3a ICT edexcel Essay Example for Free

3a ICT edexcel Essay I have a mobile phone which I use to communicate. I use it for texting and calling people. My phone has Wi-Fi, Quad-band, infra-red and Bluetooth. I use my phone nearly everyday. It has messaging, games, the internet, a camera, a video recorder, music organiser, alarm diary, calendar, a contact diary, so that I don not have to remember peoples number and some safety features such as a pin so that if it gets stolen it is not useable. I think that my phone is good but it is difficult to use because I does not have the internet which is a disadvantage but the advantage is it does what I need it to do. It meets these needs by allowing me to communicate and it but other things such as walkie-talkies and laptops would be able to do exactly the same thing and they have no tariffs and lower radiation. Disadvantages A phone can give you brain and head damages because of the radiation, bad eyesight; bad hearing and they are quite expensive. There are also high tariffs and while you are using one makes it harder to concentrate on other important things. Internet We use the internet for many things such as research, playing online games and downloading music. There are millions of sites and search providers that give you easy access to any information that I might need. I can also download files from the internet using a sharing system. Disadvantages The major disadvantages of the internet are the decline in the number of people that go to the library and also the amount of unwanted information that is on the internet. Another thing is that it might get overloaded with information Email / MSN E-mail is the most widely used service from the Internet today. It allows people to send and receive Emails from anywhere in the world. It is much faster than normal post and it is also cheaper. To use it you need an internet connection. This is the same with MSN but on MSN you use instant messaging which means you know that people will receive your email straight away if they are online too. Disadvantages The disadvantages of email are that you can always have a better version, and also if you are just emailing then it may take some time for the recipitant to reply. The disadvantage with MSN is that it gets annoying when people constantly IM you when you are trying to do other things and it also uses up a lot of space to the memory. Personal Ipod Video Uses I use my Ipod every day to listen to songs, play games and watch videos. I also have a contact list on there so if I forget my phone I will still have people numbers. My ipod holds up to 30GB of songs or videos or games. Disadvantages The earphone can give you a perforated eardrum and the quality of the screen is not as good as a TV and the battery life does not last long. Computers Uses I use computers for loads of things, including emailing, listening to music, watching videos, working and communicating using the internet which lets me get any information that I need. I use my computer every day. Disadvantages My computer takes time to load up and it has to stay stationary unlike a laptop. It does not have much memory which makes it slow to download and upload files. However it meets my needs as I am able to do the things I bought it for. Other major disadvantages are that: its expensive, you need to learn how to use it, it is often slow, it uses a lot of electricity and there is always a better and cheaper version of your computer that comes out after you have bought yours. Psp The Psp is a games system which plays games and videos using UMDs (united media disks). It also can store music and pictures so it doubles as a memory stick. It meets my needs by allowing me to access the internet and email people like a laptop does and it lets me play games portably. However the Nintendo Ds does the same thing just as well and it has the advantage of being able to move while using the internet. Disadvantages The disadvantages of the Psp are that you cannot move while using the internet, you cannot play ps2 games or normal movies on them and you and the games are very flimsy. Also to be able to save things you need a memory card and these cost quite a lot of money especially for a 1GB card. School Microsoft Word Microsoft word is a powerful word processor made by Microsoft used for creating documents such as letters, brochures, learning activities, tests, quizzes and homework assignments. There are many powerful features available in Microsoft Word to make it easier to learn for students with disabilities. I use words mainly for homework as it is easy to use and it can check any spelling mistakes that I make. It meets my needs by allowing me to input information and edit it to make it more presentable. It also lets me create posters and has a drawing toolbar which lets you draw lines and AutoShapes. It also recovers documents if your computer crashes which I find very useful. Disadvantages The disadvantages of Microsoft word are that you have to learn how to use the software before you start because it is quite complex and many of the highlight colours just don not stand out; you are restricted to a single row of custom buttons. Projectors We use projectors in school to be able to show the whole class the work that we are doing or PowerPoints and basically anything that is on the computer. I do not use projectors that much, but it meets the needs of a teacher by making it easier to display the work on the board instead of having to write it. Other things that can be used to do the same job are overhead projectors and Smartboards Disadvantages The disadvantages of a projector are that it is very high up and hard to turn on and use without a remote and the remote is small and very easy to lose. There are also a lot of wires that have to be installed properly and if they are not then the wires are a health and safety hazard and they also look untidy. Smart Boards Uses Smart board are like whiteboards which are connected to the computer by a number of wires. The smart Board interactive whiteboard is a product of SMART Technologies. It is a large, touch-controlled screen that works with a projector and a computer. The projector shows the computers screen onto the Smartboard, which acts as both a monitor and an input device. Users can write on the interactive whiteboard in digital ink or use a finger to control computer applications by pointing, clicking and dragging, just as with a desktop mouse. Buttons launch a popup keyboard and a right-mouse-click menu for more input options. The Smartboard interactive whiteboard in our classroom is on a wall. It meets the need of the teacher like and other whiteboard does but is allows the teacher to control what is written via 2 different inputting devices Disadvantages The disadvantages of a Smartboard are that at first they are difficult to use and can often get frustrating and the board can not be used with any other pen, which means that if you lose one then you cannot use any other coloured as the computer can tell that the pen is gone and will not allow you to change colours. Or if the rubber is out of the pen tray then it will only rub out.