EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES

Lesson 1: ICT and Its Current State

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 a call,
we use cellular networks. When we run out of load or battery, we use payphones
which use a telephone network. Having a unified way to communicate is one of the
goals of ICT.

World Wide Web

- It was invented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.
- The World Wide Web or simply the Web is an interconnected system of public
webpages accessible through the Internet.
- Web pages are what makes up the world wide web and it can be either static or
dynamic.

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.
1. Web 1.0
- web pages are static and not interactive. You can’t post comment or create an
account.
 2. Web 2.0
- Darcy DiNucci coined the term Web 2.0 in her 1999 article “Fragmented Future”
- The content of the website is dynamic.
- The user may be able to comment or create user account.
- Examples are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

Features of Web 2.0

1. Folksonomy – allows user 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 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 you 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 a poll, or review a specific product (e.g., Amazon.com, online stores).
4. Software as a Service - users will subscribe to a software only when needed rather
than purchasing them. This is a cheaper option if you do not always need to use a
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 a software, like a Word Processor, you can purchase it for a one-time huge
amount and install it in your computer and it is yours forever. Software as a service
allows you to “rent” a software for a minimal fee.
5. Mass Participation – diverse information sharing through universal wen access.
Since most users can use the Internet, Web 2.0’s content is based on people from
various cultures.

Web 3.0
- Also called as Semantic Web.
- Semantic- ability of web technologies to understand and interpret human-generated
content.
- 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.

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 out of ICT. Whether
it is for business or personal use, these trends are the current front runners in the
innovation of ICT.
1. Convergence
- Technological convergence is the synergy of technological advancements to work on
similar goal or task. For example, besides using your personal computer to create word
documents, you can now use your smartphone. It can also use cloud technologies to
sync files from one device to another while also using LTE technology which means
you can access your files anytime, anywhere. Convergence is using several
technologies to accomplish task conveniently.
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
Nielsen, 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 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.
Examples: Facebook and Google +

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
to easily search or share them.
Examples: StumbleUpon and Pinterest

c. Social News
- These are sites that allows users to post their own news items or links to other
news sources. The users can also comment on the post and comments may also be
ranked. They are also capable of voting on these news articles of the website.
Those who get the most amount of votes are shown most prominently.
Examples. Reddit and Digg
 d. Media Sharing
- These are the 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.
Examples: Flicker, YouTube, and Instagram

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.
Examples: Twitter and Plurk

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
- The popularity of smartphones and tablets has taken a major rise over the years. This
is largely because of the devices’ capability to do tasks that were originally found in
personal computers. Several of these devices are capable of using high-speed Internet.
Today, the latest mobile devices use 4G Networking (LTE), which is currently the
fastest mobile network. Also, mobile devices use different operating systems:

a. iOS – used in Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad

b. Android – an open source operating system developed by Google. Being open
source means several mobile phone companies use this OS for free
c. Blackberry OS – used in Blackberry devices
d. Windows Phone OS – a closed source and propriety operating system developed
by Microsoft®
e. Symbian – the original smartphone OS; used by Nokia devices
f. Web OS - originally used for smartphones; now used for smart TVs
g. Windows Mobile – developed by Microsoft® for smartphones and pocket PCs

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 user.
Lesson 2: Online Safety, Security, Ethics and Etiquette
Online Safety and Security
The Internet, truly, is a powerful tool. It can be used to promote your business, gain new
friends, and stay in touch with the old ones. It is also a source of entertainment through
games, online communities, and everything in between. But like most things in this world,
there is always “other side of the coin”. The internet is one of the most dangerous places
especially if you do not know what you are doing with it. But there is no need to worry; it is
never that late. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson, you can consider how you go about your
use of the Internet.
Let us go back to the previous activity. Let us visit each item and see how risky it is to share
them.
Tips to Stay Safe Online
The Internet is a public place and it is up to you to protect yourself. Here are some tips to
help you stay safe when using the internet.
1. Be mindful of what you share online and what site you share it to.
2. Do not just accept terms and conditions; read it.
3. Know the security features of the social networking site you use. By keeping your
profile private, search engines will not be able to scan your profile.
4. Do not share your password with anyone.
5. Avoid logging in to public networks/Wi-Fi. Browsing in “incognito (or private) mode
will NOT protect you from hackers.
6. itDo not talk to strangers whether online or face-to-face.
7. Never post anything about a future vacation. It is similar to posting, “Rob my house at
this date.”
8. Add friends you know in real life.
9. Avoid visiting untrusted websites.
10.Install and update an antivirus software on your computer. Use only one antivirus
software to avoid conflicts.
11. If you have Wi-Fi at home, make it private network by adding a password.
12. Avoid downloading anything from untrusted websites.
13. But the software, do not use pirated ones.
14. Do not reply or click links from suspicious emails.
15. Make Online Purchases from Secure Sites

Internet Threats
Here are some of the threats you should be aware of when using the Internet;
1. Malware – or malicious software, is any program or file that is harmful to a computer
user.

Types:
a. Virus - a malicious program designed to replicate itself and transfer from one
computer to another (internet, local networks, FDs, CDs, etc.)
 b. Worm - a malicious program that transfers from one computer to another by any
type of means. Ex. ILOVEYOU Worm - The malware originated in the Pandacan
neighborhood of Manila in the Philippines on May 5, 2000.

c. Trojan - a malicious program that disguises as a useful program but once

downloaded or installed, leaves your PC unprotected and allows hackers to get
your information.
d. Spyware - a program that runs in the background without you knowing it (thus
0called “spy”). It has the ability to monitor what you are currently doing and typing
through keylogging.

Ex. Keylogger – used to record keystrokes done by the user. This is done to steal
their password or any other sensitive information. The key logger software
typically uses log file to store its recording.

e. Adware - a program designed to send you advertisements, mostly as pop-ups.

f. Ransomware - or ransom software is a type of malicious software from

cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's data or perpetually block
access to it unless a ransom is paid.

Protecting Reputations Online

Here are the things you might want to consider before posting something over the internet:
1. Before your post something on the web, ask these questions to yourself: Would you
want your parents or grandparents to see it? Would you want your future boss to see
it?
2. If you feel that a post can affect you or other’s reputation, ask the one who posted it to
pull it down or report it as inappropriate.

Copyright Infringement
It is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission for a usage where such
permission4 is required. Here are some tips that could help you avoid copyright
infringement:
1. Always assume that the work is copyrighted.
2. Do not copy, share or alter without seeking permission.
3. Review and retain licensing agreements.
4. Consider buying content.
5. Give credit to the original author of the page or information.

Lesson 3: Contextualized Online Search and Research Skills

Online search
- is the process of interactively searching for and retrieving requested information via a
computer from databases that are online. Today, searches through web search engines
constitute the majority of online searches (Online Search n.d.).
Search engine
- is a service that allows internet users to search for content via the World Wide Web
(WWW). A user enters keywords or key phrases into a search engine and receives a
list of Web content results in the form of websites, images, videos or other online data.
The list of content returned via a search engine to a user is known as a search engine
results page (SERP) (Search Engine 2019).

Here are the top three search engines (Chris n.d.)

1. Google
- is the best search engine worldwide. What made Google the most popular and trusted
search engine is the quality of its search results. Google is using sophisticated
algorithms to present the most accurate results to the users. According to recent
 statistics, Google is the most popular search engine with a stunning 87.35% market
share.

2. Bing
- is the best alternative search engine to Google. Bing is Microsoft’s attempt to
challenge Google in search, but despite their efforts, they still did not manage to
convince users that their search engine can be as reliable as Google. Bing originated
from Microsoft’s previous search engines (MSN Search, Windows Live Search, Live
Search). Bing’s search engine share is between 2.55% and 12.61%.

3. Yahoo
- is one of the most popular email providers and its web search engine holds third place
in search with an average of 2% market share.
You can also add CC Search to your list of search engines.
CC Search
- searches across more than 300 million images from open APIs and the Common
Crawl dataset. It goes beyond simple search to aggregate results across multiple public
repositories into a single catalog, and facilitates reuse through features like machine-
generated tags and one-click attribution

Search engines help you to look for something on the web, but would you able to find
it, or you found something you weren’t expecting to find? Google and Bing are continually
improving their search abilities (Web Searching Skills n.d.). And you need to improve your
research skills so you’ll be able to find what you are looking for quickly and easily. Some of
the research skills are critical thinking, data collection, finding information on or off the
internet, and analysis of information from different sources (Research Skills n.d.).
Here are the few basic search techniques to follow (Web Searching Skills n.d.)
1. Think before you search. Think about the topic or question you would like to search.
Think about how you would describe the topic and choose 3 or 4 keywords.
2. Keep it simple. Describe what you want in as few terms as possible.
3. Be specific. The more precise your search terms are, the more precise your search
results will be. Avoid general or common words.
4. Imagine how the webpage you are hoping to find will be written. Use words that are
likely to appear on that page.
5. Capitalization, punctuation and spelling don’t really matter. In most cases, search
engines will ignore capitalization and punctuation in a search and will generally auto-
correct your spelling mistakes.
6. Narrow your search results. There are several ways to help you narrow your search
results to find exactly what you’re looking for.:

 Use quotation marks to find exact phrases or names. Put a word or phrase inside
quotes.
Example: "tallest building"
 Use Boolean Operators (AND, OR, and NOT) to broaden or narrow your search.
o AND (+ in Google) narrows the search because it requires both terms to be in
each item returned.
Example: Peanut Butter +and Jam
o OR broadens the search because either term (or both) will be in the returned
items. (OR gives you more!)
Example: marathon OR race
o NOT (- in Google) narrows your search because it will eliminate any results
with the second term.
Example: jaguar speed -car

 Apply filters. After you search, most search engines have filters available that will
refine you search to a specific type of contact.
 Search a specific site. If you’re looking for a specific topic on a particular website,
you can use site: to limit your search results to that site.
Example: site:youtube.com or site:.gov
 Search for a specific filetype. If you know that you’re searching for a particular type
of file use filetype: to narrow your search results to a certain type of file.
Example: filetype:ppt
 Search for a definition. If you are looking for a definition of a term, you can use
define.
Example: define communication
 Search for a time. If you are searching for a time in specific country, use time.
Example: time Dubai
 Search for social media. Put @ in front of a word to search social media.
 Example: @twitter
 Search for a price. Put $ in front of a number.
Example: camera $400
 Search hashtags. Put # in front of a word.
Example: #throwbackthursday
 Search for wildcards or unknown words. Put a * in your word or phrase where you
want to leave a placeholder.
Example: "largest * in the world".
 Search within a range of numbers. Put .. between two numbers.
Example: camera $50..$100.

Lesson 4: Microsoft Offices: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft

Excel

1. Microsoft Word
- is a word processor developed by Microsoft. It was first released on October 25,
1983. It is also known as MS Word
- the first version of Microsoft Word was developed by Charles Simonyi and Richard
Brodie, a former Xerox programmers hired by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1981.
What is word processing?
Word Processing refers to the act of using a computer to create, edit, save and print
documents. In order to perform word processing, specialized software (known as a
Word Processor) is needed. One example of a Word Processor is Microsoft Word, but
other word processing applications are also widely used. Examples include: Microsoft
Works Word Processor, Open Office Writer, Word Perfect and Google Drive
Document.

Word processor is a software program capable of creating, storing, and printing typed
documents. Today, the word processor is one of the most frequently used software
programs on a computer, with Microsoft Word being the most popular word
processor.
Examples and Top Uses of a Word Processor
A word processor is one of the most used computer programs because of its versatility
in creating a document. Below is a list of the top examples of how you could use a word
processor.
1. Book - Write a book.

2. Document - Any text document that requires formatting.

3. Help documentation - Support documentation for a product or service.

4. Journal - Keep a digital version of your daily, weekly, or monthly journal.

5. Letter - Write a letter to one or more people. Mail merge could also be used to
automatically fill in the name, address, and other fields of the letter.6.

6. Marketing plan - An overview of a plan to help market a new product or service.

7. Memo - Create a memo for employees.

8. Report - A status report or book report.

9. Résumé - Create or maintain your résumé.

Features of a word processor

Unlike a basic plaintext editor, a word processor offers several additional features that
can give your document or other text a more professional appearance. Below is a listing of
some of the most popular features of a word processor
Adjust the layout - Capable of modifying the margins, size, and layout of a document.

AutoCorrect – corrects common spelling errors well as capitalization

AutoFormat – applies formatting to text, e.g. number listing, bullet, hyperlinks.

Collaboration - More modern word processors help multiple people work on the
same document at the same time.
Copying, cutting, and pasting - Once text is entered into a document, it can be copied or cut
and pasted in the current document or another document.

Find - Word processors give you the ability to quickly find any word or text in any size of
the document.

Grammar Checker – proofreads documents for grammar, writing styles, sentence structure
errors and reading statistics.

Headers and footers - Being able to adjust and change text in the header and footer of a
document. The headers and footers of a document can be customized to contain page
numbers, dates, footnotes, or text for all pages or specific pages of the document.

Indentation and lists - Set and format tabs, bullet lists, and number lists.

Insert tables - Add tables to a document.

Import data - Import and format data from CSV, database, or another source.

Template – a document that contains the formatting necessary for a specific document type

Text formatting - Changing the font, font size, font color, bold, italicizing, underline, etc.

Tables – organize information into rows and columns

Text Wrap – adjusts how the image behaves around other objects or text.

Thesaurus - Look up alternatives to a word without leaving the program.

Macros - Setup macros to perform common tasks.

Mail Merge – a feature that allows you to create document and merge the them with another
document or data file.

Mailers and labels - Create mailers or print labels.

Multimedia - Insert clip art, charts, images, pictures, and video into a document.

Multiple windows - While working on a document, you can have additional windows with
other documents for comparison or move text between documents.
Search and Replace - You can use the Search and Replace feature to replace any text
throughout a document.

Spelling and Grammar - Checks for spelling and grammar errors in a document.

Word wrap - Word processors can detect the edges of a page or container and automatically
wrap the text using word wrap.
Home Tab - allows you to change document settings, such as the font properties, adding
bullets or a numbered list, adjusting styles, and other common features.

Text Alignment – Left, Right, Center and Justify

Insert Tab – is used to insert different features such as tables, pictures, clip art, shapes,
charts, page numbers, word art, headers, and footers into a document.

Page Layout – refers to the arrangement of text, images, and other objects on a page. Pages
sizes are Short (letter) - .8.5” by 11” ; Long(Folio) – 8.5” by 13”; A4 – 8.27”by 11.69”

Page Orientation – Portrait and Landscape

Image Placement

In line with text – This is the default setting for images that are inserted or integrated in a
document.

Square – This setting allows the image you inserted to be place anywhere within the
paragraph with the text going around the image in a square pattern like a frame.

Tight – This is almost the same as the square setting, but here the text “hugs” to the
general shape of the image.

Through – This setting allows the text on your document to flow even tighter, taking the
contour and shape of the image.

Top and Bottom – This setting pushes the text away vertically to the top and / or the bottom
of the image so that the image occupies a whole text line on its own.

Behind Text –This allows your image to be dragged and place anywhere on your document
but all text floating in front it.

In front of Text - This setting allows your image to be placed right on top of the text as if
your image was dropped right on it
 2. Microsoft PowerPoint
- PowerPoint, initially named “Presenter”, was created by Forethought Inc. Microsoft
version of PowerPoint was officially launched on May 22, 1990, as a part of the
Microsoft Office suite.
- Originally designed for the Macintosh computer, the initial release was called
“Presenter”, developed by Thomas Rudkin and Dennis Austin of Forethought, Inc. In
1987, it was renamed to “PowerPoint” due to problems with trademarks, the idea for
the name coming from Robert Gaskins.
- Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful presentation software that helps you produce an
effective presentation in the form of on-screen slides. It provides hyperlinks and
several animation styles such as Entrance, Emphasis, Exit and Motion Paths.
Animation and hyperlinks are great tools in making a presentation more dynamic.
Terms, Views and Functions in Microsoft PowerPoint
 Slide – is a single page of a presentation collectively, a group of slides may be known
as a slide deck. The shortcut key to insert a new slide is Ctrl + M.

 Design Templates – are pre-designed graphic styles that you can apply to your slides.
 Animation – is a set of effects which can be applied to a text or graphics within a
slide.

 Transitions – are motion effects that when in Slide Show view add movement to your
slides as you advance from one slide to another.

 Presentation Views - these are the buttons that you can use to change views into
normal, outline, slide sorter, notes page, and reading views.

 Normal View - a simplified layout of the page so you can quickly key, edit, and
formal text.
 Notes Page View – displays your slides on the top portion of the page, with the
speaker notes for each slide in the notes pane on the bottom of the pane.

 Outline View – displays all of the text in a PowerPoint slide show in outline form
regardless of the design, objects and animations.
  Slide Sorter View – allows you to see thumbnails of all the slides in your presentation
to easily rearrange them.

Tips in Creating an Effective Presentation

1. Minimize – keep slide counts to a minimum to maintain a clear message and to keep
the audience attentive.
2. Clarity – use font style that is easy to read.
3. Simplicity – use bullets or short sentences.
4. Visuals – use graphics to help in your presentation but not too many to distract the
audience.
5. Consistency – make your design uniform.
6. Contrast – use light font on dark background or vice versa.

3. Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Excel is a popular spreadsheet system which organizes data in columns and in rows that
can be manipulated through formulas that allow the software to perform Mathematical
functions on the data.
- Microsoft Excel has four basic computations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division. It can also calculate complex formula, combination of more than two simple
 formulas. It follows the rule of PEMDAS (Parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division,
addition, and subtraction).

MS Excel Parts and Functions