The Economic Impacts of ICT: Employment Structure and Working Practices

Introduction


Hi, I'm Luca and I am a student in year 10 at St. Francis Xavier's College in Woolton, Liverpool. One of the subjects I am currently studying at school is ICT, and I am going to share my knowledge and understanding of this subject with everyone in a series of blogs. In this particular blog, I will be discussing one of the economic impacts of ICT - employment structure and working practises. I hope that you enjoy this blog, and come away learning something new which you can hopefully pass on to someone else.


How Jobs Have Been Affected

ICT has affected jobs in many ways. It has became a lot more common for jobs to involve ICT nowadays, where as in the past hardly any jobs involved ICT. For example, some jobs have been revolutionised like administrators who used to keep paper based records will now keep them as documents on a computer, or typists who used to use a type writer to do their work will use a computer to do so. This has been the case with many other jobs too.

Another example of how jobs have changed because of ICT is in banking and retail. In the past, a person would have to physically go to a bank or shop to either take their money out or buy something. Nowadays, the banks have employed a lot more people to work on computers for customers to be able to take their money out, check their account balance etc, and shops have designed their own websites which allow customers to purchase products online instead of going into the shop itself.

Also, robots are now being used a lot more to do jobs, and have replaced human workers in a lot of cases. IT has also created many new jobs,  such as call centre workers and teleworking. This also shows that IT skills are needed in a lot of jobs in our modern society, such as the ability to programs such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.

Finally, the Internet is obviously available to people world wide, which means people can now work from home instead of going into work. This can also be easier for customers sometimes who are buying online.

How ICT Has Impacted on Education

Introduction

Hi, I'm Luca and I am a student in year 10 at St. Francis Xavier's College in Woolton, Liverpool. One of the subjects I am currently studying at school is ICT, and I am going to share my knowledge and understanding of this subject with everyone in a series of blogs. In this particular blog, I will be discussing how ICT has had an impact on education over time. I hope that you enjoy this blog, and come away learning something new which you can hopefully pass on to someone else.

The Internet

 Firstly, I will talk about how ICT has had an impact on education.

The Internet has helped education massively over the years.

Some good points about using the Internet for education are: the fact that the information is up to date, it is accurate and you are able to use multi – media for different things.

However, there are also some bad points about using the Internet for education, such as: websites such as Facebook and Twitter can distract you from doing your work, the information isn't always accurate and you sometimes have to double check your information to see whether it is correct.

The Internet has helped me with my homework many times in the past, as it has helped me to find information for various subjects.

Software

Next, software.

Software is another thing which has played a massive role in education. 

Some good points about using software are: it makes your work look professional and neat, various software uses things such as spell checker which means your work would be spelt correctly and also you can do many different things on software such as making spreadsheets and PowerPoints etc.

Some bad points about software are: it can be expensive, it can be hard to use and some software may not have the particular kind of capabilities you need to make whatever you need to.

Software such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint have helped me in the past because they have allowed me to produce different pieces of homework on which looks professional, and they have helped me to produce PowerPoint presentations too.

Interactive Whiteboard

I will now go on to talk about two particular pieces of hardware which have had an impact on education over time. Firstly, the interactive white board.

 Interactive whiteboards have became more and more popular over the past few years. They have been used in schools, universities and business places a lot in recent years.

Some good points about using an interactive whiteboard are: they are large, and can therefore be used to present something to a large audience, they can be used for fun activities with a large class and they allow more interaction between different students which could contribute to a better learning environment for everyone.

Some bad points about using an interactive whiteboard are: they are expensive, the pens which are used on them are usually very un-responsive which could cause frustration for either the teacher or the student and also when there is a bright light in the room, this will mean both the teacher and the students will not be able to see the board which would mean that it would create a worse learning environment for the class.

The interactive whiteboard has helped me with my education in the past because the teacher has displayed things on it to help me learn more about the particular subject I was learning about. It has also helped many of the other people in a particular class I have been in too.

Mobile Devices

The other piece of hardware which I am going to talk about is the mobile device.

 Interactive white boards have became more and more popular over the past few years. They have been used in schools, universities and business places a lot in recent years.

Some good points about using an interactive white board are: they are large, and can therefore be used to present something to a large audience, they can be used for fun activities with a large class and they allow more interaction between different students which could contribute to a better learning environment for everyone.

Some bad points about using an interactive white board are: they are expensive, the pens which are used on them are usually very un-responsive which could cause frustration for either the teacher or the student and also when there is a bright light in the room, this will mean both the teacher and the students will not be able to see the board which would mean that it would create a worse learning environment for the class.

The interactive white board has helped me with my education in the past because the teacher has displayed things on it to help me learn more about the particular subject I was learning about. It has also helped many of the other people in a particular class I have been in too.

My Maths

Finally, I will talk about a particular educational website which specialises in helping students with their maths. I am talking about My Maths.

My Maths is a maths website online which has lessons on it to help your ability at maths.

Some good points about My Maths are: it is very good for revision if you are either struggling at a certain topic in maths or you have a test coming up, there are many different lessons to choose from and it has everything set out well and all the information is well explained.

Some bad points about My Maths are: you need to have access to the Internet to use it, you require a personal log in username and password (which your school may not have given to you) to use it and also it is not guaranteed that you will come away from lessons on My Maths with the knowledge that you need.

My Maths has helped me in the past because when I have been unsure on a certain maths topic, I have went online to it and revised that topic until I gained the knowledge that was necessary. It has also helped me when I have had a maths test coming up, because it has allowed me to revise for it.


Conclusion


In conclusion, ICT has had a major impact on education over the years. In my opinion, ICT has allowed students to fulfil their potential in terms of producing different pieces of homework and classwork. I believe this because ICT has allowed students to do many more things than they originally could, such as producing PowerPoint's and Word documents, and also doing more in depth and all round better, research. If it wasn't for ICT, education wouldn't be what it is like today.

ICT in Retail

Introduction


Hi, I'm Luca and I am a student in year 10 at St. Francis Xavier's College in Woolton, Liverpool. One of the subjects I am currently studying at school is ICT, and I am going to share my knowledge and understanding of this subject with everyone in a series of blogs. In this particular blog, I will be discussing how ICT has had an impact in the retail industry over time. I hope that you enjoy this blog, and come away learning something new which you can hopefully pass on to someone else.


Tills

Over time, ICT has introduced a lot of devices into the retail industry. One of these devices is the till. The till is what is used to pay for the products which you want to buy in the shop. It works by scanning the barcode which most products have, and then both the product and its cost appears on the monitor. If the products which you are purchasing do not have a barcode on them (which are things such as fruit) then the till will weigh the product, and it will automatically detect which product it is weighing, and the cost of it.

The monitors on tills have became a lot more advanced over the years too, with many nowadays having touch screen and colour capabilities, where as in the past they never.

The ways in which you can pay for your items on a till are by credit/debit card, by coins/notes or by something which some shops have called a "clubcard". If you want to pay by debit/credit card, the till uses a "chip and pin" system. The chip and pin system basically allows the till to communicate with the bank from the shop which the customer is purchasing something from. If you want to use coins or notes to pay for something, the money will be inserted into the till, and then the change will be taken out and given to the customer.

Self service checkouts have been introduced over the years as well. These basically allow the customer to go scan/weigh and pay for their products by themselves, which is an advantage to the customer if they only have a few items.


Security

Security is another thing in ICT which has became a lot more advanced in retail over the years. In the past, it would be easy for people to just pick up an item and walk out of the shop without paying for it. Nowadays, it isn't easy at all, because of the introductions to shops such as security cameras and more staff security.

An example of security in retail is the security cameras located in many different areas in shops. They basically watch over different areas in the shop to see whether anyone tries to steal any items or to see whether there is any other trouble going on.

There are also security sensors which are located by the shop doors. They are able to detect whether anyone has stolen something because they are magnetic. The magnetic force which they are provided with is able to sense, and then scan the barcode on a product to see whether it has been payed for.

However, the bad thing about these are the fact that they cannot detect typical groceries such as loose fruit or vegetables. This means that any random person could just walk into a shop, put something like an apple into his pocket, and walk out with it without even paying.


Conclusion


In conclusion, ICT has had a major impact in the retail industry. The till - the ordinary piece of equipment which is required to run a shop, is a major example of how far retail has came because of ICT. It was once just an ordinary box with a button to open and close it, and with a draw to put the money in and take it out of. However, they now have very modernised monitors, they can weigh items, they allow you to pay by credit/debit card and more.


Furthermore, ICT has introduced, and also enhanced the security used in retail. Gadgets such as the security camera and the magnetic motion and barcode scanner have made it a lot harder for thieves to steal items which belong to a certain store.

The Social Impacts of ICT: How We Spend Our Free Time

Introduction


Hi, I'm Luca and I am a student in year 10 at St. Francis Xavier's College in Woolton, Liverpool. One of the subjects I am currently studying at school is ICT, and I am going to share my knowledge and understanding of this subject with everyone in a series of blogs. In this particular blog, I will be discussing one of the social impacts of ICT - how we spend our free time. I hope that you enjoy this blog, and come away learning something new which you can hopefully pass on to someone else.


Internet


The Internet might just be the main cause of the change in the way we spend our free time. It allows people to do things such as online shopping, research, speak to people and a lot more.


An example of how the Internet has changed the way in which we spend our free time is the fact that in the past, people may have spent their free time by going  out to different places with their friends. Nowadays, however, a lot more people have the Internet at their fingers, and they will choose to go on it instead of going out with their friends.


Also, in the past people may have spent their free time by doing some shopping, whether it may be for clothes or just typical groceries, which meant they would have had to go to a shop to do so. However, all these people need to do now is just find the particular clothes or groceries they would like to purchase on the Internet, and within a matter of minutes they will be able to purchase their desired products.


Gaming Consoles


Gaming consoles have became one of the most popular pieces of technology over time. 


In the past, you would most probably have to go to an arcade and play games such as Pacman or Space Inavaders. These were very simple games which, in terms of graphics, weren't the best.


Nowadays, we have many different new, and technologically advanced gaming consoles on the market. Such as the Playstation 3, the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. These all have thousands of different games to play on, which vary in terms of genre and how much skill is needed to play them. They also have very good graphics and the gameplay is also very modern and realistic.


Many more people use gaming consoles these days too. In my opinion, this is because of how realistic, modern and enjoyable they have became over the years. Also, there is a lot more of them. In the past, there certainly wasn't as many as there are today and they were also a lot more boring and dull to look at and play on.


Social Networking


Social networking sites are another thing which have became much more popular over the years.

In the past, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter never existed, which meant people couldn't use them. However, they are now probably one of the most viewed kinds of websites in the world.


These particular websites have had a huge affect on people's lives because previously, people may have wanted to get in touch with a friend, and they would have had to go round to their house to talk to them. Now, all they have to do is log onto a social networking site and basically send a message to the person who they need to speak to, which can be done within a matter of seconds.


Conclusion


In conclusion, ICT has had a major effect on how we spend our free time. 


The Internet has allowed us to do simple things such as get our groceries, which in the past would have meant we needed to go to a particular shop to do so. Nowadays, we only need to go onto the Internet to do so, which can be done in a matter of seconds.


Gaming consoles are another part of ICT which have had a major impact on how we spend our free time. Due to the fact that they have became much more technologically advanced and fun to play, this has made a lot more people want to spend their free time by using these consoles. There are also a lot more of them in modern society, which means that it is more likely people will play on them.


Finally, social networking sites have also had a huge impact on how we spend our free time. In the past, people may have wanted to get in touch with their friends, which means that they probably would have needed to go round to that person's house to do so. However, social networking sites mean that people can just log on and send their friend a message to get in touch with them, which can be done in a matter of seconds.