HOW COMPUTERS ARE BEING USED IN OUR SOCIETY .
Our lives have been permanently altered due to technology, especially computers, Everything we do revolve around computers, Our assignments for class are required to be typed whereas in the past they could have been hand written. Instead of people talking to their neighbors in person or even over the phone, they now can talk to them through instant message and ICQ. They can even make phone calls from the computer instead of the telephone.
Although there is a lot less actual interaction between people because of computers, they are not all bad. They allow people to talk to friends and family that are far away without having to pay the long distance phone bill. Computers also make our lives easier. In the past, grocery store cashiers had to memorize all of' the prices for the products in their store. Today, the register is computerized and programmed to know the price by reading the bar code. It would be impossible or anyone to know the price of every item in today's stores. Computers also allow people to do their banking and shopping without leaving their home. Almost anything can be bought off of the internet.
Universities and Colleges also offer classes online so that people do not have to travel all of the way to the school to attend class, Penn State calls this their World Campus and it is located at. Classes that would usually be canceled because the professor was out of town can be held in chat rooms. For example, when Dr. Jones had to go to New York for a conference, class was held in a chat room so that no time would be lost. All of these things have become normal in our everyday lives. However, these technologies are quite recent.
However, you can discuss the applicability of computers in the following fields
- Business, Commerce, Industry, Research, Military, Entertainment, Medicine, Insurance, Banks, Communication and e.t.c.
Computers in Education
With "digital divide" in this era, many education sectors have emphasized the use of computers. This in turn has been accelerated by world's adoption of the use of Internet. In fact, many institutions have linked up with other universities and libraries overseas hence facilitating training and research, online libraries etc. This has further led to the creation of Virtual Universities (virtual universities are universities with no physical buildings for lecture rooms or halls of residence, but of course giving the necessary lectures on the computer via the internet, thus the ten "Virtual Reality").
Apart from virtual reality, computers are being used in universities, secondary schools and other institutions to teach other subjects. For example, in subjects like physics or chemistry, laboratory experiments can be simulated on the computer. Experiments can be repeated many times without having to use actual chemicals or equipment. Thus potentially dangerous experiments or expensive experiments can be performed with little danger or expense.
Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) is the name given to a teaching system (program) which operates on a drill-and-practice principle. For example when learning the meaning of English words, a student sits on a computer and is presented with a word and its meaning. The student studies this, when satisfied, tells the computer that (s)he is ready for examination or questions.
Another type of system is Computer Assisted Learning (CAL). It tries to teach in the traditional sense. The computer presents material, asks questions and, based on students performance, determines whether to present new material or review topics already covered.
Computers in Business
The way businesses were conducted some years back has changed tremendously with the evolution of Internet. You only need to sit in front of your computer, whether in your office or at home and trade shares with the various centers worldwide -without going to those particular stock centers physically. This is what we call e-business. Very many businesses including Banks, Travel Agencies, Insurance Companies and many more others have realized the benefits of computers. They can use them for word processing, database management, production control and stock taking to mention but a few.
Banking industry
One of the earliest uses of computers was in the banking industry. Initially, a typical bank had a central computer center which processed data from various branches. For example, the withdrawal/deposit slips collected by a branch during the day would be forwarded to the computer center (usually located at the head office) at the end of the day. The customer's accounts would be updated and a report on the status of the accounts would be prepared for use the next day.
Nowadays, the teller enters transactions directly via the terminal. The terminal is connected to the computer which accesses the files of customers' accounts. Accounts are then queried or updated in a few seconds. Today, Automated Teller Machines have become popular in the banking industry. This is a computer controlled device at which a customer can make withdrawals and deposits, check account balance or make an appointment with the loans officer, all without human involvement. In order to use this system, a customer is issued a plastic card bearing his name and account number. A Personal identity Number (PIN) which does not appear on the card is also issued.
Commercial Enterprises
Many businesses, large and small, use computers to help them in-the control of daily activities. Some of them are: Storing Employee records; All organizations keep records of their employees. An employee record may contain information such as name, address, telephone number, and present job.
classification, date of start of a job, contract period, salary scale, allowances, deductions and many others.
- Payroll Processing
- Accounts Receivables.
- Accounts Payable Stock Control.
- General Ledger
Industrial Enterprises
In many industries, for example chemical plants, steel mills and oil refineries, computers are used to monitor and / or control the processes which convert raw materials into useful products. This aspect of computer use is called process control. Various instruments relay information, such as temperature and pressure, to the computer. The computer monitors these values and, if any abnormalities are found, can either;
- Inform the human supervisor who would then take correct action or
- Direct the regulating devices to make the necessary adjustments.
Computers in Medicine
Computers are part of everyone's daily life and have changed the way we live and the way medicine is practiced. They are being used in hospitals at the reception for billing, admission and patient management in wards. The use of hospital information systems and laboratory information systems are increasingly becoming the norm.
They can be used by doctors for their practice management-recording patient's history, writing prescriptions, maintaining treatment history, accounts and billing, scheduling appointments and generally managing correspondences.
The use of computers in most spheres of medicine has rendered the use of Internet for medical research very easy. Internet is an extensive network of computers around the world or a huge library of information on computers.
Computers in Entertainment
Computers are used for playing games, watching films and music. Look for programs like windows media player, iTunes, Music Match and many others when you purchase a computer.
Computers in Communication
Communication using e-mail and the Internet has greatly enhanced the lives of those who are housebound. For example advances in technology have enabled people to work, join special nterest groups, shop and pay their bills just from their homes. For people who are unable to speak, there are already computers that convert typed input into simulated voice
Computer in Science and Engineering
Recent advances in scientific research have been possible mainly due to the use of computers. Computers are used for land surveying, quality control simulation and research.
Computer in Military
They are used for warfare planning, research monitoring and emergency response.
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