Information and Communication Technology has become a vital player in the national development of modern society. Methods of gathering, processing and dissemination of information have dramatically changed in the modern era with the advent of ICT.
ICT has an impact on:
Social
Cultural
Economic
Administrative
Aspects of society
ICT has contributed to increase productivity of goods
and services relevant to
Health
Education
Agriculture
Industries
and almost all other sectors in Sri Lanka
ICT in the Health Sector
E-channeling Research and Innovation
Medical testing & reporting
Surgery
Maintenance of Medical History Records
In house management
Remote surgery
ICT is used in education under
Learning
Teaching
Management
ICT for learning
Online courses/exams
Huge collection of subject related electronic
materials and methodologies(Lessons, Tutorials, simulations etc.)
Learning Management System(LMS)
Educational fora, video conferencing,
CAL(Computer Assisted Learning)
School net
ICT for teaching
Hypermedia tools Simulation, animation, modeling,
audio and video
Huge Collection of Subject Related Materials (Lessons,
Tutorials etc.)
Modern Learning / Teaching Methodologies
School Management Systems
Web sites related to Education Management
ICT in Agriculture
Introduces modern machinery and equipment
Provides information on seeds that maximize harvest
and preservation of products
Provides awareness in the field of modern Agriculture
Fertilizers Pesticides
Provides information on modern techniques in
horticulture and in agro technology
Research on farming, animal husbandry
Virtual/competitive markets for agricultural products
ICT in Industry
Provides information on modern tools, equipment,
machinery
Provides software on designing and modeling
Provides know how on the use of new techniques in
various industries including self employment E.g. hair dressing, beauty culture
and apparel
Provides facilities for advertising and marketing
Facilitates office automated systems
Electronic processing saves energy and time
Increases productivity, efficiency and accuracy
Minimizes paper work
Provides on-line jobs
Facilitates tele-commuting
Provides infrastructure facilities for call centers
ICT in Banking Sector
ATM
Credit Cards
Inter Bank Money Transfer
On-Line banking (e-banking)
Image Processing Cheque Clearing Systems
Money Grams etc.
ICT in Insurance Sector
On the Spot Claims
Medical coverage using electronic cards
ICT in Share Market
Provides information on current foreign exchanges
Provides facility to deal with the share market
Issues in the use of ICT
Social
Ethical
Legal
Security
Health & safety
Social Issues
Digital divide is the division of people according to
the accessibility to ICT Resources. There is a gap between those who can access
ICT resources easily and those who can not access.
Ethical Issues
Piracy
Cracking
Hacking
Unauthorized access etc.
Legal Issues
Violation of Intellectual Property Rights, Copyright,
Patent
Security Issues
Hardware Protection
Computer must be protected from outside threats
Software Protection
Programs must be protected from various threats
Hardware protection
Your computer should be equipped with
A UPS(Uninterrupted Power Supplier) to avoid risk of
sudden power failure and fluctuations.
Surge protection safeguard against lightening and
thunder.
Stabilizer to control voltage.
Environmental factors to protect your computer
Your computer should be kept in a
dust free,
Dry (moisture free),
Smoke free environment.
Logical Security
The software and the data in your computer can be
protected by
Passwords
Backups
Malicious codes
The expression “malicious code” has been used by
analysts to describe the category to which Virus ,Worm ,Trojan Horse falls
Computer Viruses
A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your
computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes.
All computer viruses are manmade. A computer virus
attaches itself to a program or file so that it can spread from one computer to
another, leaving infections as it travels. Much like human viruses, computer
viruses can range in severity. Boot Sector Virus
File Virus
Macro Virus
Multipartite Virus
Polymorphic Virus
Stealth Virus
Boot Sector Virus
Replaces or implants itself in the boot sector—an area
of the hard drive (or any other disk) accessed when you first turn on your
computer. This kind of virus can prevent you from being able to boot your hard
disk.
File Virus
They infect applications. These executables then
spread the virus by infecting associated documents and other applications
whenever they’re opened or run.
Macro Virus
Written using a simplified macro programming language,
these viruses affect Microsoft Office applications
A document infected with a macro virus generally
modifies a pre-existing, commonly used command (such as Save) to trigger its
payload upon execution of that command. A document infected with a macro virus
generally modifies a pre-existing, commonly used command (such as Save) to
trigger its payload upon execution of that command.
Types of computer viruses
Multipartite Virus
Infects both files and the boot sector–a double shot
that can re-infect your system dozens of times before it’s caught.
Polymorphic Virus
changes code whenever it passes to another machine; in
theory these viruses should be more difficult for antivirus scanners to detect,
but in practice they’re usually not that well written.
Stealth Virus
Hides its presence by making an infected file not
appears infected, but doesn’t usually stand up to antivirus software.
Worm
Worms spread from computer to computer, A worm takes
advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which
allows it to travel unaided. The biggest danger with a worm is its capability
to replicate itself on your system
A Trojan Horse
It will appear to be useful software but will actually
do damage once installed or run on your computer. When a Trojan is
activated the results can vary.
Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than
malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) they
can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your
system.
Precautions to protects the computer systems
Avoid infected disks and flash drives.
Avoid downloading infected executable file.
Be careful when opening e-mails with unfamiliar
addresses.
Use the latest version of an anti virus program and
run it regularly.
Antivirus program
A utility program that searches storage devices for viruses
and removes any that is found. Scanning software looks for a virus in one of
two ways If it’s a known virus it is removed from your system. In the case of
new viruses it quarantines (isolates) the questionable program.
Some popular antivirus software
Norton
Mcafee
Symantec
PC cillin
AVG
Norman
Dr.Solomon’s
A firewall is a system that prevents unauthorized use
and access to your computer. A firewall can be either hardware or software.The
most popular firewall choice is a software firewall.
Firewall software
Spy ware
A general term for a program that secretly monitor
your actions while they are sometimes evil, like a remote control program used
by a hacker, software companies have been known to use spy ware to gather data
about customers.
Health and Safety Issues
Ergonomics & health issues
Repetitive Stress Injuries
Eye Strains
Electro-Magnetic Field
(EMF) exposure
To avoid Repetitive Stress Injuries
The keyboard should be at elbow height, and at a
distance and angle that allow you to keep your wrists straight. If your chair
doesn’t have arms, use a pillow to support your arms. Adjust your chair so that
your feet are flat on the ground and your hips are slightly higher than your
knees.Keep your feet flat on the floor. Don’t slouch(bend).
Keep your head in a “neutral” position. Relieve neck
strain by looking back over your shoulder while sitting up straight. Hold for
10 seconds, then slowly turn and look the other way. Relax shoulders by rolling
them backwards and forwards.Reduce muscle tension in your hands by spreading
your fingers wide apart. Hold, and then make a tight fist
To avoid Eye Strains
Your head should be about 18 – 30 inches from the
monitor. Blink frequently so your eyes don’t get dry. Clean the screen every
once in a while to remove dust that has become one with your screen due to
static electricity. Refocus your eyes every ten minutes or so by looking away
from the computer and briefly focusing on an object at least 20 feet away.