Introduction to Information and Communication Technologies PDF

  Introduction ***Module Introduction and Focus Questions*** As the popular saying goes, "Love makes the world go round". But before you start looking for someone to fall in love with; you could argue how the internet has made the world go round for de...

  Introduction ***Module Introduction and Focus Questions*** As the popular saying goes, "Love makes the world go round". But before you start looking for someone to fall in love with; you could argue how the internet has made the world go round for decades. Likewise in the motivation activity, the internet has probably made your world go round. In this lesson, we will understand how Information and Communication Technologies have improved our lives in such a short period of time. ***Module Lesson and Coverage*** Lesson 1: Introduction to Information and Communication 1. The state of ICT technologies 1. ICT in the Philippines 2. Web 2: Dynamic Web Pages 3. Web 3.0 and the Semantic Web 4. Trends in ICT **This module is designed for you to:** 1. Improve knowledge on how ICT affects their everyday lives and the state of our nation; 2. Compare and contrast the differences between online platforms, sites, and content; 3. Understand the features of Web 2.0 4. Understand the future of the World wide web through Web 3; and 5. Learn the different trends in ICT and use them to their advantage. **INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES** Let us start this module by answering the following questions. **EXERCISE -- ANSWER ME!** 1\. How many times have you checked your phone this morning? \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ 1. How many status updates have you posted in Facebook or Twitter today? \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ 2. Did you use the Internet for an hour after you woke up this morning? \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ 3. Do you follow a celebrity via his/her social media account? \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_  **Study Questions:** 1. If you happen to be "guilty as charged" in most of these questions, chances are, do you consider yourself a *digital native?* Why. 2. And chances are, from the moment you were born; do you think that you were already surrounded by technology/ICT? Why. **INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES** Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deals with the use of different communication technologies such as mobile phones, telephone, Internet, etc. to locate, save, send, and edit information. When we make a video call, we use the Internet. When we send a text or make call, we Use cellular network. Having a unified way to communicate is one of the goals of ICT. In terms of economics, ICT has saved companies a lot of resources (time and money) with the kind of communication technology they use, nowadays. In similar way, we spend less because of ICT. As it normally costs us a peso to send a text message or SMS, with the Internet, we can send multiple messages and only be charge by a fraction. **ICT IN THE PHILIPPINES**  Several international companies dub the Philippines as the "ICT Hub of Asia". It is no secret that there is huge growth of ICT- related jobs around the country, one of which is the call center or BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) centers. According to the 2013 edition of Measuring the Information Society by the International Telecommunication Union, there are 106.8 cellphones per 100 Filipinos in the year 2012 that would mean that for the seven of them, they have two. In a data gathered by the Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industries, NSO in 2010, the ICT Industry shares 9.3 %of the total employment population herein the Philippines. To add this statistics, Time Magazine's "The Selfiest Cities around the World" of 2013 places two cities from the Philippines in the Top 1 and Top 10 spots. The study conducted using instagram, a popular photo sharing application. With these numbers, there is no doubt that the Philippines is one of the countries that benefits most of the ICT. **ICT, ME, AND MY COMMUNITY** To fully understand the importance of ICT, let us first look at our community. Look for a small business around your community. **WEB 2.0: DYNAMIC WEB PAGES** The Internet has been a vital tool to our modern lives that is why it is also important to make the best of the Internet. When the World of wide Web was invented, most web pages were *static.* Static also known as flat page or stationary page in the sense that the page is "as is" and cannot be manipulated by the user. The content is also the same for all users. This referred to as Web 1.0. However, the World Wide Web is more than just static pages. Pretty soon, Web 2.0 came to the picture. Web 2.0 is a term coined by Darcy DINucci on January 1999. In her article titled, "Fragmented Future", she wrote. Web 2.0 is the evolution of Web 1.0 by adding dynamic web pages- the user is able to see a website differently than others. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, and web applications. Web 2.0 allows users to interact with the page: instead of just reading page, the user may able to comment or create a user account. Web 2.0 allows users to use web browsers instead of just using their operating system. Browsers can now be used for their user interface, application software (or web applications), and even for file storage. Most websites that we visit today are Web 2.0  **(GROUP1)** **FEATURES OF WEB 2.0** The key features of Web 2.0 include**:** 1. **Folksonomy**- allows users to categorize and classify/arrange information using freely chosen keywords (e.g., tagging). Popular social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram, facebook, etc. use tags that start with the pound sign (\#). This is also referred to as hashtag. 2. **Rich User Experience**- content is dynamic and is responsive to user's input. An example would be a website that shows local content. In the case of social networking sites, when logged on, your account is used to modify what you see in their website. 3. **User Participation**- the owner of the website is not the only one who is able to put content. Others are able to place a content of their own by means of comments, reviews, and evaluation. Some websites allow readers to comment on an article, participate in poll, or review a specific product (e.g.' amazon.com online stores). 4. **Long Tail-** services that are offered on demand rather than on a one- time purchase. In certain cases, time- based pricing is better than file- size based pricing or vice- versa. This is synonymous to subscribing to a data plan that charges you for the amount of time you spent in the Internet, or a data plan that charges you for the amount of bandwidth you used. 5. **Software as Service- users** will subscribe to a software only when needed rather than purchasing them. This is cheaper option if you do not always need to use software. For instance, Google Docs is a free web- based application that allows the user to create and edit word processing and spreadsheet documents online. When you need software, like a word processor, you can purchase it one- time huge amount and install it in your computer and it is yours forever. Software as a service allows you to "rent" software for a minimal fee. 6. **Mass Participation-** diverse information sharing through universal web access. Since most users can use the internet, Web 2.0's content is based on people from various cultures. **WEB 3.0 AND SEMANTIC WEB** The semantic web is a movement led by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C standard encourages web developers to include semantic content in their web pages. The term was coined by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners- Lee. Lee also noted that the semantic Web is a component for Web 3.0. According to W3C, "The Semantic web provides a common framework that allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries." The aim of Web 3.0 is to have machines (or servers) understand the user's preferences to be able to deliver web content specifically targeting the user. For example, when doing a web search in Web 2.0, the topmost result is based on the preference of several users who already searched for the item. The search engine then labels it the most common answer to the search query. Though there are instances wherein several preferences are considered like geographic location, Web 3.0 aims to do better. This though studying personal preferences of an individual user and showing results based on those preferences. For example, if you search the Internet for "Where is the best place to go shopping?" Web 3.0 will aim to give results depending on how you have made choices in the past. If you have purchased several shoes online, the Internet will give you results on the best place with the highest rated shoes around your vicinity. Another example is when you search for the best restaurant to visit in a specific area. First, it may look for your previous visits from other restaurants and if you have rated them whether good or bad. In return, Web 3.0 will search for restaurants that have a similar menu, good rating, and budget that fit your preference in the past. Web 3.0 is yet to be fully realized because of several problems: 1. **Compatibility**- html files and current web browsers could not support web 3.0. 2. **Security**- the user's security is also in question since the machine is saving his or her preferences. 3. **Vastnes**s- the World Wide Web already contains billions of web pages. 4. **Vagueness**- certain words are imprecise. The words "old" and "small" would depend on the user. 5. **Logic**- since the machines use logic, there are certain limitations for a computer to be able to predict what the user is referring to at a given time. **TRENDS IN ICT** As the world of ICT continues to grow, the industry has focused on several innovations. These innovations cater to the needs of the people that benefit most of ICT. Whether is for business or personal use, these trends are the current front runners in innovation of ICT. 1. **Convergence**- Technological convergence is the synergy of technological advancements to work on a similar goal or task. For example, besides using your personal computer to create word documents, you can use your smartphone. 2. **Social Media**- social media is a website, application, or online channel that enables web users to create, co- create, discuss, modify, and exchange user- generated content. According to Neilson, a global information and measurement company, internet users spend more time in social media sites than in any other type of site. With this, more and more advertisers use social media to promote their product. **THERE ARE SIX TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA:** A. **Social Networks.** These are sites that allow you to connect with the other people with the same interests or background. Once a user creates his or her account, he or she can set up a profile, add people, create groups, and share content. B. **Bookmarking sites.** These are sites that allow you to store and manage links to various websites and resources. Most of these sites allow you to create a tag that allows you and others t easily search or share them. C. **Social News.** These are sites that allow users to post their own news items or links to other news sources. The users can also comment on the posts and comments may also be ranked. They are also capable of voting on these news and articles of the website. Those who get the most amounts of votes are shown most prominently. **Examples:** reddit and Digg D. **Media Sharing.** These are sites that allow you to upload and share media content like images, music, and video. Most of these sites have additional social features like liking, commenting, and having user profiles. E. **Microblogging.** These are sites that focus on short updates from the user. Those subscribed to the user will be able to receive these updates. F. **Blogs and Forums.** These websites allow users to post their content. Other users are able to comment on the said topic. There are several free blogging platforms like blogger, wordPress, and tumblr. On the other hand, forums are typically part of a certain website or web service. 3. **Mobile Technologies** 1. **iOs**- used in Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad. 2. **Android**- an open source operating system developed by Google. Being open source means several mobile phone companies use this OS for free. 3. **Blackberry OS**- used in Blackberry device. 4. **Window Phone OS**- a closed source and proprietary operating system developed by Microsoft. 5. **Symbian**- the original smartphone Os; now used by nokia 6. **WebOS**- originally used for smartphones; now used for smart 7. **Windows Mobile-** developed by Microsoft for smartphones 4\. **Assistive Media**- assistive media is a nonprofit service designed to help people who have visual and reading impairments. A database of audio recordings is used to read to the use.