BUSINESS STUDIES ASSOCIATION OF

ZAMBIA (BUSTAZ) – EASTERN PROVINCE

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY
Presentation
 BASIC OPERATION NOTES
• PREPARED BY F. CHIUMYA
HOD BUSINESS STUDIES
KATETE GIRLS’ SECONDARY SCHOOL
 8.2 BASIC OPERATIONS

• The long-term use of computers has been

linked to a range of potential health problems,
or "computing related disorders" (CRDs). This
section outlines these potential health risks to
computer operators.
 HEALTH PROBLEMS OR DISORDERS RELATED TO LONG-TERM USE OF COMPUTERS

The health problems associated with the long –

term use of computers are explained below:-
• An upper limb disorder.
Upper Limb Disorder is a term used to describe
conditions affecting the fingers, hands, arms and
shoulders. As a result of repetitive activity,
tenosynovitis (swollen muscles) or carpal tunnel
syndrome (swollen tendons) may develop.
• Repetitive strain injury.
Repetitive Strain Injury is a condition which results from prolonged high-
speed typing, intensive use of a mouse, or indeed the long-term use of a
computer gaming control pad. Early signs of repetitive strain injury
include numbness in the finger or fingers, and pain or even swelling
across the hands and even upper arms.

• Stress and Fatigue. Many people find that using a computer for long
period results in excessive stress and fatigue. Some people also find
computer use uncomfortable or annoying when they are having to conform
to software or hardware that constrains how they want to get something
done, or which constantly crashes or causes them to constantly wait for
actions to complete.

• Skin Complaints - a small number of people experience skin complaints

associated with longer-term computer use. Such conditions can include
itching, rashes on the neck, face or hands, and dry skin.

 
• Eyesight Problems
 
Light emitted by the monitor’s screen can affect the
user’s sight. Looking at the screen for long time
may cause sight complications such as short-sight
or long-sight.
  
HOW TO PREVENT COMPUTER HEALTH RISKS

Appropriate information to provide to users/operators includes:

• Preventing Upper limb disorder
• Adjusting the work chair to assume a comfortable working position
with the forearms roughly horizontal and the top of the screen at eye
level.
• Ensuring appropriate leg room and provision and use of a footrest if
desired.
• The working table should have a footrest.
• Using a soft touch when keying and keeping the wrists straight.
• Making changes to working positions.
• Taking breaks and stretching the limbs.
• Provision and use of a wrist support if desired
• Regular body exercises.
• Keeping the mouse or other pointing device within easy reach with
the controlling forearm supported.
Preventing Repetitive Strain Injury
• Adjusting the work chair to assume a comfortable working
position with the forearms roughly horizontal and the top of
the screen at eye level.
• Making changes to working positions.
• Taking breaks and stretching the limbs.
• Regular body exercises.
• Using a soft touch when keying and keeping the wrists
straight.
• Provision and use of an alternative pointing device

Preventing Stress and Fatigue

• Taking regular breaks between working hours
• Regular body exercises.
• Regular computer maintenance
Preventing Skin Complaints
• Wear appropriate clothing especially those which cover
the arms and the neck.
• Seek medical advice

Eyesight Problems
• Keeping the screen clean.
• Appropriate placement of the screen to avoid glare and
reflection.
• Have regular eye and eyesight tests.
• Avoid bright screen light
 .
USER TRAINING AND INFORMATION

In addition to risk reduction information which

must be provided to display screen equipment
users and operators, display screen equipment
users or future users must also be provided with
display screen equipment health and safety
training. Training needs to include provision of
all the risk reduction information.
 8.2.2. CARE FOR COMPUTER SYSTEMS

It is important to take care of your

Computer Systems to keep the
computer in good shape;
prevention is always better than
cure. There are a number of easy
things that you can do to keep
your computer in good shape;
following these easy steps:
 
1. Keep liquids away from your Computer.

Spilled liquids may damage the internal micro-electronic components or cause electrical injury to the computer system.
2. Use Antivirus Software Frequently
Even if you know what you download, it may contain a
virus that can lead to a circuit error or software problem
in your system hardware or software. It may also slow
down the system operations and performance.

3. Keep food away from your Computer.

Don't eat over your Computer, the crumbs can go down
between the keys in the keyboard and provide an
invitation to small bugs. The crumbs can also damage the
computer circuit system
4. Always have clean hands when using
your Computer.
Clean hands make it easier to use your
laptop touchpad and there will be less risk of
leaving dirt and other stains on the computer

5. Always have clean hands when using your

Computer.
Clean hands make it easier to use your laptop
touchpad and there will be less risk of leaving dirt
and other stains on the computer
6. Do not roll your chair over the computer cord.
Stick the cord onto your desk with tape or a special
computer cord tie which can be easily undone when
you've finished using the laptop. Always try to keep
most of the cord away from the floor or your legs.

7. Plug in accessory devices into their proper slots.

Always look at the symbols on the laptop carefully
before inserting devices. Jamming a phone line into an
Ethernet port or vice versa could damage the sockets,
making it impossible to use them again. It is very
important to observe this step.
8. Handle any removable drives with care.
Floppy drives or CD drives that have been removed from
your laptop can easily get crushed, dropped or pressed if you
are careless. Put them straight into a bag or a storage
box/case for safe keeping if you are not putting them back
into the laptop.
9. Check to see if labels are affixed securely before
inserting media into your computer.
Media such as CDs, DVDs or floppy disks should not have
any loose label parts that might jam inside the laptop drive.
Never insert undersized CDs, as these can damage the disk
player permanently
10. Do not expose your laptop to rapid temperature
changes.
When bringing your laptop indoors during winter, don't
turn it on immediately. Instead, let it warm to room
temperature first. This will avoid any potential for damage
to the disk drive from condensation forming inside the
machine. Avoid heat from sunlight as well.
11. Have the unit cleaned annually to remove internal
dust.
Get this done by a computer professional, or do it yourself
if you can. If dust accumulates, the system cannot cool
itself correctly. Heat can destroy the motherboard.
Avoid placing heavy materials, such as books, on top
of your laptop and keyboard.
This can push the LCD screen into the keyboard, and will
eventually damage it. Also, the CD-ROM insert will also be
squished and, eventually, will break.
Use and store Computers in a well-ventilated area.
When you are using your computer, do so in a place that
has a constant air-circulation. Lots of people ruin their
computers by using them in an enclosed area and thus
making the laptop overheat.
12. Turn off the computer when it is not being used
13. Back up your files at least once a month
14. Make sure to have good anti-virus and Internet
security software installed
15. Install good spyware and adware programs to avoid
trojans and unwanted programs
16. Use a password to limit access to your computer
17. Make sure the computer case and PCI slot vents are
closed or covered. The fans in the back of the computer
work more efficiently. 18. Clean out the dust on the
inside and outside of your computer as well.
19. Install a registry cleaner program to clean and
optimize your registry
 8.2.3 COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERALS

Computer peripheral – It is an electronic equipment connected

by cable to the CPU of a computer. Computer peripheral
devices include CD and DVD burners, digital cameras, music
and media players, PC cards, printers, removable and
permanent storage, scanners, speakers, webcam, modems etc.
A peripheral is a piece of computer hardware that is added to a
computer in order to expand its abilities. The term peripheral is
used to describe those devices that are optional in nature, as
opposed to hardware that is either demanded or always required
in principle. There are all different kinds of peripherals you can
add to your computer. The main distinction among peripherals is
the way they are connected to your computer. They can be
connected internally or externally.
8.2.4. SECURITY AND VIRUSES
What are Computer Viruses?
Computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to
spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer
operation.
What do computer viruses do?
A computer virus might corrupt or delete data on your computer, use
your email program to spread itself to other computers, or even
erase everything on your hard disk.
Computer viruses are often spread by attachments in email
messages or instant messaging messages. That is why it is
essential that you never open email attachments unless you know
who it's from and you are expecting it.
Viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting
cards, or audio and video files.
Computer viruses also spread through downloads on the Internet.
They can be hidden in illicit software or other files or programs you
might download.
How can you protect your Computer from Viruses?
To help avoid computer viruses, it's essential that you:
• Keep your computer current with the latest updates and
antivirus tools.
• Stay informed about recent threats.
• Run your computer as
a standard user not as administrator.
• Do not open email attachments unless you know who it is
from and you are expecting it.
• Avoid using flash disks being used on other computers
8.2.5 TYPES OF USER INTERFACES
User interface - The features of a computer
system which allows the user to interact with it. A
user interface, also sometimes called a human-
computer interface, comprises both hardware and
software components. It handles the interaction
between the user and the system.
There are different ways of interacting with
computer systems which have evolved over the
years. There are three main types of user
interface:
1. Command Line Interface
A command line interface involves the computer
responding to commands typed by the operator. This
type of interface has the drawback that it requires the
operator to remember a range of different
commands.
2. Graphical User Interface
Graphical user interfaces (GUI) are sometimes also
referred to as WIMP because they use Windows,
Icons, Menus and Pointers. Operators use a pointing
device (such as a mouse, touchpad or trackball)
control a pointer on the screen which then interacts
with other on-screen elements.
3. Menu Driven
A menu driven interface is commonly used on cash
machines (also known as automated teller machines, or
ATMs), ticket machines and information kiosks (for
example in a museum). They provide a simple and easy to
use interface comprised of a series of menus and sub-
menus which the user accesses by pressing buttons, often
on a touch-screen device.
4. Natural language
A natural language interface is a spoken interface where
the user interacts with the computer by talking to it.
Sometimes referred to as a 'conversational interface', this
interface simulates having a conversation with a computer.
Commonly used by telephone systems as an alternative to
the user pressing numbered buttons the user can speak
their responses instead
5. Gesture Driven
A recent innovation in user-interfaces is the gesture-
driven interface. This is an interface which is
controlled by a human making physical gesture
which is then detected by the computer. This uses
cameras to detect human motion which it uses to
determine what the user wants to do. Other
examples include the increasing use on touch-
screen devices such as mobile phones and tablet
computers of gestures such as 'pinching' to zoom in
and out.
TYPES OF COMPUTER INTERFACES
A computer interface is the means of communication between a
computer and the user by means of peripheral devices. It may also
be termed as a tool and concept that refers to a point of interaction
between components, and is applicable at the level of both hardware
and software. This allows a component to function independently
while using interfaces to communicate with other components.
 
1. Software interface
A computer language whereby computer programs can communicate
with each other and one language can call upon another for
assistance. software interface - the languages and codes that the
applications use to communicate with each other and with the
hardware. Such software interfaces provide access to computer
resources such as memory, CPU, storage, etc., of the underlying
computer system.
 Hardware interface - the wires, plugs and sockets that
hardware devices use to communicate with each other.
Architecture used to interconnect two devices together. It
includes the design of the plug and socket, the type, number
and purpose of the wires and the electrical signals that are
passed across them.
 
Human–computer interface - involves the interaction
between people and computers. Human-being interact with
computers by using the key board, mouse and monitor
screen. New pointing devices have being developed for use
in interacting with the computer.
THE END