Good morning everyone. I am Emmanuel from 6S. Today I would like to share a book about computer science with all of you. The book is called “Computers and Communication”, written by Bob Steele and Jerry Wellington, published by Blackie and Son Limited. This book was first published in 1985, which is literally old in terms of the history of computers.

You may doubt there is no point of reading such obsolete materials as computers keep changing in the modern times. However, it is not pointless at all to look back into history when we learn. In fact, many older concepts like Input-Process-Output are still indispensable in contemporary computer science.

This book introduces the basic elements of computing including the history of computers, data handling, system design and information technology. The book has comprehensive coverage on the principles of algorithms and programming implementation and so it would be useful for students studying CIT, as well as other students who are interested in the fundamentals of computer science.

At the end of the book, a full chapter is dedicated to discussing the impact of computing to the society. The book talks about the possible decline in job opportunities due to replacement of human workers by computers, the “Third Industrial Revolution” and etc. These ideas may be obsolete and no longer accurate nowadays. However, they help us to understand our history and the past ideology of the human society.

In this book, you can learn more about computers and communications in the past two decades, at the same time however, if you try to read and think beyond the superficial implication of the text, you can also gain knowledge outside the scope of computer science. For example, in the last chapter the writer suggests that the British government may monitor the public through information stored in computers. From this proposition we can observe the feeling of insecurity about the government of some British people. In my opinion, the ability to acquire and interpret information and ideas beyond the surface meaning is very important in our learning, especially in subjects requiring analytical skills like Liberal Studies and Chinese Language and Culture.

My fellow schoolmates, even though we are in an education system which is more or less employing specialization, it is crucial for us to acquire knowledge in a broad and high quality manner. It is also very important for us to learn about our history, because it is what leads to our present society. Confucius once said, “I am not one who is born with knowledge. I just love the teachings of my forefathers, and I am diligent in learning them.” We should learn and appreciate our past and use these experiences as our guidelines to reach for new heights.

In conclusion, this is a very interesting book to read and it tells you a lot of things. If you are interested, you may find this book in our school library. This is the end of my book sharing. Thank you!