ICT Policies and Issues: Implications to

Teaching and Learning

Learning Outcomes: challenge yourself to attain the following:

1. Discussed some ICT policies and explained their implications to teaching

and learning
2. Explained some issues that relate to ICT policies
3. Identified safety concerns on the Internet including digital safety rules
teacher.
Globalization is a reality and ICT has become a fundamental part of the
process. A networked society is one in which the entire planet is organized around
telecommunicated networks of computers (Bilbao, et al., 2019).
As the Department of Information, Communication and Technology (DITC) says:
“The future has arrived. Now we have to ensure that we have a place in it.”

Policies and Issues on Internet and Implications to

Teaching and Learning

Definition of ICT Policy:

The Oxford English Dictionary has defined “policy” as a course of action, adopted
and pursued by a government, party ruler, and statesman. It is any course of action
adopted as expedient or advantageous.
ICT policies are needed to put a roadmap or course of actions to be pursued and
adopted by various governments, organizations, entities involving ICT (Bilbao, et al.,
2019).
The New ICT Technologies (3 categories)
 Information technology – using computers to process data and save time
and effort. Computer hardware and peripherals, software and the user and
computer literacy are needed for a person to operate.
 Telecommunication technologies – telephone system, radio and TV
broadcasting are needed in this category.
 Networking technologies – the most common networking technologies
includes Internet, mobile phone technology, Voice Over Internet Protocol
(VOIP) satellite communications, satellite and other broadband technology.
The DICT Roadmap
The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) has
formulated a roadmap to guide all agencies in the utilization, regulation and
enhancement of ICT.
The ICT for Education (ICT4E) is a program under the DICT that supports all the
efforts of the education sector in incorporating the use of IT as well as in determining
and gaining access to the infrastructure (hardware, software, telecommunications
facilities and others) which are necessary to use and deploy learning technologies at all
levels of education (Bilbao, et al., 2019).
Some Policy Recommended Programs applicable to education teaching and learning:
 Content and application development through the Open Content in Education
Initiative (OCEI) which converts DepEd materials into interactive multi-media
content, develop applications in schools, and conduct students and teachers’
competitions to promote the development of education-related web content.
 Digital Media Arts program which builds digital media skills for government
using Open Source technologies.
 eQuality Program for tertiary education through partnerships with state
universities and colleges (SUCs) to improve quality of IT education and the
use of ICT in education in the country.
 Established Community eLearning Centers called eSkwela for out-of-school
youth (OSY) providing them with ICT enhanced alternative education
opportunities.
 ICT in Education Masterplan for all levels, including a National Roadmap for
Faculty Development in ICT in Education.
 ICT skills strategic plan which develops an inter-agency approach to identify
strategic and policy and program recommendations to address ICT skills
demand supply type.
 PheDNET, is a “walled” garden that hosts educational learning and teaching
materials and applications for use by Filipino Students, their parents and
teachers.
All the seven programs were guided by the roadmap that embeds policy
statement that relate to education specifically in the enhancement of human
development for teaching and learning (Bilbao, et al., 2019).
Some Issues on ICT and internet Policy and Regulation
Source:https://www.scribd.com/document/432164612/Some-Issues-on-ICT-and-Internet-Policy-and-Regulations-docx

Global Issues
 Access and Civil Liberties are two sets of issues in ICT Policy which are crucial
to the modern society. The other concern is civil liberties which refer to human
rights and freedom. These include:
 Freedom of expression
 The right to privacy,
 The right to communicate
 Intellectual property rights.
Access to the Use of Internet and ICT. Access means the possibility for
everyone to use the internet and other media.
Issue # 1. Freedom of Expression and Censorship
Under international human rights conventions, all people are guaranteed the
rights for free expression.
The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that everyone has the
right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, likewise the right to freedom of
opinion and expression.
Censorships restricts the transmission of information by blocking it or filtering
the information. Blocking is preventing access to whole areas of internet upon the
blacklist of certain Internet address. Filtering is sifting the packets of data or
messages as they move across computer networks and eliminating those considered
“undesirable” materials. Defamation actions may be used to silence critics. This action
deters the freedom of expression (Bilbao, et al., 2019).
Issue # 2. Privacy and Security
Privacy policies are an issue. Most controversial sites have a privacy policy. When
someone uses a site and clicks “I agree” button, it is as if you have turned over private
information to any authority that may access it.
Privacy means “personal privacy” the right of individuals not to have their
home, private life or personal life interfered with. Privacy of communication refers
to the protection from interference with communication over the phone or internet.
Information privacy is related to the use of computers and communications system
which are able to hold and process information about a large numbers of people at a
high speed (Bilbao, et al., 2019).
Issue # 3. Surveillance and Data Retention
The use of electronic communications has enhanced the development of indirect
surveillance. In the indirect surveillance, there is no direct contact between the agent
and the subject of surveillance but evidence of activities can be traced. The new and
powerful form of indirect surveillance is dataveillance.
Dataveillance is the use of personal information to monitor a person’s activities
while data retention is the storage use of information from communication systems.
Issue # 4. E-pollutants from E-waste
Large amount of e-waste is generated by ICT. There are in particular, terminal
equipment used for computing (PCs, laptops), broadcasting (television and radio sets),
telephony (fixed and mobile phones), and peripherals (fax machines, printers and
scanners).
If not controlled then, e-waste will tremendously affect climate change, damage human
lives, and overload the capacity of the earth in carrying solid waste.
Implications to teaching and learning (for teachers and learners):
 Guide the mentors on what they should teach and relate to ICT, and how to
teach it.
 Technology should never replace any human teacher.
 Rules and regulations govern the use of technology.
 Each teacher will be encouraged to use technology in teaching.
 Learners need guidance on how to use and regulate the use of technology.
 Learners should take advantage of the benefits derived from the use of
technology.
 Mentors and learners should be mindful of the e-waste that are being thrown
away to the land and to the atmosphere.
Safety Issues on the Use of ICT
Including e-Safety Rules
Some Risks in the Use of ICT and e-Networking (Bilbao, et al., 2019):
Safeguard and protection should be the primary roles of teachers, parents,
schools and the community…
 Exposure to inappropriate content, including on-line pornography, extremism
(exposure to violence associated with racist language)
 Lifestyle websites like self-harms and suicide cites, and hate cites
 Cyberbullying in all forms, receiving sexually explicit images or messages
 Privacy issues including disclosures of personal information
 Health and well-being (amount of time spent on-line, internet gaming and many
more)
 Prolonged exposure to online technologies, particularly at early stage
 Addiction to gambling and gaming
 Theft and fraud from activities such as phishing
 Viruses, Trojans, spyware and other malware
 Social pressure to maintain online networks via texting and social networking
sites.
Minor Misuse of ICT (for students)
 Copying information into assignment and failing to acknowledge the source
(plagiarism and copyright infringement)
 Downloading materials not relevant to the topic/subject matter
 Misconduct associated with subject logins, such as using someone else’s
password
 Leaving a mobile phone turned on during class period or playing cellphones
during the class
 Unauthorized taking of pictures or images with mobile phone camera, still or
moving

E-Safety
Source:http://www.ictinschools.org/e-safety/

E-Safety includes not only Internet technologies but also electronic

communications via mobile phones, games consoles and wireless technology. It
highlights the need to teach learners about the benefits, risks and accountabilities of
using information technology.
Issues of e-safety:
 E-Safety concerns safeguarding children and young people in the digital world.
 E-Safety emphasizes learning to understand and use new technologies in a
positive way.
 E-Safety is less about restriction and more about education about the risks as
well as the benefits so we can feel confident online.
 E-Safety is concerned with supporting children and young people to develop
safer online behaviors, both in and out of school.

E-safety is constantly evolving. All teaching and non-teaching staff should be

aware and able to recognize e-safety issues.