Information Literacy

Why should we learn Information Literacy?

- IL skills are the Foundation of modern democratic society

- Using information and technology in an effective way

Problems faced due to lack of information skills

- Using Limited or inappropriate sources of information

- Being disorganized

- Finding incomplete information

- Communicating the information ineffectively

- Accessing outdated information

- Using inaccurate or misleading information

- Being inefficient and wasting time in research.

There are six types of IL which are relevant in understanding this subject. They are given below

1. Library Literacy

2. Media Literacy

3. Internet Literacy

4. Research Literacy

5. Critical Thinking Literacy

Information Literacy:

Information literacy is a framework to solve problems. There is a process to solve problems, called Big six(6).

Big six(6) is the processes we take to solve problems via information literacy, and consist of:

1- Task definition: In this step we define the problem and it's requirements, and we generate questions that helps in clarify and define the task.

2- Information seeking behavior: We seek information by following two strategies, Determine range resources, and prioritize sources.

3- Location and access: In this step we locate the sources by seeking the appropriate sources   and we find or select the understandable information.

4- Information use: We engage with information( read, hear, view, touch ), after that we extract the information.

5- Synthesis: It's about to organize the collected information before we present it.

6- Evaluation: It's the last step in the process where we judge the process we followed to
collect the information and we judge the product that we got as a result or a solution of following the six steps. There are six standards in which we evaluate the sources, currency, accuracy, content, relevant, authority, useful.

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Web Applications

Web Application or Web Apps that an application is a piece of software. It can run on the internet, in our computer, in our phone or other electronic devices. It also refers to any applications or services in internet. For example, Google Documents, Windows Live Hotmail, Turbo Tax online etc. In another reference, Web browers are software applications that alloaws users to retrieve data and interact with content locted on web pages with in a website.
The Examples of Web Browsers:
Internet Explorer:

Mozila FireFox:

Opera:

We also learnt about Web Page that contained Web documents and HTML. In Web page, there are two types of Web pages like Static and Dynamic Web page.

In static Web page it's known as Web 1.0 that allows people to search information and read it. This type of Web page cannot be edited by visitor.

In Dynamic Web page, it's also known as Web 2.0 that allows users or people to interfact with information. Web 2.0 is the mozt popular term for advances Internet Technology and Applications such as Blogs, Wikipedia, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and social bookmarking. Some examples of social sites such as Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr etc. In Web 2.0, comprises of the categories are social networking, Mashup and aggregators. Google Applications are widely used in the field of Infomation Technology and it's also available in the internet. We can use them wisely and efficiently in our lives.

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Trends in the internet and WWW

The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It's a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by a board array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support email.

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Database Management

A database management system is a set of software programs that allows users to create, edit and update data in database files, store and retrieve data from those database files. Data in a database can be added, deleted, changed, sorted or searched all using a DBMS. For example: If you were an employee in a large organization, the information about you would likely be stored in different files that are linked together. One file about you would pertain to your skills and abilities, another file to your income text status, another to your home, office address, telephone number and another to your annual performance ratings. By cross-referencing these files, someone could change a person's address in one file and it would automatically be reflected in all the other files.  

DBMS are commonly used to manage:

• Membership and subscription mailing lists
• Accounting and book keeping information 
• The data obtained from scientific research
• Customer information
• Inventory information
• Personal records
• Library information

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Information System

Nowadays, society become dependent on information systems. Information systems has help people in their daily life routine. Information system itself bring the meaning of business application in the computer that manage their operations, compete in the market place, accounts and manage human resources.

An information system can be defined technically as a set of interrelated components that collect or retrieve, process, store, and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization. In addition to supporting decision making, coordination, and control, information systems may also help managers and workers analyze problems, visualize complex subjects, and create new products.
Three activities in an information system produce the information that organizations need to make decisions, control operations, analyze problems, and create new products or services. These activities are input, processing, and output. Input captures or collects raw data from within the organization or from its external environment. Processing converts this raw input into a more meaningful form. Output transfers the processed information to the people who will use it or to the activities for which it will be used. Information systems also require feedback, which is output that is returned to appropriate members of the organization to help them evaluate or correct the input stage.

                               Functions of an Information System

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Information Technology (IT) & Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Information Technology and is pronounced (IT). It refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet or the people that work with this technologies. IT departments for managing the computers, networks and other technical areas of their businesses. Actually, IT include computer programming, network administration, computer engineering, web development, technical support and many other related occupations. Since we live in the 'information age', Information Technology has become a part of our everyday lives.

Information and Communication Technology, it's refer to technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. It's similar to Information Technology (IT), but focuses primarily on communication technologies. This include the Internet, wireless networks, cell phones and other communication mediums.For example: Modern information and communication technology have created a "Global Village" in which people can communicate with others across the world as if they were living next door. For this reason, ICT is often studied in the context of how modern communication technology affect society.

ICT IN BANKING (KENIYA)

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Data, Information & Information Management

Data is raw material for data processing, data relates to fact, event and transactions. Data refers to unprocessed information.

Information is data that has been processed in such a way as to be meaningful to the person who receives it. It's anything that is communicated.

For example, researchers who conduct market research survey might ask a number of the public to complete questionnaires about a product or a service. These completed questionnaires are data, they are processed and analyze in order to prepare a report on the survey. This resulting report is information.

Information Management (IM) is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake in or a right to that information. Management means the organization of and control over the structure, processing and delivery of information. 

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