Empowerment Technologies

Lesson 1: ICT and Its Current State

After going through this module,
you are expected to:

•1. identify what is ICT;

and
•2. explain and give how
ICT affects their everyday
lives and is current
state.
 ICT and Its Current State
The essence of what it is to be human is our ability to
learn, change and adapt. Throughout our history, we
underwent thru significant technological revolutions that
drastically changed the way we live. From mastering the
use of steam in machines and contraption to create more
than what we immediately need, mastering electricity
itself bringing daylight in night and transcending radically
our ability in storing and processing data.
As a learner, you are about to face a new
technological revolution. One that has massive
information storage, transmission and analysis at its core.
Confronting this new challenge requires you to have a
good fundamental knowledge of Information and
Communication Technology.
 What’s In
This lesson will introduce the concept
of Information Communication
Technology. This lesson includes what
ICT means, its concept and current state of
technology. It will also discuss the
difference between the Web and Internet.
It will also outline important technological
milestone in the evolution of web
technology and how it contributed to the
way we share and transmit information
today.
 What is It
What is ICT?
Information Communication Technology (ICT) is an
umbrella term referring to communication hardware or
software that allows the access, storage, transmission and
manipulation of information. In terms of Hardware, ICT
specifically encompasses radio, television, communication
devices (smart and non-smart phones), desktops computers,
laptops and network hardware and technologies. ICT is also
comprised of software, applications and platforms that allows
information to be accessed, stored, transmitted and
manipulated.
ICT is used across by many industries and disciplines and
in some, it is a crucial element for them. ICT is now a part of
many people’s lives, for better or for worst. Ultimately,
this technology depends on your behavior as an end user, thus
learning how to use ICT properly and responsibly is a must.
Current State of ICT
ICT is following certain trends as it is developing in this time and
age. This trend dictates the idea and design of how ICT delivers
information to people. The following are emerging technologies,
principles or concepts in ICT.
1. Convergent Technologies - This is when multiple different
devices combine into a single gadget because of technological
advancement. One example of this is smartphone, where it is capable
of doing the functions of a television, radio, computer, telephone,
camera and GPS as a single device.
2. Social Media – These are software, applications or platforms that
allow users to communicate in an online social communities or
network. Social media allows people to communicate faster through
a larger number of people.
3. Mobile Technologies - This is a term for devices that are easily
carried and allows fast means of communication. These devices
from the past were originally big and bulk, but due to the
technological advancement, they become smaller and more compact.
World Wide Web (WWW) vs Internet
People colloquially refer the world wide web (‘web’ for
short) as the internet or vice versa interchangeably, but
there are key differences between the two.
The Internet by definition is the actual interconnection of
computers and other networks, while the web refers to the
system that enables people to access information over the
internet. The internet is the hardware aspect because it
relates to computer networks, connections and
infrastructures. The web on the other hand, refers to the
software aspect as it relates to the Protocols or HTTP
(HyperText Transfer Protocol. HTTP are the system or
procedures that enables the transfer of information in the
internet) web services, applications and platforms.
Web Versions
The web has three distinctive versions namely: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0.
Some people think that the indicated web versions are updates across a particular
point of history. The versions of the web are categorized based on functionality
and features that it represents.
But, how can we know if the website or
application is an example of Web 2.0?
• These are the six features:
• 1. Folksonomy – It is a term from the blended
words “folks” and “taxonomy”. This feature allows
user to categorize and classify/arrange information
(ex.: hashtag like #NewNormal).
• 2. Rich User Experience – This feature deals with
how a site uses user information for a personalized
content (ex.: blog/vlog, social media accounts,
etcetera).
• 3. User Participation – This means that those who
view the website can also put their own information
(ex.: the comment section and/or the reaction
button of Facebook).
• 4. Long Tail Services – These services offer
services on demand as opposed to a one-time
purchase (ex.: the Netflix user must pay the
monthly subscription fee to enjoy binge-watching).
• 5. Software as a Service – It contains how users
would subscribe to a software as opposed to
purchasing them (Ex.: thesis group members can
collaborate online through Google Docs, and can
create online survey with Google Forms wherein
members can edit and monitor their progress
simultaneously).
• 6. Mass Participation - This feature deals with
diverse information sharing through universal web
access (ex.: regardless your nationality, gender, et
cetera, you can share information online, but make
sure, it is not fake).
• However, it is not been fully realized due to several
problems.
• 1. Compatibility – Our currently used web browsers,
and HTML files cannot support the idea of Web 3.0. If
this compatibility won’t be achieved, other things like
security will be compromised also.
• 2. Security – To serve better the user, saving user’s
preference is the main idea of Web 3.0. However, is it
achievable with the current state of the ICT?
• 3. Vastness – Information comes from billions of web
pages is the main feature of the Internet, and it must be
organized to specifically deliver what the user’s need.
• 4. Vagueness – Web 3.0 machine must cater all
languages as this third generation of web aims to serve
diverse users.
• 5. Logic – Since it uses logic, it might not understand
sarcasm nor other messages that might involving
interference or prediction.
• Based on the lesson, the ICT is still under
some development, however it greatly
impacts our daily life, and became an
important part of the Philippine economy
that our country was dubbed as the “ICT
Hub of Asia.”