Text 3. My Future Speciality is Professional Training

I am a student of Lutsk National Technical University. I study at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technologies. My speciality is Professional Training (Computer technologies in managing and training). The graduates of this speciality will be engineer-educators by profession.

An engineer-educator is an educational category of a specialist which comprises the profound engineering training to computer technologies in managing and fundamental psychological and pedagogical knowledge. An engineer-educator is trained to perform functions as a teacher of computer technologies in managing, to work as a foreman of industrial training and social educator in different vocational schools, lyceums, training schools, colleges and institutes. The graduate of this speciality can also work as an engineer of computer technologies in managing and as an engineer of technical training in different enterprises.

Thorough knowledge of English is also quite necessary for an engineer as computer program instructions, the software itself, all the information stored in millions computers around the world, over half the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English. A lot of complicated devices are imported from Great Britain, Germany, Japan and other foreign countries. An engineer must know perfectly well not only our home ones. He must know them very well to be able to install the devices correctly and to repair when necessary.

At present the students of the faculty have sufficient quantity of study-rooms and laboratories fitted out with modern educational and production equipment. A powerful computer centre linked up to the local network gives the opportunity to get acquainted with modern achievements in the field of computing and data-processing.

Availability of the Internet allows to communicate with colleagues all over the world and to obtain the newest information in the field of computer technologies.

The combination of theory and practice is of great importance. While studying at the University all students do practical work in order to get experience.

Students should not forget that only when their theoretical knowledge is profound enough they will succeed in practical work and vice versa. That's why the students of our faculty do their best to become skilled specialists and take an active part in the life and progress of this country.

Vocabulary Notes

Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technologies — факультет комп’ютерних наук та інформаційних технологій

Professional Training — професійне навчання

сomputer technologies in managing and training — комп’ютерні технології в управлінні та навчанні

an engineer-educator — інженер-педагог

software — програмне забезпечення

periodical ["pIqrI'OdIkql] — періодичне видання

educational category — педагогічна категорія

engineering training — інженерна підготовка

psychological ["saIkq'lOGiIkql] and pedagogical knowledge — психолого-педагогічна категорія

foreman — майстер

industrial training — виробниче навчання

social educator — соціальний педагог

vocational school — профтехучилище

lyceum [laI'sIqm] — ліцей

training school — технікум

technical training — технічне навчання

complicated ['kOmplIkeItId] devices — складні прилади

home devices — вітчизняні прилади

sufficient quantity [sq'fISqnt 'kwOntItI] — достатня кількість

fitted out — обладнаний

availability — наявність

to get experience — набувати досвід

to succeed in — мати успіх в...

vice versa — навпаки

to do one's best — робити все можливе

Comprehension

1. Complete the following statements:

1) I am a student of ….

2) I study at ….

3) My speciality is ….

4) I’ll be … by profession.

5) An engineer-educator is trained ….

6) Thorough knowledge of foreign languages is ….

7) At present the students of the faculty have sufficient quantity of…

8) Availability of the Internet allows ….

9) Students should not forget that ….

2. Answer the following questions:

1. Where do you study?

2. What faculty do you study at?

3. What is your speciality?

4. What is an engineer-educator trained for?

5. Whom can the graduate of this speciality also work?

6. Why is thorough knowledge of foreign languages also quite necessary for an engineer-educator?

7. What have the students of the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technologies at their disposal?

8. What do the students of the faculty use the Internet for?

9. What must students remember concerning their theoretical knowledge?

3. Do the following tasks:

1) State the most important facts from the text and write them down;

2) Write out the key words from the text

3) Put questions to the text in order to retell it;

4) Retell the text.

Unit 2

Text Study: Computer Literacy.

Additional Text: The Need for Computer Literacy in Modern Society.

Grammar: The Past Simple Tense.

Text Study

I. Pre-reading Exercises

1. Repeat the words in chorus:

Society, arithmetics, quickly, efficiently, requirements, either, existing, compile, retrieving, through, vehi­cles, throughout, irreverently, societies.

2. While reading the text you will come across a number of international words. Try to guess what Ukrainian words they remind of you:

Potential, privileged, bank credit card, clerk, detailed, packages, specification, to adapt, logical, modifying.

3. Pay attention to some grammatical points:

1) They bring with them both economic and social changes. 2) All of us are already on the way to becoming computer-literate. 3) Many actions that you have taken or observed have much in common. 4) He makes a detailed analysis of the employer's requirements. 4) He either uses standard computer packages or writes a specification for program­mers to adapt existing software or to prepare new software.

II. Reading

Read the text and make notes about main responsibilities of jobs in computing

Computer Literacy

Informed citizens of our information-dependent society should be computer-literate, which means that they should be able to use computers as everyday problem-solving devices. They should be aware of the potential of computers to influence the quality of life.

There was a time when only privileged people had an oppor­tunity to learn the basics, called the three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetics. Now, as we are becoming an informa­tion-becoming society, it is time to restate this right as the right to learn reading, writing and computing. There is little doubt that computers and their many applications are among the most sig­nificant technical achievements of the century. They bring with them both economic and social changes. "Computing" is a con­cept that embraces not only the old third R, arithmetics, but also a new idea — computer literacy.

In an information society a person who is computer-literate need not be an expert on the design of computers. He needn't even know much about how to prepare programs which are the instructions that direct the operations of computers. All of us are already on the way to becoming computer-literate. Just think of your everyday life. If you buy something with a bank credit card or pay a bill by check, computers help you to process the information. When you check out at the counter of your store, a computer assists the checkout clerk and the store manager. Many actions that you have taken or observed have much in common. Each relates to some aspect of a data processing system.

Here is the description of jobs in computing.

System analyst studies methods of working within an organization to decide how tasks can be done efficiently by computers. He makes a detailed analysis of the employer's requirements and work patterns to prepare a report on different options for using information technology. This may in­volve consideration of the hardware as well as software. He either uses standard computer packages or writes a specification for program­mers to adapt existing software or to prepare new software. He may over­see the implementation and testing of the system and acts as a link between the user and the programmer.

Software Engineer/Designer produces the programs which control the internal operations of computers. He converts the system analyst's specification to a logical series of steps. Software Engineer translates these into the appropriate computer lan­guage. He often compiles programs from libraries or sub-programs, com­bining them to make up a complete systems program. He designs, tests, and improves programs for computer-aided design and manufacture, business applications, computer networks and games.

Computer Systems Support Person. Systems support people are analyst programmers who are respon­sible for maintaining, updating and modifying the software used by a company. Some of them specialize in software which handles the basic opera­tion of the computers. This involves the use of machine codes and specialized low-level computer languages. Most of them handle application software. They may sort out problems encountered by users. Solving prob­lems systems support people may involve amending an area of code in the software, retrieving files and data lost when a system crashes and a basic knowledge of hardware.

Computer System Analyst Programmer creates the software programs used by computers. He may specialize in the internal operating systems using low level computer language or in application programs. He also may specialize in one aspect of the work, e.g. programming, systems design, systems analysis or cover them all. He may support the system through advice and training, pro­viding user manuals and by helping users with any problems that arise.

Hardware Engineer researches designs and develops computers, or parts of comput­ers and the computerized element of appliances, machines and vehi­cles. He also involves in their manufacture, installation and testing.

Professions and organizations. As the use of computers has spread throughout society, there are an increasing number of careers involving computers. Following the theme of hardware, software and firmware, the brains of people who work in the industry are sometimes known irreverently as wetware or ”meatware”.

Computer-related professions. Hardware-related: Electrical engineer-ing, Electronics engineering, Computer engineering, Telecommunications en­gineering, Optical engineering, Nanoscale engi­neering.

Software-related: Human-computer interaction, Information tech­nology, Software engineering, Scientific compu­ting, Web design, Desktop publishing.

The need for computers to work well together and to be able to exchange information has spawned the need for many standards or­ganizations, clubs and societies of both a formal and informal nature.

Vocabulary Notes

computer literacy — комп’ютерна грамотність

be aware of — розуміти, усвідомлювати

basics — основи

to restate ['rJ'steit] — переглянути, переосмислити

significant [sIg'nIfIkqnt]— значний

computing — обрахування; рахунок; робота на комп’ютері

to embrace [Im'breIs] — охоплювати

dimension [dI'menSqn] — вимір

to direct the operation — направляти роботу

subscription [sqb'skrIpSqn] magazine — журнал по підписці

store manager — директор магазину

system analyst —системний аналітик

consideration [kqn"sIdq'reIS(q)n]— аналіз, розгляд

computer package —комплект обчислювального обладнання

software designer [dI'zaInq]—розробник програмного забезпечення

to compile [kqm'paIl] —компілювати

computer-aided design — автоматизоване проектування

business application — прикладна система для підприємств, торгівельної сфери; застосування комп’ютерів для вирішення економічних та комерційних завдань

computer system support person — спеціаліст з підтримки комп’ютерної системи

to encounter [In'kaVntq] — зіткнутися з труднощами

computer system analyst programmer — системний програміст

hardware engineer — спеціаліст з розробки апаратного забезпечення

irreverently [I'rev(q)rqntlI] — неввічливо

wetware / ”meatware” — забезпечення користувача

engineering ["endZI'nIqrIN] — проектування, конструювання

to spawn [spLn] — породжувати

Comprehension