. You can add images to your document. Internet: It is a network of almost all the computers in the world. You can browse through much more information than you could do in a library. That is because computers can store enormous amounts of information. You also have very fast and convenient access to information. Through E-Mail, you can communicate with a person sitting thousands of miles away in a few seconds. Chat software enables one to chat with another on a real-time basis. Video conferencing tools are becoming readily available to the common man. Digital video or audio composition: Audio or video composition and editing have been made much easier by computers. It no longer costs thousands of dollars of equipment to compose music or make a film. Graphics engineers can use computers to generate short or full-length films or even to create 3D models. Anybody owning a computer can now enter the field of media production. Special effects in science-fiction and action movies are created using computers. Desktop publishing: With desktop publishing, you can create page layouts for entire books on your personal computer.

Computers in Medicine: You can diagnose diseases. You can learn the cures. Software is used in magnetic resonance imaging to examine the internal organs of the human body. Software is used for performing surgery. Computers are used to store patient data. Mathematical Calculations: Thanks to computers, which have computing speeds of over a million calculations per second we can perform the biggest of mathematical calculations. Banks: All financial transactions are done by computer software. They provide security, speed and convenience. Travel: One can book air tickets or railway tickets and make hotel reservations online. Telecommunication: Software is widely used here. Also all mobile phones have software embedded in them. Defense: There is software embedded in almost every weapon. Software is used for controlling the flight and targeting in ballistic missiles. Software is used to control access to atomic bombs. E-Learning: Instead of a book it is easier to learn from E-learning software. Gambling: You can gamble online instead of going to a casino. Examinations: You can give online exams and get instant results. You can check your examination results online. Business: Shops and supermarkets use software, which calculate the bills. Taxes can be calculated and paid online. Accounting is done using computers. One can predict future trends of business using artificial intelligence software. Software is used in major stock markets. One can do trading online. There are fully automated factories running on software. Certificates: Different types of certificates can be generated. It is very easy to create and change layouts. ATM machines: The computer software authenticates the user and dispenses cash. Marriage: There are matrimonial sites through which one can search for a suitable groom or bride. News: There are many websites through which you can read the latest or old news. Classmates: There are many alumni websites through which you can regain contact with your classmates. Robotics: Robots are controlled by software. Electronic gadgets: they run with the help of computers. There is various software which is used to increase the efficiency of these devices. Timers, self-controlled switches, these ensure that the machines ask for minimum human effort. Planning and Scheduling: Software can be used to store contact information, generating plans, scheduling appointments and deadlines. Plagiarism: Software can examine content for plagiarism. Greeting Cards: You can send and receive greetings pertaining to different occasions. Sports: Software is used for making umpiring decisions. There is simulation software using which a sportsperson can practice his skills. Computers are also to identify flaws in technique. Airplanes: Pilots train on software, which simulates flying. Weather analysis: Supercomputers are used to analyze and predict weather.

Computers have leapfrogged the human society into another league. It is used in each and every aspect of human life. They will spearhead the human quest of eradicating social problems like illiteracy and poverty. It is difficult to imagine a world bereft of computers. This revolutionary technology is indeed a boon to the human race. May computers continue to shower their blessings to us?

Computers in education:
Education is the process of acquiring knowledge. In the traditional model, people learn from other people such as parents, teachers, and employers. Many forms of printed material such as books and manuals are used as learning tools. Today, educators also are turning to computers to assist with education. Since the beginning of time technology has helped us out as a human race. From the invention of the wheel to the Internet, technology has been a great factor on the way our civilization has grown. With more and more technological advances just around the corner, our civilization will continue to grow faster and faster than ever before. Computers have changed the way we work, be it any profession. Therefore, it is only but natural the role of computers in education has been given a lot of prominence in the recent years. Computers benefit the development of fundamental skills. Good educational software enables children to practice and develop broad range skills. It can help them learn, for example, about shapes, letters, numbers, rhythm, and colors. Good educational software can also help children develop their understanding of cause and effect, procedural thinking, higher order problem solving and creative expression. Computers benefit children with special needs in the school system. Computers have proven extremely beneficial to students with certain speech, audio, and motor limitations. Students with special needs can use alternative input and output devices to interact with computers and do things that they normally could not accomplish independently. Computers have become an integral part of the education as they allow students and teachers access to information, show students real world, help in research projects, and prepare for their job.

Computing technologies in institutions:

Information technology (IT) offers tremendous promise for enhancing the academic experience. Educational technologies include not only the Internet, which provides access to university websites directly tied to courses as well as to resources around the world, but also innovations in recording, collaborating, and responding technologies that offer enhanced environments for scholarly interaction and intellectual pursuit. These technologies are valuable when they serve the larger educational goals of the university: to create active learners who not only master the content of their chosen fields, but also develop techniques and modes of critical thought that will enable them to be informed and discerning citizens and contributors to their professions.

ICT is very useful tool both for managing education and for teaching. So, there should be an encouragement of managing educational institutions and also encourage instructors for gaining access to educational materials. ICTs depend on several variables, including the appropriate design of software and hardware; the training and attitude of instructors; and the realization that different students have different requirements. Well-designed ICTs can allow educators to reach new groups of potential students, particularly mature students, lifelong learners, and students with physical disabilities, students in employment and students who are far from education centers. Courses that are delivered electronically have some difference between some education and none at all for people in remote rural areas. When ICT is used to reach very large numbers of students, for research and by administrators, is most likely to be cost-effective. Many education policy-makers seriously underestimate the total costs of operating ICT-based learning.

ICT trends in education:

ICT has the capacity to create opportunities to transform learning and teaching environments that can improve education outcomes and increase social and economic participation. Some current

trends in ICT are: The current national government policy on ICT adds emphasis to the need for research into the educational environment in which ICT is used, its effect on learning and possibly an exploration of diverse methods for delivering education and their effects on learning. The trends in ICT in education can be described by the devices that are used or by content or by the services that the internet and WWW provide. Some theorists would argue that using ICT is affecting the evolution of and use of the human brain which is an issue that needs to be addressed if we are to understand the impact of ICT on learning and education. ICT has helped to further the collaboration between scientists through obvious technologies such as email and websites.

Computing technologies in schools:

The provision of laptops to middle and high school students appears to be a promising approach in building technology proficiency as well as writing and other academic skills; overcoming inequities; promoting communication and collaboration; and providing higher levels of student engagement and motivation; as well as producing identifiable gains in test scores and grades. Certain conditions must be satisfied to ensure that the gains in student achievement associated with the effective use of technology in education are realized and/or maximized.

Computing technologies in universities:

As for as universities are concerned, there is a wider social relations behind the integration of computer technology in universities. A wide range of stakeholders influence the ICT in

universities like software developers, programmers and marketers etc. we can draw a picture of construction of higher education and ICT by combining social, political, economical and cultural perspectives on technology. Some governments have control over the nature and form of publicity and privately run universities through formal rules but some of these political concerns are less practical. Government has appropriated the universities so that they can produce educated and competent citizens in the end of 20th century. In some countries, universities provide the labor market with partners of information-literate and tech-savvy graduates to drive 21st century free enterprise. Such macro-economic shaping of technology and higher education could be said to contribute to a particular form of higher education ICT provision. Design, production and sale of educational technologies is depend upon commercial interests. Many national and local IT companies are responsible for the supplying of computer hardware and software. Education technology is predicated upon the involvement of commercial IT firms, and these private interests apply an intense shaping influence on education technology as much organization broke schemes for students or provides student version of their products. So there is a strong relationship of universities sector with IT firms. From the 1980s number of students in universities are rapidly increased as compare to funding. Thus, universities have had to become more entrepreneurial in their approach. New technology provides more appropriate solution for these problems like the use of computer-based and computer assisted teaching is seen to increase and ease universities processing of students, without demanding additional investment in costly physical resources such as classrooms or staff. Computer technologies therefore lend their institutions a fashionable forward-looking image, reducing their direct labor and plant maintenance costs. Students are the end users and beneficiaries of ICT based in university. With the universities in which they study, individual students have been forced to become more entrepreneurial in their negotiation of the massified higher education landscape. For many students, the peripheral role that ICT takes in the assessment demands of their university provides a clear strategic impetus not to make extensive use of ICT. Thus, the timed paper-and-pencil examination, the practical lab test, and class test all militate against extensive use of ICT. In the short time of a degree there is simply no time to build new skills.

Effect of computing technology in education:

With the rapidly changing advances of this technological age, it is easy to overlook the influence computers have had on education. When Computers Became Popular: You may still know some teachers who go without a cellular phone, but you are not likely to find a teacher without an email account. In 1963, the Vocational Education Act was intended to provide more money to schools for technological support. Then the additional money for technology in schools was canceled in 1968, when it was believed the effort was waste in the classroom. However, in 1975, Apple computers were donated

to some schools. By 1986, 25 percent of America's high schools were using computers for vocational and college preparation. It was not until 1994 that the majority of schools had at least one PC available for instructional purposes.

Computers Encourage Creativity With all of the programs and functions that computers and the Internet offer, there is something for everyone to use on a computer, which acts as an aid to students' creativity. If you like music, you can easily find programs and activities related to music. If you like art, you can use design programs on the computer. With this additional freedom and opportunity to expand on what interests you, studies reported by John Cradler and Elizabeth Bridgforth of WestEd show that most students have improved in their homework and test scores, depending on the content and form of computer augmentation.

Alteration in Attention Since the younger generation is typically comfortable with computer technology, students' attention to their schooling is believed to be more focused. Students are doing research online with ease and are supposedly motivated to learn more. Teachers, on the other hand, are no longer the main focus in the classroom while students go to the Internet for answers. And, particularly in computer classes, this sense of students' independence is encouraged.

Research: If a school's library is outdated or lacking in a selection of titles, a student might find it difficult to compile the necessary research for an essay or research paper. As long as the school has a computer lab, students are able to use the Internet and digital encyclopedias to obtain the research they need. While students should be wary of the legitimacy of some of the content they read online, many schools use software like the Encyclopedia Britannica to help students does research.

Globalization: When schools in different parts of the state, country or world connect, students can "meet" their counterparts through video conferencing without leaving the classroom. Some sites, such as Glovico, are used to help students learn foreign languages online by pairing a group of students with a teacher from another country.

Educational Games: In younger grades, teachers expose children to computers through educational games. Instead of playing board games that focus on education, students can learn the basics of spelling, counting and other early educational lessons through computer games that make

learning fun. Because many schools have at least one computer in each classroom, the teacher can make that computer a vital part of learning for young students. Distance Education: In the past, students could take distance or continuing education classes, also called "correspondence courses," at community colleges and universities. After enrolling in a course of this style, a student would receive course documents in the mail and would be required to mail assignments to his teacher at the educational institution. The process could be long and complicated. Thanks to technology, continuing education students can take courses over the Internet at their convenience. Web Seminars: Not every school has the resources and budget to send its students on field trips related to the course of study. When this is the case, the students' education can suffer. But thanks to technology, students can use the Internet to virtually attend Web seminars put on by museums and other educational institutions. NASA, for instance, offers a program that allows students to talk to astronauts in space.

Easier to Cheat Unfortunately, computer technology has also brought about easier means for students to cheat on their homework. Since most homework is typed, teachers cannot rely on comparing different forms of handwriting. In addition, students can merely copy work from the Internet or buy an essay online instead of doing their homework themselves. However, teachers are managing to keep up with students' laziness and forms of plagiarism by using some online methods of their own to check students' work through search engines and other computer programs.

Conclusion:
Over all, computing technologies have a great impact on student education. Theses technologies help out in technology proficiency as well as writing and other academic skills; overcoming inequities;

promoting communication and collaboration; and providing higher levels of student engagement and motivation; as well as producing identifiable gains in test scores and grades. Computing technologies have an influence on student achievement. It helps out in learning skills and problem solving. Student can use these both in negative and positive way. Some of them Some students use computers only for completing their degrees or courses. As their lectures are delivered using presentation soft wares. They also use them in completing their assignments, projects and for preparing exams. They do not use it in a constructive way and for polishing their skills. Computer technology is a vast field. It can be used in every field of life. Research if computing technologies have opened new avenues of development. Regardless of age or location any body can use it. Researchers use it for their research works. Scientists are using it for their experiments. Businessmen are using it for managing their business. Students are using it for their

studies. We can use it for a number of purposes. For instance it can teach us any knowledge in the world which is present in the world. You can browse over internet, learn different skills, polish your knowledge, work on internet and while you are at home. Students which were discussed above mere used limited powers of computers. Computers do not mean only Microsoft word of Microsoft PowerPoint. Students in our university are either unaware of computing powers or they dont want to use them at all. We will evaluate up to what extent students in our university are using computer properly i.e. what percentage of total number of students are aware of computing powers and using them properly . Secondly how much of students are utilizing computer technology.

Reference: 1. Uses of computer and its relevance to teaching and learning in Nigerian educational
system, Bada, Tayo*, Adewole, Ajibade and Olalekan, Ojedokun 2. Complexity of Integrating Computer Technologies into Education in Turkey, Sadegl Akbaba-Altun, College of Education, Bakent University. 3. Teachers use of class room connectivity Technology: Log files analysis, Vehbi Aytekin Sanalan, The Ohio State University 4. Impact of Technology on Education, Prepared by Debbie Look for PUSD Excellence Committee, December 2005 5. The use of computer technology in university Teaching and learning: a critical perspective, N. Selwyn, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff, UK 6. The impact of technology to education in the developing countries, Mercy N. Fodje 7. ICTs for education and building human capital, Frances Cairncross, Management Editor of The Economist, and Kaija Pysti, Partner in Blue White Venture, a consulting company. 8. Factors Affecting the Adoption and Use of Computer Technology in Schools, Ron Krysa Graduate Student, Educational Communications and Technology, University of Saskatchewan. May, 1998 9. The impact of technology on primary schools, Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Communications, Victoria University of Wellington Grant Warren Sherson, August 1999 10. The role of computer technology in the future map library Christopher Fleet, Assistant Map Curator, Map Library, National Library of Scotland.

Literature Review Report

Topic: Role of Computing technologies in Education.

Submitted To: Sir Kashif Aman Ullah. Submitted By:

Anam Jamil Goraya. Anum Safder Iqra Mustafa 08020656-018 08020656-026 08020656-036

BS (HONS) IT 8th Semester