In Augment’s notes, a marked term shows its definition when you hover or tap it, and each page ends with the terms it introduces.
44 terms from Introduction, each defined in a sentence or two, with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
A way of representing data with continuous physical quantities or signals that can take any value within a range, such as the groove of a vinyl record or the grains of photographic film.
A one-sided tendency in a source or a person that favours some views, groups or outcomes over others, often because of who made the source and why.
A number system that uses only the digits 0 and 1, used by digital systems to represent all data and instructions.
A binary digit, the smallest unit of digital data, with a value of either 0 or 1.
A group of eight bits, which can represent 256 different values and is the basic unit for measuring digital storage.
An agreed table that matches each number to a character, so that text can be stored in binary; ASCII covers 128 characters and Unicode more than 150,000.
A statement put forward as true, which should be supported by evidence.
A name for the period since the mid-20th century in which electronic computers became central to work and daily life; it emphasises the machine rather than networks, data or people.
A powerful, pervasive and debatable idea, such as change, identity or power, that gives insight into an inquiry by acting as a lens on a real-world example.
An area of life, such as cultural, economic, environmental, health, human knowledge, political or social, that situates an inquiry by showing where and for whom a digital system matters.
Checking a source against other, independent sources to see whether they confirm, contradict or qualify its claims, as a test of its reliability.
A claim that opposes, challenges or qualifies another claim.
A way of representing data with discrete signals that take only a finite set of values, usually encoded as binary digits.
An organised collection of digital records, either digitized from analogue originals or born digital, that is stored, described and managed so that people can find and use it over the long term.
The gap between individuals, groups or countries in access to digital systems, in the skills and motivation to use them, and in the benefits they gain from that use.
The policies and actions that keep digital material accessible and usable over the long term, despite failing storage, changing hardware and software, and obsolete file formats.
Copying content from its original format, such as paper, microfilm or magnetic tape, into a digital format, so that it can be preserved and accessed without handling the original.
A contested term for contemporary life in which digital systems are part of how people communicate, work, learn, govern and form communities, and in which analogue processes and objects are increasingly turned into digital forms. Because experiences differ so much between places and groups, there may be many digital societies rather than one.
A technology, application or platform that creates, stores, processes or distributes digital data and information, such as a smartphone, a gaming platform, an AI-enabled personal assistant or a robot.
Very deep digitalization that changes an organisation's purpose, business model or a whole industry, rather than only its processes.
The use of digital systems to change the structure and/or operation of an organisation, for example its processes, services, roles or business model.
The conversion of analogue data and information, such as text on paper, film photographs or sound recordings, into digital form. It changes the form of information, not how an organisation works.
A significant change, often driven by digital systems, that upsets the established organisations, jobs, markets or practices of a sector, creating new winners and losers.
A term popularised by Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum in 2016 for the current period of change, in which digital, physical and biological technologies such as AI, robotics and the internet of things merge.
An effect or outcome related to a digital system, positive or negative, intended or unintended. Impacts describe what has happened or is happening.
An opportunity or risk associated with a digital system, often concerning what may follow for people and communities in the future. Implications overlap with and inform impacts.
A period in which the production, processing and distribution of information becomes the main source of economic value and social change; one of several names for digital society.
A sustained, iterative and often collaborative process of asking questions, exploring sources and investigating evidence through which learners build and reflect on their own understanding. In digital society it moves through the stages focus, explore, investigate, and reflect and share.
A set of electronic components, mainly transistors, made together on one small chip of semiconductor material such as silicon. First built by Jack Kilby (1958) and Robert Noyce (1959).
The main ideas and claims of a source, and the techniques it uses to make them (words, images, data, graphics, design), including how its evidence was gathered.
An integrated circuit that contains a computer's central processing unit, carrying out the instructions of programs on a single chip. The first commercial one was the Intel 4004 (1971).
Research that combines qualitative methods (exploring experiences and behaviours in depth) with quantitative methods (measuring and finding patterns), so that each covers the other's weaknesses.
The use of portable, wirelessly connected devices, such as smartphones, tablets and wearables, to access data and services from almost any location.
A society whose main social, economic and political structures are organised through digital information and communication networks, a term associated with Jan van Dijk and Manuel Castells.
Who made a source, when, where and why (to inform, persuade, sell or entertain), and what this suggests about its bias, value and limitations.
The individuals and groups affected by digital systems, including users, developers, workers and people who face barriers to access, who often make different claims and support different courses of action.
The point of view from which a person or group sees an issue, shaped by their position, interests, values and experiences.
A society in which most employment and wealth come from services and knowledge rather than from manufacturing, a term associated with the sociologist Daniel Bell (1973).
First-hand evidence created at the time of an event or by people directly involved, such as a platform's terms of service, census data or an interview.
A specific, existing instance involving a digital system, which can be local, global or both, and which grounds an inquiry in what has actually happened rather than in general statements.
Measuring an analogue signal at regular moments in time so that it can be converted into digital form; each sample is then rounded (quantised) to the nearest available level.
An account or analysis based on other sources, such as a news analysis, a textbook chapter, a documentary or an academic review.
Anything that provides information or evidence for an inquiry, such as a news report, dataset, interview, video, social media post or government document.
A person, group or organisation that has an interest in a digital system, either because they can influence it or because they are affected by it, directly or indirectly.