The effect of ICT on the way people work (Part 2)

Web-Conferencing

The effect of ICT on the way people work (Part 1)

Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop first appeared in 2001 with the release of microsoft's Windows XP. The feature allows a user to connect to another computer and use a graphical interface that allows them to control everything on that other computer as long as it does not exceed the internet connection capabilities. To access the computer, it must be set-up on both computers, this means that it provides a sanctuary against "hackers". The system can be used in homes and workplaces for file sharing.

The main feature is that an employee can connect to their office computer.. from the comfort of their own home. This is particularly useful. especially if the employee needs to travel often and it ensures that the work is accessed easily. This means that work can be completed easily and can also allow the employee to spend more quality time with their family in a less stressful environment. It is also cheaper for the company, meaning they do not have to provide offices for the employees if they work from home.

Remote Desktop In Use

Advantages:

• It allows an employee to access their computer from the other side of the world (as long as an internet connection is present), this means that it costs the company much less as a flight does not need to be made for the employee to come back to their computer if an emergency occurs.
• It allows families to spend more time together. This means that the employee gets more time to create filial bonds reducing the stress of their job, potentially giving them more of a work ethic.
• It reduces costs of travelling to work. This is particualarly useful if the employee commutes, saving time and money, meaning more efficient work for the company and employee.
• It gives the company more of an opportunity to send employees abroad for promotional reasons. This allows the company to become more widely known and allowing the employee to access their computer at any time.

Remote Desktop can give families more time together.

Disadvantages:

• Working at home for some people may seem like an opportunity to skive off and relax. This unfortunately could cost the company a lot of money and possible liquidation, especially in the current economic climate.
• An internet connection is required to access remote desktop; therefore it may be difficult to access the work computer if the employee is in a less economically developed country.
• It is not completely secure; if one of the computers becomes infected with a virus/trojan, it could be accidentally transferred onto the other PC creating damage in files and software, costing money to fix.
• The employee must have a computer at home to access the computer at work, this can be particularly difficult for low-income families.

News Story (From Wilts and Gloustershire Standard - 11/10/10 - Gemma Casey):
A COMPUTER expert traced a stolen laptop using hi-tech software from his South Cerney home.

David Spencer, an IT whizz from South Cerney, was called in to help his friend, a retired doctor from Cirencester, when his laptop was stolen from his car while he was in London.

Police were called but they had no luck tracing the thief responsible.

A few weeks earlier, the doctor had given permission for Mr Spencer to install remote desktop software which meant Mr Spencer could access and take control of his laptop at any time.

Three weeks after the laptop was stolen, Mr Spencer used the remote control software to access the computer and saw it was being used.

"I was really excited when I saw the mouse moving," he said.

"I watched them send e-mails, browse the internet and use social network sites.

IT Whizz traces stolen laptop

"I sent them an e-mail telling them they were using a stolen laptop and it needed to be returned."

Mr Spencer said he believed the person using the laptop was not the person who stole it.

He added: "I probably gave him the scare of a lifetime because at one point I froze the computer and opened a blank document and started typing to him.

"He said he bought it off someone for £200.

"I told him to go to the police station and hand it in, which thankfully he did."

Mr Spencer said the doctor was overwhelmed and relieved when the laptop was returned to him because he had important data stored on it.

"The police could not do anything but I turned out to be quite the detective myself," added Mr Spencer.

"My heart was beating so fast when I realised I could solve this, I had a big rush of adrenalin."

 

Interview

Tim Bell is a Sales Manager for one of Britain's most prestiguous companies "Axminster Carpets" and travels worldwide to sell products to companies, mostly of aviation. He lives in rural Dorset and so the use of the internet is very useful for his job. He uses IT often and I spoke to him about how it affects his work life:

• So how often do you travel abroad, does it cause difficulty in accessing you're work computer? Not really, my work laptop connects to my work's network which is similar to a remote desktop connection except my account is kept on a server, this means I can really access my account anywhere. I travel abroad every few weeks, mostly to Los Angeles, Germany or France, all of which have reasonable internet connections; so it is easy for my to access my work.
• What other means of IT do you use in your work life? Well my work provided me with a HTC smartphone which has my e-mail set up on it along with my standard phone number. This is really useful as it allows me to answer important e-mails especially when I can't access a wi-fi connection. I
• Do you find it easier to work at home? No, I think that working at home gives you the feeling that you can relax more, which is wrong, and I often get tied up with work if it is not done. If I'm honest, I prefer working in my office, even if it does cost more to travel there.
• Do you think that without the existence of the internet, your job would be the same?  No, I use e-mail, server access and the tracking of products all of the time. It has made my job more efficient as everything can be done very quickly. I think that without the internet; my job would be too much for one person to do.

The effect of ICT on crime and the law (Part 2)

Breathalysers

The concept of how breathalysers work was first realised in 1927 by Emil Bogen who realised that if traces of ethanol were found in the suspects breath (with a high amount) they were drunk. The first roadside police breath-testing device was created in 1938, in which the suspect blew up a football balloon and the air was tested for ethanol. The current method used today, using chemical oxidation and photometry, was first developed in 1954. The UK limit for alcohol when driving is 4 units for men and 3 units for women. If the driver is over the limit, they can tell using a breathalyser and they can be taken back to a local police station where they would be kept in a cell, points taken off their driving licence, up to £5000 fine and possibly up to 6 months in prison.  The breathalyser provides crucial evidence; showing whether the driver is drunk/over the limit. 

Advantages:

• The breathalyser provides accurate evidence so that the driver can be prosecuted heavily. The prosecution is heavy and persuades less drivers to commit the crime, thus keeping dangerous drivers off of the streets.
• It is quick and easy to use, meaning that police officers do not waste valuable time catching other criminals, the situation can be dealt quickly along with a heavy punishment.
• They are affordable; this means that it does not cost the tax-payer a lot of money to invest in the system and it also means that the public can test themselves before driving.
• The accuracy of it can also be used as crucial evidence in court. It will help lock a way the dangerous drivers.

Disadvantages

• It may produce a false reading if the suspect has drunk alcahol recently (but under the limit) due to a high level of alcahol in the mouth, meaning that some people may be unlawfully fined.
• The breathalyser can be less accurate too if they have smoked recently, which could also cause the same problem as above.
• It doesn't stop everyone from doing it again; most convicters are likely to re-convict, and it doesn't necessarily stop all the dangerous drivers.
• It requires a long sample of breath; if the suspect has a small lung capacity or emphysema it can be difficult to obtain a sample.

An example of the danger that a "drunk" person can cause

The effect of ICT on crime and the law (Part 1)

Speed Cameras


A standard Speed Camera (UK)



The first concept of a speed camera was created in 1905, with the first "film camera" being used in the 1950s, however the digital version used in today's world was made in the 1990s. The modern digital version detects when a vehicle exceeds the speed limit of an area with the camera automatically detecting the number plate and sending a fine to the registered driver's address, it may also include an image of the driver to verify the identity of the driver. There are various different methods todetecting the speed of the car; GPS (Global Positioning System), Lasers and RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging). Speed cameras are extremely controversial worldwide, this is because people believe they are a distraction to drivers, causing them to panic and slow down causing an accident. On the other hand, they dramtically decrease speeding in areas due to the heavy fines. It is very unlikely that any car can get away without being charged a fine due to the complex sytems used. The sytem also detects whether the car has paid insurance or road tax and can induce heavier fines to the driver. Speed cameras are gaining £20million worth of fines to the treasury every year.



An image taken by a standard Speed Camera

Advantages:

• They have helped people to slow down on the roads, this makes it much safer, especially for nervous drivers such as the elderly.
• The heavy fines that are induced can be used as a "tax" to pay for road improvements and other useful improvements to society.
• The technology detects whether the car owner has also payed road tax or insurance, therefore reducing the number of dangerous drivers on the road.
• It is all done automatially; therefore making it more efficient to send the punishment. It also means that people don't need to be employed to match up the data, saving government money.

Disadvantages:

• They are not entirely accurate and can be set-off by speeding objects. Speed cameras are often set off by birds and other flying objects, or simply the sensor being covered.
• Not everybody likes the idea of speed cameras and they are often vandalised, this costs extra money to fix them which is obtained through tax, which is expensive.
• People can get away from paying fines if they cover up their number plate or fit a "number plate flipper", this means they can get away without paying a fine. The people that do this are likely to be dangerous drivers and this means they are unlikely to get caught.
• They can cause a distraction to drivers; a driver may panic and slow down causing them to crash into the person behind. This could cause a potentially fatal accident (an example can be seen in the video below).

A duck being caught on speed camera in France.

Bibliography:

http://www.lordpercy.com/speed_cameras_explained.htm

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/122029

http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/speed-camera-faqs.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_enforcement_camera

The effect of ICT on school life (Part 2)

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)
A VLE is a website that allows teachers and students to exchange work or lessons online, it can be accessed anywhere at anytime. Teachers can add extra research material, a hand-in for work (which can have set opening hours), Q&A with the teacher, statistics of the whole class, notes, videos, parental access, tests and learning goals. Each student has their own portfolio area for their work and can have a grid showing their progress on the work they are undertaking. An advanced feature is that you can view (in real time) the teacher writing the notes on an interactive white board (see SmartBoard), this can be incredibly useful if a student is ill as they can access the work from home. Users can their subjects to favourites to ensure they can reach the subject of their choice easily. There are many different VLEs on the internet: two of the most popular being "Moodle" and "Fronter". The use of VLEs can help students beyond the classroom making homework and coursework more interesting for the students, they can access all the help they need from their school at any time.

Moodle Homepage Screenshot

The Fronter Homepage for Southend High School for Girls

Advantages:

• It saves paper! By sharing the files online, it saves the need for printing, this means that the conept is fairly eco-friendly and can help promote a "Green" image for the school/college where it is used.
• Students/Teachers can access documents at anytime, this means that if a student was absent for a lesson, they can easily catch up on work, keeping up to date with important work.
• Parents can keep track of their child's/childrens' progress. The system allows parents to see if their child is underperforming and perhaps encouraging their child to work harder.
• Files are available for multiple download, with a file online, any student can access and download their teachers work again and again, there is no restriction. This saves the teacher from manually sending the file to every student.

Disadvantages:

• A student must have access to the internet if they wish to access it at home. This can be difficult for families in unfortunate financial circumstances. Therefore it is not completely accessible to everyone.
• It is not completely safe, most VLEs do not have virus software fitted into the system, this means that viruses could be easily transferred from a student file onto a teacher's computer.
• It could be mis-used, teachers from other "under-performing" schools may gain access to better schools' files and "steal" work. This is an example of plajorism which is unfair to the person that has put time into creating good work.
• A student must also have a PC/mac at home to access the work. This is also extremely costly and difficult for low-income families.

Bibliography:
http://uk.fronter.info/
http://fronter.com/southend
http://moodle.org/

News stories about the effect of ICT on school life:

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7824736.stm
2. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/10/16/232696/Schools-not-adopting-IT-fast-enough-says-Becta.htm

The effect of ICT on school life (Part 1)

SmartBoard

The smartboard has changed the way that teachers run lessons in schools in the developed world. The smartboard is a special whiteboard made with DViT (Digital Vision Touch) technology so that the teacher can display an interactive whiteboard/activity on the screen that can be written on with virtual ink or simply clicked/scrolled. For the system to work, a reasonable computer (laptop or PC), a projector, USB cable, the Smart Board Software and speakers (if sound wishes to be displayed). The board is fitted with 4 pens (of Red, Blue, Green & Black) and a rubber. However, they are not ordinary pens - they use ZeroInk technology, the pens do not have ink and are fitted with sensors that react to the screen so that it acts as that colour pen on the screen, the rubber is used to rub off the pen marks made. The technology means that teachers can make lessons beyond the classroom with video explanations, educational games and the sharing of other students' work. Some models are beginning to be fitted with projectors; thus meaning the school does not need to buy one separately (which is more expensive). The "SmartBoard" company are now developing a "SmartBoard" table that allows students to interact together on one shared surface, the teacher can create activities for the students to do. Businesses are also now using the technology, it allows an e-conference to be conducted over the internet, saving time and money on travel if the people in the conference are far apart.

SmartBoard being used by a teacher



ZeroInk used in Maths

Advantages:

• Saves the cost of replacing traditional used/stolen ink pens.
• The ZeroInk technology means that the board will always look clean. This means that the text on the screen will be easily read by all members of the class.
• Each lesson's work can be saved onto a file. This means that teachers can compare work and improve lessons. It also means if a student was absent, the student can easily access and copy up the teacher's notes.
• Teacher's can plan the lesson ahead and write out all of the lesson's notes before hand. This saves valuable lesson time in which notes would be written on the board meaning the teacher can spend more time helping students whilst the notes are up. If this was done traditionally, the teacher would likely have no time to help students and spend most of their time writing up the tasks or notes.
• Any computer (with the installed software) can be used with the SmartBoard, this saves the time of re-writing notes on the board in a different room; it can just be loaded straight to the board from a previous lesson.

[Jing Video]
[Jing Video]

Disadvantages:

• It is incredibly expensive; a standard board (no projector) costs over £1000. This can be hard for a school to buy if it is in a remote area with only a few pupils.
• A projector is needed to display the work along with a PC/Mac, this costs up to £1000 for both. Once again, this is difficult for small schools.
• It requires electricity to run, so therefore if there is a powercut and there is no manual method, it will be difficult to give the work to students.
• It is not a multi-touch surface, this means that only 1 thing can be drawn/clicked at a time, this makes navigation fairly sluggish.

Bibliography:
http://smarttech.com/
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/SMART+Boards/prod.asp

The effect of ICT on the way we bank and shop (Part 2)

Chip & Pin
Chip and Pin was first trialled in Northampton, UK, in 2003. It was used to replace the "swipe" method, this was because "swipe" cards didn't need another security check, so any person could use the card (for example; criminals). The Chip and Pin method requires the user to enter their own personal four-digit PIN code, the user of the card must know the PIN card to carry out the transaction. The user has 3 attempts to enter the PIN correctly if it is entered incorrectly, if they fail all 3 attempts, then the card is blocked and the user must visit their local bank.

The whole concept of Chip and PIN reduces the need for cash when shopping, it is also much quicker as a transaction because the till operator doesn't need to count change. Another feature is the "CashBack" option that allows account holders to take money from their account with their transaction. The other benefit is that some cards can be used abroad, this reduces the need to change currencies for cash at a bureau de change or airport, however some banks charge customers when using this feature.

A Chip and PIN card reader.

Companies that use card transactions in purchases have to pay a transaction handler to ensure the transaction occurs, this can be costly in the long run. Most companies get around this by making sure that customers can only use card if they spend over a certain amount of money, for example £3.00


The cost (from Barclaycard) to take card transactions at a business


Advantages:

• It is much safer than the old "swipe method". This is because users need to type in their PIN code, a form of identification verification.
• It reduces the need to carry cash, this means that the customer and till operator doesn't need to physically count the amount of money that needs to be given for the transaction.
• It is more efficient than paying by cash, the transfer occurs quickly and no change needs to be given (unless the customer requires cashback).
• It can be used for online transactions (unlike cash). Users enter their bank details and can easily carry out a transaction from the comfort of their home. The user's reciept is sent via e-mail.

Disadvantages:

• It can be hard for the elderly to remember their pin number, this can cause many cards to break and hard for the elderly to access their money. Criminals could take advantage of this.
• Criminals will find ways around it, by cloning cards, or simply finding out the pin of the card. There is no completely safe method.
• If there is a power failure/telephone wire disconnection, then transactions won't be able to occur. This means that companies will lose out on sales and customers.
• If a user has a credit card and a debit card, then they must remember two different pins, this could increase the number of errors, unfortunately this could lead to cards getting blocked. This can then take time to replace/fix the card.

News Articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3039619.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/moneybox/3717331.stm