On Tue, 7 Apr 1998 9:46:23 +0100 "Ian Winship, Univ. Northumbria"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> A terminological query.
>
> The Dearing Report on higher education introduced the concept of Communications
> and Information Technology (CIT or C&IT or CITs). The public sector seem to
> reorder the words and talk of ICT.
<snip>
> Do these terms have distinct meanings, or is ICT/CIT just a a fashion change -
> a sort of New IT or Cool IT?
>
On the MSc IT course I'm currently studying, we were introduced to the
concept of "ICT". I get the impression this is the industry term but I
guess CIT would do just as well. It is significant, however, as it
acknowledges the developments over the last few years in communications
technologies which now mean that it's shortsighted to think solely in
terms of an isolated computer on a desk, which is implied by IT. With
the rise of LANs, the Internet, Intranets, file servers, application
servers, Java, etc, etc - an isolated computer is becoming less and
less useful. When you also consider the convergence between computing
and broadcast technologies such as digital TV and mobile phones (now
being used for email and access to the Web) - some mention of the
communications side of things in relation to IT becomes sensible! Hence
Information AND Communications Technology.
----------------------
Phil Cross
Research Officer, SOSIG
Institute for Learning and Research Technology
University of Bristol
8 Woodland Road
Bristol, UK
BS8 1TN
Tel: +44 (0)117 928 8443
Fax: +44 (0)117 928 8473
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk
----------------------
"Don't race in craziness,
try to stop your mounts,
try to come in last in terms of craziness!"
- Cheyenne historian, John Stands In Timber
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