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ITGS Textbook
Information Technology in a Global Society is a textbook for the IB Diploma ITGS course, by Stuart Gray. This site contains resources for ITGS teachers and students, including a sample chapter, exercises, lesson ideas, and further reading.
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Book Contents
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Book Support
- 1 - Introduction
- 2 - Hardware
- 3 - Software
- 4 - Networks
- 5 - Security
- 6 - Multimedia
- 7 - Databases
- 8 - Models & Simulations
- 9 - Business & Employment
- 10 - Education
- 11 - Environment
- 12 - Health
- 13 - Home & Leisure
- 14 - Politics & Government
- 15 - IT Systems in Organisations
- 16 - AI & Robotics
- ITGS Glossary of Terms
- ITGS Paper 2 Exam
- ITGS Paper 3 (Case Study 2012)
- ITGS Paper 3 (Case Study 2013)
- ITGS Internal Assessment (Project)
- ITGS Extended Essays
- ITGS & Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
- Wider Reading
- ITGS Links
Harvard Search of E-Mail Stuns Its Faculty Members (NY Times) is a good resource discussing the social impacts and implications of email monitoring.
Employee monitoring can take even more complex approaches: Mind your language (Economist) discusses the use of linguistic analysis software that scans employees' emails looking for key phrases and mood indicators, and identifies employees who may be more likely to commit fraud against the company. IBM's Security Tool (WSJ) performs a similar task. Tesco's have been accused of using electronic armbands to monitor its staff (The Independent) while Amazon's treatment of workers has also been criticised (FT).
Is teleworking driving us crazy? (BBC) primarily examines the negative social impacts of teleworking.
When going to the office makes you a better dad than working from home (The Atlantic) and The myth of working from home (BBC) both discuss a recent policy changed at Yahoo! that prevents its workers from tele-working.
In the future payment systems may also change: Supermarket of the Future discusses the use of mobile phones as payment devices, while IBM's Supermarket of the Future video demonstrates how Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology might be used. Wal-Mart, however, cancelled their trial of an RFID 'smart shelf' system before it was even used.
Startup Lets Retail Stores Track Shoppers As Websites Do (MIT) explains how customer tracking is expanding from the online world to 'bricks and mortar' stores. Relatively basic technology such as cameras (albeit hidden in mannequins (NY Times)) or advanced systems that use many different consumer tracking techniques may be used. Various technologies, including customer tracking and electronic tagging have been tried in German supermarkets.
Omo GPS stunt opens doors for marketers is an article detailing an infamous stunt by detergent manufacturer Omo, who included GPS trackers in some products.
Another example of a digital currency that is frequently in the news is BitCoin. This PCPro article succinctly explains what BitCoin is and how it works.
Part of the 2013 ITGS case study also covers digital and mobile payment systems.
The BBC Click video The tech that lets you rent out your bike or car demonstrates one example of a successful C2C system in San Francisco which allows bike and car owners to find people who want to rent them. Airbnb is another example which allows home owners to rent out their rooms - though the New York Times reports that the system may be illegal as it brings local laws on permits and taxation.
Other advances - if that is the right word - have enabled companies to match online data with offline activities. Facebook will peer into your grocery bag, for example, explains how supermarket loyalty card data (which is often tied to an email address) can be bought and matched against social network email addresses.
The Wall Street Journal offers these tips to reduce online identity tracking.
Cars can also use networks: either to communicate with other cars to prevent accidents (ARS), or to provide passenger entertainment (BBC video).
Cars turn to augmented reality (BBC) and Toyota demos augmented-reality-enhanced car windows (CNET) demonstrate how this technology can be used to enhance a driver's awareness and passengers comfort.
Smart cars is closely linked to driverless vehicles.
Matthew Somerville has created an excellent real-time map of London Underground trains based on Google Maps and Transport for London data. This is a good example of what can be achieved using open government data. There is also a National Rail map.
Business and Employment
Business and Employment is one of the largest ITGS topics, and deals with Information Technology in an incredibly wide range of settings. This chapter of the book covers the ITGS syllabus requirements of Traditional Businesses, Online Businesses, and Transportation Businesses. Included is a comprehensive web design section, allowing students to understand the importance of a web presence to modern businesses, and practical activities to apply the techniques they learn about. This chapter links to ITGS syllabus sections including 3.6 Multimedia / Digital Media, 3.7 Databases, 3.8 Spreadsheets, and a wide range of social impacts and ethical issues. The following resources provide support for the book:
Traditional Businesses
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Online Businesses
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Transportation
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Traditional Businesses
Employee monitoring
The following articles are a good introduction to employee monitoring: Is your workplace tracking your computer activities? (HowStuffWorks), Employee Monitoring: It's Not Paranoia—You Really Are Being Watched!, and Employee monitoring: When IT is asked to spy (ComputerWorld).Harvard Search of E-Mail Stuns Its Faculty Members (NY Times) is a good resource discussing the social impacts and implications of email monitoring.
Employee monitoring can take even more complex approaches: Mind your language (Economist) discusses the use of linguistic analysis software that scans employees' emails looking for key phrases and mood indicators, and identifies employees who may be more likely to commit fraud against the company. IBM's Security Tool (WSJ) performs a similar task. Tesco's have been accused of using electronic armbands to monitor its staff (The Independent) while Amazon's treatment of workers has also been criticised (FT).
Tele-working, Tele-commuting, and Work-Shifting
TeachICT is a good resource which covers the positive and negative impacts of tele-working on various stakeholders, including employers, employees, and their families.Is teleworking driving us crazy? (BBC) primarily examines the negative social impacts of teleworking.
When going to the office makes you a better dad than working from home (The Atlantic) and The myth of working from home (BBC) both discuss a recent policy changed at Yahoo! that prevents its workers from tele-working.
Supermarket technology
How 'point of sale' became much more than a fancy calculator (BBC) describes what goes on 'behind the scenes' in typical retailers such as supermarkets.In the future payment systems may also change: Supermarket of the Future discusses the use of mobile phones as payment devices, while IBM's Supermarket of the Future video demonstrates how Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology might be used. Wal-Mart, however, cancelled their trial of an RFID 'smart shelf' system before it was even used.
Startup Lets Retail Stores Track Shoppers As Websites Do (MIT) explains how customer tracking is expanding from the online world to 'bricks and mortar' stores. Relatively basic technology such as cameras (albeit hidden in mannequins (NY Times)) or advanced systems that use many different consumer tracking techniques may be used. Various technologies, including customer tracking and electronic tagging have been tried in German supermarkets.
Omo GPS stunt opens doors for marketers is an article detailing an infamous stunt by detergent manufacturer Omo, who included GPS trackers in some products.
Banking: Digital payment systems
Wine and Dine Without Pulling Out Your Wallet — Or Your Phone describes an app system that can automatically charge a customer's credit card in a restaurant.Another example of a digital currency that is frequently in the news is BitCoin. This PCPro article succinctly explains what BitCoin is and how it works.
Part of the 2013 ITGS case study also covers digital and mobile payment systems.
Online Businesses
Exercise 9.22
The web design section of the internal assessment page has useful resources and software for this assignment.
E-Commerce: How online shopping works
Inside Amazon as it faces its busiest shopping period (BBC video) explains how Amazon's e-commerce systems process 35 orders a second during peak periods such as the run-up to Christmas.
E-Commerce: Running an online business
The Australian government produces the Australian Data Tourism Warehouse (ATDW) for the local tourism industry. The site contains a great deal of useful and practical information about setting up an online business, including hardware and software requirements, costs, and related aspects such as digital marketing. As such, ITGS students may find it a very useful resource to study as part of a Business & Employment or Home & Leisure related case study.
E-Commerce: Customer-to-Customer (C2C)
Customer to Customer (also known as Consumer-to-Consumer or C2C) e-commerce involves buyers and sellers doing direct business with each other. Although a 'middle-man' company may be present, their task is simply to match the client with the buyer (and perhaps take a cut of the transaction) rather than buy stock and sell it at a mark-up.The BBC Click video The tech that lets you rent out your bike or car demonstrates one example of a successful C2C system in San Francisco which allows bike and car owners to find people who want to rent them. Airbnb is another example which allows home owners to rent out their rooms - though the New York Times reports that the system may be illegal as it brings local laws on permits and taxation.
How Search Engines Work
Inside Knowledge Graph is an interactive insight into how Google collates information and forms relationships between items to produce better search results.
Targeted advertising and consumer data
The collection of customer data and its use for targeted advertising raise a lot of privacy issues. The following news articles give examples of the information companies know about you, and how they acquire it.- Web Coupons Know Lots About You, and They Tell (NYTimes)
- What Does the Consumer Data Industry Know About You? (The Atlantic)
- Everything We Know About What Data Brokers Know About You (Propublica)
- They know what you're shopping for (WSJ)
- How Companies learn your secrets (NYTimes)
- Tracking adverts set to jump across gadgets (BBC)
Other advances - if that is the right word - have enabled companies to match online data with offline activities. Facebook will peer into your grocery bag, for example, explains how supermarket loyalty card data (which is often tied to an email address) can be bought and matched against social network email addresses.
The Wall Street Journal offers these tips to reduce online identity tracking.
Transportation Business
IT Systems in cars: Smart cars
Even if future vehicles still feature human drivers, it is likely they will use technology to greatly enhance drivers' safety and comfort. A future without car crashes? (BBC), Volvo unveils a cyclist anti-collision system (BBC) and Building the crash-proof car (BBC) cover explain crash avoidance technology.Cars can also use networks: either to communicate with other cars to prevent accidents (ARS), or to provide passenger entertainment (BBC video).
Cars turn to augmented reality (BBC) and Toyota demos augmented-reality-enhanced car windows (CNET) demonstrate how this technology can be used to enhance a driver's awareness and passengers comfort.
Smart cars is closely linked to driverless vehicles.
Full body scanners exercise
A recent development in the use of full body scanners (covered on page 216 of the book) is a proposal to deploy the scanners on police vehicles patrolling the streets (Forbes article, video). Organisations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have raised privacy concerns over this technology. A good discussion point would be the extent to which these scanners are acceptable in different contexts: is their use on the streets significantly more or less appropriate than their use in airports?
Traffic control, management and monitoring systems
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is a catch-all phrase that covers various technologies for monitoring, controlling, and managing traffic. Traffic Management, Monitoring and Enforcement (Image gallery) offers some basic information on this technology. The article To fight gridlock, a city synchronizes every red light (NY Times) examines a new $400 million Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control system that is being implemented in Los Angeles.Matthew Somerville has created an excellent real-time map of London Underground trains based on Google Maps and Transport for London data. This is a good example of what can be achieved using open government data. There is also a National Rail map.
