Information and Communications Technology
Information refers to the ideas or concepts obtained from reading, investigation, study or
research which are transmitted through media such as telephone, television and radio.
Communication is a means of transmitting messages or sending and receiving information
between individuals using symbols, signs or verbal interactions.
Technology is the use of scientific knowledge, experience and resources to create processes
and products that fulfill human needs.
Information and Communications Technology or ICT deals with the use of different
communication tools such as telephone , mobile phones, Internet, etc. to locate, save, send,
and edit information.
ICT in the Philippines
Philippines is considered as the ICT Hub of Asia because of the tremendous growth of ICT
related jobs like Business Process Outsourcing, or call centers. It started with Accenture in 1992
with Frank Holz who was responsible for developing and marketing the first Global Resource
Center in Manila.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web, commonly referred to as WWW, W3, or web is an interconnected system
of public web pages accessible through the internet, invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.
Web 1.0
Web 1.0 refers to the first generation of the Internet when most websites were read-only or
static. Webpages are usually just single files in Hypertext Markup Language (html or htm)
format that are displayed in a web browser when the URL is entered. Users are merely
audiences or readers who absorb information from websites.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 means the second generation of the Internet. It is dynamic and focuses on user
participation. There is a give-and-take relationship between a website and its users, in which the
latter has the power to share different types of information such as texts, images, sounds, and
videos. This allows for the creation of interactive application with more real-life uses like online
banking, online shopping, and media-sharing.
Features of Web 2.0
1. Folksonomy:
It is a way to classify and to find information. It enables users to find information in an organized
way, like tagging photos, websites, or links. Some social networking sites use tags that start
with a pound sign (#) which is termed as hashtag.
2. Rich user experience
It has a dynamic and interactive content. For instance a user can click on an image of a flower
to get more information about that flower like its growth conditions, nutrient requirements, and
more.
3. User participation
It helps with the flow of information between the user and the owner of a certain website. For
instance, a user can interact by liking, commenting, or sending reviews to a certain post or site.
4. Mass participation
Allows universal web access from a traditional internet user to a wider variety of users of various
cultures that leads to differentiation of concerns.
5. Long Tail
Services that are offered on demand rather than on a one-time purchase. This means user can
either subscribe to a data plan that charges users for the amount of time spent in the Internet or
a data plan that charges for the amount only of bandwidth used.
6. Software as a Service (Saas)
Allows the user to subscribe to a software rather than purchasing them subscribing and using
Google Docs, a free web-based application, to create or edit word documents online.
Web 3.0
The third version of the internet which is an upgrade of Web 2.0. It’s main characteristics include
but are not limited to:
1. Real-time
Events and information are made available to users as they take place.
2. Everywhere
Internet can be accessed by users in all places.
3. Machine learning
Computers and mobile devices can create data and make decisions based on the user’s
previous actions.
Trends in ICT
1. Technological Convergence is an evolution of technological developments that integrate
different types of applications and media to form a new system. For example, a system can be
used for calling and texting, browsing the internet or creating a word document using the
smartphone.
2. Social Media is a collection of internet-based communication tools and computer-assisted
channels dedicated to allow users to collaborate, communicate, and share information or
content in a virtual community and network.
There are six types of social media:
a. Social Networks - enables people to connect with other people with the same interests or
background (e.g. ,Facebook and Twitter).
b. Bookmarking Sites - allow user to store, manage links or create a tag to various websites
and resources that allows you and others to easily search or share them (e.g. ,StumbleUpon
and Pinterest).
c. Social News - sites that allow users to post their own news articles or links to other news
sources and comment to the post or vote on the news articles of the website (e.g. ,Reddit, Digg)
d. Media Sharing - sites that allow users to upload and share media content like music, images
and video (e.g. ,Flicker, Youtube and Instagram)
e. Microblogging - sites that focus on short updates from the user wherein subscribers of this
user will be able to receive these updates. (e.g. ,Twitter and Plurk)
f. Blogs and Forums - websites that allow users to post their content where users are able to
comment to the said topic. Some of the free blogging platforms are Blogger, Wordpress, and
Tumblr.
3. Mobile Technologies refer to devices ranging from basic mobile phones to tablet PCs,
PDAs, MP3 players, memory sticks, e-readers, and smartphones. It is a combination of
hardware, operating systems, networking, and software, including content, learning platforms,
and applications.
Mobile devices use different operating systems:
a. iOS - used in Apple devices like iPhone or iPad
b. Android - open source operating system developed by Google.
c. Blackberry OS- used in Blackberry devices
e. Symbian – an original smartphone OS used by Nokia devices.
f. WebOS - used for smartphones but now used for smart TVs
g. Windows Mobile - developed by Microsoft for smartphones and pocket PCs.
4. Assistive Media
A technology that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with
disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. It enables
people to perform tasks that they can’t accomplish or great difficulty of accomplishing it by
changing methods of interacting with the technology needed to accomplish such tasks.
Examples of Assistive Media:
Mobility impairments
Wheelchairs, transfer devices, walkers, prosthesis
Visual impairments
Screen readers, braille and braille embossers, desktop video magnifier, screen magnification
software, large-print and tactile keyboards
Hearing impairments
Hearing aids, assistive listening devices, amplified telephone equipment
