Module 1 Science, Technology and Society

Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and

Chapter 1.2
Society

Intended Learning Outcomes: At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to:

1. Identify the development of Information Age;

2. Describe how technology functions;
3. Define what a gene is;
4. Differentiate gene therapy from stem cell therapy;
5. Describe the importance of gene therapy in the future;
6. Discuss examples of genetic diseases;
7. Define what biodiversity is;
8. Describe the impact of biodiversity on human population growth;
9. Determine the interrelatedness of society, environment, and health;
10. Discuss the ethics and implications of GMOs and potential future impacts;
11. Apply how we can protect our environment by knowing the signs of contamination;
12. Define nanoscience clearly;
13. Discuss the contributions of persons to this subject;
14. Identify the causes of climate change;
15. Assess the various impacts of climate change including economic, geopolitical,
biological, meteorological, etc.;
16. Describe the energy crisis and its causes;
17. Identify possible ways by which energy crisis can be prevented;
18. Discuss the reasons for environmental awareness;
19. Discuss the role of education, particularly the schools, in making people
environmentally aware.

1.2.1 The Information Age

Introduction

The Information Age is considered a

historic period in the 21st century.
Characterized by the rapid shift from
traditional industry, it is also called Computer
Age, Digital Age, and the New Media Age
because it was associated with the
development of computers. It is marked by a
very fast growth in communication and
information technology. This age holds a
significant influence as educators and
learners.
 The invention of the computer which gave people access to information with the
touch of a button. The internet has tuned society into homebodies and individuals who
do everything from the comfort of their homes. People do their tasks only such as
shopping, paying bills, working, education, entertainment and ordering food.
As man evolved, information and its dissemination has also evolved in many ways.
Eventually, we no longer kept them to ourselves; instead, we share them and manage
them in different ways.
Information got ahead of us. It started to grow at a rate we were unprepared to
handle. Because of the abundance of information, it was difficult to collect and manage
them starting in the 1960s and 1970s.

Historical Development

The Information Age also referred to as Computer Ages and New Media Age is a
historic period in the 21st century characterized by the rapid shift from traditional
industry.
It began around the 1970s and still going on today. This era brought about a time
period in which people could access information and knowledge easily. As in the field of
literature, the renaissance influenced this age by creating the idea inventions that led to
modern ones.
Information Age also referred to people, information and societies that chronicle
the birth and growth of electronic information from ancient times to Samuel Morse’s
invention of the telegraph in the 1890s through the development of the telephone, radio,
television and computers. (http://www.tcf.va.edu/az/thistory.htm)

There are four periods of the Information Age, namely:

1. Pre-Mechanical – 3,000 BC 1450 A.D.
2. Mechanical – 1450 – 1840
3. Electro-Mechanical – 1840 – 1940
4. Electronic/Information – 1940 – present

Some pioneers who belonged to these periods were Blaise Pascal, Alexander
Graham Bell, Steven Wozmak, Steven Jobs, Bill Gates.
 Personal computers had become widespread by the end of the 1980s. They can
be connected to local or national networks. Through a device called the modern,
individual users could list their computers to a wealth of information using conventional
phone lines.

• For 2000 years,

explanation/answers were
based on the mind (natural
philosophy/reason)
• Oral tradition – fascination
with sounds and words

Information and Globalization

• Communication
worldwide became
cheap (with new
phone system and
internet)
• Changed the way
people work:
- Information-
based work
- Business trends
- Global banking
- Scientific
enterprise and
research
Computer

Computers are among the most important contributions of advances in the

Information Age to society. A computer is an electronic device that stores and process
data (information). It runs on a program that contains the exact, step-by-step directions
to solve a problem.

Types of Computer

1. Personal Computer (PC) - PCs were first known as microcomputers since they
were a complete computer but built on a smaller scale than the enormous systems
operated by most businesses.
2. Desktop Computer - It is described as a PC that is not designed for portability. The
assumption with a desktop is that it will be set up in a permanent spot. A
workstation is simply a desktop computer that has a more powerful processor,
additional memory, and enhanced capabilities for performing special group of
tasks, such as 3D graphics or game development.
3. Laptops - These are portable computers that integrate the essentials of a desktop
computer in a battery-powered package, which are somewhat larger than a typical
hardcover book. They are commonly called notebooks.
4. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) - These are tightly integrated computers that

usually have no keyboards but rely on a touch screen for user input.
5. Server - It refers to a computer that has been improved to provide network
services to other computers. Servers usually boast powerful processors, tons of
memory, and large hard drives.
6. Mainframes - These are huge computer system that can fill an entire room. They
are used especially by large firms to describe the large, expensive machines that
process millions of transactions every day.
7. Wearable Computers - They involve materials that are usually integrated into cell
phones, watches, and other small objects or places. They perform common
computer applications such as databases, email, multimedia, and schedulers.
The World Wide Web

The internet was developed during the 1970s. In the early days, it was used mainly
by scientists to communicate with other scientists. At this time, the internet users’
problem was speed. The development of the fiber optic hastened the rate of sending
messages.
In the 1990s, the world wide web (WWW) was developed mainly for commercial
purposes. New services were created to sell products. Now, airline tickets, hotel
reservations, books, and even cars and houses can be purchased online. Colleges and
universities would post research data on the internet so students could find valuable
information without leaving their homes.

• Claude E. Shannon, an American Mathematician, considered as the “Father of

Information Theory”
• The Internet is a worldwide system of interconnected networks that facilitate data
transmission among innumerable computers. It was developed during the 1970s
by the Department of Defense.
• One early problem faced by Internet users was speed. Phone lines could only
transmit information at a limited rate.
• Sergey Brin and Larry Page, directors of a Stanford research project, built a search
engine – Google. It is now the world’s most popular search engine, accepting more
than 200 million queries daily.

Living in the Information Age

Effects/Impact
Technology is increasingly playing a crucial role in the success of organizations
particularly in school in this Information Age. The impact of IT has been enormous on
various domains including education. Computers and the information they process and
store have transformed every aspect of the society.
Since we live in the Information Age, IT has become a part of our everyday lives.
There have been tremendous changes in the ways people live, work, and play over the
past three decades (hitechplatform.blogspot.com/2011/04/most-important-effect-of-
information.html). IT is composed of computer, networks, mobile and wireless devices,
satellite communications, robotics, videotext, cable television, electronic mail (e-mail),
electronic gadget, and automated office equipment. Technological innovation and
entrepreneurship have been the key players in the changes that we experience.
Everyday we use technology in new ways. Computers are becoming increasingly
affordable and they continue to be more powerful as information processing tools. Some
of the advantages of Information Technology are:

1. Globalization – it has brought the world closer together, led to sharing

information more quickly and efficiently and enabled countries to share ideas and
information with each other.
2. Communication – it has made communication cheaper, quicker and more
efficient. The use of the internet opened face-to-face communication from
different parts of the world.
3. Cost effectiveness – it has led to computerization of business processes and
increased productivity that gave more profits, better pay and working conditions.
4. Creation of new jobs – it has led to the opening up of opportunity for computer
programmers, systems analysts, hardware and software developers, and web
designers.

The Information Age has introduced changes in the different aspects of people’s
lives because of the following:

1. Emergence of online companies

2. Creation of economically and stimulating business
3. More mature an educated people
4. Reshaping governments with new technologies
(https://history_of_technology.if.weebly.com)

Problems with Information Age

• Infringement of personal privacy

• Excessive use of computers in teaching young children may impoverish the
development of intellectual capabilities
• Susceptible to online predation, identity theft, and scamming