This popular feature received overwhelming acceptance by both students and instructors in past editions. Practical advice, of the sort found in computer magazines, newspaper technology sections, and general-interest computer books, is expressed not only in the text but also in the following:

• The Experience Box: Appearing at the end of each chapter, the Experience Box is optional material that may be assigned at the instructor's discretion. However, students will find the subjects covered are of immediate value. Examples: "Web Research, Term Papers, and Plagiarism." "Career Strategies for the Digital Age." "How to Buy a Notebook." "Preventing Your Identity from Getting Stolen." "Virtual Meetings: Linking Up Electronically."
  New to this edition: "The Mysteries of Tech Support." "Is the Boss Watching You? Trustworthiness in the Workplace."
• Bookmark It! Practical Action Box: This box consists of optional material on practical matters. Examples: "Tips for Managing Your E-Mail." "Succeeding at Distance Learning." "When Software Causes Problems."
  New to this edition: "The Risks of Online Intimacy."
• Survival Tips: In the margins throughout we present utilitarian Survival Tips to aid students' explorations of the infotech world. Examples: "Broadband: Riskier for Security." "Accessing E-Mail While Traveling Abroad." "Handling the Annoyance of Spam." "Information on Web Radio." "When Your PC Freezes Up." "Don't Trash Those Icons." "XP Installation." "Ready for Linux?" "Need Info on RAM?" "What to Do When Your Floppy Jams." "Backing Up on Zip." "How Do I Use the Prnt Scrn Key?" "Setting Mouse Properties." "Digital Camera Resource." "Coping with Cookies." "Guard Your Social Security Number." "Some Records Have to Be Hardcopy." "Music File Sharing." "Some Websites about Privacy." "Keep Antivirus Software Updated." "Deal with Secure Websites." "Don't Let Your Domain Name Lapse." "Better Financial Information." "Online Government Help." "Oops! Cancel That E-Mail!"
• Early discussion of Internet: Many instructors have told us they like having "e-concepts" treated earlier and more extensively in this text compared with other books. Accordingly, the Internet and World Wide Web are discussed in Chapter 2 instead of in a later chapter, reflecting their importance in students' daily lives.
• How to understand a computer ad: In the hardware chapters (Chapters 5 and 6), we explain important concepts by showing students how to understand the hardware components in a hypothetical PC ad.

Feature #2: Emphasis on Readability and Reinforcement for Learning

We offer the following features for reinforcing student learning:

• Interesting writing: Studies have found that textbooks written in an imaginative style significantly improve students' ability to retain information. Both instructors and students have commented on the distinctiveness of the writing in this book. We employ a number of journalistic devices-colorful anecdotes, short biographical sketches, interesting observations in direct quotes-to make the material as interesting as possible. We also use real anecdotes and examples rather than fictionalized ones.
• New to this edition!Addition of timelines to provide deeper historical perspective: Some instructors requested more about the history of computing. Not wishing to add greatly to the length of the book and fearing that students would be reluctant to read history in narrative form, we decided on a student-friendly approach: the presentation of thirteen pictorial timelines showing the most significant historical IT events. These timelines, which occur in most chapters, appear along the bottom page margin. Each timeline repeats certain "benchmark" events to keep students oriented, but each one is modified to feature the landmark discoveries and inventions appropriate to the different chapter material (for example, operating system innovations in the systems software chapter, data transmission innovations in the telecommunications chapter).
• New to this edition! More Info! icons direct to help students find their own answers to their questions. The previous edition featured "Click-along" marginal icons that directed readers to the McGraw-Hill website for updates, elaboration, and further examples. This concept was well received, but we realized it didn't enable students to pursue their own range of interests-exactly the kind of thing that makes the World Wide Web such a valuable learning instrument. Accordingly, in this edition we have initiated a "More Info!" page-margin icon that shows students how to begin their own journey of discovery, often starting from a particular URL. Examples: "Links to Security Software." "Where to Learn More about Freeware and Shareware." "More about Watermarks."
• Emphasis throughout on ethics: Many texts discuss ethics in isolation, usually in one of the final chapters. We believe this topic is too important to be treated last or lightly, and users have agreed. Thus, we cover ethical matters throughout the book, as indicated by the special logo shown here in the margin. Example: We discuss such all-important questions as copying of Internet files, online plagiarism, privacy, computer crime, and netiquette.
• Key terms AND definitions emphasized: To help readers avoid any confusion about which terms are important and what they actually mean, we print each key term in bold italic underscore and its definition in boldface. Example (from Chapter 1): "Data consists of raw facts and figures that are processed into information."
• Material in bite-size portions: Major ideas are presented in bite-size form, with generous use of advance organizers, bulleted lists, and new paragraphing when a new idea is introduced. Most sentences have been kept short, the majority not exceeding 22-25 words in length.
• Key Questions-to help students read with purpose: We have crafted the learning objectives as Key Questions to help readers focus on essentials. Each Key Question appears in two places: on the first page of the chapter and beneath the section head. Key Questions are also tied to the end-of-chapter summary, as we will explain.
• QuickChecks: Appearing periodically throughout the text, QuickChecks spur students to recall facts and concepts they have just read.
• New to this edition! In the post 9-11 era, security concerns are of gravest importance. Although we devote several pages (in Chapter 9) to security, we also reinforce student awareness by highlighting with page-margin Security icons instances of security-related material throughout the book. Example: On p. 55, we use the special icon shown here at right to highlight the advice that one should pretend that every email message one sends "is a postcard that can be read by anyone."
• Summary: Each chapter ends with a Summary of important terms, with an explanation of what they are and why they are important. The terms are accompanied, when appropriate, by a picture. Each concept or term is also given a cross-reference page number that refers the reader to the main discussion within the text. In addition, the term or concept is given a Key Question number corresponding to the appropriate Key Question (learning objective).

Feature #3: Currentness

Reviewers have applauded previous editions of UIT for being more up to date than other texts. For example, we have traditionally ended many chapters with a forward-looking section that offers a preview of technologies to come-some of which are realized even as students are using the book. Among the new topics and terms covered in this edition are: abandonware, Apple Macintosh G4 and G5, Athlon 64 FX-51, baseband transmission, biometric identifiers, blog/weblog, DDR-SDRAM, FireWire, flash drive, flatbed scanner, foreign key, handheld scanners, intelligent hub, keychain memory, Klez worm, LaserCard, Lindows, Lycoris, nanocomputer, national identity card, network-centric computing, Nigerian letter scam, passive hub, personal electronic pen, QXGA monitors, sheetfed scanners, smart mobs, SQL Slammer Code worm, switching hub, USB 1.1 and 2.0, USB hub, Windows CE. NET, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

In addition, in this latest edition, we have taken the notion of currentness to another level through the use of the "MoreInfo!" feature to encourage students to obtain their own updates about material. Example: The subject of instant messaging is one that changes constantly. Thus, to help students stay current, on page 52 we give them MoreInfo! advice that enables them to investigate new IM services and products.

Feature #4: Three-Level System to Help Students Think Critically about Information Technology

This feature, which has been in place for the preceding two editions, has been warmly received. More and more instructors seem to have become familiar with Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, describing a hierarchy of six critical-thinking skills: (a) two lower-order skills-memorization and comprehension; and (b) four higher-order skills-application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Drawing on our experience in writing books to guide students to college success, we have implemented Bloom's ideas in a three-stage pedagogical approach, using the following hierarchical approach in the Chapter Review at the end of every chapter:

• Stage 1 learning-memorization: "I can recognize and recall information." Using self-test questions, multiple-choice questions, and true/false questions, we enable students to test how well they recall basic terms and concepts.
• Stage 2 learning-comprehension: "I can recall information in my own terms and explain them to a friend." Using open-ended short-answer questions, we enable students to re-express terms and concepts in their own words.
• Stage 3 learning-applying, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating: "I can apply what I've learned, relate these ideas to other concepts, build on other knowledge, and use all these thinking skills to form a judgment." In this part of the Chapter Review, we ask students to put the ideas into effect using the activities described. The purpose is to help students take possession of the ideas, make them their own, and apply them realistically to their own ideas.