INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

The twenty-first century has been referred to as the information era. Without a doubt, one of
the most significant achievements of our era is related to technology, particularly the expanding
power of communication. ICT is providing an extraordinary opportunity to improve our critical
thinking and problem-solving abilities. Communication skills, inventiveness, and invention.

How has ICT positively affected the life of the members of the society or the digital citizens?
The following can serve as an example:
1. Education – Many educators are already using and infusing technology as a teaching-learning
pedagogy through the use of different platforms.
2. Business – Most entrepreneurs are making use of the internet and different social networking
sites to promote their businesses and products.
3. Government – In the Philippines, many transactions with government offices are now possible
and available online. Application for birth certificates, passport, NBI and like are maximized by
some Filipinos.

Computers, e-mail, the internet, fax machines, and mobile phones are just a few of the information
communication tools that are regarded as vital parts of work activities in practically all firms or
institutions in the Philippines and overseas. The development and availability of various technologies
such as wireless networking and mobile devices has greatly changed users into content creators.

Dimensions, Benefits, and Challenges

ICT traces its beginning during the Industrial Revolution. It considered as a sector that falls
under the larger umbrella on Information Economy, an economy characterized by the intensive use
ICT by businesses for the collection, storage, processing, and transmission, and display of information
using electronic means.
Four Dimensions of ICT
1. Computing -it is any activity that uses computers to manage process and communicate
information. it includes development of both hardware and software. Computing is a critical,
integral component of modern industrial technology.

2. Communication- One of the most dramatic changes that takes place in the field of
communication is rapid spread of mobile telephony. With this, people are allowed to
communicate instantaneously at a distance no matter where they are as long as there is an
existing network that services the area. Mobile devices are extremely portable that it can fit
your hand and have become the primary mode of internet access for many users not only to
developed, but also in developing countries.

3. Content- the relevance of ICT is tied to its ability integrated into the delivery of traditional
services like delivery of traditional services like education, business and employment. And its
meaningful usage is carried if it is applied to specific development goas like literacy, poverty,
reduction and sustainable development.
 4. Human capacity-it is important to acquire all the necessary skills and knowledge related to
ICT in order to understand, participate actively in and benefit fully from ICT. Improving human
capacity means ICT in education and training at all levels of society including distance learning.

Benefits
1. Improve learning: ICT can help students concentrate, comprehend, and assimilate concepts
more quickly. It can also help students develop language skills and critical thinking.
2. Improve collaboration: ICT can help teachers and students collaborate, and it can help
students work together in groups.
3. Improve access to information: ICT can provide students with access to a wide range of
information from a variety of sources.
4. Improve motivation: ICT can help students become more motivated to learn new concepts.
5. Prepare students for the real world: ICT can help students develop real-world skills and
exposure to vocational skills.

Other Benefits of ICT

1. Direct Job Creation
2. Emergence of new services and industries
3. Transformation of a workplace
4. Business innovation

Challenges
1. Distractions: ICT can be distracting for students and may disconnect them from face-to-face
relationships.
2. Unreliable resources: Students may use unreliable resources for learning.
3. Cheating: ICT may make cheating easier.
4. Lack of support: Weaker students may need more support to use ICT independently.
5. Lack of training: Not all teachers may have the training or financial resources to learn and
apply new technologies.
6. Curriculum planning: ICT may make curriculum planning more difficult or expensive.

Definition of Terms
1. Broadband- A high-speed internet connection that enables the rapid transmission of
enormous volumes of data, voice, and video. It transmits data using a wide range of
frequencies, or many frequencies at the same time. Broadband is constantly available and does
not require dial-up.

2. Cloud Computing- a service that provides computing resources and IT services over the
internet, typically on a pay-as-you-go basis. It allows users to access and store data,
applications, and work from any device connected to the internet.

3. Computer Literacy- the ability to operate computers and other technology effectively and
efficiently. It includes numerous topics, such understanding computer terminology, utilizing
 typical applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets, using and accessing the
internet, and understanding how computers function and operate.

4. Connectivity- connectivity is the quality, state or ability to establish a connection, to be

connective or connected to a particular surface. In the computing field, it usually refers to the
availability of one device to interconnect with another (or a network). Thus, the connectivity of
a computer is given by its ability to connect to other equipment and peripherals, to a computer
system or a network, such as the Internet.

5. Datafication- is the process of transforming various aspects of our lives into data that can be
quantified and analyzed. Think of it as the digital translation of the real world.

6. Microwork- is a system in which businesses publish online jobs for employees to do in

exchange for payment. In the context of information and communication technology,
microwork refers to little tasks that people accomplish online or offline to contribute to a
bigger effort. Microwork is frequently utilized for jobs that are better handled by humans
because there is no effective algorithm for them.

7. Mobile Telephony- the utilization of cellular technology to provide telephone services to

mobile phones

8. Moore’s Law- is the observation that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every
two years at a relatively low cost. It is an empirical association and projection of a historical
tendency, not a scientific law or proved hypothesis.

9. Occupy Movements- movements that have no leaders, no official sets of demands, and no
projected outcomes.

10.Teledensity- the number of telephone lines per a given population of people.