Business Computer Information Systems Student Book. Unit 6

Business Computer Information Systems Student Book Unit 6

BUSINESS COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS UNIT six Telecommunications Technology Unit 6 Introduction... 1 Unit 6 Goals and Objectives... 1 I. The Telecommunications Industry-An Overview... 3 The Parts and Pieces... 3 Case Studies... 7 Self Test 1: The Telecommunications Industry-An Overview... 12 II. Using and Choosing Telecommunications Technology... 15 E-mail... 15 Beyond E-mail... 20 Evaluating Telecommunications Technologies... 25 Project: Analyze It... 29 Self Test 2: Using and Choosing Telecommunications Technology... 31 III. Doing it Right... 35 E-mail Ethics and Work Habits... 35 Netiquette... 40 Self Test 3: Doing It Right... 46 IV. Review Telecommunications Technology... 49 Unit 6 Test: Telecommunications Technology... Pull-Out i

LIFEPAC Business Computer Information Systems Production Manager: Alan Christopherson Editorial: Managing Editor: Alan Christopherson Copy Editor: Laura Messner Art, Layout, and Design: Layout and Design: Brian Ring, Melissa Fransen Illustration: Brian Ring, Melissa Fransen Cover Design: Ryan Egan Some images that appear in this unit are 2008 JupiterImages Corporation. Screen capture(s) created using OpenOffice.org 2.4.1 courtesy of Sun Microsystems Inc. Copyright 2000 2008 Sun Microsystems Inc. All trademarks and/or service marks referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. Glynlyon, Inc. makes no claim of ownership to any trademarks and/or service marks other than its own and its affiliates, and makes no claim of affiliation to any companies whose trademarks may be listed in this material, other than its own. LIFEPAC Business Computer and Information Systems Unit 6: Telecommunications Technology 2010 Glynlyon, Inc. Foreword Business Computer Information Systems is a ten-unit high school elective that explores the use of technology applications in both business and personal situations. Occupations have transitioned from those that primarily produced things to those that manipulate and manage information. Whether it is at home, in a factory, at a school, for a business, or in an office, almost everyone today uses many forms of technology on a daily basis. This course will explore the software applications and information technologies that everyone is likely to use in business situations. In this course the students will learn computer terminology, hardware, software, operating systems and information systems that relate to the business environment. The units will concentrate on learning the standard applications of word processing, spreadsheets, database management and graphical presentation packages. In addition, skills in personal and interpersonal communications and in communication technologies will be studied. The course is intended to help students arrive at the following understandings: Effective communication skills and productive work habits can increase employees success. Technology solutions can help employees be more productive and effective. Keyboarding is a stated prerequisite for this course. While there are some keyboarding reviews in the course, there is no keyboarding instruction. Business Computer Information Systems covers topics from TEKS 120.23 and 120.64. Business Computer Information Systems contains the following units: Unit 1 Communication Skills Unit 2 Business Technology Unit 3 Word Processing Unit 4 Spreadsheets Unit 5 Databases Unit 6 Telecommunications Technology Unit 7 Desktop Publishing Technology Unit 8 Presentation Technology 804 N. 2nd Ave. E. Rock Rapids, IA 51246-1789 Unit 9 Computer Networks Unit 10 Computer Operating Systems ii

Unit 6: Telecommunications Technology Introduction In this unit you will learn about telecommunications technologies. In the last several decades, these technologies have changed business communications, increasing workplace productivity. You will learn about appropriate work habits and etiquette when using these telecommunications technologies. You will also learn how to evaluate new and emerging technologies to accomplish specific business tasks. Your goals for the unit include the following: Explain how telecommunications technologies improve workplace productivity. Evaluate telecommunications technologies for specific business tasks. Describe appropriate work habits and etiquette when using telecommunications technology. Section One provides an overview of the telecommunications industry and explores a number of its technologies. It also provides a strategy that workers can use to help them select the appropriate technology to improve their job performance. Section Two focuses on the uses of several telecommunications technologies-- e-mail, blogs, and wikis. In this section, you ll learn how to correctly address an e-mail, the various parts of e-mails, and how to send and receive e-mail messages. You ll also learn about some relatively new technology--blogs and wikis, and how businesses use these tools to improve their productivity. Additionally, you ll learn strategies to use to make the selection of the appropriate technology for specific business needs easier. Section Three focuses on the unique challenges telecommunications presents for businesses. Here, e-mail ethics, work habits, and netiquette are discussed. The objectives for this unit include the following: Identify and describe the components of the telecommunications industry. Explain how telecommunications technology is used in the workplace. 1

Use decision-making strategies to select the most appropriate telecommunications technology for a specific business need. Identify valid e-mail addresses. Send, receive, and print e-mail messages. Describe the features and business uses of blogs and wikis. Evaluate the use of telecommunications technologies for specific business needs. Describe ethical and unethical uses of e-mail. Explain how the use of good e-mail work habits improves productivity in the workplace. Explain the rules of netiquette. Apply netiquette in electronic communication. Note to Students: The lessons in this unit are intended to provide general information about using email programs to communicate and work with information. You will learn the basics involved in writing and sending emails. Some of the demonstrations in this unit were created using Microsoft Outlook. Your email software may use a different process than the one demonstrated. If this is the case, you will need to learn the process used by your software to complete the projects. 2

I. The Telecommunications Industry An Overview The Parts and Pieces If you re like most people your age, you probably use telecommunications on a daily, if not hourly, basis. When you answer your phone, send a text message, respond to an e-mail, watch television, view a video on your computer, or download a music file, you are using telecommunications technologies. The telecommunications industry has grown tremendously over the past several decades. This lesson discusses some of the technologies that make up this swiftly expanding sector. Gabrielle is a telecommunications worker. She is an advertising sales representative at the local television Objectives: network. In her job, she sells advertising to businesses and organizations in the community. These ads appear on television as commercials. Today, one of her clients has a question about his account. To view the video please refer to the CD. Watch the video to see some of the components of the telecommunications industry Gabrielle uses to do her job. Please refer to the media CD to view Technologies in the Workplace. Identify and describe the components of the telecommunications industry. Explain how telecommunications technology is used in the workplace. Vocabulary: bandwidth - the amount of data that can be moved between two points in a set time period (usually expressed in bits per second, or bps). facsimile machine - device used to send copies of documents to remote locations using telephone lines. telecommunications - an electronic method used to send and receive data (voice, text, images, video). The telecommunications industry allows businesses to communicate, share information, and interact with people all over the globe. This vast industry enables the exchange of information verbal, written, pictures, music, and videos in a number of ways. The methods for sharing this information and the speed at which this information can be exchanged continue to increase. Let's take a closer look at some of the components of this very important industry. Wired Communications Wired telecommunications carriers are still the largest part of this industry and may be the component that you are most familiar with. Telephones. If you have a phone in your home, it is most likely part of the wired communications network. As you might be able to tell from the name, wired communications carriers enable their customers to share information by connecting them to each other through the use of wires or cables. The wires and cables used to connect people and businesses are maintained by telecommunications companies. The central offices of these companies have switching equipment that chooses the most efficient route to send content to its destination. When an employee makes a phone call, switching equipment in the central headquarters is able to route the call to the employee in the next office, to the business next door, across town, to a different state, or even to a foreign country. Please refer to the media CD to view Switching Equipment. Fax Machines. Many businesses rely on facsimile (fax) machines to send and receive information. These machines enable any information that can be put on paper handwritten notes, computer-generated text, drawings, or photos to be converted into digital signals and transmitted over telephone lines. 3

It is generally quicker and less expensive to exchange information using the fax than by telephone or through the mail, enabling businesses to save both time and money. Sending information via fax also is usually more efficient. Wired communications technology works very well for sending and receiving voice signals or faxes. Transmitting this type of information only uses a small amount of the telecommunications network's transmission capacity, or bandwidth. However, these are not the only types of information sent using telecommunications networks; graphics, data, and video are transmitted as well. Such transmissions use far greater bandwidth. Typical business operations, as well as increasing Internet use, require the transmission of large quantities of information data, graphics, and video quickly and efficiently. For example: Juan and Isabella are working on a project to improve their training program. Isabella, working in the home office in Los Angeles, California, has entered data in a spreadsheet regarding the number of people in each location who have participated in the training. Juan, working in Austin, Texas, updates the spreadsheet by entering statistics on employee performance before and after the training. Ryan and Cody are developing an employee safety video. Ryan, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has videotaped several scenes illustrating safe and unsafe procedures. Ryan then sends the video to Cody, in San Clemente, California, who adds voice overs and music to the video. The need to exchange greater quantities of information is likely to continue to increase in the future. As a result, the telecommunications industry has been improving its operations to increase the amount of bandwidth that can be provided to customers. In this way, workers are able to exchange more and different forms of information more effectively. Digital Communications Digital technologies make telecommunications networks more efficient. These technologies convert data (audio, video, graphics, etc.) into digital signals. When these signals are sent from one worker to another, they are broken down into smaller parts, called packets. Switching systems route packets along the most efficient paths, increasing the speed and efficiency of the transmission. Please refer to the media CD to view Packet Transmission. 4 The Internet. Like many students your age, you probably are a frequent user of the Internet. Have you ever wondered how it works? The Internet uses digital communications. It is a large group of computers that are connected to each other. These computers can be large or small, can store lots of information or just a little, and can be located nearby or on the other side of the world. Despite their differences, these computers have something in common. They house data in the form of Web pages, music, images, and videos that Internet users can access. Most businesses have an online presence. This means that if you do an Internet search for a business in your community, or in a foreign country, you are quite likely to be able to learn more about it. Businesses use the Internet in a number of ways. For example: Bookstores may conduct advertising campaigns on the Internet. Cosmetic companies may sell their products online. Software companies may provide online customer service. Department stores can check store inventories at remote locations. Airlines and hotels can book flights or reserve rooms. VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as Internet telephony, is a relatively new technology within the industry. VoIP is reducing the cost of long-distance phone calls for businesses and individuals. With VoIP technology, people can make phone calls using a highspeed Internet connection. How does this work? VoIP converts your voice into small parts digital packages, or packets. Each of these is sent

through the Internet routing system on the path with the least congestion. In this way, packets are sent to the person you re calling using the most efficient route; the one with the least traffic. Businesses using this technology can place calls more efficiently and at a lower cost. Their calls are clearer with less of an echo. Workers using this technology are still able to use their computers to access the Internet, download files, or exchange e-mail. Be Careful! Disconnect While Driving! Studies have shown that using wireless communication tools while driving increases the risk of accidents. Wireless Communications Many businesses are providing their employees with wireless communication devices such as cell phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs). Such devices transmit signals over networks of radio towers. Many of these tools allow workers to send and receive voice, graphics, data, and video, and use the Internet regardless of their physical location. Workers do not have to be in an office to be productive; they can use wireless communication devices to do their jobs from nearly any place at any time. Broadcasting If you ve watched television today, or listened to the radio, you ve used broadcasting technology. Broadcasting is part of the telecommunications industry. It consists of television and radio station networks. These networks send their signals from their studios to local stations or cable companies. These signals are sent over cable television lines, over airwaves, or by satellite distribution systems to your television or radio. Watching television and listening to radio programs is an efficient and enjoyable way for individuals and workers to receive information. You are probably well-aware of the fact that television and radio have great entertainment value. But you may be wondering how this sector of the telecommunications industry can be used in the workplace. First, the broadcasting sector offers a wide variety of employment opportunities, such as reporter, producer, announcer, salesperson, videographer, disc jockey, or engineer to name a few. This industry benefits workers outside of the industry as well. For example: Researchers can access programs on National Public Radio or the Public Broadcasting Service to find out more on a particular topic. Agricultural workers can listen to weather reports to plan activities for the days ahead. Advertising executives can check out their competitors ads. Workers can watch or listen to traffic reports or road conditions to determine the most efficient way to get to their jobs. Digital broadcasting is a fairly new technology in the broadcasting industry. With this technology, radio shows and television programs are transmitted using digital signals. Television using this technology is called highdefinition television (HDTV). The code used by HDTV allows for the transmission of better quality sound and higher-resolution pictures. Programs using this technology are generally clearer in both picture and sound. Radio stations also use digital broadcasting. More than one hundred digital radio channels are currently provided through subscription-based satellite radio services. Digital radio provides better sound quality and is also able to display a limited amount of text such as the song title and recording artist. However, these transmissions require a specialized radio, and users must pay for the service. The telecommunications industry is vast, and it touches nearly everyone s life in some way. It is practically guaranteed that, in the future, you will use telecommunications technologies to some extent to do your job. Now that you are familiar with some of the components in the telecommunications industry, it s time to test your understanding. Match each component with the function it performs by dragging each function in the left column to its correct location in the right column. Lets Review! Your Turn Please refer to the media CD to complete Telecommunications Components. Telecommunications is an enormous industry that keeps growing. Workers use telecommunications components each day to help them do their jobs more efficiently. Through telecommunications technology, workers share many types of information sounds, text, images, music, and video. They use a number of tools to help them do their jobs including telephones, cell phones, PDAs, fax machines, the Internet, television, and radio. 5

Multiple Choice 1.1 Dylan, an interior designer, has sketched out a layout for a client s living room. He wants the client s approval of the layout before he begins shopping for furniture. The telecommunications technology Dylan is most likely to use to send his sketch to the client is. A. fax B. HDTV C. PDA D. VoIP 1.2 is the device most frequently used to talk to someone in another location. A. Voice over Internet Protocol B. The Internet C. A telephone D. A facsimile machine Multiple Select 1.3 What are the benefits of VoIP? A. cheaper printing B. clearer calls C. faster downloads D. increased efficiency E. reduced cost Multiple Choice 1.4 Aimee is a sales representative for an automotive distributor. Her job requires her to travel throughout the state. She relies heavily upon telecommunications technology to keep track of her appointments, phone the home office and her clients, jot down notes about her sales calls, and get directions. What technology does she rely most heavily upon? A. digital radio B. facsimile machine C. personal digital assistant D. wired communications 1.5 Jose is a book editor. He must check the accuracy of information in the manuscripts authors submit to his company. In order to do his job quickly, he tries to verify as much information as possible while sitting at his desk in his office. The telecommunications he most likely uses most often is. A. a cell phone B. a fax machine C. a high definition television D. the Internet 6

Paragraph 1.6 In 3 5 sentences, explain how telecommunications technology helps workers do their jobs more efficiently Teacher Check: Initial Date Case Studies Life is full of decisions. You are called upon to make a number of decisions each day: Do I get right up or hit the snooze button one more time? Do I eat breakfast or finish the math homework that s due first period? Do I make my lunch or buy it in the cafeteria? These are relatively easy decisions to make. Some decisions, however, are more difficult. When making more difficult decisions, it is often helpful to use a decision-making process to help you evaluate your choices. Just like you, workers must make a number of decisions each day. Some of these decisions may deal with the type of telecommunications technology to use to most efficiently do their jobs. Decision-making strategies can help workers select the most appropriate technology for a specific business need. Objectives: Evaluate the use of different telecommunications technologies for performing a specific task. Use decision-making strategies to select the most appropriate telecommunications technology for a specific business need. Vocabulary: counter - tool used to record Web site traffic. hits - a method of determining Web site traffic; the number of times visitors go to a Web page. 7

Many workers are lucky enough to work in places that have lots of different telecommunications tools. This sometimes makes it difficult for workers to choose the best technology to do a particular job. Decision-making strategies help workers make complex decisions such as choosing the best technology tool for a specific purpose. Applying decision-making techniques can help with this process. Let's take a look at the decision-making process and apply it to one worker's decision. Jamal is a real estate agent. Because business was slow, he was looking for ways to attract more clients. One method he used was to develop a weekly newsletter providing home-improvement and homeselling tips. He ran an ad in the local newspaper letting people know about this new service. After the ad ran, Jamal was inundated with phone calls from people wanting to receive his newsletter. Jamal s original intention was to mail out newsletters to people who wanted them. However, after several days, Jamal realized that sending newsletters out through the mail each week would be a major expense; one he was unable to afford. He needed to find a better way to get his newsletters to subscribers. A friend suggested that he post the newsletter to his Web site. Step One: Determine your goals. This refers to the task or tasks that you need to accomplish. In other words, what do you want to do? Jamal s goal is clear: Jamal wants to get his newsletters out to potential customers as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. Step Two: Gather data. Find out what tools are available to do the required task. Don t limit your choices to the technologies your organization already possesses. In the long run, it might be less expensive and more efficient to purchase a new technology that can do a job more effectively and/or in less time. Jamal knows that these days, he has options other than just mailing out a traditional letter, so he takes time to list some possibilities. The Internet. Jamal is on the Web frequently and knows that as long as potential clients have a computer and an Internet connection, they could access his newsletter anytime, anywhere. He realizes, however, that he ll need to post Web advertisements in order to attract users to his site. E-mail. Jamal knows that e-mail is a popular way to send newsletters. To make it effective, Jamal would first need to create a distribution list in order to send his newsletter out to interested people. Regular Mail. Jamal could always send the newsletter to subscribers through regular mail. Again, he would need a distribution list and time to address envelopes and add appropriate postage. Hand delivery. Jamal could add the personal touch by hand-delivering the newsletter. If he did this, he d need to create a distribution list and carve out time to bring the newsletter to the subscribers homes himself or hire someone to do it for him. Step Three: Analyze your choices. It is often helpful to make a table in which you are easily able to compare the advantages (pros) and disadvantages (cons) of your choices. Method Pros Cons Internet E-mail Jamal creates a table to help him evaluate the options he s considered. already has a Web site and knows how to add information to it; easily accessible by anyone with a connection; easily updated; no need for paper; no printing required; inexpensive easy to send out newsletter; eliminates the need to buy paper; no printing required;inexpensive potential clients may not have computers or Internet connections; Web advertising necessary in order to attract users to site must create distribution list; potential clients may not have computers or e-mail accounts Regular Mail personal touch helps to develop relationships with clients must create distribution list; must address newsletters; paper, printing, and postage is expensive Hand Delivery personal touch helps to develop relationships with clients must create distribution list; time-consuming; paper, printing, and labor adds expense 8

Step Four: Make your decision. After evaluating your options and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each, you are ready to choose the best tool for the task at hand. After analyzing his choices, Jamal decides to post his newsletter on his Internet site and give users an incentive to register in order to read it. A Web-based newsletter is easy to upload and update and the registration page will help him develop a list of potential clients to contact later. Plus, he d help out the environment by eliminating waste paper. He plans to use e-mail and regular mail to handle potential clients he receives through word of mouth. Step Five: Evaluate your decision. This last step is one which is often overlooked. After making your decision, it is important that you evaluate it. After you ve used the selected technology, evaluate how well it is working. Jamal plans to add a counter to his newsletter s Web page. That way, he ll be able to see how many hits his newsletter receives and compare results week to week. He ll also create a spreadsheet to keep track of Web site hits and new client inquiries. Using the Decision Making Process, Jamal was able to quickly and efficiently make a good decision for his business. You have learned that decision-making strategies can make selecting the appropriate telecommunications tool easier. It s your turn to apply what you ve learned. In each scenario below, you will be presented with a task that a worker needs to accomplish. You will be asked to choose the best technology for the job and to provide a reason for your choice. The technologies available to you are telephone, Internet, television, radio, fax machine, VoIP, or PDAs. Once you have submitted your choice and your rationale, a suggested method and rationale will be displayed. Your response and the suggestion may not be exactly the same, and this is all right. Your Turn Please refer to the media CD to complete Choose the Best Technology. Lets Review! Decision-making strategies help workers choose telecommunications technology for doing their jobs. This lesson introduced a five-step process workers can use. Determine the goals. Gather data. Analyze choices. Make the decision. Evaluate the decision. You practiced using this procedure to select the telecommunications technology to accomplish specific business tasks. 9

Multiple Choice 1.7 Jaden needs to implement a telecommunications technology that would most improve the way members of his team exchange information. He will use the decision-making strategy to help him. First, he must. A. analyze choices B. determine the goals C. gather data D. make the decision 1.8 After Jaden completes the first step in the decision-making process, he will move on to the next step, which is. A. analyze choices B. determine the goals C. evaluate the decision D. gather data True or False 1.9 True/False Once Jaden has decided upon the telecommunications technology his team will use, he will have completed the last step of the decision-making process. Multiple Choice 1.10 As part of the decision-making process, Jaden creates a table so that he can easily compare the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies available to him. What part of the decision-making process is Jaden using? A. analyzing choices B. determining the goals C. gathering data D. making the decision 10

Paragraph 1.11 Olivia is a social service worker. Her job requires her to visit her clients in their homes throughout the city. She frequently makes several visits each day without returning to her office between visits. It is often necessary for her to get in touch with her office during the day. She also needs to call clients during the day to confirm visits or to reschedule. At the end of her visit, she needs to make notes about the visit. On occasion, the route she has mapped out for herself cannot be used, either due to an accident or construction. She keeps a pad of paper in her car and relies heavily upon her cell phone. Sometimes she enters notes directly into her laptop, which she keeps in her car. She would like to use only one telecommunications tool when she is away from the office. Apply the decision-making process to Olivia s situation. Use 1 2 sentences to describe how Olivia might apply each step of the process. Teacher Check: Initial Date Multiple Choice 1.12 Now that you have applied the decision-making process to Olivia s situation, what telecommunications tool would best fit her needs? A. facsimile B. Internet C. PDA D. VoIP 11

Self Test 1: The Telecommunications Industry -An Overview Matching 1.01 Match the telecommunications technology to its function. 1. facsimile machine 2. personal digital assistant 3. high definition television 4. the Internet 5. Voice over Internet Protocol A. makes phone calls using computers B. sends copies from one place to another C. makes Web pages, music, and videos accessible D. sends e-mails and makes phone calls E. transmits digital signals for better-quality sound and pictures Multiple Choice 1.02 Exchanging which type of data uses the least bandwidth? A. music B. photographs C. video D. voice 1.03 Kyle, a receptionist for a building supply company, recently won an award for saving his company money on their phone system. After being presented with Kyle s research, the company changed the way in which it made long-distance phone calls and cut their expenses in this area by 75 percent. The new system that Kyle s company most likely adopted was. A. wired communications B. switching stations C. VoIP D. HDTV 1.04 It is expected that the telecommunications industry will in the twenty-first century. A. decrease B. increase 1.05 It is expected that digital technologies will in the twenty-first century. A. decrease B. increase 12

1.06 This is an electronic method used to send and receive data voice, text, images, and video. A. bandwidth B. facsimile C. telecommunications D. VoIP 1.07 This process can be applied to help workers choose the best telecommunications technology to do a specific task. A. decision-making B. Internet telephony C. routing D. Voice over Internet Protocol 1.08 Raul is starting a new desktop publishing business. He needs to communicate frequently with his clients to get approval for the work he is creating for them. To determine the best telecommunications technology to use to exchange information with his clients, he will first. A. analyze choices B. determine the goals C. gather data D. test the equipment 1.09 The last step Raul will perform to select the best telecommunications technology for his business is. A. analyzing choices B. determining the goals C. evaluating the decision D. purchasing the technology True or False 1.010 True/False Once Raul selects a technology solution, he has completed the process. 13

Multiple Choice 1.011 Raul looks at different technologies that will help him do his job. What part of the process is this? A. analyzing options B. determining the goals C. evaluating the decision D. gathering data 1.012 To help determine which technology to use, Raul creates a table to help him compare the pros and cons of his choices. What part of the process is this? A. analyzing options B. evaluating the decision C. gathering data D. making the decision Score: Teacher Initial: Date: Each Answer = 1 point; Essay and Paragraph Questions = 5-10 Points 14