Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
Introduction to Information and Communication
Technology
Introduction
This module will introduce the learners to the Information and Communication Technology. It
will allow the students to explore the History of ICT in the Philippines. This module with provide
the learners an understanding on the technicalities of computer specifically on the hardware and
software components. This module will also provide an understanding on the evolution of
computer from the first version of computer to the latest generation of computer.
Course Learning Outcomes:
After completing this course, learners will be able to
• Explain what is an Information and communication technology.
• Present the history of computer
• Explain the functionalities of computer hardware components
• Differentiate the characteristic of computer generations
A. Introduction to Information and Communication Technology
What is
ICT?
ICT, or information and communications technology (or technologies), is the
infrastructure and components that enable modern computing.
Although there is no single, universal definition of ICT, the term is generally accepted to mean
all devices, networking components, applications and systems that combined allow people and
organizations (i.e., businesses, nonprofit agencies, governments and criminal enterprises) to
interact in the digital world.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is technology that is used to handle
communications processes such as telecommunications, broadcast media, intelligent building
management systems, audiovisual processing and transmission systems, and network-based
control and monitoring functions(https://www.techopedia.com/).
Components of an ICT
system
ICT encompasses both the internet-enabled sphere as well as the mobile one powered by wireless
networks. It also includes antiquated technologies, such as landline telephones, radio and
television broadcast -- all of which are still widely used today alongside cutting-edge ICT pieces
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Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
ICT is sometimes used synonymously with IT (for information technology); however, ICT is
generally used to represent a broader, more comprehensive list of all components related to
computer and digital technologies than IT.
The list of ICT components is exhaustive, and it continues to grow. Some components, such as
computers and telephones, have existed for decades. Others, such as smartphones, digital TVs
and robots, are more recent entries.
ICT commonly means more than its list of components, though. It also encompasses the
application of all those various components. It's here that the real potential, power and danger of
ICT can be found.
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dc64843f15ee
The information, image/s, text or contents used in this learning module do not belong to me. This learning
module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
ICT's societal and economic impact
ICT is leveraged for economic, societal and interpersonal transactions and interactions. ICT has
drastically changed how people work, communicate, learn and live. Moreover, ICT continues to
revolutionize all parts of the human experience as first computers and now robots do many of the
tasks once handled by humans. For example, computers once answered phones and directed calls
to the appropriate individuals to respond; now robots not only can answer the calls, but they can
often more quickly and efficiently handle callers' requests for services.
ICT's importance to economic development and business growth has been so monumental, in fact,
that it's credited with ushering in what many have labeled the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
ICT also underpins broad shifts in society, as individuals en masse are moving from personal,
face-to-face interactions to ones in the digital space. This new era is frequently termed the Digital
Age.
For all its revolutionary aspects, though, ICT capabilities aren't evenly distributed. Simply put,
richer countries and richer individuals enjoy more access and thus have a greater ability to seize on
the advantages and opportunities powered by ICT.
Consider, for example, some findings from the World Bank. In 2016, it stated that more than
75% of people worldwide have access to a cellphone. However, internet access through either
mobile or fixed Broadband remains prohibitively expensive in many countries due to a lack of
ICT infrastructure. Furthermore, the World Bank estimated that out of the global population of
7.4 billion people, more than 4 billion don't have access to the internet. Additionally, it
estimated that only 1.1 billion people have access to high-speed internet.
In the United States and elsewhere, this discrepancy in access to ICT has created the so-called
digital divide.
The World Bank, numerous governmental authorities and non-government organizations (NGOs)
advocate policies and programs that aim to bridge the digital divide by providing greater access to
ICT among those individuals and populations struggling to afford it.
These various institutions assert that those without ICT capabilities are left out of the multiple
opportunities and benefits that ICT creates and will therefore fall further behind in socio-
economic terms.
The United Nations considers one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to "significantly
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Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal
and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020."
Economic advantages are found both within the ICT market as well as in the larger areas of
business and society as a whole.
Within the ICT market, the advancement of ICT capabilities has made the development and
delivery of various technologies cheaper for ICT vendors and their customers while also providing
new market opportunities. For instance, telephone companies that once had to build and maintain
miles of telephone lines have shifted to more advanced networking materials and can provide
telephone, television and internet services; consumers now enjoy more choices in delivery and
price points as a result.
The significance of ICT in enterprises
For businesses, advances within ICT have brought a slew of cost savings, opportunities and
conveniences. They range from highly automated businesses processes that have cut costs, to the
big data revolution where organizations are turning the vast trove of data generated by ICT into
insights that drive new products and services, to ICT-enabled transactions such as internet
shopping and telemedicine and social media that give customers more choices in how they shop,
communicate and interact.
But ICT has also created problems and challenges to organizations and individuals alike -- as
well as to society as a whole. The digitization of data, the expanding use of high-speed internet
and the growing global network together have led to new levels of crime, where so-called bad
actors can hatch electronically enabled schemes or illegally gain access to systems to steal money,
intellectual property or private information or to disrupt systems that control critical
infrastructure. ICT has also brought automation and robots that displace workers who are unable
to transfer their skills to new positions. And ICT has allowed more and more people to limit their
interactions with others, creating what some people fear is a population that could lose some of
what makes it human.
Advantages and Disadvantages of ICT Advantages:
1) Communication - Speed / time – money can be saved because it’s much quicker to move
information around. With the help of ICT it has become quicker and more efficient.
2) Globalization - Video conferencing saves money on flights and accommodation. ICT has
not only brought the countries and people closer together, but it has allowed the world's
economy to become a single interdependent system to contact either a business or family
member.
3) Cost effectiveness - It feels free to send an email (although it isn’t); it’s without doubt
cheaper than phone calls. ICT has also helped to automate business practices, thus
restructuring businesses to make them exceptionally cost effective.
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module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
4) Greater Availability - ICT has made it possible for businesses to be automated giving
clients access to a website or voicemail 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
5) Bridging the cultural gap – Greater access to technology has helped to bridge the cultural
gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow
for the exchange of views and ideas, thus increasing awareness and reducing prejudice.
6) Creation of new jobs - Probably, the best advantage of ICT has been the creation of new
and interesting jobs.
7) Education – Computer’s along with their programs and the Internet have created
educational opportunities not available to previous generations.
8) Through ICT , images can easily be used in teaching and improving the retentive
memory of student.
9) Complex structure - through ICT, teachers can easily explain complex structure,
instruction and ensure students comprehension.
10) Through ICT , teachers are able to create interactive classrooms and make the lesson
more enjoyable.
Disadvantages:
1) Education – Computer’s along with their programs and the Internet have created
educational opportunities not available to previous generations.
2) Lack of job security – Experts in a wide variety of fields believe that ICT has made job
security a big issue, since technology keeps on changing nearly every day. This means
that individuals need to be constantly studying or at least keeping up with changes in their
profession, if they want to feel secure in their jobs to be secure.
3) Overriding Cultures - While ICT may have made the world a global village, it has also
contributed to one culture consuming another weaker one. For example, it is now argued
that teenagers in the US influence how most young teenagers all over the world now act,
dress, and behave
4) Privacy - Though information technology may have made communication quicker,
easier, and more convenient, it has also brought along privacy issues. From cell phone
signal interceptions to e-mail hacking, people are now worried about their once private
information becoming public knowledge.
5) Reliance on Technology – Professor Ian Robertson, a neuropsychology expert based
at Trinity College Dublin who carried out the study, said: “People have more to remember
these days, and they are relying on technology for their memory but the less you use of
your memory, the poorer it becomes. people don’t bother learning to spell because they
use spell-checker, or need a calculator do perform minor addition or subtraction.
6) Reliability of Information – Anyone with access to a computer and an internet
connection internet can start a blog or post something up on a website, so just because
something’s on the web doesn't mean it’s reliable. A prime example of this is the open
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module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
source encyclopedia, Wikipedia, although considered a good source of information it is
not recognized by academic institutions as a trustworthy reference.
7) Computer viruses, worms, Trojans, malware, spam, phishing- any or all can cause
chaos and disrupt our daily lives
8) Setting - setting up the device can be very troublesome.
9) Expansive - too expansive to afford.
10) Lack of experience - hard for teachers to use with a lack of experience using ICT tools.
5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Information and Communication Technology in
Business
IT Improves Communication
Emails changed the way that employees interacted with one another during the 90s.
Many flocked to America Online to convey messages and found that responses to digital
communication were much faster than that of sending someone a letter. The only thing that
surpassed the old days of email communication was that of a telephone call.
Now, thanks to smartphones and social media, an employee can get a response from colleagues
within a matter of seconds if they use the right means. Information technology has also given
birth to cloud computing, which lets employees access important information when they are not
in the office. There is no need to connect to a hard drive when you are using cloud storage. The
world of IT, then, cuts through the extra steps to make communication faster.
Efficient communication is key to the success of a company, and IT helps to streamline
communication. In a rapidly connected and vast business landscape, hiring, leveraging, and
retaining employees requires continuous communication and collaborative efforts. A crucial
benefit of IT is in its ability to streamline communication both externally and internally.
For instance, video conferencing and online meeting platforms such as GoToMeeting, Zoom and
Skype offer businesses the work remotely in real-time, greatly reducing costs that come with
having clients on-site or interacting with employees who work remotely. Thanks to IT, businesses
are able to connect and communicate almost effortlessly with international consumers and
suppliers.
IT Cuts Costs
Of course, when you talk about eliminating steps in business, there is the possibility of saving
money. One of the major 5 advantages of information technology is its ability to keep money in
your company’s bank account. Some people are scared off by the notion of IT because of the
upfront costs that sometimes feel overwhelming. The truth, though, is that an updated system pays
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module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
for itself within a matter of weeks. Improved communication alone leads to more productivity
and, thus, increased earnings. Information technology is an investment that all business owners
should pursue.
While it may initially appear expensive to implement IT, in the long run, it will however become
significantly cost-effective by streamlining an organization’s managerial and operational
processes. Basically, implementing information and communication technology in business
allows businesses to achieve more with less, without compromising value or quality.
IT Encourages Strategic Thinking
Better communication leads to more critical thinking. Employees are less concerned with how
to get into contact with co-workers when they know that they can relay information through the
cloud. Thus, with the stress of figuring out how to communicate lifted, workers can take in the
information shared and create better strategies for improvement. One of the advantages of data
communication is, therefore, more time, which leads to more effective planning.
IT can help an organization to enhance their competitive edge in the marketplace, by encouraging
knowledge transfer and strategic thinking. For instance, by leveraging subscription databases and
social networks, companies are enabled to organize, interpret and transmit data like never before.
This has provided enterprises with unmatched access to consumers and customers, assisting
companies to deliver better and innovative products.
IT Protects Information
There will always be a place for traditional files in the corporate sector. Leaving a paper trail,
however, may not be the best idea when it comes to sensitive information. Identity thieves have a
way of taking the simplest information, such as a name or birthdate and transforming it into a
weapon that victimizes unsuspecting individuals. It is best, then to invest in information
technology with encryptions and other security measures that keep unauthorized eyes from
viewing classified information.
In protecting classified information, information technology works to ward off lawsuits. Victims
of identity theft often track down the source where thieves were able to steal information. It is not
uncommon for such persons to sue companies responsible for damages related to the crime. Your
decision to keep up-to-date with the latest technologies can essentially keep legal fees for
negligence at bay.
IT Cuts through Cultural Barriers
Diversity is something that corporations continue to strive for despite laws in the United States that
prohibit discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, age and other factors that make
a person uniquely different. The good thing about the IT world is artificial intelligence, which
does not automatically come with the same filters of which humans are accustomed.
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module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
A computer does not care if a person is a man or a woman if the potential candidate’s resume
meets the predetermined qualifications for the job. Information technology, therefore, can
contribute to diversity by design of operating systems.
Disadvantages of information and communication technology in business
Reduction in available job opportunities for humans
Organizations consider technology a better “employee” when it’s utilized in the production
processes of the business. Not only can work be finished on time, but also certain processes can
be automated for ease of operation. Hence, software tools have the capacity to perform tasks that
are meant for human employees. The implication of this is that they have become a competition
for humans as companies don’t see the need to hire as many individuals for jobs that can be
carried out by fewer employees and a smart software.
While this decrease in the demand for human labor may be good news to business employers, it
is however not advantageous to human workers. When technology is employed instead of
humans, business ventures see no essence of hiring them. Consequently, the rate of
unemployment increases and the society has more people who are struggling to feed their
household and pay their bills. It is thus important that companies understand how to employ
human workers instead of simply laying them off as a result of technological advancements.
For instance, it’s better if business enterprises can retrain their workers, and after the training, the
employees should be reassigned to execute other roles and occupy new positions that machines
cannot. Moreover, it’s pertinent to remember that technological devices will only function
optimally when they are operated by skilled human employees.
Advancement in technology has made employees anti-social
Technology has introduced channels for individuals to communicate with each other without
necessarily having to be within the same region. This is possible thanks to several communication
tools such as Skype. As a result, business colleagues can hold conference meetings from different
parts of the world.
As wonderful as this is, the problem is that the bulk of human communication has moved online.
Meanwhile, employees who have adopted the use of technological devices for the vast majority
of their communications experience a deterioration in their social skills. There’s been a change
in individual behaviors because they are used to spending most of their time using technological
devices like laptops and mobile phones.
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module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
But there is something businesses can do to resolve the issue. Not all conferences and
communications should be carried out online. Business owners should organize particular periods
in the year when their employees can meet physically and interact.
Excessive dependence on technological devices
As we all know, technological devices are useful in the automation of complicated enterprise
processes. This is great for your company. However, all machines can breakdown at any
point due to several factors. When that happens, production operations are suddenly halted and
this can throw your business into a state of panic.
When work is automated, people tend to depend too much on technological devices. As a result,
they feel it is unnecessary to understand how these processes can be carried out manually. The
entire business operation comes to a halt whenever there’s a problem with the technological
devices. This is why as a business owner, you should not allow your operations to be solely
dependent on technological applications.
Train your workers so they know what to do whenever the technological applications are
malfunctioning. In addition, you should have full manuals that specify what should be done to get
the company and business operations ruining in the unforeseen case of a device failure.
Costs of implementation and regulatory compliance
It takes time and money to get new solutions implemented. Typically, business services become
interrupted as new phases of the operations are implemented. Extra employee training is needed
and customers may have to endure a decline in the quality of service during the process of the
implementation.
Organizations typically hire external contractors to execute the implementation of new hardware
and software solutions. While Information Technology solutions have become less expensive with
the improvements in technology, organizations that have extensive compliance requirements must
ensure that they adhere by all regulations or they will stand the risk of legal actions and penalties.
More and more data regulations
In the modern world, information is huge business. This is why data protection and ethical
usage of it are of paramount significance to regulatory authorities and lawmakers. Enterprise
owners can not afford to be ignorant of what is involved in client data protection. Some sectors
have much higher regulations than others, such as the financial services and healthcare industries,
because in their day-to-day business operations, these businesses accumulate private and sensitive
information from patients and clients.
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module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
Nonetheless, just because you own a fashion store doesn’t mean you are free of regulations. The
way you handle email lists; the process of confirming the age of the individuals you gather
information on; and how you manage credit card data, is all regulated. Having preparation and
adopting standard protocol is key to protecting your company and your clients.
ICT in education advantages and disadvantages
Information taken from https://getrevising.co.uk/grids/ict_in_education
References
Books and Journals
1. Burgess, M. (2004) Principles of Network and System Administration, 2nd Edition,
Online Resources
1. Prat (n.d.). ICT (information and communications technology, or technologies),
Retrieved February 17, 2022 from
https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/ICT-information-and-
communications-technology-or-technologies
2. White D. (2021, April 14), 5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Information and
3. Communication Technology in Business, https://www.techfunnel.com/information-
technology/5-advantages-of-information-and-communication-technology-in-business/
Online video resource/s
1. Eye on Tech (2020, March 9) What is ICT (Information and Communications
Technology)? . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PDQKu2-bAc
The information, image/s, text or contents used in this learning module do not belong to me. This learning
module is intended for educational purposes only.
Republic of the Philippines
Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
College of Computing Studies, Information and Communication Technology
Online site links:
2. https://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioduaa/home/advantages-and-disadvantages-of- i-c-
2. https://getrevising.co.uk/grids/ict_in_education
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-
4. SRMHvaurA&list=PLN2vKr_NwAR4QjrlXkxFObhIdkF3Vfn-P
5. https://venngage.com/templates/infographics/components-of-ict-informational-
6. infographic-2c4526ae-d279-4025-aba9-dc64843f15ee
The information, image/s, text or contents used in this learning module do not belong to me. This learning
module is intended for educational purposes only.
