Page Comparison

The following is a glossary of technology terms used in Chapter 8:

Active Directory Account: Also referred to as a ‘BRCC Net Account’: an individually assigned information system user account which consists of an assigned username and a password that is controlled by the individual to which the account is assigned.

Administrative Systems Accounts - Accounts which provide the user access to administrative data including financial, student records, and employee information. The Datatel/Colleague software program is an administrative system.

Broadband - a signaling method which includes or handles a relatively wide range of frequencies which may be divided into channels or frequency bins.

CD - a compact disc, an optical disc used to store digital data. Standard CDs are 12 centimeters in diameter.

Chat room - an online site in which people can communicate with each other by broadcasting messages to people on the same site in real time.

Data network – Infrastructure that facilitates communication between computer systems.

Diskette - a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell.

Events Management System - Software that is dedicated to planning and managing events (e.g., banquets, seminars, conferences, meetings, class sections, etc.) and used to manage scheduling of locations for events, resources (both human and otherwise), and on-site operations (e.g., setup, takedown, etc.). The events management system is also capable of handling online registration and payment for events, content management for descriptive information concerning events, and public calendar functionality to promote events. 25Live is an example of an events management system.

Fiber optic cable - glass or plastic fiber designed to transmit data along the length of the cable by total internal reflection.

Hardware – usually refers to computer hardware, the physical part of a computer, including the digital circuitry, as distinguished from the software which executes within the hardware.

Instant messaging - a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is conveyed via computers connected over a network such as the Internet.

Multimedia - media that uses multiple forms of information content and information processing (e.g., text, audio, graphics, animation, video, and interactivity) to inform or entertain the viewer.

Multifunction device - an all-in-one device (copier, printer, and scanner) usually designed for office use.

Online - in technology parlance, a user is online if he/she is connected to the Internet.

PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) - a small, hand-held electronic device designed to store data for easy recovery. PDAs can include some of the functionality of a computer, a cell phone, a music player, or a camera.

Portfolio - In education, portfolio refers to a personal collection of information describing and documenting a person’s achievements and learning. A portfolio may also be a digital or electronic portfolio, also referred as an “ePortfolio.”

Router - A computer networking device that forwards data packets across a network toward their destinations, through a process known as routing.

Server - a computer that provides services to other computers, or the software that runs on it.

Software - A program that enables a computer to perform a specific task, as opposed to the physical components of the system (hardware).

Switch (Network switch) - a computer networking device that connects and selects from among different network segments.

Text messaging - sending short messages between mobile phones, other handheld devices, and even landline telephones.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - a uniform syntax for global identifiers of network-retrievable documents. On a web browser, the URL usually begins with “http://www.” In popular usage it is a synonym for Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

USB flash memory cards - a data storage device that can easily be connected to most computers. USBs are also known as memory sticks, thumb drives, and flash drives. They are typically small, lightweight, removable, and rewritable. USB memory cards typically have a large data storage capacity.

Virus - a self-replicating computer program written to alter the way a computer operates and distributed via the Internet without the permission or knowledge of the user. Viruses infect or corrupt files on a targeted computer.

Worm - a self-replicating software program. Unlike a virus, a worm does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms harm a network usually by consuming bandwidth.