Basic Computer Literacy and Information Literacy Concepts
public domain
legal term that describes a work or product that is not protected by copyright
motherboard
main circuit board of the computer
webcasting
media presentation distributed over the internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers
MIDF
musical instrument digital interface; connectivity standard that musicians use to hook together musical instruments and computer equipment
online service that allows you to share updates with other users
intellectual property
ownership of intangible and non-physical goods
phishing
people who attempt to steal your personal information online
portable document format; multiplatform file format developed by adobe systems; captures document text, fonts, images, and formatting documents from a variety of applications
printing
process for reproducing text and images using a master form or template
presentation
process of presenting a topic to an audience; typically a demonstration, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, or build good will
word processing
processes words, paragraphs, pages and papers
RAM
random access memory; made up of small memory chips that form a memory module
malware
refers to software programs designed to damage or do other unwanted actions on a computer system
virus
small programs or scrips that can negatively affect the health of your computer
bit
smallest unit of measurement; used to qualify computer data; contains a single binary value of 0 or 1
social networking website that was originally designed for college students
online learning management software
software application for administration, documentation tracking, reporting and delivery of electronic technology courses of training programs
drivers
software program that enables a specific hardware device to work with a computers operating system
freeware
software that is free to use; doesn't require any payment of licensing fee
shareware
software that you can use on a trial basis before paying for it
ergonomics
study of how humans interact with manmade objects; goal: create an environment that is well suited to a users physical needs
file extensions
suffix at the end of a filename that indicated what type of file it is
fax
telephonic transmission of scanned printed material; normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device
TCP/IP
transmission control protocol/ internet protocol; allows computers to communicate over long distance networks
telecommunications
transmission of signals over long distances
URL
uniform resource locator; address of a specific webpage or file on the internet
optical mouse
uses a light source to detect movement relative to a surface
VoIP
voice over internet protocol; telephone connection over the internet
wiki
website that allows users to add or update content on the site using their own web browser
piracy
when someone installs and uses commercial software without paying for the program
bluetooth
wireless technology enables communication between bluetooth compatible devises, used for short-range connections
kilobyte
1,000 bytes; smallest unit of measurement greater than a byte; measure size of small files
megabyte
1,000,000 bytes; equal to 1,000 kilobytes and precedes the gigabyte; measure size of large files
web 2.0
2nd generation of the world wide web; new versions of the software programs are labeled with an incremental version number
NIC
Network interface card; card that physically makes the connection between the computer and network cable
BMP
Bitmap; commonly used raster graphic format for saving image files; stores color data for each pixel in the image without any compression
FTP
File transfer protocol; protocol designed for transferring files over the internet
MP3
MPEG-1 Audio layer 3; compressed audio file format that helped popularized digital music downloads; typically about 1/10 the size of uncompressed files, but maintain about the same quality
database management software
a collection of organized data
Power Supply
a hardware component that supplies power to an electrical device; receives power from an electrical outlet and converts current from ac to dc (to what the computer requires) regulates voltage; mostly internal
bookmarks
a saved shortcut that directs your browser to a specific webpage
bytes
a unit of measurement used to measure data; one byte contains eight 0's or 1's
computer literacy
ability to use computers and related technology efficiently with a range of skills covering levels from elementary use to programming and advanced problem solving
podcast
audio and video broadcasts that can be played on an ipod
binary
base-2; a numeric system that only uses two digits, 0 & 1
keyboard
board of keys; one of the primary input devices used on a computer
defragment
boosts computer performance
search engine
can locate relevant websites when users enter search terms or phrases
speech recognition
capability of an electronic device to understand spoken words
spyware
captures information like web browsing habits, email messages, and passwords and credit card information; software can transmit to another person's computer
CPU
central processing unit; primary component of a computer that processes instructions; runs the operating system and applications
PNG
compressed raster graphic format commonly used on the web and is also a popular choice for application graphics
file paths
defines the location of a file or folder in a computer's file system
DSL
digital subscriber line; communications medium used to transfer digital signals over standard telephone lines
nanotechnology
diverse set of devices and materials with the common characteristics that they are so small that inter-atomic interactions and quantom mechanical properties need to be studied extensively
spreadsheet
document that stores data in a grid of horizontal rows and vertical columns
electronic mail; ability to send and receive messages to anyone with an email address in the world
gigabyte
equal to 1,000 megabytes often used to measure storage capacity
windows explorer
file manager application; provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems
template
file that serves as a starting point for a new document
adware
free software that is supported by advertisements
internet
global wide area network that connects computer systems across the world
GUI
graphical user interface; user interface that includes graphical elements; EX: windows, icons and buttons
GIF
graphics interchange format; image file format commonly used for images on the web and sprites in software programs; can hold up to 256 colors
HTTP
hypertext transfer protocol; used to transfer data over the web; part of the internet protocol suite and defines commands and services used for transmitting webpage data
dial-up
internet connection that is established using a modem; modem dials a phone number of an internet service provider
favorites
internet explorer's saves webpages as favorites
JPEG
joint photographic experts group; compressed image file format not limited to a certain color, best for compressing photographic images; can contain colorful, high-resolution image data, lossy format (some quality is lost when the image is compressed) cross platform makes files look the same on MAC and PC
spam
junk mail
optical disc drive
lasers that read data on optical discs
copyright
legal means of protecting an authors work
