GNVQ ICT - Intermediate

Unit 12 - ICT and Society

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What you need to learn

The Information Society

History shows the move from the agricultural society, through the industrialised society and now to the information society.  You must be able to assess to what extent society is better informed as a result of developments in ICT.

You must know about the types of facilities that are being improved through the use of ICT, including:

·     touch screens, for example at tourist information sites

·     automatic teller machines (ATMs) outside banks and in shopping arcades

·     information boards, for example in motorway service stations and in railway stations on-screen help in different languages, for example in telephone boxes

·     virtual reality systems, eg in training and education and entertainment.

You must be able to explore the impact of ICT on a variety of public services, including:

·     information services, for example museums, libraries, directory enquiries

·     the emergency services, for example fire stations, RNLI

·     the National Health Service

·     education

·     public transport.

You should be able to identify how individuals and society are affected by changes in these public services.

The Impact of ICT on Working Practices

You must understand how the introduction of ICT affects working practices.  In particular, you must know how ICT has had an impact on locations and patterns of work including:

·     changes in places of work

·     changes in working hours.

For example companies can now employ telesales staff who work from home.  They can provide their goods and services at discount because they are saving money by not having to purchase office space.  Large organisations, such as local government departments are able to 'hot desk'.  Their staff can work from home and only use desks in offices occasionally.  The desk space is shared amongst a number of people, again saving space and money.

You must understand how the effect of ICT on working practices has a knock-on effect on employees by considering:

·     the work skills required (eg keyboard skills, technical skills, design skills) and the possible need for retraining

·     social aspects, for example: - changes in motivation for those no longer supervised directly - risk of  job loss due to changes in work skills required and number of staff needed - security of work due to changing contractual arrangements between employers and employees - reduced social interaction at work, but increased interaction with family and neighbours

·     changes in amounts and timing of leisure time

·     the stress caused by the fast changing pace of ICT developments.

People whose jobs have become highly dependent on ICT systems often find that they can work at any time of day and in any location.  This can cause increased stress as they are unable to leave their work behind them at the end of a traditional day's work.

You must be able to identify how particular jobs and workers have been affected by developments in ICT.

The Impact of the Introduction of Robotics on Production

To see how ICT has affected methods of production, you must understand how introducing robotics and other linked ICT systems has improved the production process by considering:

·    the speed of the production process

·    the cost of the production process

·    the safety of workers

·    the quality of the final product.

Companies that introduce robotics do not need to employ so many skilled workers and can be more assured of a consistent quality to the product.  Some companies, however, are finding that the flexibility of a human workforce allows them to produce a more diverse range of products.

You must then recognise how changes in the production process have had, and may in the future have, an impact on health and safety, employment levels and working practices.

The Impact of the Internet and Digital Television on Society

You must understand what the Internet is and what it has to offer.  In particular, you must be able to use browser software and search engines, to find out:

·     the range of information available

·     the ease and difficulty of finding the information you want

·     the advantages/disadvantages of the availability of this information.

You must then recognise how this development in ICT has had, and may in the future have, an impact on society, including issues such as:

·     the lack of control over who places material, and accesses information, on the Internet

·     the availability of offensive, illegal or unethical material on the Internet

·     the development of home shopping and electronic commerce (e-commerce) systems

·     the use of the Internet for marketing through website design

·     the security of information, for example if buying goods on the Internet using credit cards.

You must know about the services that are, and will be, available through digital television, including home shopping and banking, access to Internet services, advanced teletext services and telephone services.

The Effects of ICT on the Environment

The over use of natural resources, such as cutting down trees to make paper has damaged the environment.  The introduction of ICT promised the paperless office that would help to reduce the amount of paper used.  You must be able to decide whether this goal is achievable.  In particular, you must be able to:

·     make recommendations as to how communications can be made without paper

·     suggest working methods that would reduce the amount of paper used or kept.

You must consider other effects that ICT may have on the environment, including:

·     changes in transportation needs, for example just-in-time (JIT) ordering systems

·     use of scarce resources, for example lower wastage through more accurate prediction of needs

·     increased pollution and better control of pollution.

Aspects of Legislation

You must be aware of legislation that covers working with ICT:

·     Data Protection Act (1998)

·     Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)

·     Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988)

·     Health and Safety Regulations (1992).

You do not need to know the detail of the Acts or regulations, but you must understand the reasons for their introduction:

·     to provide legal backing so that it is possible to seek compensation if rights are disregarded or dishonoured

·     to protect the confidentiality of information kept about the individual

·     to observe copyright for those who create original works.

You must understand who is affected by the legislation, what protection the legislation offers and what aspect of using ICT is affected, for example:

·     use of software

·     misuse of data

·     copying of copyright materials

·     effects of exposure to uncensored materials.

You must be aware of EU regulations on the use of computers and the Internet Code of Practice.

The Future Use of ICT

You must explore the possible developments of ICT in the future and, in particular, assess the potential impact on areas such as:

·     financial transactions, ie if smart cards are used for charging purposes

·     shopping habits, ie if shopping via the Internet increases

·     personal safety and freedom, for example if GPS (geographical positioning systems) are used to track individuals, or ID cards are introduced

·     commercial security, ie if security systems are developed to improve detection of theft, for example on networked computer systems.

Standard Ways of Working

To develop good practice in your use of ICT you must:

·     plan your work to produce what is required to given deadlines

·     review your work and suggest how it might be improved

·     keep backup copies of files on another disk and in another  location

·     save work regularly using different filenames

·     respect confidentiality

·     respect copyright

·     work safely at all times.

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