Information Communication Technology:
Information Communication Technology
Every time a person uses a PC, he or she is tapping the remarkable power of information technology. How does it all work, and what can it do? This friendly, fact-filled three-part series—a complete curriculum introducing all vital aspects of personal computing in the Microsoft Windows environment—seamlessly combines graphics-filled interactive tutorials, helpful self-check activities, concise section summaries, and friendly audio narration to deliver a learning experience as engaging as it is thorough.
Each of the 28 units is self-paced—and because the program saves user data, students can pick up wherever they leave off. Plus, the units can be accessed in any order, so students have the choice of working sequentially or jumping directly to the areas they need to study or review.
From a pedagogical point of view, these CD-ROMs have been designed around an enhanced "principles of learning" model that combines a gentle reward system with continual integrated feedback. Quiz scores are displayed as a graph, allowing students to track their progress, and summaries are printable, for offline reference.
With more than 1,300 content screens and almost 100 instructional video clips, this series packs a lot of IT information into a very convenient package.
One Windows CD-ROM each. © 2002.
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Feeling comfortable with computers is all about confidence, and this CD-ROM is a great tool for building some. Taking first things first, units one through four present PC hardware: the components of the motherboard; input equipment, such as the keyboard and mouse; storage media, including the hard disk, Zip disk, tape drive, CD-R (recordable), and floppy disk; and the monitor, printer, and other output devices. The final three units deal with PC system software in the Microsoft Windows environment. Settings for the monitor, keyboard, and mouse are all covered, as is personalizing the desktop with wallpaper, a screensaver, and a custom color scheme. PC maintenance with Windows’ built-in utility programs is also explained. Virus protection is discussed.
One Windows CD-ROM. © 2002.
Application Software
Spread over nine units, this CD-ROM begins by concentrating on the workhorses of the work world—word processors, spreadsheets, and databases. Using Microsoft Word, basic text entry and screen navigation skills are spelled out. The undo, cut, copy, paste, and find/replace functions are demonstrated, as well as saving and saving-as. Using Microsoft Excel, basic data entry, cell formatting, and screen navigation are explained. In addition, formula creation, What If? analysis, and data graphing are illustrated. And using Microsoft Access, basic database design, data entry, and information editing are described, along with the sort and search functions and printing reports.
Then, the disc offers a stimulating roundup of specialty programs, touching on Jasc Software’s Paint Shop Pro, for working with graphics; Microsoft PowerPoint, for producing slide shows; Microsoft Publisher, for desktop publishing; Sonic Foundry’s SoundForge, for editing noises, music, and narration; MatchWare’s ScreenCorder, for working with video images; Microsoft FrontPage, for building Web sites; and WinZip Computing’s WinZip, for compressing files of all sorts.
One Windows CD-ROM. © 2002.
IT Communications
Thanks to computer and telecommunication technology, the PC has become a gateway to the world. The first two units of this CD-ROM spotlight online faxing and e-mailing. Using Symantec’s WinFax PRO, the details of data transmission via phone line and ISDN are outlined. Then, using Microsoft Outlook Express, the basics of e-mail are described, covering modems, dial-up connections, Internet service providers, and electronic addresses.
The five remaining units demystify the Internet, arguably the best reference resource and communications tool the world has ever known. First, some background is provided on how the World Wide Web fits into the Internet and what a URL is. Next, the features and functions of Microsoft Internet Explorer are explained. And last but not least, finding information with search engines and downloading public domain programs, freeware, and shareware are demonstrated.
One Windows CD-ROM. © 2002.