The use of computer today is transforming the way we communicate, do business, and learn. Today, personal computers offer a vast array of enabling technologies that help us to do all kinds of things at home, at play, at work, and at school/college.
Millions of people now depend on their PCs to help them with everyday jobs around the house: communicating with relatives, preparing their annual holiday newsletter, doing homework, managing the family investment portfolio, sending greetings cards, and much, much more. People also link their PC to the internet to learn which bank offers the best mortgage rate, to order tickets to the theater, to get a good deal on a new car or simply to browse the day away.
Leisure activities are changing as rapidly as the technology. The computer allows us to communicate with our friends and relatives via the Internet through e-mail and instanst messaging. Millions of people spend hours "chatting" with other peope from around the world on just about any subject.
Gaming is another application of computers. The software enables virtual worlds to be created within computers where gamers engage in mortal combat or immerse themselves in a virtual city.
Today's personal computers also have sophisticated audiovisual systems that allow you to listen to audio CDs or play the latest hit songs directly off the internet. People can also watch DVD movies on their PCs.
Knowledgeable workers in all sectors depend on their computers to do their jobs. Millions of people can be "at work" wherever they are as long as they have their portable PCs-at a client's office, in an airplane, or even at home. Tasks that used to take hours, even days, now can be completed in minutes with the aid of IT. Marketing reps can prepare canvincing presentations, complete with sound, video and visual effects, in a tenth time it took a generation ago.
Information technology opens new doors for education. Millions of people now learn everything from agriculture to zoology via self-paced, interactive, computer-based courses. Teaching and learning has shifted from the manual and exhausting modes of learning to the computerized versions. Unlike traditional methods of teaching today lecturers and teachers are using power point presentations to teach. They save the slides on their computers then project them on screens .This is a more efficient mode of teaching as it allows for bigger audiences. Another great advantage is for students who are now using online learning facilities to learn about new stuff as well as research.