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Semester Two Exam Revision: AIT ATAR 11

Applied Information Technology ATAR Year 11

End of Year Exam Revision Notes

The exam is based on all the content of the course including Unit 1 and 2. There are many resources that can help you as you prepare:

The text: Information and Software Technology The Year 11 Syllabus which can be found here The AIT study guide which can be found here Other resources on the Strathit Blog These revision notes

Read through these revision notes and complete the relevant sections, referring to the syllabus, study guide and text as you go. Ask your teacher if there is anything you don’t understand.

Hardware

Functions of an operating system

The functions of an operating system are:

1. Provide a user interface so that the user can run applications and use the computer2. Management of storage areas and files3. Provide services for application software, e.g. printing, keyboard, mouse4. Manage devices connected to the computer

Basic functions of a computer (Input, processing, Storage, Output)

The basic functions of any computer are:

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OutputProcessing

Storage

Input

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All components of a computer including peripherals fit into one of the above categories as shown in the following table.

Input Process Storage OutputComputer Ports (e.g.

USB, Ethernet, serial, parallel)

CPUALUControl unitRegistersAdapter cards (e.g. LAN, graphics, sound)

RAMHDDROMBIOS

Ports (e.g. USB, Ethernet, serial, parallel)

Peripherals keyboardMouseScannerGraphics tabletTouch screen

Flash driveMemory stickDVDCDExternal HDD

MonitorPrinterspeakers

Add some more items to the above table if you can think of any.

Peripherals, what are they, examples

A peripheral device is any input or output device that connects to a computer. Define the following peripheral devices and their functions:

Peripheral device Definition and function

Printer

Scanner

Keyboard

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Mouse

Components of computer systems

Computers are made of many components. Some are listed in the table below. Research each component’s function and find a picture for each.

Name Function ImageRAM

Hard Disk Drive

Mother Board

Bus

Adapter card

Cooling Fan

Processor

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Impacts of Technology

The digital divide

The term “Digital Divide” refers to the discrepancy that arises when one group has adequate access to Information Technology and another doesn’t. The groups could be different countries. For instance, many countries in Africa have very little access to the internet while in Western countries more than 80% of people have access. Or the groups could be within a society. For instance aged people tend to have less access to technology than young people, possibly because they don’t know how to use it and are scared of it.

Social networking

Social networking is where computer and communication technology is used to allow people to connect and form virtual communities. Social connections may be built around friendship, interests, professions, commerce or community.

Examples of web based social network applications include:

Name PurposeGoogle+ GeneralFacebook General, photos, videos, blogs, appsTwitter General, micro blogging, RSS, updatesTumblr MicrobloggingLinkedIn Business and professional networkingInstagram Photo and video sharing

intent and purpose of the Copyright Act 1968 (Australia)

The main purpose of the copyright act is to protect the rights of the creators of works to: Control their works Earn money from their works Be recognised as the creator of their works

fair dealingThere is no general exception for using copyright material simply because you think it is fair or because you are not making a profit. The Copyright Act allows you to use copyright material without permission if your use is a “fair dealing” for one of the following purposes: • research or study; • criticism or review; • parody or satire; • reporting news; or • professional advice by a lawyer, patent attorney or trade marks attorney.

private useKey points

• Individuals can copy a range of copyright material they own for their “private and domestic use”, and record from radio and TV.

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• The exceptions vary according to the type of material – what you can do under the provisions with a book you own, for example, is different from what you can do with one of your CDs or a film.

• The provisions donʼt apply to every type of copyright material – for example, none of the “private use” provisions deal with copying DVDs or sheet music.

• In some cases, an agreement with the copyright owner or supplier of the material may limit your ability to rely on the private copying provisions. What can you do under the “private use” provisions?

The “private use” provisions allow you to:

• time-shift from radio and TV (that is, record something to listen to or view at a later time);

• format-shift books, newspapers, periodical publications, photos and videotapes that you own (that is, make one copy in a different format, such as making a digital copy of a paperback you own); and • space-shift sound recordings (that is, copy sound recordings into any format – including MP3 – so you can listen to the recording in different places – for example, copying a CD so you can have a copy to listen to in your car and another to listen to on your computer at home).

appropriate referencing techniques for digital publications

The format is: Author’s name or organisation’s name. If there is no name use the first few words of the article. (date or n.d.). Title of article. Retrieved from URL.⇒ E.g. Turner, I. (1974). Lalor, Peter (1827–1889). Retrieved from http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lalor-peter-3980.⇒ E.g. The History Channel, Peter Lalor (n.d.). Retrieved from http://thepeoplespeak.thehistorychannel.com.au/about/the-people/peter-lalor/

impact of the Privacy Act 1988 (Australia):

Personal information can only be collected if:

There is a legitimate purpose for collecting the information The owner of the information gives permission The other principles of the privacy act are followed

how personal information is usedPersonal information can only be used for the purpose for which it was collected. Nor more information than is needed can be collected.

access to personal informationOnly authorised people acting within the purposes for which the information was originally collected can have access to the information

implications of identity theftOne of the main reasons for having information legislation is to protect against the misuse of private information, one of which is identity theft.

safe disposal of data

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http://thepeoplespeak.thehistorychannel.com.au/about/the-people/peter-lalor/

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lalor-peter-3980.


Information can only be kept for as long as it is needed. After that it needs to be disposed of in safe and secure ways.

Application Skills

Basic structure of formulas and functions in excel

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application. A spreadsheet is a collection of discrete cells arranged in columns and rows. Spreadsheets allow the input of three types of data into the cells:

1. Text2. Numbers3. Formula (including self-written and built in functions)

An example of a self-written formula could be

=(A1+A2)*C3

Commonly used built in functions include: sum, average, vlookup, hlookup and if, but there are hundreds more that can do all sorts of interesting things.

All formulas and functions in Excel and other spreadsheet applications must start with the “=” sign. That is how Excel knows the difference between a formula and text or numbers.

Software Licensing

Software created by a computer programmer is copyright. The copyright of the software is either owned by the programmer or by the company that he/she works for. Copyright owners may distribute their software in different ways as follows:

Open source software . This licensing option means that the software is distributed free to anyone and the code is also distributed free and can be edited by other programmers. Changes made can be submitted back to the original programmer who can then include those modifications in future updates.

Freeware . Software distributed as freeware is licensed to be used at no cost. Shareware . This software is distributed on a trial basis. If the user likes it then they are

required to pay for it. Once the trial period expires, the software will be unusable. Or the software might be able to be used forever but has limited functionality.

Licensed or proprietary Software . Users pay a once only fee to be able to install and use the software on their computer.

Subscription Software . Users pay an annual fee to continue using the software

Software Updates

Benefits to be gained from keeping software up to date include:

Software creators may have included new or improved features that add to the usefulness of the software

Bugs in the software may have been fixed. Improved security measures to protect the software, data and hardware

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Critical software to keep updated includes:

Operating systems as these have the primary function for managing your computer hardware and the data stored on it.

Virus and anti-malware software as new viruses and other threats are emerging constantly.

Web Browsers as these are the principal means by which your computer interacts with the internet where most threats originate from.

Managing Data

Graphic file formats

There are two basic types of graphic image:

Raster images are made by mapping pixels on a grid and designating a colour for each pixel in the map to create an image. Raster graphics tend to have large file sizes and will pixelate when enlarged or zoomed. This is because as you get closer to the image the pixels become visible as little squares.

Vector images are made according to mathematical equations that describe the lines, colours and shapes in the image. Vector images tend to have smaller file sizes and can be zoomed or enlarged without limit or loss of quality because the equations just keep recalculating themselves to create new smooth images.

Format Short for About, and best used for

gif Graphics interchange format

The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel, allowing a single image to reference a palette of up to 256 distinct colors chosen from the 24-bit RGB color space. It also supports animations and allows a separate palette of 256 colors for each frame. The color limitation makes the GIF format unsuitable for reproducing color photographs and other images with continuous color, but it is well-suited for simpler images such as graphics or logos with solid areas of color. GIF images are compressed using the Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) lossless data compression technique to reduce the file size without degrading the visual quality. Good for web images.

jpg or jpeg Joint Photographic Experts Group

This is the format of choice for nearly all photographs on the web. You can achieve excellent quality even at rather high compression settings. When editing a photo use the software's proprietary format (such as Photoshop PSD) until finished, and then save the result as a JPG.

Digital cameras save in a JPG format by default. Switching to TIFF or RAW improves quality in principle, but the difference is difficult to see. Never use JPG for

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line art. On images such as these with areas of uniform color with sharp edges, JPG does a poor job. These are tasks for which GIF and PNG are well suited. JPG can achieve astounding compression ratios (lossy) even while maintaining very high image quality.

JPEG is designed to exploit known limitations of the human eye, notably the fact that small color changes are perceived less accurately than small changes in brightness. Thus, JPEG is intended for compressing images that will be looked at by humans.

png Portable Network Graphic

Is a bitmapped image format that employs lossless data compression. PNG was created to improve upon and replace GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) as an image-file format not requiring a patent license. PNG supports palette-based (palettes of 24-bit RGB colors), greyscale or RGB images. PNG was designed for transferring images on the Internet, not professional graphics, and so does not support other color spaces (such as CMYK).

Is good for retaining transparency in pics, when using in powerpoint or flash.

PNG offers a variety of transparency options. With truecolor and greyscale images either a single pixel value can be declared as transparent or an alpha channel can be added (enabling any percentage of partial transparency to be used). For paletted images, alpha values can be added to palette entries. The number of such values stored may be less than the total number of palette entries, in which case the remaining entries are considered fully opaque.

tiff Tagged Image File Format

Is a flexible format that normally saves 8 bits or 16 bits per color (red, green, blue) for 24-bit and 48-bit totals, respectively, using either the TIFF or the TIF filenames. The TIFF's flexibility is both blessing and curse, because no single reader reads every type of TIFF file. TIFFs are lossy and lossless; some offer relatively good lossless compression for bi-level (black&white) images. Some digital cameras can save in TIFF format, using the LZW compression algorithm for lossless storage. The TIFF image format is not widely supported by web browsers. TIFF remains widely accepted as a photograph file standard in the printing business. The TIFF can handle device-specific colour spaces, such as the CMYK defined by a particular set of printing press inks. OCR (Optical

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Character Recognition) software packages commonly generate some (often monochromatic) form of TIFF image for scanned text pages.

bmp Windows bitmap The BMP file format handles graphics files within the Microsoft Windows OS. (invented by Microsoft). Typically, BMP files are uncompressed, hence they are large; the advantage is their simplicity, wide acceptance, and use in Windows programs.

raw RAW refers to a family of raw image formats

Are options available on some digital cameras. These formats usually use a lossless or nearly-lossless compression, and produce file sizes much smaller than the TIFF formats of full-size processed images from the same cameras. The raw formats are not standardized or documented, and differ among camera manufacturers. Many graphic programs and image editors may not accept some or all of them, and some older ones have been effectively orphaned already. Adobe's Digital Negative specification is an attempt at standardizing a raw image format to be used by cameras, or for archival storage of image data converted from proprietary raw image formats.

PSD PhotoShop Document

PSD, proprietary format used by Photoshop's. Files have the PSD extension. This is the preferred working format as you edit images in Photoshop, because only the proprietary format retain all the editing power of the program. Photoshop uses layers, for example, to build complex images, and layer information may be lost in the nonproprietary formats such as TIFF and JPG. However, be sure to save your end result as a standard TIFF or JPG, or you may not be able to view it in a few years when your software has changed.

Techniques for minimisation of file size

Compression

Compression involves removing data from a file to make the file size smaller. Lossless compression achieves this without significantly affecting the quality of the image. Lossy compression removes some image data in order to achieve smaller file size. The lost data cannot be restored.

Cropping

Cropping means removing those parts of the image which are not essential, to produce smaller file size.

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Resampling

Resampling is changing the number of pixels in the image to make the whole image smaller. Each pixel is re-rendered by the graphics software.

The concept of cloud computing

Instead of installing software and storing files on your device, it is now possible to use applications like Office programs or other productivity software, games, development applications that are based on servers connected to the internet. Services like iCloud, dropbox, google drive allow us to store our files on the web. This is known as cloud computing.

Many business use cloud computing because it saves them having to set up expensive IT infrastructure in their own premises and employ staff to look after it.

The advantage of this is that we can access our programs and files from any device anywhere in the world. Disadvantages include data security and privacy of your important files and the dependency on internet services to be able to access your apps and files.

Advantages of cloud computing include: Not having to maintain your own servers Someone else takes care of security, back ups etc

Disadvantages include: No internet means no access Information may be vulnerable

system utility tools and accessories for the efficient operation and maintenance of data, including:

disk clean-up toolsDisk clean up tools generally search through a computer’s hard drive to find files that are no longer needed and then delete them. This could include temporary files, recycle bin deleted files, setup files, downloaded program files. The idea is to free up more space on the hard drive

deletion of temporary files/internet cacheEvery time you download a web page, files are stored your computer. Anything from the web page itself to images to cookies. Deleting these can free up hard drive space. However if the files you delete are from sites that you visit often then it can slow down your surfing.

disk fragmentationAs files get created, deleted and edited, disk drives can become more fragmented. This means that the computer could slow down because it is trying to retrieve and write to files that are stored in different places on the hard drive. Defragmenting takes all the bits and pieces of files and puts them together so that access is faster.

anti-malware, virus, SPAM and spywareThese applications keep your computer free from troublesome software.

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Design Concepts

The creation of an effective information product requires the following steps:

Clear statement of the purpose of the information product Identification of target audience along with their specific characteristics Development of design criteria Adherence to the established principles of design and compositional rules and the use

of appropriate typography and design elements in the design and creation of the product.

See the following table for explanation and examples of design principles, compositional rules, typography and elements of design.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

EXPLANATION EXAMPLE (GRAPHIC)

Balance To understand balance, think of the balance beam. When objects are of equal weight, they are in balance. If you have several small items on one side, they can be balanced by a large object on the other side. Visual balance works in much the same way. Use of rule of thirds, consideration of balance (symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Proportion Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. Proportion is the comparison of dimensions or distribution of forms. It is the relationship in scale between one element and another, or between a whole object and one of its parts. Differing proportions within a composition can relate to different kinds of balance or symmetry, and can help establish visual weight and depth. In the examples to the right, notice how the smaller elements seem to recede into the background while the larger elements come to the front.

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Dominance / Emphasis

Dominance relates to varying degrees of emphasis in design. It determines the visual weight of a composition, establishes space and perspective, and often resolves where the eye goes first when looking at a design. There are three stages of dominance, each relating to the weight of a particular object within a composition.

Dominant: The object given the most visual weight, the element of primary emphasis that advances to the foreground in the composition.

Sub-dominant: The element of secondary emphasis, the elements in the middle ground of the composition.

In the example to the right, the trees act as the dominant element, the house and hills as the secondary element, and the mountains as the tertiary element.

Unity / Harmony Unity is the relationship among the elements of a visual that helps all the elements function together. Unity gives a sense of oneness to a visual image. In other words, the words and the images work together to create meaning.

Unity can be fostered by:

ensuring that all the items which are present on a page appear to belong together,

different pages in the site are similar in content and design.

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COMPOSITIONAL RULES

EXPLANATION EXAMPLE

Rule of thirds When placing significant objects within images, they are more pleasing to the eye if they are placed along the lines that divide the image into thirds both vertically and horizontally or on the points where those lines intersect.

Reading gravity In our culture, our eyes tend to move from left to right and from top to bottom when reading. In other words we move from the top left hand corner to the bottom right hand corner. Texts that allow the human eye to follow this pattern are easier to read.

Grids and alignment

The human eye prefers organization to chaos. Grids allow designers to provide organization that can support the message or concepts being communicated

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Typography Typography is the art of selecting and arranging

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typeface (font) font size colour alignment (left, centre,

right, justified) character and line spacing format (bold, italic etc)

as a means of clarifying the message of the text.

Colour One of the elements of design, color is not essential to a good design. However, color is an added dimension that can evoke moods and make powerful statements when used wisely. Colour is a dynamic element that adds visual appeal and can be used to indentify, differentiate or unify parts of the overall product.

Shape A shape is an enclosed object. Shapes can be created by line, or by color and value changes which define their edges. A shape is defined as an area that stands out from the space next to or around it due to a defined or implied boundary, or because of differences.

The effect created by the elements of line, shape, direction, space and size.

Texture The use of pattern, texture, perspective and movements. Texture is always a part of our designs whether intentional or not. It is the visual or tactile surface characteristics of a piece. What does your paper feel like -- slick, fuzzy, rough? Does its actual or

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http://z.about.com/d/desktoppub/1/0/Z/L/a-textureintro.jpg


visual texture (created through lines, shapes, or photographic images) match the overall message you want to convey?

Space Designs that try to cram too much text and graphics onto the page are uncomfortable and may be impossible to read. White space gives your design breathing room.

Identifying design rules built in to products and how they contribute to the purpose of the product, target audience message etc.

One way of using design rules is as a framework for analysing existing digital products. In the exam you will be required to comment on a digital product and explain how design rules have been used to achieve the purpose of the product.

Target Audience

When designing digital solutions and products the designer must take into account the characteristics of the people that the product is being made for, the target audience. Characteristics that may need to be considered include but are not limited to:

o Ageo Gendero Interestso Cultureo Religiono Spending powero Impairments, disabilities of various kinds

Design criteria

Before actually creating a design for a digital product it is important to decide what the criteria are by which the success of the product will be judged. These criteria usually relate to the following areas:

The design brief provided by the clientThe client for whom you are designing the product will have certain requirements for theme, colour, purpose etc.

Design rulesThe principles of design, compositional rules and appropriate use of design elements

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and typography should be adhered too in all designs.

Standards and conventionsDifferent types of media have different conventions that people normally expect see. For instance, websites normally have some sort of easy to use menu system for ease of navigation.

The target audienceYour design has to be appealing to the target audience or it will not achieve its purpose

Design criteria can be written as statements or as questions. Here are some examples.

Does the website incorporate the sporting club’s colours?

Does the use of balance enhance the message of the poster?

Does the website have an efficient and easy to use navigation system?

Is the advertisement appealing to teenagers who like grunt music?

Computer Networks

Networking is the connection of two or more computers for the purpose of sharing resources such as files, hardware (e.g. printers, storage devices), and/or internet access. Various components of networking systems are described below.

Transmission media:

This is the media through which data is transmitted from one computer to another. See table below for examples.

Transmission media

Description Transmission speed Network protocols

Ethernet cable twisted pair copper wire cable carrying electrical impulses.

10 to 1000 Mb/s 802.3 Standard specification for Ethernet, a method of physical communication in a local area network (LAN)

Fibre Optic cable

Glass fibres carrying light pulses

50Mb/s to 13Gb/s

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Wireless networking

Radio frequency transmissions

11Mb/s to 300Mb/s 802.11X WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)

Coaxial cable twisted pair coaxial cable

1.5 to 45Mb/s

Bluetooth radio frequency transmissions

1 to 24 Mb/s

Infra red 9.6 Kb/s to 4 Mb/s

All TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. This is the basic network protocol and communications language of the internet. It uses packet switching to break data into smaller batches which are sent to specific addresses.

Basic network components: Equipment is needed to connect the transmission media to the computer in order to direct and control data traffic. Examples are shown in the table below.

Network Component Description

Server A computer that contains information to control access to the network such as valid users and passwords. It also may contain shared files or control shared peripherals such as printers.

Switch A device that directs data traffic around the network or provides a point for branching in the network.

Router A device that controls access between different networks and directs data traffic.

Modem A device that allows the computer to interface with the PSTN (Telephone network). It translates analogue signals into digital and vice versa.

Network card A card that plugs into an expansion slot of a computer to provide the interface between the computer and the network.

Network security: There are many methods of protecting the valuable information and equipment that business and individuals store on computer networks. This is especially important when networks or computers are connected to other networks such the internet.

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o Firewall: A firewall is a dedicated appliance, or software running on a computer, which inspects network traffic passing through it, and denies or permits passage based on a set of rules.

o User names and passwords: Only users with valid user names and correct passwords can connect to the network.

o In the case of wireless networks there is the network name and access key, known as WEP (an older and weaker form of encryption) or WPA2 (the current standard for secure encryption). There is also MAC filtering which only allows devices whose physical address is registered with the router to access the network.

network topologies:

Name Description DiagramWireless Devices connect to eah

other and shared resources through a wireless access point.

Peer to peer All devices in the network can connect to each other

Wired star All devices are connected to a central switch, server or computer

Client server One computer acts as a server and others as the clients connecting to the server to access shared resources

Project Management18


Goals of a project manager

There are three main goals for a project manager. They are to complete the project:

1. Within the given time frame2. Within the allocated budget3. To the required standard

Skills required of a project manager

The Mind Map on the following page outlines the skills required for a project manager. The broad categories are:

1. Communication skills2. Organisational skills3. Human resources management4. Ethical, legal and social understandings

The technology process

Refer to the diagram on the next page for more detail about the technology process. It is the process you have been using in all your assessment tasks during the semester. There are four main aspects to this process:

1. Investigate: define and analyse problem and research similar solutions2. Devise: generate ideas draft designs and evaluation (design) criteria3. Produce: Develop the product using appropriate software, hardware and techniques4. Evaluate: Use various methods to assess the standard of what you have produced.

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Various roles in a project

Most projects are the result of a team of people each contributing their own knowledge and skills to the task. Some of those roles include:

Software developers Graphic designers Systems analysts Web developers Database administrators

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Security specialists Network specialists Clients Users Writers Market researchers

The job of the project manager is to bring all these different roles together to achieve the goals of the project.

Dividing a project into individual tasks

One of the first things a project manager needs to do is make a big list of all the tasks that need to be done, allocate those tasks to people and schedule those tasks. Some tasks cannot be started until other tasks have been done. For instance the web developer cannot make the web pages until the graphic designer has made the button elements, logo and other required images.

The project manager schedules all these tasks taking account their dependencies using something like a Gantt chart which can be made in a program like Microsoft Excel or in custom made software.

Evaluation methods

There are many ways of evaluating a finished or draft product to get feedback about possible improvements or modifications. These include:

Alpha testing Beta testing Feedback from client Feedback from target audience Surveys Self-assessment using design criteria

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