Introduction

• The use of computers and telecommunications for storing, retrieving, and sending information for optimal use and problem solving is defined as Information Technology.
• It is a widely used technology in the modern world.
• The information that is being translated, disseminated, stored, transmitted, etc. is usually in the forms of audio, video, textual and numerical form and is processed through the use of microelectronics and computers.
• It’s a field that produces many job opportunities in the present world

History

• The Difference Engine invented by Charles Babbage is considered as the first mechanical device which could take an Input, process it and give an output. It is this ideology which paved the way for modern computers and IT
• The ENIAC is considered as the first electronic computer which also had a memory which could hold only a few bytes. The ENIAC was used to do calculations rather than communication.
• The ARPANET was the first successful  Network between computers which later on expanded into the Internet.
• The ARPANET was used in U.S.A by the Advanced Research Projects Agency to communicate between universities and Research Centers in the U.S.A

First Message Sent Through the ARPANET

• ARPANET laid the foundation for data transfer through computers.
•  After the birth of the Internet and its flourishing in the 90's Information Technology developed and became a famous concept in the world

Current Uses of Information Technology

We can stay in touch with the World

Education

IT is being used in the field of Education. Through IT we have the oppurtunity to gain more knowledge on a subject and we can communicate with professionals and get a clear understanding. Studying through computers could also be more easy and interesting than studying through books.

Children studying using a Laptop PC

Medical Field

IT has transformed the ways modern healthcare systems acquire, store, access and communicate medical information. These developments offer significant benefits to patients and healthcare providers. It has reduced the need to visit doctors for small health problems where as advice could be taken and followed. IT allows the use of close monitoring on patients and taking of scans of the body.

A CT scanner 

Transport

A cockpit with Computer

A car with GPS

IT has also influenced the transport sector. Booking of Tickets for Flights and Trains could be done through the Internet. Even the schedules of any flight or train could be viewed through the Internet. In other ways computers are widely used in Air transport and the control of airlines and trains, which can reduce accidents to a great extent. With the help of GPS system we can get to know where we are and plan our routes.

Other Sectors

Barcode readers make it easy to bill Items

Used in Military Operations

IT is also being used in various other sectors. In the modern world almost every sector has a IT centre. From Military to a Supermarket everywhere IT is being used. Phones with special IT capabilities are called as smart phones and there are even Smart T.Vs which allows us to connect to the Internet and share information. Due to the rapid development in technology the capabilities of IT devices are improving day by day. There was a time when Bill Gates had told that 640K of memory would be enough for anybody, but in the current world even an amount of 1 GB seems to be little. IT has given many job opportunities to people, and due to expansion more and more job opportunities are created.

A Smartphone

A Smart T.V