My Research Page
Research List for Problem Solving
Ken's Independent Information Tehcnology Research
Information Technology: is a term that refers to all forms of technology used to make, store, share, and use all types of information. It's a term that includes both phone and computer technology as a means to tie together these individual components for digital communication.
Personal Computers (Windows/Macintosh): are computers that the average person could use since they are no longer restricted to use by big companies or corporations. As such, the personal computer has become a main staple in the everyday life of most individuals.
Needs Assessment: is a term that generically describes the process of determining the status and needs for keeping computers, networks, business’ and individuals up-to-date for the tasks or jobs that may be required of them. Listed directly below are the steps that could be required for this type of determination as was presented by: http://www.cit.cornell.edu/training/resources/assess.html
There are four phases to performing a needs assessment and they are:
Gap Analysis
identifys the current skills, knowledge and ability of employees, and identify the desired skills, knowledge and ability. The gap between the current situation and the desired situation determines the needs, purposes and objectives of training. Performing such a gap analysis allows the identification of deficits, and may also help when planning for impending change.
A variety of techniques may be used. Useful techniques include observation; questionnaires; consultation of key people; interviews; a review of relevant literature; and focus groups. Questionnaires, which focus on specific computer skills, are linked below.
Identification of Priorities
The next step is to identify priorities and importance of the skill gaps identified in the previous step. This may include a determination of the cost-effectiveness of training in various areas.
Identify causes of problems
Determine whether the cause of performance problems is a deficit in skills or knowledge. Decide whether other factors, such as equipment, organization, or motivation may be important.
Identify solutions
If a lack of skills and knowledge is causing the problem, then training is needed.
Operating Systems: are the main programs that allow the computer to manage the various sub-programs or applications that are installed into it and also allow the user to manually manipulate these applications within the limits of the operating systems. They are sometimes known as an OS for a short abbreviation of the name.
High-Level Language verses Machine Language: The High-Level Language is a program language that has to be rewritten through a Compiler program into Assembly Language then translated by an Assembler program so that it can be understood by the computer, which only uses the machine language to communicate.
Graphic User Interface (GUI): is a program that, in this day and age, is the window that allows the user to see, manage and manipulate programs and picture icons on today’s computers.
Computer Network: is a series of computers or other networks that can be linked together for the purpose of information sharing and file transfer over a peer-to-peer, LAN or WAN by the use of communication data cables, phone lines and in some cases satellite connections.
WWW Verses Internet: WWW is a definition for the World Wide Web, which encompasses all of the resources and users that that are using the HTTP protocol, essentially, the Virtual Universe.
The Internet is a system of networks that are connected together and that can be accessed from an individual’s PC via an Internet connection through an ISP (Internet Service Provider).
TCP/IP: or (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), is the program language that is basic to the communication for the Internet and also for private networks such as, Peer-to-peer, LAN and WAN.
Ethernet/Fast Ethernet: The Ethernet is a localized LAN that uses the 10BASE-T transmission speed (10 Megabits per/sec). These are usually connected by either Coaxial Cable, Twisted Pair Cable or even Wireless connections.
The Fast Ethernet is the same as the Ethernet but uses the 100Base-T transmission speed (100 Megabits per/sec) for LAN backbone systems that can support 10BASE-T computer workstations.
Bandwidths and speed: Bandwidths are the pipelines or highways which information travels on. So, basically, the wider/bigger the bandwidth, the more information that can travel along that path.
The Speed or Kbps (Kilobits Per/sec) relates to how fast the transfer rate of information is sent or received. There are several different speeds that are used: Kbps (Kilobits Per/sec), Mbps (megabits Per/sec), Gbps (Gigabits Per/sec).
ISPs (Internet Service Providers): are the companies that provide access connections to the Internet for companies, small business’ and individuals for a variety of reasons stemming from entertainment to website building and web hosting.
Streaming Video: is the process in which a video signal is sent out in a compressed format across the Internet which then can be received by a viewer as the signal is being sent effectively eliminating the need to download the signal as a saved file format.
MPG: which is the shortened word form for MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group), is a format standard that combines the JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format to compress images in such a way so that the two adjacent frames are compared and only the difference in the information is transmitted.
AVI: is a format that allows windows the ability to display a video format feed from either the Internet or other media.
Virtual Environments: are the playgrounds and sometimes the living quarters of those who surf the Internet. There are several different environments for whatever need there may be. There are the entertainment areas, the information areas, the travel areas, the education areas and even the bad part of town areas where there is a whole slew things that lurk in the dark as it does in the real world. In a sense, the virtual environments are different sections of a vast electronic city awaiting the arrival of another cyber-traveler.
Another type of Virtual Environment is one that that can be classified as an area upon which programs are written, tested and implemented. This is a classic environment in which programmers make and ready their programs for use on a different variety of computer systems. The computer it self could be considered a virtual environment due to the fact that without it the other environments could not exist.
Visual Basic: is an environment in which the user/programmer can use a GUI to create and edit the BASIC programming code to achieve an end product such as a game program and such.
C++: is an object-oriented programming or (OOP) language, which can and is used to create different programs for large-scale applications like games, compilers, encoders, accounting software and the like.
Batch Files: are text files that contain different commands for a computer’s operating system. It holds them as a bundle in a single file for access at the same time to eliminate the need to individually input the commands one at a time.
Object Oriented Programming: is a concept by which the object not the action is the users main focus, thus eliminating the need to define what needs to be done, but simply be able to manipulate the logic as to why it needs to be done and how it relates to other data.
Browser (Internet Explorer/Netscape/Others): are applications that allow you to visually see just what it is that is being presented to you from the web when you make a query/request from website.
HTML: (Hypertext Markup Language) is a set of markup codes and symbols that tell the browser how to show a web page displayed from the Internet.
Static Web Page: is a page that has or needs to be linked to another page in order to be accessed and used. Various commercial page linking would be a good example.
Interactive Web Page: Is a web page that allows the visitor to interact with the programs and sometimes the user on a given web page, such as an online poker game or quiz taker.
URL: (Uniform Resource Locator) is an address on the Internet in which a website resides, like the address of your home.
My Favorite Web sites
Angelfire Home Pages
Free Web Building Help
Angelfire HTML Library
htmlGEAR - free polls, guestbooks, and more!
Email: k.l.wallace@lycos.com
