IGCSE ICT (0417) - Communication - Ajiro Tech

COMMUNICATION – CHAPTER 10
IT IS IMPORTANT YOU TAKE NOTES DURING
MY CLASSES INTO YOUR ICT NOTEBOOK
YOUR TEXTBOOK IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT.
Page on the Textbook: 226

ICT IGCSE Theory – Revision Presentation
Chapter
10:
Communication
WWW.YAHMAD.CO.UK
❖10.1 Communicate with other ICT users using email
❖10.2 Effective use of the internet
Table of Content

Chapter
10:
Communication
Characteristics, uses and constraints
Emails are now one of the most common ways of communicating between people. However, there many rules we need to
follow to ensure the security of the messages sent and also to prevent people writing anything which is regarded as
unacceptable.
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Communication
1
Many countries have laws to protect people against the misuse of emails. Here is a guideline on what these laws often require
companies and individuals to do when sending out emails. The laws cover the use of emails and highlight a number of constraints;

Acceptable Language:
The language used by people when writing emails should follow an
acceptable code of practice. The following is a list of unacceptable
content to be used in
emails, text messages and online forums:
❖ obscene images
❖ language that is regarded as abusive, profane,
inflammatory, defamatory or blasphemous
❖ racist, exploitative or violent messages
❖ use of illegal materials or messages.
Do not be abusive – do not threaten people
or use personal violence.
Netiquette: is a shortened form of
the phrase interNET etIQUETTE,
which refers to the need to respect
other users’ views and display
common courtesy when
posting views in online discussion
groups or when sending out emails.
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10:
Communication
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Communication
Security and password protection
It is very important to consider the security of emails. Some methods of increasing
the security of emails include:
❖ using strong passwords when logging on to your email account
❖ changing passwords on a regular basis
❖ using spam filters to remove certain suspicious emails to a ‘junk folder’ or even
to block the email entirely
❖ running anti-virus and anti-spam software at all times on your computer, to
protect against emails from unknown or malicious sources.
Be clear and succinct with your
message – do not waffle
Respect people's privacy and do
not discuss or publish information
that might embarrass somebody.
Respect people's privacy and do not
discuss or publish information that
might embarrass somebody.
Do not use CAPITAL LETTERS to
highlight comments – this is
seen as ‘shouting’ in emails, text
messages and
online forums.
Do not use too many emoticons as
they might annoy your readers.

Email groups are used for a number of purposes:
❖ It is easier for a user to send out multiple emails if the addresses are all grouped together under a
single name; the user only needs to use that single name in the ‘to’ box.
❖ Companies and organisations can group people together for marketing purposes, for example
according to age, hobbies, favourite music and so on
❖ Spammers’ can create email groups by buying addresses of people from certain companies or
from software that ‘raids’ address books on computers or email companies
» Companies use email groups to set up meetings (for example, for a video conference) to ensure
that everybody is always invited to
The following is an added security to keep the addresses of everyone safe:
❖ Put your own email address in the ‘To’ field.
❖ Set up an email group containing all the recipients and give it a name;
then store this.
» Put this named email group in the ‘Bcc’ field.
❖ This will provide some additional protection, because anyone seeing the
email (authorised or unauthorised) will not be able to see the email
addresses of the individual recipients.
The difference between Carbon Copies (CC) and Blind
Carbon Copies (Bcc) is that the Bcc address details are
invisible to everyone receiving the email, apart from
the Bcc recipient. All recipients in a Cc list, however,
can be seen by all other recipients.
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Characteristics and effects of spam
What is Spam Email?
Any unsolicited email sent over the internet is regarded as spam. It is often
sent to multiple recipients and can range from being simply annoying to
dangerous, because spam can contain viruses or be part of a phishing scam
Effects of Spam Email?
Spam can affect many online operations (for example, YouTube) where links
(called ‘spambots’) are posted within videos which send users to another
website. While some regard spam as a cheap way of advertising to many
people at the same time, most people consider it to be a big nuisance
❖ It uses up people’s time.
❖ It generally annoys people.
❖ It uses up valuable bandwidth on the
internet, slowing it down.
❖ It can have viruses attached or even
be part of a phishing scam.
❖ It can clog up users’ inboxes.
The main disadvantages are:
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Effective use of the internet
Internet – INTERconnected NETwork
❖ worldwide collection of interconnected networks
❖ relies on a physical infrastructure that allows networks and individual devices to
connect to other networks and devices
World Wide Web (WWW)
❖ is only a part of the internet which users can access using web browser software.
❖ The World Wide Web consists of a massive collection of web pages, and has been
based on the hypertext transfer protocol (http) since 1989.
❖ The World Wide Web is a way of accessing information using the internet
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internet World Wide Web (WWW)
users can send and receive emails it is a collection of multimedia web pages and
other information on websites
allows online chatting (via text,audio and video) uses http(s) protocols to send hypertext markup language
(HTML) documents
makes use of transmission protocols (TCP) and internet
protocols (IP)
uniform resource locators (URLs) are used to specify the
location of web pages
it is a worldwide collection of interconnected networks and
devices
WWW uses the internet to access information from web
servers

intranets and extranets
An intranet is defined as ‘a computer network based on internet technology but designed to meet the
internal needs for sharing information within a single organisation or company’. Access to an intranet is
usually confined to a company or organisation
Intranets reside behind a firewall and are only
accessible:
❖ internally to members of the company, or
❖ to people given various levels of access who are
external to the company
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There are several reasons for adopting intranets rather than using
the internet:
❖ Intranets are safer because there is less chance of external
hacking or viruses.
❖ It is easier to prevent external links to, for example, certain
websites.
❖ Companies can ensure that the information available is specific
to their internal audience’s needs.
❖ It is easier to send out sensitive messages in the knowledge
that they will remain within the company.
❖ Intranets offer better bandwidth than the internet, therefore
there are fewer connection limits than with the internet
It is also possible to create extranets that allow
intranets to be extended outside the organisation, but
with the same advantages as an intranet; this allows,
for example, trading partners to have controlled access
to some information (commercially-sensitive
information is password protected)
What are the differences between the internet and an intranet
❖ An intranet is used to give local information relevant to the company or organisation; whereas the internet covers
everything.
❖ It is possible to block out certain websites using the intranet; while this is also possible with the internet, it is more
difficult.
❖ An intranet often requires a password and user ID and can only be accessed from agreed points/computers; whereas the
internet can be accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world, provided the user has an ISP account.
❖ An intranet is behind a firewall, which gives some protection against hackers, viruses, and so on; there is much less
protection against hackers and malware when accessing the internet.
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Blogs, wikis, social networking sites and forums
❖ Web logs (blogs) are personal internet journals where the writer (blogger) will type in
their observations on a topic (for example, a review about the latest movie release)
and perhaps provide links to some relevant websites.
❖ Blogs tend to range from minor projects (such as the performance of a rock star)
through to important social issues. However, the comments made on blogs are NOT
immune from the law; bloggers can still be prosecuted for writing offensive material.
Blogs and Blogging
Features of blogs ❖ updated on a regular basis by the author
❖ usually organised in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent entry)
❖ normally public – anyone can read them
❖ entries normally come from a single author
❖ other internet users cannot change blogs – they can only read them.
Microblogs ❖ Similar to blogs, but are most often used on social networking sites to make short,
frequent posts.
❖ The posts can be done using instant messaging, emails or use other social networking
vehicles.
❖ Social networking sites use microblogs to allow members to update their personal
profiles
Another version is a b-blog – short for business blog – which is used by businesses to
promote themselves on the internet.
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❖ Wikis are web applications or websites that allow any user to create and edit their
web pages using any web browser.
❖ A wiki will support hyperlinks and uses a very simple syntax (known as wiki markup)
to create pages.
❖ They have often been described as ‘web pages with an <edit> button’.
Wikis
Features of wikis ❖ anyone can edit, delete or modify the content
❖ many authors can be involved in a wiki
❖ it is possible to organise a page any way the author(s) wish(es)
❖ shows/keeps track of all entries – that is, stores a document history
❖ can be easily edited using a web browser
❖ allows large documents to be seen by many people
Social networking sites ❖ focus on building online communities of users who share the same interests and
activities.
❖ They enable people to share photos, videos and music, hobbies, favourite eating
places, and so on.
❖ members create public profiles and form relationships with other users.
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❖ Wikis are web applications or websites that allow any user to create and edit their
web pages using any web browser.
❖ A wiki will support hyperlinks and uses a very simple syntax (known as wiki markup)
to create pages.
❖ They have often been described as ‘web pages with an <edit> button’.
Social networking sites
Features ❖ Each member is provided with free web space.
❖ Each member can build their own private and public profiles.
❖ It is possible to upload content such as text messages, photos and videos.
❖ Members are given free instant messaging and video chatting.
❖ Members can create pages where they can post photos, articles, and so on.
❖ It is possible to invite people to become friends.
❖ Members have control over who can access their private or personal data.
Forums
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moderated forum unmoderated forum
online discussion forum in which all the
posts are checked by an administrator
before they are allowed to be posted
No one ‘owns’ the internet, and it
is essentially not policed
the moderator can not only prevent
spam, but can also filter out any posts
that are inappropriate, rude or offensive,
or wander off the main topic
The only real safeguards are a
voluntary cooperation between
the users and the network
operators

Functionality of the internet
Internet Service Provider (ISP): company that provides users with access to the
internet. It is normal to pay a monthly fee for this service. When a user registers
with an ISP, an account is set up and they are given login details that include a
user ID and password
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Web browser: software that
allows a user to display a web
page on their computer screen.
They interpret or translate the
HTML from websites and show
the result of the translation. This
can often be in the form of
videos, images or Sound.
Most web browsers share the following features:
❖ They have a home page.
❖ have the ability to store a user’s favourite websites/pages
(known as bookmarks).
❖ They keep a history of the websites visited by the use
❖ Allow users to navigate backwards and forwards through
websites.
❖ They have hyperlinks that allow users to navigate between
web pages; these hyperlinks are show blue_underlined_text
Protocol:// Website Address /Path/Filename
https://www.ajirotech.com/IGCSE/year10.html
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are text addresses used to access websites. A URL is typed into
a browser address bar using the following format:

WWW.YAHMAD.CO.UK
Use of search engines
There are basically two ways of locating information
from the internet. The first way is to type in the URL
if you know the name of the website you wish to
access. The second method is to use a search engine
if you do not know where to find the information
you are looking for.
The more detailed the search will result is
then the matches are likely to be more
accurate.
Search Engines
It is very important to acknowledge your sources of
information when using information from a website in
your own work, both to avoid plagiarism and
because the information will be subject to copyright.
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Advantages Disadvantages
❖ Information on the internet tends to be up to date because
it is quicker and easier to amend web pages than it is to, for
example, reprint books.
❖ The internet has vast, almost limitless, amounts of
information.
❖ Searching for information using a search engine is fast and
easy.
❖ People can look for information in the comfort of their own
home
❖ Information on the internet is essentially free of charge.
❖ Pages on the internet can have multimedia elements (eg.,
videos, animations, cartoons)
using the internet to find information
Why internet searches are not always a fast
way of finding information
❖ When using search engines, there is always the
danger of information overload. It is possible to
find millions of websites that match the given
criteria.
❖ Unless the user narrows down their search
criteria, it can take a long time to find out exactly
what they are looking for
❖ if the user is uncertain of what needs to be asked,
it can take a long time to obtain only relevant
information
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❖ The internet is not regulated – anything can be posted on a
web page and, information may be biased or totally
incorrect
❖ There is always the risk of accessing inappropriate websites
and these can take many forms and can be very distressing
to certain people.
❖ It is too easy to be distracted, users can find computer
games or enter social networking sites instead of doing
their work.
❖ There is always the risk of ‘information overload’ if the user
lacks the necessary experience or expertise when using
search engines.
How to evaluate information found on the Internet
❖ Is it possible to verify the legitimacy of who wrote the material
posted on the website?
❖ Does the information come from a reliable source that can be
verified?
❖ Is there a way to check if the information is factually correct; can
it be verified from another source; is it grammatically correct?
❖ Is the article objective? Is there any evidence of bias
❖ Is the information dated? When was it last reviewed and by
whom?
❖ Does the website look legitimate? Do all the links in the website
still work?
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Internet protocols
❖ set of rules that must be obeyed when transferring website data across
the internet.
❖ When a web page is being accessed, entering http:// at the front of an
address tells the web browser that ‘http rules’ for communication are to
be obeyed.
Hyper Text Transfer
Protocol (HTTP)
File transfer protocol
(FTP)
❖ Network protocol used when transferring files from one computer to another
computer over the internet.
❖ It is similar to HTTP, but the protocol is specifically for the transfer of files.
❖ Web browsers can be used to connect to an FTP address in much the same way as
you would connect to an HTTP address, for example:
ftp://username@ftp.example.gov/
Secure sockets layer
(SSL)
❖ protocol that allows data to be sent and received securely over the internet.
❖ SSL is designed to work with communication protocols like HTTP and FTP.
❖ When used with HTTP, a user logs onto a website as normal, but SSL encrypts the data – only
the user’s computer and the web server are able to make sense of what is being transmitted.
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Protocols are sets of rules agreed by the ‘sender’ and ‘recipient’ when data is being transferred between devices.
Examples of where SSL would be used:
❖ online banking and all online financial
transactions
❖ online shopping/commerce
❖ when sending software out to a restricted list of
users
❖ ending and receiving emails
❖ using cloud storage facilities
❖ intranets and extranets

Internet risks
Using the internet carries risks, but with precautions from this book, users can enjoy its entertainment and
utility safely. However, inappropriate and criminal content exists; lack of policing does not ensure immunity
from prosecution.
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❖ It would prevent illegal
material being posted on
websites (for example, how to
be a hacker), it is much easier
for a novice to
find the required information
using a search engine.
❖Some form of control would
prevent children and other
vulnerable groups being
subjected to undesirable
websites, including criminal
material.
❖Some form of control would
stop incorrect information
being published on websites.
❖ Material published on websites is
already available from other sources.
❖ It would be very expensive to 'police'
all websites and users would have to
pay for this somehow.
❖ It would be difficult to enforce rules
and regulations on a global scale, as
different countries have different
laws.
❖ It can be argued that policing the
internet would go against freedom of
information/speech.
❖ Who is to decide what is illegal or
offensive? Many things are only
offensive to certain people (for
example, religious comments) but not
necessarily to the majority.
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IGCSE ICT (0417) - Communication - Ajiro Tech

IGCSE ICT (0417) - Communication - Ajiro Tech

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