LIVING IN THE IT ERA: Chapter 1

Information and Communication Technology Information It also provides students from remote areas access to expert
teachers and learning resources and gives administrators and
INFORMATION policy makers the data and expertise they need to work more
 Information is facts provided or learned about efficiently.
something or someone.
 Information is knowledge acquired from another. Job Opportunities
 Information is knowledge you can convey to others. In the employment sector, ICT enables organizations to operate
Knowledge gained through study, communication, more efficiently, so employing staff with ICT skills is vital to the
research, instruction. smooth running of any business. Being able to use ICT systems
effectively allows employees more time to concentrate on areas
of their job role that require soft skills.
Methods for transfer of information
1) Image 3) Audio / Sound
For example, many pharmacies use robot technology to assist
2) Text 4) Video
with picking prescribed drugs. This allows highly trained
pharmaceutical staff to focus on jobs requiring human
TECHNOLOGY intelligence and interaction, such as dispensing and checking
 From Greek word "technologies" in other form medication.
"techne" means art, skill, or craft "logia" means
study generally, technology makes better. Nowadays, employers expect their staff to have basic ICT skills.
 Technology is applications of scientific knowledge to This expectation even applies to job roles where ICT skills may
solve problem or perform a specific function. not have been an essential requirement in the past.
Example: The simplest form of technology is the
development and use of basic tools. Nowadays, finding a job is different, you can just use your smart
phone, laptop, desktop or any gadgets that is available in the
Information Technology comfort of your home.
Use of computers to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate
data or information. Information technology involving the Education
development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can impact
software, and networks for the processing and distribution of student learning when teachers are digitally literate and
data. understand how to integrate it into curriculum.

Schools use a diverse set of ICT tools to communicate, create,

History of ICT
disseminate, store, and manage information.(6) In some
ICT, or information and communications technology (or
contexts, ICT has also become integral to the teaching- learning
technologies), is the infrastructure and components that
interaction, through such approaches as replacing chalkboards
enable modern computing. Although there is no single,
with interactive digital whiteboards, using students' own
universal definition of ICT, the term is generally accepted to smartphones or other devices for learning during class time, and
mean all devices, networking components, applications and the "flipped classroom" model where students watch lectures at
systems that combined allow people and organizations (i.e., home on the computer and use classroom time for more
businesses, nonprofit agencies, governments, and criminal interactive exercises.
enterprises) to interact in the digital world.
When teachers are digitally literate and trained to use ICT, these
Uses of ICT In Our Daily Lives approaches can lead to higher order thinking skills, provide
1. Communication creative and individualized options for students to express their
2. Job Oppurtunities understandings, and leave students better prepared to deal with
3. Education ongoing technological change in society and the workplace.
4. Socializing
Socializing
Communication Social media has changed the world. The rapid and vast
We I know that ICT take a major role for us by means of adoption of these technologies is changing how we find
communicating, way back the past our parents use to make letter partners, how we access information from the news, and how
and send it via post mail. we organize to demand political change.

But now with the help of ICT it is easier to communicate with The internet and social media provide young people with
our loved ones. We can use cellular phones that design for range of benefits, and opportunities to empower themselves
communicating with other people even they are miles away far in a variety of ways. Young people can maintain social
from you. connections and support networks that otherwise wouldn't
be possible and can access more information than ever
Nowadays people are in touch with the help of ICT. Through before. The communities and social interactions young people
chatting, E-mail, voice mail and social networking people
form online can be invaluable for bolstering and developing
communicate with each other. It is the cheapest means of
young people's self-confidence and social skills.
communication.

As the ICT has become ubiquitous, faster and increasingly

ICT allows students to monitor and manage their own learning,
think critically and creatively, solve simulated real-world accessible to non-technical communities, social networking
problems, work collaboratively, engage in ethical decision- and collaborative services have grown rapidly enabling people
making, and adopt a global perspective towards issues and ideas. to communicate and share interest in many more ways, sites
 LIVING IN THE IT ERA: Chapter 1

like Facebook, Twitter Linkedin You tube, Flicker, second life Students can access teaching materials from all over the
delicious blogs wiki's and many more let people of all ages world.
rapidly share their interest of the movement without others
everywhere. But Facebook seems to be the leading areas of ICT facilitates the ability to perform 'impossible' experiments'
where people communicate and share their opinions. What a by using simulations.
change! "Nothing is permanent, but change" (As Heraditus in
the 4thcentury BC. Creation of new more interesting jobs. Examples would be
systems analysts, programmers and software engineers, as
Internet can be seen as the international networks of well as help desk operators and trainers.
interconnection of computer networks, the main purpose for
the institution of internet are quest for information i.e., Negative Impact of ICT in The Society
browsing, electronic mail, knew groups fill transfer and access
and use of another computer. Socialization can be seen as a 1. Job Loss
process by which a child adapts a behavior to be an effective 2. Reduced personal interaction
member of the society, which can only be achieved through 3. Reduce Physical Activity
learning or education. 4. Cost
5. Competition
Positive Impact of ICT in The Society:
Job loss
1) Access to information 5) Information Management Manual operations being replaced by automation. e.g., robots
2) Improved access to education 6) Security replacing people on an assembly line. Job export. e.g., Data
3) New tools, new oppurtunities 7) Distant Learning processing work being sent to other countries where
4) Communication operating costs are lower. Multiple workers being replaced by
a smaller number who can do the same amount of work. e.g.
Access to information A worker on a supermarket checkout can serve more
Increase in access information and services that has customers per hour if a bar-code scanner linked to a
accompanied the growth of the Internet. Some of the positive computerized till is used to detect goods instead of the
aspects of this increased access are better, and often cheaper, worker having to enter the item and price manually.
communications, such as VoIP phone and Instant Messaging.
Reduced personal interaction
Improved access to education Most people need some form of social interaction in their
e.g., distance learning and online tutorials. New ways of daily lives, and they do not get the chance to meet and talk
learning, e.g., interactive multi-media and virtual reality. with other people they may feel Isolated and unhappy.

New tools, new opportunities Reduced physical activity

Software and high- quality printers, screen magnification or This can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart
ICT gives access to new tools that did not previously exist disease, and diabetes.
digital cameras, photo-editing screen reading software
enables partially sighted or blind people to work with Cost
ordinary text rather than Braille. A lot of ICT hardware and software is expensive, both to
purchase and to maintain. An ICT system usually requires
Communication specialist staff to run it and there is also the challenge of
Cost savings by using e.g. VoIP instead of normal telephone, keeping up with ever r-changing technology.
email / messaging instead of post, video conferencing instead
of traveling to meetings, e-commerce web sites instead of Competition
sales catalogues. Access to larger, even worldwide, markets. This is usually thought of as being a good thing, but for some
organizations being exposed to greater competition can be a
Information management problem. If the organization is competing for customers,
Data mining of customer information to produce lists for donations, or other means of funding nationally or even
targeted advertising. Improved stock control, resulting in less internationally, they may lose out to other organizations that
wastage, better cash flow, etc. can offer the same service for less money.

Security
ICT solves or reduces some security problems, e.g., Encryption
methods can keep data safe from unauthorized people, both
while it is being stored or while it is being sent electronically.

ICT allows people to participate in a wider, even worldwide,

society

Distance learning