Task 7: The impact of the availability of electronic information on individuals and society

Produce a report that explains the impact of the availability of electronic information on individuals and society, and the effect on those who do not have access to ICT

600-1000 words ½ page on own experience 1 page on business experience ½ page on digital divide

Mark Band 1 Mark Band 2 Mark Band 3The candidate describes how the availabilityof electronic information affects people and situations they are familiar with, such as the candidate and their family;The report may contain errors in spelling,punctuation and grammar;

The candidate explains clearly how the availability of electronic information affects people and situations they are familiar with, such as the candidate and their family, andsociety in general and individuals within it, including people and situations outside their normal experience;The report will contain few spelling, punctuation and grammar errors;

The candidate explains in detail how theavailability of electronic information affectspeople and situations they are familiar with,such as the candidate and their family, andsociety in general and individuals within it,including people and situations outside theirnormal experience, including howorganisations now communicate withindividuals and society and the effect onthose who do not have (or want) access toICT;The report will be consistently well-structured and there will be few, if any, spelling, punctuation and grammar errors.

0-3 4-5 6-7

Mark Band 1 Mark Band 2 Mark Band 3

Candidates describe the effects of the availability of information inpersonal terms, such as their ability to access information on thisqualification by accessing the OCR website, or the ability of their parents to find train or flight information and book tickets on-line – thereport will be made up of examples, with little attempt to explain theeffects;

Candidates provide some explanation of the impacts of the availabilityof electronic information on themselves and their family and thenbroaden the scope of their explanations to include individuals and situations outside their normal experience – this may include: peoplewith disabilities, people who live in remote locations, early warningsystems, earthquake detection systems, introduction of wirelessaccess in Africa, political restrictions on access, etc.;Although some errors may be present, these should not be of the type that a spell or grammar checker would identify;

In addition to evidence generated for Mark Band 2, candidates include in their more detailed explanations the increased use by organisations of e-mail, websites and other ICT to communicate with their customers individually, and with society in general, through ICT-based advertising;They explain in detail the effects of this increased use of electroniccommunication on those who do not have (or want) access to ICT;There will be very few errors in the report, which will be well-structured with headings and sub-headings and with explanations presented in a logical order.

Businesses – cost savings, efficiency, access to prospective customers

Users – fast, easy access to information

Available 24/7More leisure time?The environment – less paper

Impact on health Obesity, lack of fresh air, repetitive strain

injury Information overload leads to stress

Spam Less social contact Advertising and resulting peer pressure Security, privacy and threat of viruses Coursework – copying, plagiarism,

copyright Music, video & software – piracy Cyber bullying – anonymous Credit card fraud and Phishing

The Plymouth Brethren See BBC website for information Forbidden activities include:▪ Watching TV, listening to radio, going to university

The Amish Reluctance to adopt modern convenience No electricity, phones, cars

Older people who don’t want to use computers Sir Clive Sinclair, inventor of the ZX80 computer See article on The Guardian website

Online banking and electronic billing – pay less if paperless and use direct debit

Some retailers are online only e.g. Amazon Access to education e.g. The Open

University Transport

Cheaper to buy tickets online Some airlines only take bookings online e.g. Ryan

Air Insurance – cheaper online Government – online tax returns etc. Schools – use of VLEs for homework

Old vs youngSchools that spend money on ICT vs

those that don’tAble bodied vs disabledMiddle classes vs lower classes

Gordon Brown article in Guardian 22/3/10 …market-driven process which would

"create two nations: one digitally privileged, one digitally deprived“

Developed world vs developing/third world