EFFECT OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

OF

EVELYN G. DELA CRUZ

Submitted to the faculty of the undergraduate studies

Romblon State University Sta. Maria Campus, Sta. Maria, Romblon
In Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

BACHELOR OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

 CHAPTER

Introduction

Technology - specifically ICT - has played a central role in young people's rise to
prominence on a global scale. It has helped them mobilize, collaborate and given
them a voice where there was none before. It has brought them together in response
to social concerns. It has connected them across vast geo-political barriers.

The International Telecommunication Unit (ITU) and Broadband Commission

research has shown the benefits of ICT access across all major sectors. For young
people, access to information means better access to capital, markets and training
needed to pursue a career or studies; increased participation in political processes,
and recognition of youth as responsible citizens in today's society. Youth
entrepreneurship - which is facilitated by access to technology, the internet and
information - is fast being positioned as a solution for youth employment.

Young people are rising to the challenge by pioneering the use of ICT, and driving
trends in what is a dynamic and major growth industry. While the good news is that
they are using ICT - the challenge is to inspire them to use it to change their world in
a positive way. National and international policy and regulatory bodies -
governments, civil society and the UN - can help by recognizing and encouraging the
accelerated use of information and communication technologies in development
strategies and frameworks for the future. With ICTs playing a crucial role in
applications across the world and at either end of the development spectrum, and
with such a high impact on young people, their explicit reference in such strategies is
essential.

Statement of the Problem

While access to technology and associated electronic content has significantly

changed the lives of many young people in developed countries, this is not always
the case for those in less developed countries. Access to ICTs such as computers,
mobile phones and the Internet, especially broadband, remains a challenge for youth
in the developing world. In addition, the cost of ICT access (mobile phones and
Internet) is much higher as a proportion of per capita income in these particularly
disadvantaged countries.

The challenge is bringing together all relevant stakeholders, including governments,

civil society and the private sector, and encouraging them to work together to provide
an environment that fosters the development of young people and enables them to
realize their potential in the Information Society. ICTs transcend borders enabling the
communication between young people from every corner of the world, helping in the
promotion of dialogue and mutual understanding. It is important then that
international cooperation in regards to the transfer of technology is fostered.

The United Nations recognizes young people as avid and creative users of ICTs, and
as key contributors to building an inclusive, Information Society and bridging the
Digital Divide. In particular targeting girls and young women by promoting better and
more inclusive access to ICT so as to promote their academic, social and economic
development is crucial to not only bridging this digital divide, but also in helping close
the gender gap.

In this sense, promoting universal, non-discriminatory, equitable and affordable

access of youth to ICT is central to ensuring digital and social inclusion.
Disadvantaged and marginalized youth, such as migrant and refugee youth, youth
with HIV and AIDS, indigenous youth, youth with disabilities, rural youth, youth
experiencing poverty, and those facing discrimination, are often excluded from
access to ICTs. The effective allocation of resources so as to ensure equal
opportunities and access to ICTs for youth living in vulnerable situations is critical to
ensuring that ICTs are used and developed in an inclusive and equitable manner.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva (2003) and Tunis
(2005) produced goals with respect to the development and expansion of access to
ICT globally. In particular, high priority was given to the role that ICT could play in
relation to young peoples' education. The WSIS Geneva Plan of Action included
goals to connect educational institutions with ICT by 2015 and to adapt school
curricula to meet the challenges of the Information Society. The importance of
capacity building and ICT literacy is also highlighted.

The World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) also highlights the importance of
improving access to the Internet and to increase information technology literacy at
large. MAY recognizes that effective use of ICT should strengthen youth
engagement. MAY suggests a 3 pronged approach to support youth in their use of
information and communication technologies. This aims at the adequate provision of
media for young people, encourages participation by young people in the production
of media and in the formation of media policy, and promotes education that
emphasizes information and communication technology literacy as a significant
dimension of contemporary citizenship.

Attention to young people and their ICT needs is also an essential component of the
work of the United Nations Agency dealing with ICT matters, the International
Telecommunication Unit (ITU). Amongst its work are digital inclusion activities, a main
goal of which is to promote broadband school connectivity through its Connect a
School, Connect a Community Initiative. By mainstreaming the youth agenda and
offering projects and learning activities which provide young people with crucial ICT
and life skills, ITU helps to boosts their educational level, and therefore their
economic potential.

There are more ICT users than ever before, with over five billion mobile phone
subscriptions worldwide, and more than two billion Internet users. Likewise, in
general, the cost of many ICT services is falling fast. Nevertheless, ICT affordability
remains a concern, considering that the "ICT Price Basket" reveals the huge gaps
that still exist between the haves and the have-nots. Indeed, ICT services remain
much more affordable in the rich world than in the developing world. Broadband
Internet access is perhaps the best and most important example of this.

Significance of the Study

The knowledge society/the digital economy and the ubiquitous use of ICTs in almost
every aspect of human life has made it necessary for people to have digital skills to
effectively use, create and innovate with ICTs. Moreover, a growing number of jobs
across all sectors require ICT skills, which has led many experts to conclude that ICT
and digital skills are key to successful participation in the labour market.

Despite this need, the promise of ICTs has not been realized in formal educational
systems. Research by the OECD illustrates the limitations in traditional models of
education, as they are not adequately preparing students to meet the demands of a
changing job market. Furthermore, seizing the potential of ICTs for education
requires the development and implementation of national policies/programmes aimed
at integrating lCTs in education as a whole, and better responding to labour market
needs. It thus requires a coordinated approach across various ministries and levels
of government. In some countries ministries of labour, telecommunications, youth or
human development, education and even industry work together to identify common
areas of interest and targeted activities.

Promoting ICT skills development in extracurricular educational settings shows that

one can acquire ICT skills almost anywhere. These are out-of-classroom
opportunities which governments need to pay attention to and support if they want to
foster an ICT-savvy, innovative labour force. To date, most activities have been
supported and initiated by non-government entities and the private sector. What is
needed now is for governments at all levels to take proactive steps to take advantage
of these efforts.
 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The aim of the study is to assess whether the developments in information

communication technologies have any influence on the library professionals'
professional development, and the need for further education and training in the
profession and evaluate their skills in handling developments in ICT.

CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

The definitions and ideas applied to information and communication technologies

and the modern media culture are examined in t h e beginning of this chapter. The
characterizations of m e d i a culture are then explored from the perspective of young
people, and the links between youth and ICT are investigated. The dominant cultural
logic with regard to ICT is outlined, and different forms of the digital divide are
presented. Some global aspects of ICT use among youth are reviewed, using both
primary and secondary sources. New forms of youth socialization brought about by
the emergence of ICT are examined, and the chapter concludes with a set of
recommendations.

Related Studies

Young people today live in a world characterized by dramatic cultural,

economic, social and educational differences; individual circumstances depend
largely on where a person is born and raised. More than 800 million adults (two-thirds
of them women) still lack basic literacy skills; at the other end of the spectrum, the
use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is skyrocketing.
Notwithstanding the immense diversity in living environments, an unprecedented and
unifying global media culture has developed that challenges and often surpasses
such traditional forms of socialization as family and school.

This complex cultural situationin which young people are struggling to find
direction in their lives or simply to survive, to improve
their living conditions, and to develop their identities -has been given various names.
Some call it the information or informational age, while others prefer the term
technoculture or technocapitalism, global media culture, or simply globalization,
referring to the dialectic process in which the global and the local exist as "combined
and mutually implicating principles".
Labels such as post-industrial, virtual and cyber society are also in use. The idea
behind all these terms is that across the globe, ICT are playing a central role in
young people's lives and in society at large.

Two major assumptions underlie the role of ICT: the first is that the proliferation of
these technologies is causing rapid transformations in all areas of life; the second is
that ICT function to unify and standardize culture. It is on the basis of these
assumptions that the term "media culture", incorporating the phenomena of
informationalism and globalization, is used in the present chapter.

Much has been written on the subject of media culture. Manuel Castells lists some of
the demands that have characterized the transformation from the industrial to the
informational era:

"...the needs of the economy for management flexibility and for the globalization of
capital, production, and trade; the demands of society in which the values of
individual freedom and open communication became paramount; and the
extraordinary advances in computing and telecommunications made possible by the
microelectronics revolution."

The processes behind the above-mentioned terms deserve a more thorough

analysis as they relate to young people's living environment. One important
consideration is that the concepts embodied in these terms, and the media culture as
a whole, are greatly affected by Western values. In discussions about bridging the
digital divide, it is therefore important to recall that ICT carry a "cultural package" of
Western values that are not directly transferable to other cultures. The media culture
of young people comprises traditional modes such as print media, television and
telephone, as well as newer ICT such as computers, Internet and cellular phones. All
of these devices are predominantly associated with Western popular cultural content;
the advertising that goes with them strongly influences young people in the formation
of their identities.

The debate about what ICT represent for young people typically moves between two
polarities: utopia and dystopia. Technology enthusiasts who believe that ICT will
revolutionize every aspect of the world are challenged by those who perceive ICT as
a source of cultural invasion. Somewhere in between are those who collect statistics
about the global diffusion of ICT, with little emphasis on their interpretation.
 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

THE MEDIA CULTURE OF YOUNG PEOPLE

The content of the current media culture is often blind to a young person's cultural,
economic and educational background. The concept of a media culture has evolved
owing to the increased volume, variety and importance of mediated signs and
messages and the interplay of interlaced meanings. In the world of young people, the
media are saturated by popular culture and penetrate politics, the economy, leisure
time and education. At present, the global media culture is a pedagogic force that has
the potential to exceed the achievements of institutionalized forms of education. As
Henry Giroux puts it:

"With the rise of new media technologies and the global reach of the highly
concentrated culture industries, the scope and impact of the educational force of
culture in shaping and refiguring all aspects of daily life appear unprecedented. Yet
the current debates have generally ignored the powerful pedagogical influence of
popular culture, along with the implications it has for shaping curricula, questioning
notions of high-status knowledge, and redefining the relationship between the
culture of schooling and the cultures of everyday life."

The concept of media culture encompasses not simply symbolic

combinations of immaterial signs or capricious currents of old and new meanings, but
an entire way of life in which images, signs, texts and
other audio-visual representations are connected with the real fabric of material
realities, symbols and artificialities.

Media culture is pervasive; its messages are an important part of the everyday lives
of young people, and their daily activities are structured around media use. The
stories and images in the media become important tools for identity construction. A
pop star provides a model for clothing and other style choices, and language used by
a cartoon character becomes a key factor in the street credibility of young people.
Under the present circumstances, there are few places left in the world where one
might escape the messages and meanings embedded in the televised media culture.