Technology in Action engages students by covering topics in a progressive approach and providing rich companion media.
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Technology in Action engages students by covering topics in a progressive approach and providing rich companion media.
Three professors from Montgomery County Community College traveled with the Prentice Hall Information Technology team for over two years to uncover what students and professors today wanted and needed in an Intro to Computer Concepts text. After meeting with more than 1,000 students and instructors they developed Technology in Action. Due to overwhelming success, they recently published Technology in Action 9/e!
Alan D. Evans, M.S., CPA
Alan Evans is currently a faculty member at Moore College of Art and Design and Montgomery County Community College teaching a variety of computer science and business courses. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Rider University and an M.S. in Information Systems from Drexel University, and he is a certified public accountant. After a successful career in business, Alan finally realized his true calling was education. He has been teaching at the college level since 2000. Alan enjoys giving presentations at technical conferences and meets regularly with computer science faculty and administrators from other colleges to discuss curriculum development and new methods of engaging students.
Kendall E. Martin, Ph.D.
Kendall has been teaching since 1988 at a number of institutions, including Villanova University, DeSales University, Arcadia University, Ursinus College, County College of Morris, and Montgomery County Community College, at both the undergraduate and master's degree level. Kendall's education includes a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rochester and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She has industrial experience in research and development environments (AT&T Bell Laboratories) as well as experience from several start-up technology firms. At Ursinus College, Kendall developed a successful faculty training program for distance education instructors, and she makes conference presentations during the year.
Mary Anne Poatsy, MBA, CFP
Mary Anne is an adjunct faculty member at Montgomery County Community College, teaching various computer application and concepts courses in face-to-face and online environments. Mary Anne holds a B.A. in Psychology and Elementary Education from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA in Finance from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Mary Anne has more than nine years of educational experience, ranging from elementary and secondary education to Montgomery County Community College, Muhlenberg College, and Bucks County Community College, as well as training in the professional environment. Prior to teaching, Mary Anne was a vice president at Shearson Lehman Hutton in the Municipal Bond Investment Banking department.
Technology In focus: The History of the PC
Chapter 2: Looking at Computers: Understanding the Parts Understanding Your Computer Computers Are Data Processing Devices Bits and Bytes: The Language of Computers Types of Computers Input Devices Keyboards Mice and Other Pointing Devices Touch Screens Image Input Sound Input ETHICS IN IT: What Is Ethical Computing? Output Devices Monitors Printers Dig Deeper: How Touch Screens Work Sound Output Processing and Memory on the Motherboard Memory Processing Storing Data and Information Hard Drives Flash Storage Optical Storage Connecting Peripherals to the Computer High-Speed and Data Transfer Ports Connectivity and Multimedia Ports Adding Ports: Expansion Cards and Hubs Power Controls Setting It All Up
TRENDS IN IT: Innovations in Printing
Chapter 3: Using the Internet: Making the Most of the Web's Resources The Origin of the Internet The Internet and How It Works Communicating and Collaborating Through the Internet Social Networking E-Mail Instant Messaging Weblogs (Blogs) and Video Logs (Vlogs) Wikis Podcasts and Webcasts Web Entertainment TRENDS IN IT: The Internet Makes Business Startups Affordable Conducting Business over the Internet: E-Commerce E-Commerce Safeguards Accessing the Web: Web Browsers Getting Around the Web: URLs, Hyperlinks, and Other Tools URLs Hyperlinks and Beyond Favorites, Live Bookmarks, and Tagging Searching the Web Effectively Search Engines Evaluating Web Sites ETHICS IN IT: Plagiarism and Copyright Violation: What Can You Borrow from the Internet? Dig Deeper: Discovering the Semantic Web
Technology In focus: Information Technology Ethics
Chapter 4: Application Software: Programs That Let You Work and Play The Nuts and Bolts of Software Web-Based Applications Productivity Software for Home and Office Word Processing Software Spreadsheet Software Presentation Software Database Software Note Taking Software Personal Information Manager (PIM) Software Productivity Software Features Software Suites Personal Financial Software Business Software for Home and Office Home Business Software Large Business Software Specialized Business Software Media Software for Home Digital Image Editing Software Digital Audio Software Dig Deeper: How Cloud Computing Works Digital Video Editing Software Media Management Software Software for Home Gaming Software Educational Software Drawing Software TRENDS IN IT: There's an App for That! Buying Software Software Licenses ETHICS IN IT: Can I Borrow Software That I Don't Own? Pre-Installed Software Discounted Software Freeware and Shareware Software Versions and System Requirements Installing, Uninstalling, and Starting Software Getting Help with Software Chapter 5: Using System Software: The Operating System, Utility Programs, and File Management System Software Basics Types of Operating Systems Real-Time Operating Systems Operating Systems for Networks, Servers, and Mainframes Operating Systems for Mobile Devices Operating Systems for Personal Computers What the Operating System Does The User Interface TRENDS IN IT: Open Source Software: Why Isn't Everyone Using Linux? Processor Management ETHICS IN IT: Sugar: The Sweet OS for Every Child Memory and Storage Management Hardware and Peripheral Device Management Software Application Coordination The Boot Process: Starting Your Computer Step : Activating BIOS Step : Performing the Power-On Self-Test Step : Loading the Operating System Step : Checking Further Configurations and Customizations Handling Errors in the Boot Process The Desktop and Window Features Organizing Your Computer: File Management Organizing Your Files Viewing and Sorting Files and Folders Naming Files Working with Files Utility Programs Display Utilities The Programs and Features Utility File Compression Utilities System Maintenance Utilities System Restore and Backup Utilities Dig Deeper: How Disk Defragmenter Utilities Work The Task Scheduler Utility Accessibility Utilities Technology In focus: Computing Alternatives Chapter 6: Understanding and Assessing Hardware: Evaluating Your System Your Ideal Computer Evaluating the CPU Subsystem Evaluating the Memory Subsystem: RAM Adding RAM Evaluating the Storage Subsystem Hard Drive Optical Storage Dig Deeper: How a Mechanical Hard Drive Works Evaluating the Video Subsystem Video Cards Evaluating the Audio Subsystem Sound Card Evaluating System Reliability ETHICS IN IT: Free (as in Speech, not Beer) Making the Final Decision TRENDS IN IT: Thunderbolt Chapter 7: Networking: Connecting Computing Devices Networking Fundamentals Network Architectures Describing Networks Based on Network Administration Describing Networks Based on Distance Network Components Transmission Media Network Adapters ETHICS IN IT: Sharing Your Internet Connection with Your Neighbors: Legal? Ethical? Safe? Network Navigation Devices Networking Software Connecting to the Internet Broadband Connections Dial-Up Connections Choosing the Right Internet Connection Option Home Networks Ethernet Home Networks Home Network Cabling Wired and Wireless on One Network Configuring Home Network Equipment Routers and Switches: Moving Data Around Your Network Connecting Devices to Routers Securing Wireless Networks Connecting Devices to Networks Connecting Computers Network-Ready Devices Digital Entertainment Devices on a Network Specialized Home Networking Devices Configuring Software for Your Home Network Windows Configuration TRENDS IN IT: Where Should You Stone Your Files? The Cloud is Calling Wireless Node Configuration and Testing Troubleshooting Network Problems Technology In focus: Under the Hood Chapter 8: Digital Lifestyle: Managing Digital Data and Devices A Digital Lifestyle Digital Telephony Cell Phones and Smartphones How Cellular Works Cell Phone Components Synchronizing Text Messaging Mobile Internet Cell Phone/Smartphone Security Voice over Internet Protocol Digital Media and Information Digital Publishing Digital Music Digital Photography Digital Video ETHICS IN IT: Managing Your Copyrights: Copyleft Might Simplify Your Life Digital Navigation Digital Convergence TRENDS IN IT: Near Field Communication Chapter 9: Securing Your System: Protecting Your Digital Data and Devices Cybercrime Computer Threats: Computer Viruses Types of Viruses Virus Classifications Computer Safeguard: Antivirus Software and Software Updates Computer Threats: Hackers Restricting Access to Your Digital Assets Dig Deeper: Computer Forensics: How It Works Managing Online Annoyances Protecting Yourself from Yourself! Protecting Your Physical Computing Assets Technology In focus: Careers in IT Chapter 10: Behind the Scenes: Software Programming Understanding Software Programming The Life Cycle of an Information System System Development Life Cycle ETHICS IN IT: When Software Runs Amok The Life Cycle of a Program Describing the Problem: The Problem Statement Making a Plan: Algorithm Development Developing the Algorithm: Decision Making and Design Top-Down Design Object-Oriented Analysis Writing Program Code Coding: Speaking the Language of the Computer What happens first when you write a program? Dig Deeper: The Building Blocks of Programming Languages: Syntax, Keywords, Data Types, and Operators Compilation Coding Tools: Integrated Development Environments Debugging: Getting Rid of Errors Finishing the Project: Testing and Documentation Programming Languages: Many Languages for Many Projects Selecting the Right Language Building Applications Visual Basic C and C++ Java and C# Objective C Building Web Applications Scripting Languages for the Web ASP, JSP, and PHP Flash and XML Building Mobile Applications The Next Great Language TRENDS IN IT: Emerging Technologies: Unite All Your Video Game Design Tools Chapter 11: Behind the Scenes: Databases and Information Systems Life Without Databases Database Building Blocks Advantages of Using Databases Database Terminology Fields Records and Tables Primary Keys Database Types Relational Databases Object-Oriented Databases Multidimensional Databases Database Management Systems: Basic Operations Creating Databases and Entering Data Inputting Data Data Validation Viewing and Sorting Data Dig Deeper: Structured Query Language (SQL) Extracting or Querying Data Outputting Data Relational Database Operations Normalization of Data TRENDS IN IT: Computers in Society: User-Populated Databases Data Storage Data Warehouses TRENDS IN IT: Emerging Technologies: Can Your Business Partner Deliver the Goods? Enhanced Databases Can Help You Decide! Populating Data Warehouses Data Staging Data Marts Managing Data: Information and Business Intelligence Systems Office Support Systems Transaction-Processing Systems Management Information Systems Decision Support Systems Internal and External Data Sources Model Management Systems Knowledge-Based Systems Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Data Mining ETHICS IN IT: Data, Data Everywhere-But Is It Protected? Chapter 12: Behind the Scenes: Networking and Security in the Business World Networking Advantages Client/Server Networks Classifications of Client/Server Networks: LANs, WANs, MANs, and PANs Servers Print Servers Application Servers Database Servers E-Mail Servers Communications Servers Web Servers and Cloud Servers TRENDS IN IT: Virtualization: Making Servers Work Harder Network Topologies Bus Topology Ring Topology Star Topology Comparing Topologies Transmission Media Wired Transmission Media Twisted-Pair Cable Coaxial Cable Fiber-Optic Cable Wireless Media Options Comparing Transmission Media Network Operating Systems Network Adapters Network Navigation Devices MAC Addresses Switches and Bridges Routers Network Security for Client/Server Networks Authentication Access Privileges Physical Protection Measures Firewalls Chapter 13: Behind the Scenes: How the Internet Works The Management of the Internet Internet Networking Internet Networking Connecting to the Internet The Network Model of the Internet Data Transmission and Protocols Packett Switching TCP/IP Internet Identity IP Addresses DIG DEEPER: Making the Connection-Connection-Oriented Versus Connectionless Protocols Domain Names HTTP, HTML, and Other Web Building Blocks Web Browser Security Protocols HTML/XHTML XML Common Gateway Interface Dynamic HTML Client-Side Applications Communications over the Internet E-Mail ETHICS IN IT: Web Browsing: Not as Private as You May Think E-Mail Security: Encryption and Specialized Software Instant Messaging TRENDS IN IT: Crowdsourcing: Harnessinf the Power of Social Networks Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Glossary Index