EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Quarter 3 – Module 1
Introduction to Information and Communications
Technology
Information and Communications Technology
Information refers to the ideas or concepts obtained from reading,
investigation, study or research which are transmitted through media such
as telephone, television and radio. Information is necessary to make decisions
and to predict the future. For example, scientists can detect the formation of
a typhoon using the latest technology and warn the public to avoid disasters
in the affected areas.
Communication is a means of transmitting messages or sending and
receiving information between individuals using symbols, signs or verbal
interactions. Before, people transmit messages through signs or symbols and
performing drama and poetry. However, these ‘older’ forms of communication
are less utilized due to the advent of technology like the use of the Internet, e-
mail or video conferencing.
Technology is the use of scientific knowledge, experience and resources
to create processes and products that fulfill human needs.
Information and Communications Technology or ICT deals with the
use of different communication tools such as telephone , mobile phones,
Internet, etc. to locate, save, send, and edit information. For instance when
we make a video call, we use the internet.
ICT in the Philippines
Philippines is considered as the ICT Hub of Asia because of the tremendous
growth of ICT related jobs like Business Process Outsourcing, or call centers.
It started with Accenture in 1992 with Frank Holz who was responsible for
developing and marketing the first Global Resource Center in Manila.
Annual Survey of Philippines Business and Industries in 2010 revealed
that the ICT industry shares 19.3% of the total employment population.
Moreover, according to 2013 edition of Measuring the Information Society by
the International Telecommunication Union, in the year 2012 there were
106.8 cell phones per 100 Filipinos. While Time magazines declared Makati
City, Philippines- Rank 1 as the “Selfiest Cities around the world, and Rank 9
is Cebu City. With these statistics, Philippines is indeed the ICT hub of Asia.
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World Wide Web
The World Wide Web, commonly referred to as WWW, W3, or web is an
interconnected system of public web pages accessible through the internet,
invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.
Web 1.0
Web 1.0 refers to the first generation of the Internet when most websites
were read-only or static. Webpages are usually just single files in Hypertext
Markup Language (html or htm) format that are displayed in a web browser
when the URL is entered. Users are merely audiences or readers who absorb
information from websites.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 means the second generation of the Internet. It is dynamic and
focuses on user participation. There is a give-and-take relationship between a
website and its users, in which the latter has the power to share different
types of information such as texts, images, sounds, and videos. This allows
for the creation of interactive application with more real-life uses like online
banking, online shopping, and media-sharing.
Features of Web 2.0
1. Folksonomy:
It is a way to classify and to find information. It enables users to find
information in an organized way, like tagging photos, websites, or links.
Some social networking sites use tags that start with a pound sign (#) which
is termed as hashtag.
2. Rich user experience
It has a dynamic and interactive content. For instance a user can click on
an image of a flower to get more information about that flower like its
growth conditions, nutrient requirements, and more.
3. User participation
It helps with the flow of information between the user and the owner of a
certain website. For instance, a user can interact by liking, commenting, or
sending reviews to a certain post or site.
4. Mass participation
Allows universal web access from a traditional internet user to a wider
variety of users of various cultures that leads to differentiation of concerns.
5. Long Tail
Services that are offered on demand rather than on a one-time purchase.
This means user can either subscribe to a data plan that charges users for
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the amount of time spent in the Internet or a data plan that charges for the
amount only of bandwidth used.
6. Software as a Service (Saas)
Allows the user to subscribe to a software rather than purchasing them
subscribing and using Google Docs, a free web-based application, to create
or edit word documents online.
Web 3.0
The third version of the internet which is an upgrade of Web 2.0. It’s
main characteristics include but are not limited to:
1. Real-time
Events and information are made available to users as they take
place.
2. Everywhere
Internet can be accessed by users in all places.
3. Machine learning
Computers and mobile devices can create data and make decisions
based on the user’s previous actions.
Trends in ICT
1. Technological Convergence is an evolution of technological
developments that integrate different types of applications and media to form
a new system. For example, a system can be used for calling and texting,
browsing the internet or creating a word document using the smartphone.
2. Social Media is a collection of internet-based
communication tools and computer-assisted
channels dedicated to allow users to collaborate,
communicate, and share information or content in
a virtual community and network.
There are six types of social media:
a. Social Networks - enables people to connect with other people with
the same interests or background (e.g. ,Facebook and Twitter).
b. Bookmarking Sites - allow user to store, manage links or create a
tag to various websites and resources that allows you and others to
easily search or share them (e.g. ,StumbleUpon and Pinterest).
c. Social News - sites that allow users to post their own news
articles or links to other news sources and comment to the post or
vote on the news articles of the website (e.g. ,Reddit, Digg)
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d. Media Sharing - sites that allow users to upload and share media
content like music, images and video (e.g. ,Flicker, Youtube and
Instagram)
e. Microblogging - sites that focus on short updates from the user
wherein subscribers of this user will be able to receive these updates.
(e.g. ,Twitter and Plurk)
f. Blogs and Forums - websites that allow users to post their content where
users are able to comment to the said topic. Some of the free blogging
platforms are Blogger, Wordpress, and Tumblr.
3. Mobile Technologies refer to devices ranging from basic mobile phones
to tablet PCs, PDAs, MP3 players, memory sticks, e-readers, and
smartphones. It is a combination of hardware, operating systems, networking,
and software, including content, learning platforms, and applications.
Mobile devices use different operating systems:
a. iOS - used in Apple devices like iPhone or iPad
b. Android - open source operating system developed by Google.
c. Blackberry OS- used in Blackberry devices
e. Symbian – an original smartphone OS used by Nokia devices.
f. WebOS - used for smartphones but now used for smart TVs
g. Windows Mobile - developed by Microsoft for smartphones and
pocket PCs.
4. Assistive Media
A technology that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for
people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting,
locating, and using them. It enables people to perform tasks that they can’t
accomplish or great difficulty of accomplishing it by changing methods of
interacting with the technology needed to accomplish such tasks.
Examples of Assistive Media:
➢ Mobility impairments
Wheelchairs, transfer devices, walkers, prosthesis ➢
Visual impairments
Screen readers, braille and braille embossers, desktop
video magnifier, screen magnification software, large-print
and tactile keyboards
➢ Hearing impairments
Hearing aids, assistive listening devices, amplified
telephone equipment
