EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES

LESSON 1: What is Information and Communications Technology?

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) often deals with the use of different
technological inventions like mobile phones, telephones, computer, Internet, and other devices, as well as
software and applications to locate, save, send, and manipulate information. ICT has greatly contributed to
how easy our lives has been today. Our gadgets have become part of our necessity that we check on them
after we wake up. It made communication easier. We can use cellular phones that are designed for
communicating with other people even they are miles away from us. It has also assisted us in our work since
there are Internet-based jobs. It has revolutionized our education and in the modernization of our economy.

ICT in the Philippines

Philippines is dub as the “ICT Hub of Asia” because of huge growth of ICT-related jobs, one of which
is BPO, Business Process Outsourcing, or call centers. In a data gathered by the Annual Survey of Philippines
Business and Industries in 2010, the ICT industry shares 19.3% of the total employment population.

When the internet was fully commercialized in 1995, it has tremendously impacted culture and
commerce, including the rise of near instant communication by email, instant messaging, telephony (Voice
over Internet Protocol or VoIP), two-way interactive video calls, and the World Wide Web with its discussion
forums, blogs, social networking, and online shopping sites. Internet is the global system of interconnected
computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and
devices.

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (WWW) is an information system on the Internet that allows documents to be
connected to other documents by hypertext links, enabling the user to search for information by moving from
one document to another. It was invented by Tim-Berners Lee. The World Wide Web browser software, such
as Microsoft's Internet Explorer/Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Apple's Safari, and Google Chrome, let users
navigate from one web page to another via the hyperlinks embedded in the documents. These documents may
also contain any combination of computer data, including graphics, sounds, text, video, multimedia and
interactive content that runs while the user is interacting with the page. The Web has enabled individuals and
organizations to publish ideas and information to a potentially large audience online at greatly reduced
expense and time delay.

Types of World Wide Web

1. Web 1.0 or The Web. It is the first stage of the World Wide Web evolution. It is a flat or stationary page
since it cannot be manipulated by the user.

2. Web 2.0 or The Social Web allows users to interact with the page, the user may be able to comment
or create a user account. Most website that we visit today are Web 2.0. Web 2.0 allows the user to
interact with the page known as dynamic page; instead of just reading a page, the user may be able to
comment or create a user account. Dynamic page refers to the web pages that are affected by user
input or preference.

Examples: Social Networking sites, Blogs, Wikis and Video sharing sites

Key Features of Web 2.0

 Rich User Interface – 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.
  User Participation– the owner of website is not the only one who is able to put content. Others
can place a content on their own by means of comments, reviews, and evaluation.
 Long Tail – services are offered on demand rather than on a one-time purchase. This is
synonymous to subscribing to a data plan that charges you for the amount of time you spent on Internet
or a data plan that charges you for the amount of bandwidth you used.

 Software as a Service - users will subscribe to a software only when needed rather than
purchasing them.

3. Web 3.0 or Semantic Web. The semantic web provides a framework that allows data to be shared and
reuse to deliver web content specifically targeting the user. Search Engine will learn about you and your
habits from each search you perform and will gather details about you from your previous activities like
likes and social postings and present the answers as per your preferences.

Web 3.0 is yet to be fully realized due to these problems:

1. Compatibility- HTML files and current web browsers could not support Web 3.0.
2. Security – The user’s security is also question since the machine is saving his or her preferences.
3. Vastness-The World Wide Web already contains billions of web pages.
4. Vagueness – Certain words are imprecise. The words “old” and “small” would depend to the user.
5. Logic- since 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.

Below is a comparison of Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0:

CRITERIA WEB 1.0 WEB 2.0 WEB 3.0
Communication Broadcast Interactive Engaged/ Invested
Information Static/ Read-only Dynamic Portable & Personal
Focus Organization Community Individual
Content Ownership Sharing Immersion
Interaction Web Forms Web Application Smart Applications
Search Directories Tags/ Keywords Context/ Relevance
Metrics Page Views Cost per Click User Engagement
Advertising Banners Interactive Behavioral
Technologies HTML/ FTP Flash/ Java/ XML RDF/ RDFS/ OWL
https://lcy0210.wordpress.com/2019/01/11/web-3-0-to-5-0-is-coming-soon/

LESSON 1.1: ONLINE PLATFORMS AND SITES

Because of the wide capacity of Web 2.0, it has helped in creating dynamic online platform sites. Online
platform is a specially developed platform using Internet technology. Online platforms have revolutionized
access to any information. Online platforms currently include, but are not limited to:
Presentation or Visualization
Cloud Computing
File Management
Mapping
Social Media

1. Presentation or Visualization Platform allows you to present and share

presentations, infographics and videos with other people. It is used to communicate information clearly
and efficiently.
 2. Cloud Computing Platform is also called as “The cloud.” It is the practice of using a network of
remote servers hosted on the internet. Instead of using your computer’s hard drive, you store and
access your data and programs over the Internet.

3. File Management Platform is used for the storing, naming, sorting, and handling of computer files.
Allows you to convert and manage files without download in the software tool.

4. Mapping Platform is a transformation taking the points of one space into the points of the same or
another space. Uses GPS to detect location and used for navigation.

5. Social Media Platform is a computer-mediated tools that allow large group of people to create, share
or exchange information, interest and the information shared can be in the form of ideas, pictures,
videos or anything that you want to create and share to virtual communities. It can be in the following
platforms:
Social Networks. These sites allow you to connect with other people with the same
interests or background.
Bookmarking Sites. These are sites that allow you to store and manage links to various
websites and resources.
Examples: StumbleUpon/Pinterest
Social News. These are sites that allow users to post their own news items or links to other
news sources.
Examples: reddit and Digg
Media Sharing. These are sites that allow you to upload and share media content like
images, music, and video. Media sharing sites can be specific for video sharing, photo
sharing, slide sharing, social bookmarking, and gaming.
Microblogging. These are sites that focus on short updates from the user. Those
subscribed to the user will be able to receive these updates. Posts are brief that range
typically from 140 – 200 characters.
Examples: Twitter and Plurk
Blogs and Forums. These are websites that allow users to post their content. Other users
can comment on the said topic.
Examples: Blogger, WordPress, and Tumblr
ICT TRENDS

1. 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 now use your
smartphone.
2. Social Media - is a website, application or online channel that enables web users to create,
co-create, discuss, modify, and exchange user generated content.

3. Mobile Technologies– The popularity of smartphones and tablets has taken a major rise over the
years. This is largely because of the devices’ capability to do the tasks that were originally found in
PCs.

Mobile OS
 iOS – use in apple devices such as iPhone and iPad.
 Android – an open-source OS developed by Google. Being open source means mobile
phones use this OS for free
 Blackberry OS– use in Blackberry devices.
 Windows Phone OS – a closed source and proprietary operating system developed by Microsoft.
 Symbian– the original smartphone OS; used by Nokia devices.
 Web OS- originally used in smartphones, now also used in smart TVs.
 Windows Mobile – developed by Microsoft for smartphones and pocket PCs.
 4. Assistive Media - is a non-profit service designed to help people who have visual and
reading impairments. A database of audio recordings is used to read to the user.

LESSON 2: Online Safety, Security and Netiquette

The internet is the guiding technology of the Information Technology Age just as the electrical engine
was of the Industrial Age. In these times, more and more people are already engaged in the use of technology.
These people who are raised in a digital, media-saturated world are called digital natives. No doubt, the
Internet has been very useful to us but with the rise of instant messaging, chat rooms, emails and social
networking sites, it can also bring trouble - from cyberbullying to more serious Internet dangers, including
exposure to sexual predators. Thus, internet safety is always our primary concern.
There's almost no limit to what you can do online. The Internet makes it possible to access information
quickly, communicate around the world, and much more. Unfortunately, the Internet is also home to certain
risks, such as malware, spam, and phishing. If you want to stay safe online, you'll need to understand these
risks and learn how to avoid them.

Lesson 2.1: Online Safety, Security and Netiquette

Online safety refers to the practices and precautions that should be observed when using the internet to
ensure that the users as well as their computers and personal information are safe from crimes associated with
using the internet. Below are personal information that must be kept confidential.
 There are numerous delinquencies that can be committed on the internet such as stalking, identity
theft, privacy violations, and harassment.
To avoid these online crimes, follow the following online safety measures:
 Never give any personal information about yourself over the internet.

 Do not give any banking or sensitive information unless you are sure that it is a reputable business
having a secure service. To make sure that you are in a secured network, the website address should
begin with “https://’ as opposed to “http://”. Never access your accounts by following an email link,
instead type your URL by yourself.
 Info source: https://www.wikihow.com/Find-if-a-Website-Is-Legitimate

 Never open messages or attachments from someone you do not know.

 Regularly review your privacy settings in your online accounts to make sure you are not sharing important
personal information.
 When using a public computer terminal, be sure to delete your browsing data before leaving.
 Keep your software updated to avoid security holes.
 Do not download or install software or anything on your computer or cell phone that is unknown to you.

Netiquette is a combination of the words network and etiquette. It is a set of rules for behaving
properly online. Below are the 10 rules of netiquette:

Flame war is a series of flame posts or messages in a thread that are considered derogatory in nature or
are completely off-topic. Often these flames are posted for the sole purpose of offending or upsetting other
users. The flame becomes a flame war when other users respond to the thread with their own flame message.