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The Study of IT and its Application in Other Subjects

Welcome to the third stage in the study Information Technology

(IT). You have already learnt many ways of using the computer and different applications for communication. You have also understood how IT can be used for learning other subjects. This year, in addition to acquiring greater skills in IT, you also have to learn to use IT in different ways for learning other subjects. Before we go into that, just recollect the steps for doing the following activities that you have learnt.

What we have already learnt

To start the computer, select the required software, create files and save. Find saved files and use them again. Recognise the utilities and applications required for different purposes and use them again. Using a word processor create edit and layout the text and create things like name slip, notice, letter and time table. Using a spreadsheet, prepare tables with several rows and columns, do complex calculations easily and prepare charts and graphs. Use presentation software to present before an audience, ideas accompanied by pictures and sounds. Use data storage devices like floppies and CDs in the computer and collect data stored in them. Visit websites and collect data for study purposes. Prepare simple programs using the BASIC language.

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Use the pointers at the end of this chapter for practicing the above activities once more.

Study Projects
We mentioned earlier the use of IT for studying other subjects this year. What activities can be conducted with the help of IT? Let us look at an example. You have to do projects in most subjects. What we call projects are mutually complementing activities for achieving specified objectives with prior planning and fixed duration. In a study project, you define well in advance an area of study and objectives. The scientific activities required to achieve them have to be planned and implemented step by step. What are such activities? The project activities are objective data collection, their classification, analysis, comparison of the information obtained from them, arriving at logical conclusions, recording the activities systematically, presenting the results and the method of study, and preparing the report. All these are methods of scientific study that can help you enter the wide world of knowledge. But how can these activities that require a lot of time and effort be made simple and easy? How can they be completed within the specified time? This is where IT comes to your aid. The table on the next page gives the activities related to a project and the software that can help you carry them out.

Some Project Activities and IT Resources

Project activities Project discussion, selecting topic and title, deciding on the method of study, deciding the area of study and sample preparing their list and plan of activity IT Resources Word processor

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Project activities To collect information related to the topic of study from Resource CDs, encyclopedia CDs, Internet, authentic books, newspapers and magazines

IT Resources Image viewer, pdf viewer, sound player, movie player, browser, compression utility, search engine Word processor Spreadsheet

To prepare the questionnaire for the study, response sheet, observation table, etc. To arrive at some findings and inferences by collecting, organising and analysing data To present before an audience the project work and its findings using multimedia presentation To prepare the project report for publication As an associated activity of the project, prepare a colourful poster for building awareness

Presentation software Word processor Graphic software

If each of the activities shown in the table is done using the software shown against it, the study of IT and other subjects can easily go together. Projects like this can greatly help you to achieve high goals like learn scientific methods of study to acquire knowledge oneself, think logically and arrive at conclusions, develop the habit of studying continuously, share your knowledge with others, work together, and learn through activities. What we discussed so far is only about doing projects, which is one of the several activities associated with learning. Similarly, many learning activities can be done effectively with help of IT. But the IT skills you are expected to acquire this year can be achieved by doing a study project. Therefore, chapters 1 to 6 in this textbook have been written with the idea of learning IT through doing a study project you select. Each item given in the table shown earlier is explained in the following chapters. By the time you study them, you will be able to complete a project also. You can submit the project

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in science, mathematics or IT fairs. The material in the chapters from 7 onwards is meant to develop the basic computer skills you have learned last year.

Topics for study projects

Some ideas for socially relevant projects that you can take up are given at the end of this chapter. You should take up a project that is prepared based on the relevance to your region, and for which it is possibile to get assistance from your teachers. You can take up projects mentioned in the other textbooks also. Whatever topic you may take, you should plan the details in advance regarding the parts that have to be studied, objectives of the study, methods, time schedules, and participants. This is the first stage of the project. The next stage is the systematic implementation of data collection as planned. Organising the data, analysing them and arriving at conclusions is the third stage. In the fourth stage, a report is prepared on the project carried out. Discussions and seminars based on the report and the publication of the same can be considered as a subsequent stage. In order to conduct them properly, they may be planned under the IT Corner. Once individual or group projects have been decided, each student should prepare details of what has to be done. This is because everyone should go through every stage of the project. You should discuss with others only after you have prepared it yourself. Then you should show the project plan document you have prepared to your teacher (guide) and get it approved. There are some headings that should appear in the report prepared after the project is done. It is convenient to prepare the details of the plan under the same headings. If these are prepared in a word processor, we can say that the planning stage is over. Implement the project according to that. You should get the permission, if necessary, to do the project from your parents and school authorities. You should also take a letter from your school when you go for data collection.

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Headings that should appear in the Project Report

1. Introduction
Here you have to explain the necessity and relevance of the project you are going to do. This can be limited to one or two paragraphs. If you have decided to do a project on the problem of drinking water based on the tenth in the list of ideas given at the end of this chapter, then what should be the introduction? See an example: Does everyone in Kerala get sufficient clean water? There are reports that drinking water is not available in some regions. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get water not only for drinking, but also for other household needs, such as bathing, washing clothes, looking after cattle, agriculture and so on. Today, bottled drinking water is more expensive than milk. Kerala is a land of forty four rivers. There is rainfall for six months in an year. Still, water scarcity is severe in some places. It is clear that there will be serious problems in future. Therefore, it will be very useful to study the availability of water, the rate of consumption and variability in consumption in our region. This can help us to reach an understanding about the availability of water in future, and to start water conservation methods appropriate to each region now itself. Therefore we took up this study project as part of the IT Corner activities of the Govt. High School, Badiyadukka.

2. Topic
The title of the project has to be given here. The title should be clear and simple so that the reader will easily understand the objective and method of the study. Example: Topic of Study: Study of the availability of water, rate of consumption of water and the methods of conservation in the Badiyadukka region of Kasaragod district.

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If some words used in the title require clarification or explanation, they have to be defined. Example: Water consumption means the total quantity of water taken from different sources by households for drinking, other household purposes, pets, plants and so on. By Badiyadukka region is meant the surrounding areas of the Badiyadukka Govt. High School

3. Aims
The objectives to be achieved through the project should be clearly numbered and given here. Example: 1. Determine, through a questionnaire and an observation schedule, from which sources people collect water in the Badiyadukka region. 2. Find out how much water is being used for each purpose in select houses. 3. If there is water scarcity, find out the problems faced at that time. 4. Determine the problems that water scarcity could lead to in future. 5. Identify the methods of water use and water conservation measures suitable for the region on the basis of the findings. 6. Present clearly before others the findings of the study and suggestions for solution on the basis of available statistics. 7. On the basis of the findings, create posters and newsletters to educate the public.

4. Review of related literature and information

In this section you have to record the information you have obtained from any previous activity or study that has been conducted on the topic. You will get a lot of relevant information on almost any topic from the Internet and the Resource CD. They can be quoted here. You have to indicate the source of the material and its author.

5. Methods of study
You have to conduct the study you undertake in a matter of fact manner, and without any bias or

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discrimination. In this section you have to describe the methods adopted to achieve that. These details can be included in different subheadings as given below:

1. Basis of sample selection

If the topic you have selected requires very extensive study, which is not possible, you will have to select a sample for the study. Here you have to explain how many samples you took from where. Example: Sample: Fifty houses around the Badiyadukka Govt. High School have been selected for the study. Method of selection: A random method of selection that includes houses from different localities and houses with different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds was used in the study.

2. Tools and techniques used for data collection

You should write here the tools and methods you adopted to collect data accurately and without any bias. Example: (a) Questionnaire A questionnaire was used to find out the socio-economic status of each family (education, employment and income of the members of the household, facilities in the house, and so on), their source of water, water consumption, and so on. You should make clear how you made the questionnaire, and how you collected correct data and from whom. (Sample of the questionnaire should be given at the end of the report.) (b) Observation schedule

In order to understand whether the answers given to the questionnaire are true, we directly observed the use of water in each house and the methods of conservation and utilisation. An observation schedule was used in order to record these. (A sample of this is given as appendix of the report.)

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(c) Interview Interviews were used to understand more about the subject of the project from people who are knowledgeable in this field. The questions for this also were made in advance. (A sample of this is given as appendix in the report.)

3. Methods of data collection

Details about who has done the data collection and how should be given here. Example: Each family was visited in groups of three or four students. The information obtained from them was entered into the questionnaire. Sometimes, the family members themselves entered the data in the questionnaire. We ourselves filled up the observation schedule after observing the house and its surroundings.

4. Consolidation and analysis of data

We can obtain some meaningful information from the data only after they are consolidated and analysed. Our inferences and findings have to emerge out of these pieces of information. Here you have to discuss how these were done. Example: The answers obtained for the questionnaire were organised item-wise, brought into a single sheet and arranged in tables. This made it possible to easily analyse them and arrive at conclusions. Charts and graphs were made so that the inferences and findings could be grasped at one glance.

5. Conclusion
Here you should give the inferences you have reached through the study, your findings, recommendations for solving the problems, etc. In addition you can indicate the limitations and further possibilities of your study. You can also give instructions that may be useful for any other person who may wish to undertake this kind of a study. Example: .......Fifty eight percent of the people depend solely on piped water.... In the eastern areas, well water is not available from February to June.

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See a detailed discussion on preparing the project report in Chapter Five.

Presenting a Seminar
Once the findings of the project have been prepared as a draft report, a seminar should be conducted under the auspices of the IT Corner to inform the students, teachers and parents about the main findings. The findings should be presented very clearly and attractively before the audience using a multimedia presentation, and appropriate answers should be given to their questions and doubts. Tables, graphs, charts, sound and movies can be included in the presentation. After the presentation and discussions, the report can be improved by rectifying defects, if any, based on the opinions and suggestions from the audience. See the details about creating presentations given in Chapter 4.

Publishing the Report

The improved version of the report can be published using a word processor. You can type it in the word processor and create a beautiful layout using the techniques you have studied and those you are going to study. Details about publishing the report are available in the sixth chapter.

Creating a Poster
It may be good to create colourful posters to bring to the notice of the people your findings from the project and your suggestions for solution. IT will help you to do this. See the discussions on this in the sixth chapter.

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Some Ideas for Projects

1. Biology: How much care do our people take to consume a balanced diet? Is expensive food necessarily balanced? According to the science of nutrition, what all should be contained in a balanced diet, and in what proportion? When seen from that point of view, does everyones diet include sufficient vegetables, leafy vegetables and fruits? To what extent is the ill health of our people due to the lack of a balanced diet? Prepare the outline of a project to study this problem on the basis of the possibilities of biological studies. 2. Chemistry: Plastics are useful and harmful at the same time. Today it is impossible to think of a world entirely devoid of plastics. How much harm do they cause when they are simply thrown, burned or used in inappropriate ways? If the thrown off plastic materials are collected and given for recycling, not only does the harm they cause reduce, but it can give some small income also. How much plastic is used and thrown from each house? What all types are they? What are the problems they can cause if they lie as waste in the soil? Prepare a project to study such problems on the basis of your studies in chemistry. 3. Physics: Complaints about heavy electricity bills are common. If you know the power consumed (wattage) by the electrically operated devices and appliances in your house and the approximate duration for which each one is used, it is possible to compute the total power consumed per month or per day. Does this figure differ very much from what is shown in the bill? What is the average per capita electricity consumption in our region? Can we not reduce power consumption if we take a bit of care? Prepare a project outline along these lines in connection with your studies in physics. 4. Mathematics: How many cubic feet of wood would be required to make a door in your house? How much for its frame? How much wood would have been needed to make the windows, other wooden parts of your house, furniture, etc.? Calculate all this and find out the total quantity of wood that has been

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used in your house. Similarly let each student in the class/school find out the quantity of wood used in their own house. Determine the average quantity of wood used and its cost for each building. Find out how many trees will have to be felled to obtain this quantity of wood. Prepare a project along these lines in connection with your studies in mathematics. 5. Biology: How many people in our land that is in the fore front in literacy and education know their own blood group and Rh factor and those of their family members? Which group has the largest number of people? How many people have rare groups? Prepare an outline to study this subject in connection with your biology lessons. 6. Social Science: How do the people in our region spend their family income? What fraction of the income do they use for paying interest? How much do they save? How much do they spend for education, health, cosmetics, cleaning? How much money do they use for food and clothing? How much money do they spend for tobacco and intoxicants? After understanding these details, can the children themselves suggest a better family budget? Prepare a project outline to study the spending pattern in ones own house and another familiar house. 7. Chemistry: The use of food with artificial colour, flavour and taste is increasing in our region. To what extent is readymade food used in each house? How does this affect our body? Prepare a project outline to study this with help from your chemistry lessons. 8. Social Science: What do the young people aged between 15 and 30 years do? How are their education, employment and income related? How is their free time spent? How many are willing to do service work that is not remunerative? Prepare an investigative project like this on the basis of your social science studies. 9. Language Studies: Is the habit of reading material other than textbooks becoming rare among students? Have you thought about the books you have read over the last one year, their type and number, the time you have spent watching television programmes, for playing with your friends or for

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tuitions? Prepare the outline of a project for studying the reading habits of students in connection with your language studies. 10. Social Science, Health Science: The scarcity of water for drinking and other purposes is becoming an important problem irrespective of city or village. Many diseases will disappear simply with the availability of pure drinking water. Plan a project to study the water sources, water availability, water consumption, methods of water use, sources of water pollution and so on, with help of your studies in social science and health science.

More Activities for You

1. Select the most relevant problem in your area. Suppose this has to be studied as a project and solutions suggested. Form the most appropriate title for that project. Prepare an outline about the manner in which IT can be used in the different stages of the project. 2. Identify from your biology textbook a topic that can be done as a project. Write down the different stages of the project. Explain how Information Technology can be utilised in each stage 3. Apart from a study project, how and for what activities can the applications given below be used in a construction project? Prepare an outline in the manner in which you have become familiar. Word processor Spreadsheet Presentation software Paint Search Engines Graphics software

4. Prepare an outline for doing an experimental project in a time-bound manner. 5. What are the materials you can prepare using a word processor for data collection in a study project? Prepare a simple sample. 6. What is the need for publishing a project report? What software have you studied earlier that helps in publishing? Prepare a table showing the facilities and possibilities in them. (see the model below)

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Model:
Software Word processor Available facilities Formatting toolbar Activities, Possibilities Adjusting size of letters Changing font
............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................

7. Discuss the methods that can be adopted to make data collection reliable and factual and record them in the Workbook. 8. How can you use the spreadsheet software that you have studied earlier for consolidating and analysing data? 9. Discuss the current years activities of your IT Corner. Make a timebound annual programme. Prepare this in a word processor. Print it and paste it on the notice board of your class or laboratory.

A Promise in Digital Intelligence

Ankit Fadia is an Indian youth who has captured the attention of computer experts in the fields of computer security and digital intelligence at the young age of eighteen. His website points out that he has written three books in computers and he is an expert in investigating digital crimes and his name has been entered in the Limca Book of Records 2002 and 2003.

Ankit Fadia

Ankit Fadias books are: 1. The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking, 2. Network Security: A Hackers Perspective, and 3. Tips and Tricks on Linux. http://www.ankitfadia.com is Ankit Fadia's website.

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What did we Learn? Lets check ourselves

What are the subheadings that should be included while preparing a project outline? What are the contents that should come in each? Find a project to do in each of the subjects mathematics, language and physics. Make titles appropriate to projects from them. How can you use Information Technology in the different stages of a study project? What all different types can projects be of? What are the aspects you will think about while selecting a project? What information should be included in the introduction and title of a project? What are the uses of seminar presentation, poster creation and publication in connection with a project? Write the names of a few data collection tools that can be used for a project. How do we arrive at conclusions from the collected information? What is the benefit of publishing a project report? What is the need for further activities after a project is completed?

ICONS
Some of the icons that appear in the following pages are shown below.These icons are given at the beginning of the descriptions about the different software you have to study. Those parts that begin with the icon of a globe, and the contents given in boxes are parts that everyone has to study. Those who are using the GNU/Linux operating system should pay attention to the parts that start with the second icon shown below. Those using MS Windows operating system should look for the third icon shown.

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Some Common Activities and Their Shortcuts in Office Software

Activity  Save a prepared document  Close a document being used  Open a saved document  Start a new document  Save file in a new name Through the menu File Save File File Close Open Shortcut Ctrl + S Alt + F C Ctrl + O or Alt + F O Alt + F N Alt + F A (Enter File name) Save Ctrl + A E L Ctrl + X E T Ctrl + C E C Ctrl + V E P Delete Ctrl + Z or Alt + E U Ctrl + Y or or or or Alt + Alt + Alt + Alt +

File New (Select File type) OK File Save As (Enter File Name) Save Edit Edit Edit Select All Cut Copy Paste Clear Undo

 Select all text  Cut Selected text  Copy selected text

 Paste at desired location text Edit that has been cut/copied  Delete selected text Edit

 Cancel a modification that has Edit been done and go back to the earlier status (undo)  Bring back a modification Edit that has been removed (redo)  Close application  Print  Search for a particular sentence or word File File Edit Replace

Redo

Exit Print Find &

Ctrl + Q Ctrl + P Ctrl + F

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Operational Hints - File Management

Activity
To open file manager

In Windows
Start Programs Windows explorer or Rt.click on start button Explorer Start Programs < Select Applications> Start Programs Accessories Notepad Start Start Programs Paint Calculator Programs Accessories Accessories

In Gnu/Linux
MainMenu Applications Information Programs Nautilus Tree

To select application programs and launch them To type notes To work in painting software To operate utilities (eg: calculator)

Main Menu Programs Applications < Select Applications> Main menu Accessories Main Menu Graphics Main Menu Accessories Applications G Edit Applications XPaint Applications Calculator

Operational Hints - Word Processor

Activity MS Word File Page Setup OpenOffice Writer Format Page

To adjust the size of pages To add page numbers To add date and time To add headers and footers

Insert Insert View Footer

Page Number Date & Time Header and

To adjust space between paragraphs To select borders and shading To include images from the gallery To include images from file To add a table To add charts

Format Paragraph Indent & Spacing Format Borders & Shading Insert Picture Clipart Insert Picture From File Table Insert Table Insert Picture Chart

Insert Fields Pagenumber Insert Fileds Date, Time Insert Header Default Insert Footer Default Format Paragarph Intent and Spacing Format Paragraph Borders Tools Gallery Insert Graphics From File Insert Table Insert Object

Chart

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Operational Hints - SpreadSheet

Activity To add a new row To add a new column To format text To add numbers in a sequence To sort To add charts Insert Insert Format Edit MS Excel Rows Column Cells Fill Series Open Office Calc Insert Insert Format Edit Fill Rows Column Cells Series

Data Insert

Sort Chart

Data Insert

Sort Chart

Operational Hints - Presentation

Activity To create a new presentation Power Point Select an option from the section Create a Presentation in the Powerpoint dialogue box Insert Insert Clipart Format New Slide Picture Background Open Office Impress Select the Empty Presentation option from the Auto Pilot Presentation dialogue box Insert Insert Slide Graphics

To add new slide To add picture To add background images To add effects To decide how slide appears To change order of slides To add charts

Format Page Background Slide show Slide Show Slide transition View Workspace Slide View Insert Chart Effects

Slide show Custom Animation Slide Show Slide transition View Insert Slide sorter Chart

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Operational Hints - Internet

Activity To open Internet browser To visit a site To save a web page To create a web page Windows Startmenu Programs Internet Explorer Click on Address Bar <Type address> Enter File Save As Linux Main menu Internet Web Browser Mozilla Click on Address Bar <Type address> Enter File Save Page As

Start Programs Accessories Notepad < Write HTML Programme> Save As <filename.htm>

Main menu Accessories Text Editor < Write HTML Program > Save as <filename.html>

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