Information Technology and Digital Literacy
What to master
Cover computer fundamentals (hardware, software, operating systems, file systems), office productivity (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations - including formulas, references, and sorting/filtering), networking and the internet (IP addressing basics, browsers, email protocols, cloud storage), information security (passwords, phishing, malware, encryption, backups, two-factor authentication), and e-government concepts (digital identity, electronic signatures, data protection and privacy).
Traps to expect
- Absolute vs. relative references: copying a formula with
$A$1keeps the reference fixed, whileA1shifts. Questions test which reference style preserves a cell. - Phishing indicators: urgency, mismatched sender domains, unexpected attachments. A question may present a plausible but spoofed address.
- Backup vs. archive: backups protect against loss; archives are for retention. Do not conflate.
- Password hygiene: length and uniqueness matter more than forced periodic changes; reusing one password across sites is the classic trap.
- Digital signature vs. scanned signature: only a cryptographic electronic signature provides integrity and non-repudiation.
Rule of thumb
For spreadsheet items, ask "should this reference move when copied?" If not, anchor it with $. For security items, apply C-I-A - Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability - and identify which property the scenario threatens.
Worked example
A formula =B2*$C$1 is copied from row 2 to row 3. It becomes =B3*$C$1: the row-relative B2 shifts to B3, while the anchored $C$1 stays fixed, preserving the tax-rate cell.