The input devices that I used were the mouse and keyboard. When using the mouse it is possible to click on an incorrect button. This can cause the computer to do unintended actions and waste time. Also when using a keyboard you can lose further time by typing incorrect buttons and making mistakes. Autocorrect is also useful as it automatically corrects mistakes that you make, saving on time when typing. On excel validation is a useful tool, as it stops typing errors outside a range that you can set. For example if when typing 10 you type 109 accidentally, and if it is outside the set amounts then it will inform you of a mistake.
Output Devices
Output devices are devices that let you see what the computer is doing or has done. For example a monitor displays what it is doing, while printers print out what the computer has done. Disadvantages of a monitor include eye strain, which can be caused by starring at a screen for too long, though it instantly displays what the computer is doing which is useful. Printers can jam if the wrong type of paper is inserted or if the paper is inserted incorrectly which wastes time and paper, though are useful as it is possible to take away information or work away on paper.
The monitor was important as it displayed what I was doing and I could see if I was making a mistake. I also viewed my logo as I was making it and could see the colours that the monitor displayed. I could use the printer to print out my work and look at it at home to see if I could improve it in any way. Instead of using a monitor to display what the computer was doing I could’ve used a projector. This is useful as you can have any size screen depending on how far away the surface is that you are projecting onto, though it is harder to focus the image with a projector than with a monitor.
Analysis
The payslip is designed for the Edward Health Centre for all their employees’ wages to be easily calculated (for example tax and VAT) and to produce their payslips, to save time and money. What was to be done was to make a logo for the Edward Health Centre which would then be put on a payslip to be given to employees.
What needed to be input into the system were the names of the people and their positions in the company and their wages. On Excel their insurance and tax was processed and everything, including their final payment, was stored on a spreadsheet on excel. In the health centre the information will be stored in a saved file in Excel. I chose this method of storing all of their initial payments, tax and National Insurance as it is easy to set out well in Excel, and Excel can make the necessary calculations by inputting formulae. The payslips will be printed out and given to the employees.
I used mail merge to get the information from the spreadsheet onto the payslip. I used this because it is quick to do and instantly transfers the information with no mistakes (which could have been made if copying it and typing it in). Also if any alterations are made to the spreadsheet, they will also automatically be made to the payslip. This way there is the data which is expressed in the form of a spreadsheet which is easy to use and to understand, and also in the finished payslip that is given to employees.
There were ways in which I could develop my system, for example, I could’ve scanned in my logo design instead of trying to reproduce it. This would have saved time as I would not have to make the logo again and also it would mean that the logo would be as I originally designed it, as although I reproduced it well, it wasn’t exactly as the first design was.
Also, instead of using a spreadsheet to store the data, I could have used a database, using a program such as Microsoft Access, which may have been easier to use and better laid out.
Design, Implement and Testing
A logo was designed for the health centre which would go on a wage slip which would be the result of a system to handle the wages. The system was to be designed so that the information was easy to access and see and mail merged to the word document that had the payslips on.
To make the logo, firstly I designed it on paper. I then reproduced it in Macromedia Fireworks by creating an elliptical background, then putting the writing over the top of the background. I reproduced the red cross from my design and cropped the image and put it on top of my background on the left side of the logo. I also cropped an image of a tree and placed in on top of the logo on the right side.
This logo I put on the payslip document in when I drew a table 2 columns with the rows of the 1st column indicating their name, position, whether they were part or full time, their tax and national insurance and what they would take home. In the spreadsheet I had to put in equations to calculate their tax and NI and to calculate what they took home. As some earned more than a certain amount, I also had to calculate whether they would be charged 40% tax or 22% and make sure that if their payment was changed either lowered or increased so that they should be being charged more or less tax, their tax would also change. After the spreadsheet I mail merged each section of the spreadsheet to the word document by merging the name row with the names on the spreadsheet and the positions row with the spreadsheet and so on.
To improve accuracy I used autocorrect on word so for example when I misspelled the word “name” and wrote it as “nmae” it automatically corrected it. I also had spell check on which informed me of any other mistakes. In Excel I used validation to ensure that anything number that was typed incorrectly, if it were outside set limits then Excel would inform me of a mistake. I also checked through the work to make sure that nothing was out of place.
At first, I couldn’t do the mail merge properly and my tax wasn’t calculating properly. I overcame the tax which originally charged everybody 40% as one of my equations was incorrect which was because I had forgotten to add a second bracket at the end of the equation, making it invalid. I hadn’t noticed that it was invalid at the time but later when I was looking for the problem I saw that the equation was incorrect and corrected it. With the mail merge I had accidentally changed the name field and so wasn’t recognising it and so wasn’t working. I realised that it was a problem with this field and looked at the Excel book which I quickly changed back to normal.
Evaluation, Applications and Effects
From this project I found that ICT was the best way to design the logo, calculate the wages, and produce pay slips as firstly when making a logo it is possible to erase mistakes (by using undo) and there are tools to add effects that you might not be able to do by hand. Secondly, a computer can calculate the wages perfectly and almost instantaneously whereas if done by hand there could be mistakes made and it would take more time. Finally, all of the payslips are neatly presented and are not needed to be written out as all of the information that is needed is instantly transferred from the excel spreadsheet to the payslips without error.
I think that my system of having a spreadsheet with all the raw data being mail merged with the payslip document is a good one as it enables the health centre to have all of the raw data which can be edited which is set out and clear in a spreadsheet, while having the payslips automatically updating when the spreadsheet is edited meaning that there is a neat form also to give to employees which will always be correct (as long as the correct information is inserted into the spreadsheet). Another way this could’ve been done would have been just to type out all of the payslips straight into the payslip document. My method would improve this though, since the data wouldn’t be so well laid out if it was needed to be changed and for example if National Insurance was to change whereas in my method where it would be automatically calculated, everyone’s payslips would have to be individually worked out and altered, which would take far longer, being an advantage of people using it. Having said this though, some formulae may have to be altered if something changes and some are quite complex therefore the person using them must be able to understand Excel and be able to alter them so that everything is as it should be.
If a health centre was to use my system, the people employed would have to know how to mail merge and how to use Excel and Word properly, as if they didn’t know how to, if there was a problem they might not be able to amend it. Also they would have to be IT literate to be able to use the system to ensure they knew what they were doing all the time. The system may put some workers out of jobs for some time though, as if they were employing IT illiterate people who were manually writing out the payslips, they would have to be trained to use a computer or become redundant. If they were IT literate on the other hand, it would save them time, as my system would reduce the amount of time needed to produce the payslips. There would probably also be less people needed to manage the payslips as the work would be easier and less time needed to be spent so some of the employees may lose their jobs as they may not be needed to maintain the system.
Documentation
Logging on
- Firstly switch on the computer by pressing the power button and wait until Windows loads up.
Opening necessary programs
- Press the start key (in between alt and control in the bottom left of the keyboard) or click on the start button (in the bottom left of the screen as seen in the diagram on the next page labelled 1).
- Press the “up” arrow key or move the cursor onto the word “programs” on the start menu (as indicated by no. 2 on the diagram). The bar will become highlight in grey and a list on programs will appear.
- Use the arrow keys or the mouse to go onto Microsoft Excel (as seen by no. 3 on the diagram) and click on it or press “enter”. Microsoft Excel will then load.
- Repeat the process but instead of clicking on and loading Microsoft Excel highlight Microsoft Word (as indicated by no.4 on the diagram).
Inputting Data into Excel
To put data into a cell on Excel your must first choose the cell which you wish to input data into. The highlighted cell will always be A1 when you start up Excel. If you wish to input data into another cell use the arrow keys to change the cell or click on the cell you wish to change.
There are many things you may wish to do with the data that you input into excel. For example if these were 2 test results for 5 different pupils (a-e see left) you may wish to find their average rest. There are many standard formulae and all of them start with “=”. You must say what you wish to do with certain cells by either using set words like average, or using symbols like “*”, “/”, “+” and “–“ meaning times divide plus and minus. If u wish for a formulae to be copied into other cells, for example wishing to find the average of every pupil, you can click and drag the bottom right of each cell down to the other cells that you wish to have the same formulae (as seen below).
Inputting Data into Word
- To input text into word all that you have to do is type.
- To type capital letters, hold “shift” and type the letter you wish to be a capital.
- To insert symbols such as “£”, look for the symbol on the keyboard and if it is at the top of the key hold “shift” and press the key.
- To delete a mistake press the “backspace” key to delete a character before the cursor and the “delete” key to delete a character after the cursor.
- To move the cursor (to change where you input data) press the arrow keys or click on where you wish the cursor to be.
Drawing Tables
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To draw a table either click on “Table”, or hold “alt” and press “a” (as indicated by no. 1).
2. Then use the arrow keys to highlight “Insert” and press enter, or put the mouse over “Insert”, or simply press “i” (as indicated by no.2) and another list will appear.
3. Press “t”, click on “Table...” or highlight “Table...” using the “Right” arrow and then press enter and a box shall appear as seen on the next page.
Alternatively you can click on the “Insert Table” icon and the box will just come up (as indicated below).
4. Firstly, choose the number of columns you wish to have in the table by typing in the number or by clicking on the up and down arrows on the right of the box.
5. Then press “alt” and “r”, or press “tab”,
and type in the number of rows that you wish to have in the table. Alternatively, you can click on the up and down arrows on the right hand side of the box to change the number of rows.
- Click on the “OK” button at the bottom of the box or press “enter” and the table will appear.
Saving an untitled document (one which hasn’t been saved before)
- Either click on “file” in the top left of the screen (as indicated by hand no. 1) or hold down “alt” and press “f” and the file menu will appear.
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Now use the mouse or arrows keys to select Save As... and click on it or press enter. Alternatively you may just press “a” when the file menu comes up.
- A box now comes up for you to save your work as can be seen below. Type in what u wish the document to be called (indicated by no.3) then when you have done that press “s” “enter” or click on the “save” button (indicated by no.4).
P.S. You may also use Save As... if you wish to save a document that you have already saved but save it under a different name and you do the same in both Word and Excel.
Re-saving a document (saving a document that you have already saved as...)
1. To quickly save the changes you have made to a document that you have already saved as... all you must do is click on the save button as indicated by the hand. Alternatively you can hold “control” and press “s”. This will replace your originally saved document with the one that you are working on under the same name (the same in both Word and Excel).
Printing Work (quickly)
- Make sure that your printer is on and has paper in it.
- Click on the print icon indicated by the hand (which is in the same place in Word and Excel.
Printing Work (with options)
- Make sure that your printer is on and has paper in it.
- Either click on “file” in the top left of the screen (as indicated by hand no. 1) or hold down “alt” and press “f” and the file menu will appear.
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Now use the mouse or arrows keys to select Print... and click on it or press enter. Alternatively you may just press “p” when the file menu comes up.
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A box now comes up for you to print your work as can be seen below. You may change the quality of the print by clicking on “Properties” or by pressing “p” (indicated by no.1). If you are happy with all the settings (as there are other options which you may wish to change) click on the “ok” button (as indicated by no.2) or press “enter”.
Mail Merging
1. Go onto Word. Either click on “Tools”, or hold “alt” and press “t” (as indicated by no. 1).
2. Then use the arrow keys to highlight “Letters and Mailings” and press enter, or put the mouse over “Letters and Mailings”, or simply press “e” (as indicated by no.2) and another list will appear.
3. Press “m”, click on “Mail Merge Wizzard...” or highlight “Table...” using the “right” arrow (as indicated by no. 3) and then press enter and a box shall appear as seen on the next page.
4. Click on “Next: Starting Document”
(as indicated right) and then “Next: Select recipients”.
5. Click on browse and click on “Edward Health Centre Wages Spreadsheet”.
6. Select the people to who you want to create wage slips for by clicking in the square to the left of each one to put in a tick or take away the tick then click “ok” or press enter.
- Then click “Next: write your letter” and then click “Next: preview your letters” and
Then a wage slips will appear, and you are able to view the others by clicking on the arrows - “>>” at the top of the mail merge box.
- Then click on “Next: complete the merge” for finish the mail merge.
Comments (from my Mother)
“Well laid out and clear to read and understand”.
“Good pictures showing what to do and how to do it, adding to the text’s good explanations of each task”.
“I’m afraid I can’t use a computer too well though and I had to ask what certain keys like ‘tab’ were”.
So I made this diagram of a keyboard to show where the mentioned keys were situated:
ICT in healthcare
ways in which ICT example it is used to book and record appointments for patients easily and quickly. It can also be used for storing information which may be used to help diagnose illnesses or to look at patient’s or family of a patient’s history of diseases or illness. In all of these cases there could be a crash in the system, which if there were no support staff to look after the system would cause major problems. Also it would cost a lot of money to install large systems though they would be beneficial in the long run as they minimise the amount of work that people may have to do otherwise (i.e. writing out payslips). Also although they may have to employ more people to maintain the system, they wouldn’t have to employ so many people doing manual tasks that they may have to do if there was no system in place.
A cause of a failure in the system might be if it was connected to the internet, though had weaknesses and hackers were able to access files and maybe edit or delete them, which would disrupt the whole system as might a virus. To prevent this they may use firewalls and virus protection and use secure passwords and also keep backups of any files if that did happen so it they would be safe and ready to access if they were ever lost or infected.
I think that my system works well and is appropriate as it is easy to protect and to use, with only using two programs, leaving less weaknesses and is easy to guard and use. To develop the system I could have password protected the files to make them more secure. I could have also added extra features for example as well as an employee database I could have added a patient database to enhance the system.
ICT in the Wider World
ICT is used in many areas of life and has changed the way many jobs are conducted in the wider world. For example it’s used in workplaces for many different uses such as calculating wages, storing any information that is needed, or for security. Computers have made it also possible to have programmed robots that can do many of the tasks that humans normally used to do, though much more quickly and effectively, for example in the motor industry to assemble cars. Also ICT has brought about the internet which is very useful for many people as it can be usedfor advertisement, as an endless source of knowledge and another means of communication between people. ICT has made jobs easier though calculations being worked out in seconds and some jobs not needing humans any longer – for example telephone operators are sometimes computers. Also, ICT has made it possible to store vast amounts of information in databases and has made banking much easier and more organised.
Though there are some negative factors concerning ICT for example online banking and online shopping, which was a good idea as it enabled people to access their bank account and shop from home, some people abuse the internet and illegally steal money. It also loses many jobs as computers are more competent in some cases than humans and for example before when before many people worked in industry in England, but now there is little manual industry due to computers. Having said this though, ICT has also brought many more jobs and has brought the world closer together and more advanced.
Before ICT was around, many jobs were manual and hard working, with not much pay (as they could not work as effectively as computers) though now many of people’s jobs involve in some way ICT and are less challenging and more rewarding I also believe that it has brought more order to the world as warfare before computers was bloodier and less was gained whereas nowadays with computers you are able to effectively fight and quickly end wars. ICT also helps scientific research as it can spot patterns and trends and can help research against diseases. It can also be used to help space travel to help scientific research. With computers also there is more media coming in than before computers enabling better effects in films and television, giving more entertainment, and games and games consoles are produced (which would be much harder to do without using ICT in manufacture) that also entertain the world. It is also much easier to travel as much of transport is computerised or involves the use of computers (for example in aeroplanes) bringing the world closer together and I think that ICT has taken the world far forward from what it was pre-ICT.