Patronage of Mary Development School

Poblacion, Boljoon, Cebu

Tel. Nos. (032)482-9302/(032)410-2466 - Website: www.pmds.ph - Email Address: [email protected]

TRENDS, NETWORKS AND CRITICAL THINKING

LESSON 7
Introduction to ICT

Objectives
1. define information and communications technology (ICT);
2. establish the scope of ICT; and
3. elaborate on the connections between ICT and different fields of human endeavors.

Information and communication have always been vital aspects

to the development of society. In the past, information and knowledge
has been handed down through rituals, performances, paintings, songs,
and other creative channels. The invention of writing changed all these.
Centuries later, the invention of the printing press in 1445, followed by
the Industrial Revolution, ushered in dramatic changes on how
information would be created, produced, and transmitted.

Between 1445 and today, there have been several technological

breakthroughs that have revolutionized communications and the spread
and use of information. The invention of the telephone in 1875 by
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the development of television after
World War II and its rise as a regular household fixture, and the global
connectivity ushered in by the Internet in the 1990s – these are just
some of the many landmarks in the history of information and
communications technology (ICT). The most expansive and phenomenal technology is arguably the
Internet because it can integrate the various ways of obtaining information and transmitting
communication.

However, the internet is just one of the money platforms of what we now call ICT. ICT consists
of computers, communication equipment, and all the allied services and facilities associated with
these. It also covers all devices for computing and networking computers, including software,
applications, and operating systems. When all of these technologies are combined, they allow people
and organizations (government, private, non-profit, even criminal enterprises) to interact in the digital
world. Other parts of this system include telephone systems, cellular networks, cable, and satellite
communications broadcasting, and all other forms of electronic communication.

Often, ICT is used inter changeably with information technology (IT). However, the scope of IT
is limited to computer systems. To better gain an understanding of the scope of ICT, one can look into
it through the following sub-areas:

 Information technology – the set of tools, equipment, processes, and protocols that enable
computers to store, retrieve, analyze, process, manipulate, transmit, and distribute electronic
data or information.
 Telecommunications technologies – the set of tools, equipment, processes and protocols
surrounding the transmission and reception of audio, data, or communication using
electromagnetic signals. These also include information transmitting and receiving
technologies such as telephones (wired and wireless), satellite, microwave communications,
fiber optics, and the internet.
 Networking technologies – the set of tools, equipment, processes, and protocols surrounding
the networking of computing devices or computer systems to exchange information and share
resources.

These sub-areas still depend on the theoretical principles and practical application of fields like
electronics, physics, computer engineering, and computer sciences.

COMPONENTS OF ICT

There are six components to an ICT system: data and information; software and hardware;
and procedures and people. They are best viewed in twos, pairing up those that are symbiotically
related to each other.

 Data – Originally, data is the plural of datum – a Latin word that means “something given”.
Today, data functions as an umbrella term that incudes individual facts, statistics, or bits of
information. In ICT, data is the general term given to all raw materials that are entered into
the computer through an input system. These data are received, processed, sometimes
manipulated, stored in a system unit, and finally displayed by an output device.
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  Information – This is the output when raw data undergoes processing.
Data and information are intrinsically linked together. As example, think about a land-based
telephone system. The messages within said system are conveyed as signals and travels on
fiber optic cables. Essentially, the message is conveyed electronically. Manipulation of data
takes place when you speak into the phone – your words are then transformed into electronic
signals. The data is conveyed through the phone system, stored briefly, and then delivered as
words to the other end of the line. In the case of mobile phones, the process is the same but
conveyed through wireless technology, which could be through radio wave signals or satellites.
 Hardware – These are the physical and tangible components of a system, to include all the
following: modems, computers, and other technical components (e.g. motherboards, disk
drives, routers, read-only memory, random access memory, hard drives, input and output
ports, etc.), cables, fiber optics, satellite dishers, portable devices such as cellphones and
tablets, and all electronic and electrical parts needed to run the systems.
 Software – These are the intangible components of the computer consisting of commands,
written in various programming languages. They are designed to make a computer perform its
functions. Examples of software include operating systems (OS) and utility programs, such as
digital notepads, calendars, and the like.

The OS manages the computer hardware and boots up the computer memory before it start
up. The OS can be compared to a foreman in the workplace – it makes sure all the programs and
applications get the necessary resources and that it interacts productively with other applications, as
well as optimizing the capacity of the system. Meanwhile, application software or utility programs
perform different tasks or respond to specific problems. Apps, short for applications, are used in
mobile devices.

Hardware and software have a symbiotic relationship. Without software, the tasks that
hardware can execute will be very limited. Meanwhile, software would not be able to run at all without
hardware. Box together: procedures and people:

 Procedures – These are the ways by which the tasks are to be done. Procedures are usually
directed by the software or the systems involved. This will include how data will be collected,
how it will be processed, and how the systems will function to suit the user’s goals.
 People – These are the individuals that create and design both hardware and software as well
as determine the procedures and monitor compliance. It is also the people’s information and
data needs that are being addressed by the input and output of data. Information in their
hands are then transformed into knowledge.

People design and implement the procedures in as much as they are also governed by the
procedures of these systems.

These components combine and interact to form an ICT system that executes specific
functions or tasks in an environment. The term may also refer to a system of persons, data records,
and technologies that process the data and information within an organization. Beyond those tasks,
the data that is processed is disseminated or transmitted to the relevant audiences, such as the
members of the organization or the employees of a company.

The most common view of an information system is one of Input-Process-Output, with the
feedback mechanism overarching the three-tiered process.

As an example, let us look into the ICT system of the Department of Education (DepEd). The
system is called Basic Education Information System (BEIS) (http://ebeis.deped.gov.ph/beis/). It
retrieves, processes, and generates the data needed for planning, budget preparation, resource
allocation, and even performance indicators of public schools in the entire Philippines.

BEIS also contains data on the number of available teachers, their ranks, and their
deployment as well as the number of classrooms and the pupil-teacher ratio. According to DepEd,
embedded in this system are data-gathering instruments, validity checks, a unique school numbering
system, decentralized data inputting at the division levels, and quick counts to provide the budget
data from schools within the year. This system allows for the more efficient functioning of a
department handling vast amounts of data and information.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

The term digital is critical in appreciating the technology that underpins ICT. Digitization is the
process of transforming data into a numerical code, using the coding system comprised of 1 and 0
only, hence the term binary. A sequence of this codes (also called strings) is presented as bits. A
series of eight bits are referred to as bytes.

Recall a digital image that you have seen online lately. The image is actually made up of dense
bits packed tightly row after row. To display digital images, bits store a small data of the overall image
and projects it on your monitor as a pixel, short for “picture element”. High-resolution images contain
more pixels, which are measured in terms of the modifier mega. Thus, a four-megapixel camera can
shoot an image that is rendered in four million bits – the higher the megapixel, the better the image
quality you will get.

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 Lallana (2003, p. 8-9) enumerates the main characteristics of digital technology as follows:

 Media integrity: While data stored in analog format is reproducible, the quality deteriorates as
more copies are made. Digital data do not lose its quality. Movies, music, and audio files can
be reproduced digitally without losing the quality of the original.
 Media integration: With digital technology, it is easy to combine media. Thus, we have gadgets
that can capture photos and record videos and sound clips.
 Flexible interaction: Digital technology enables an entire menu of possible interactions
between and among its users, among of which are one-to-one video meetings, one-to-many
video conferences, chatting, participating in discussion forums, and sending e-mails.
 Transactional: Basic and specialized services and facilities are made available because of
digital technology’s ability to combine personal computers with computer networks. This setup
makes it possible to sell and buy products online, purchase movies-on-demand, and pay the
bills.
 Tailoring: Software and applications developed for digital communications and interactions is
tailored the emerging needs of its users.
 Editing: With the right software, the manipulation of images, text, and audio is now possible.
There is a wide array of software and applications developed for the specific purpose of editing
media content.

SYNTHESIS

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) spans computers, communication

equipment, and all the allied services and facilities associated with these. This includes all devices for
computing and networking computers, software, applications, and operating systems that, when
combined, allow people and organizations (government, private, non-profit, even criminal and
outlawed enterprises) to interact in the digital world. ICT also covers telephone systems, cellular
networks, cable and satellite communications, broadcasting, and all other forms of electronic
communication. In short, it encompasses all the technologies for transmitting, processing,
manipulating, storing, and archiving data in electronic format.

Sometimes the term is used synonymously with Information Technology (IT) but remember
that ICT is more expansive. Today, digital technology powers ICT, yielding innovations that make the
world more connected.

References
Arzadon, Maria Mercedes E., Peter G. Remorosa and Maria Jovita E. Zarate. Trends,
Networks and Critical Thinking. Quezon City: Vibal Group Inc.

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 Patronage of Mary Development School
Poblacion, Boljoon, Cebu
Tel. Nos. (032)482-9302/(032)410-2466 - Website: www.pmds.ph - Email Address: [email protected]

TRENDS, NETWORKS AND CRITICAL THINKING

Learning Task 7

Name ______________________________________________ Grade Level __________

Email Address ___________________________ Date _____________ Time ___________

A. Multiple Choice. Choose the letter that corresponds your answer.

1. Why is it that the internet is the most expansive and phenomenal technology?
A. It can integrates the various ways of obtaining information and
transmitting communication.
B. It is a powerful tool for communication.
C. It is the greatest invention of mankind.
D. It is a widely used communication platform.

What set of tools, equipment, processes, and protocols that enable computers to store,
retrieve, analyze, process, manipulate, transmit, and distribute electronic data or
information?
A. Networking Technologies
B. Social Media
C. Internet
D. Information Technology

What set of tools, equipment, processes and protocols surrounding the transmission and
reception of audio, data, or communication using electromagnetic signals?
A. Information Technology
B. Social Media
C. Telecommunication Technologies
D. Internet

What set of tools, equipment, processes, and protocols surrounding the networking of
computing devices or computer systems to exchange information and share resources?
A. Social Media
B. Telecommunication Technologies
C. Networking Technologies
D. Internet

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What term which refers to the given to all raw materials that are entered into the computer
through an input system?
A. News
B. Information
C. Data
D. Internet

What is the output when raw data undergoes processing?

A. News
B. Information
C. Data
D. Internet

What are the physical and tangible components of a system?

1. modems, computers, and other technical components (e.g. motherboards)
2. disk drives, routers, read-only memory, random access memory, hard drives, input
and output ports, etc.)
3. cables, fiber optics, satellite dishers, portable devices such as cellphones and tablets
4. all electronic and electrical parts needed to run the systems.
A. 1 and 2
B. 1 and 3
C. 1, 2 and 3
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

What are the intangible components of the computer consisting of commands, written in
various programming languages?
A. Software
B. Digitization
C. ICT
D. Multimedia

What is the process of transforming data into a numerical code, using the coding system
compromised of 1 and 0 only, hence the term binary?
A. Software
B. Digitization
C. ICT
D. Multimedia

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What term which consists of computers, communication equipment, and all the allied
services and facilities associated with these?
A. Software
B. Digitization
C. ICT
D. Multimedia

B. Essay. Answer the following questions.

1. Differentiate IT from ICT?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

2. How has the world changed due to ICT?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

3. How important is ICT to the following:

3.1 Education
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.2 Government
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.3 Business
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3.4 Family Affairs
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________