Introduction to Information Technology
L01: Reflection
This lesson helped me understand what an information system really is — it’s not just a computer or a program, it’s the combination of people, hardware, software, data, and processes working together to manage and share information. It made me realize that the human side is just as important as the technical side. We also went over the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which showed me that building any system isn’t just aboutcoding. It’s a full process with steps like planning, designing, testing, and maintenance. Skipping steps can cause big problems later. We reviewed cloud computing apps again, like Google Drive and Dropbox, and how they make it easier to store and access files from anywhere. It’s crazy how much easier working across devices has gotten because of the cloud. Another thing we talked about was how using computers can affect your health. Sitting too long, bad posture, and too much screen time can cause real issues if you’re not careful. It made me think about taking breaks and setting up my workspace better.
L01: Virtual Information Treasure Hunt
References
Bettis-Outland, H. (2011). Decision-making’s impact on organizational learning and information overload. Journal of Business Research, 64(6), 509–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.12.021
This peer-reviewed paper examines the intricate relationship between decision-making, organizational learning, and information overload. There is a key emphasis on policy, business, and political making decision, going into detail how decisions are derived. Incremental decision-making involves small, gradual steps with minimal organizational change, while comprehensive decision-making considers all possible scenarios, leading to significant shifts in procedures and traditions. Published in the Journal of Business Research—a reputable academic database—the study provides insight into how excessive information impacts decision-making and organizational learning.
Gursoy, D. (2019). A critical review of determinants of information search behavior and utilization of online reviews in the decision-making process. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76(B), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.06.003
This peer-reviewed study looks at a variety of factors, such as information overload, that influences how consumers process and utilize online reviews during their decision-making process. A keynote, however, is this study highlights the less-explored aspects such as information overload, confusion, presentation format, trust, and evaluation mode, alongside the impacts of perceived risk and familiarity. Published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management—it examines the possible influences on consumers decision-process.
Hafiz Muhammad, B. F., Zulfiqar, S., Noor, S., & Huo, C. (2022). Examining multiple engagements and their impact on students’ knowledge acquisition: the moderating role of information overload. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 14(1), 366-393. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-11-2020-0422
This peer-reviewed paper explores how students gather information and its impact on knowledge acquisition, with a particular focus on the role of information overload. The author questions whether the abundance of knowledge is a double-edged sword—offering vast resources while simultaneously making it harder to filter and comprehend relevant information. Published in the Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education—it sheds light on the impact of information overload in diverse educational settings.
Sbaffi, L., Walton, J., Blenkinsopp, J., & Walton, G. (2020). Information overload in emergency medicine physicians: A multisite case study exploring the causes, impact, and solutions in four North England National Health Service Trusts. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(7), e19126. https://doi.org/10.2196/19126
This scholarly article looks at the growing influence of digital technologies in emergency medicine and their role in contributing to information overload—affecting patient care. This issue is especially critical in emergency medicine, where the overwhelming flow of information can impact patient care. Understanding its causes, effects, and management strategies is essential to alleviating stress in the profession. Published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, this study offers relevant findings for broader applications in information overload research.
L01: Introduce Yourself and Explain What Interests You Most in IT
Good evening everyone!
My name is Mickey Blair. I’m coming from San Diego, CA. I’m a Freshman studying cybersecurity. The IT discipline that appeals most to me is Information Technology as cybersecurity is an emerging focus that branches off from IT its critical to understand the user, the environment, and the security needs of both. My technical strength is identifying possible intrusions within a network and understanding how to correlate data to provide insights into threats. Well-versed in computer hardware and comfortable being in the CLI of a Linux or Windows machine. My weakness is programming as I’m taking two programming classes this semester. IST242 and CMPSC131 to improve my understanding of various languages. Ultimately, I want to become a pen-testing consultant and based on my experiences in my prior internship I know it will be an uphill battle as it requires you to understand various environments quickly. I don’t see AI taking away many cybersecurity jobs mainly because we can extract meaning out of data and correlate various pieces of data that AI has yet to mimic. I’ve seen AI implemented in companies however, false positives abound because it flags everything that could be a ‘threat’. We as analysts know the environment and can comb through and find where the real threats are.
