UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

MODULE IN LIVING IN IT ERA

Course Code: GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT

Course Title: Living in IT Era
Credit Units: 3 units
Course Description:

This course explores the science, culture and ethics of information technology, its various uses and
applications, as well as its influence on culture and society. It will provide knowledge on new
technologies, modern innovations, technology trends and the history of Information Technology
age. It aims to strike a balance between conceptual instruction and socially and culturally oriented
discussions as it not only explains the basic concepts or key terms in IT but also features the major
IT trends along with the issues and challenges these developments bring.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module, students are expected to:

Cognitive:

➢ Describe the current trends in the field of information technology.

➢ Discuss the Internet of Things and its influence on the society.

Affective:

➢ Explain automation and its impact on the society.

➢ Distinguishes how IT influence culture and social behavior.
Psychomotor:

➢ Improve awareness of how IoT and automation uses in daily lives.

➢ Discuss the greatest challenges about the devices, software, or solutions – it is about how
we manage the process of cultural change and its effect to our society.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

➢ Identify the application of IoT

➢ Identify the capabilities of IoT
➢ Identify the basic history of IoT

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 1
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

LESSON 10. IT CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Learning Activities:

Technology is changing every aspect of our lives. The benefits provided by new digital approaches
are having a huge impact on our societies. However, one of the greatest business challenges is not
about the devices, software, or solutions – it is about how we manage the process of cultural change
and its effect to our society. On this, we will learn what are the different technological
advancements and future trends in technology that could potentially change and shaped the way
we live our lives.

The Impact of IT on the Society

In the past few decades there has been a revolution in computing and communications, and all
indications are that technological progress and use of information technology will continue at a
rapid pace. Accompanying and supporting the dramatic increases in the power and use of new
information technologies has been the declining cost of communications as a result of both
technological improvements and increased competition. Today, innovations in information
technology are having wide-ranging effects across numerous domains of society, and policy
makers are acting on issues involving economic productivity, intellectual property rights, privacy
protection, and affordability of and access to information.

One of the most significant outcomes of the progress of information technology is probably
electronic commerce over the Internet, a new way of conducting business. It may radically alter
economic activities and the social environment. Already, it affects such large sectors as
communications, finance and retail trade and might expand to areas such as education and health
services. It implies the seamless application of information and communication technology along
the entire value chain of a business that is conducted electronically.

• IoT and smart home technology

• Augmented reality and virtual reality
• Machine learning
• Automation
• Big Data
• Everything on demand

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 2
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

Majority of organizations and companies nowadays have taken these trends into account, shifting,
manual business processes to automated ones using ICT to improve their products and services.
Among these trends, the Internet of Thing (IoT) and Automation seem to have greatly influenced
present-day culture and society.

Internet of Things - (IoT)

“The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital
machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to
transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer
interaction.”

The "Internet of things" (IoT) is becoming an increasingly growing topic of conversation both in
the workplace and outside of it. It's a concept that not only has the potential to impact how we live
but also how we work.

Figure 10.1 Everyday objects and activities connected to the Internet

➢ Internet of Things is a set up of devices and objects which are connected together
in a given network. Their connection, often wirelessly, is possible using both
hardware and software.

➢ The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the ever-growing network of physical

objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication
that occurs between theses objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems.
GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 3
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

➢ In simple words, Internet of Things (IoT) is an ecosystem of connected physical

objects that are accessible through the Internet. The ‘thing’ in IoT could be a person
with a heart monitor or an automobile with built-in-sensors, i.e., objects that have
been assigned an IP address and have the ability to collect and transfer data over a
network without manual assistance or interventions.

➢ It is also referred to as Machine-to-Machine (m2m), or Internet of Everything.

The real promise of the internet of things is making our physical surroundings accessible to our
digital computers, putting sensors on everything in the world and translating it into a digital format.
Internet-connected objects could be the key to unlocking predictions about everything from
consumer behavior to climate events, but those same objects could invite hackers into personal
spaces and leak intimate data. Depending on who you ask, the growing internet of things either
represents the promise of technology—the thing that will reinvent modern life as we know it—or
that which will be our technological undoing.

IoT Through the Years

• 1990 - John Romkey creates the first IoT device: a toaster that he controls with his
computer.
• 1999 – Kevin Ashton coins the term “internet of things” to describe the eyes and
ears of a computer.
• 2000 – LG introduces its first connected refrigerator with a $20,000 price tag.
• 2008 – The world’s first IoT conference is held in Zurich, Switzerland.
• 2010 – Tony Fadell founds Nest, maker of the smart thermostat.
• 2013 – Oxford Dictionary adds the term “internet of things”.
• 2014 – Amazon introduces the echo speaker, along with the Alexa voice assistant-
a new way to control the smart home.
• 2016 – The Mirai botnet infects over 600,000 IoT devices with malware.
• 2020 – The number of internet-connected devices, by some estimates, exceeds 20
billion.

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 4
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

Components of IoT

1. Sensors/Devices

Sensors or devices help in collecting very minute data from the surrounding environment.
All of this collected data can have various degrees of complexities ranging from a simple
temperature monitoring sensor or a complex full video feed.

2. Connectivity

Collected data is sent to a cloud infrastructure but it needs a medium for transport.

3. Data Processing

Once the data is collected and it gets to the cloud, the software performs processing on the
acquired data.

4. User Interface

The information made available to the end-user in some way. This can achieve by
triggering alarms on their phones or notifying through texts or emails.

Capabilities of IoT

A major requirement of IoT is a strong internet connection, as all devices must be able to
communicate with one another for the upload and download of needed data. But aside from
connectivity, IoT should also be capable of the following:

• Integration across technology and business

Sensor can be used to help improve business processes, such as machines used for
manufacturing and productions, security systems, and even simple ones like
automatically turning on and off a light switch.

• Data Analysis and Integration

IoT should be capable of providing analytics to help organizations in their decision-

making. However, for this to be effective, data must be synchronized to allow

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 5
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

integration with all of the business aspects, including top management, operations,
and even customer relations.

• Security and Service

With all of these devices being used and all of these data being collected, a major
concern is obviously security. To improve security, IoT devices are usually divided
into networks and each network has a different network access, some more
restricted than others, without compromising connection and system integration.

Challenges of IoT

• System Requirements

Industries normally identify different requirements, especially depending on the

type of Industry they belong to.

• Connectivity

With the varying connections-wired and wireless, as well as the different protocols
governing each connection, it will be a challenge to come up with an IoT project
concerning such protocols.

• Power Requirements

IoT devices need to run on batteries as majority of these devices are mobile. The
challenge, therefore, is how to extend the battery life on such devices, especially
those used in critical procedures, such as health, disaster management, and safety.

• Security

One the most highlighted issues in the application of IoT is data security.
Confidential information such as patients’ records or employees’ profile are
considered at risk.

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 6
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

• Development

The task of creating IoT projects may seem daunting, so one of the challenges
identified is how to expand the capabilities of developers, and not just expert, in
order to create more “smart things.”

• Service

With data collected from IoT, it is important as well to determine where all this will
go and to identify the platform in which these IoT applications will be placed.

Applications of IoT

• Smart Cities

Smart cities have adopted IoT in traffic management, waste disposal, and even
community monitoring for the security of the city’s residents.

• Connected Industries

The oil and gas industry is identified as one of the front-runners for IoT connectivity
which includes remote access to heavy equipment and machinery, from
manufacturing to production.

• Connected Buildings

Connected Building projects involved facility, automation to reduce energy costs.

• Connected Cars

With smart cities adopting IoT for their traffic management, it is no longer
surprising for the latest car models to be equipped with sensors and network
connectivity.

• Smart Energy

Majority of smart energy projects focus on developing smart grids for renewable
energy and infrastructure.
GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 7
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

Why IoT Matters

When something is connected to the internet, that means that it can send information or receive
information, or both. This ability to send and/or receive information makes things “smart."

Let’s use smartphones again as an example. Right now, you can listen to just about any song in
the world, but it’s not because your phone actually has every song in the world stored on it. It’s
because every song in the world is stored somewhere else, but your phone can send information
(asking for that song) and then receive information (streaming that song on your phone).

To be smart, a thing doesn't need to have super storage or a supercomputer inside of it - it just
needs access to it. All a thing has to do is connect to super storage or to a supercomputer. In the
Internet of Things, all the things that are being connected to the internet can be put into three
categories:

• Things that collect information and then send it.

• Things that receive information and then act on it.
• Things that do both.
• And all three of these have enormous benefits that compound on each other.

➢ Collecting and Sending Information

Sensors could be temperature sensors, motion sensors, moisture sensors, air quality
sensors, light sensors, you name it. These sensors, along with a connection, allow us to
automatically collect information from the environment which, in turn, allows us to make
more intelligent decisions.

➢ Receiving and Acting on Information

We’re all very familiar with machines getting information and then acting. Your printer
receives a document, and it prints it. Your car receives a signal from your car keys and the
doors open. The examples are endless.

➢ Doing Both: The Goal of an IoT System

The sensors can collect information about the soil moisture to tell the farmer how much
to water the crops, but you don’t actually need the farmer. Instead, the irrigation system
can automatically turn on as needed, based on how much moisture is in the soil.
GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 8
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

IoT benefits to organizations

The internet of things offers several benefits to organizations. Some benefits are industry-specific,
and some are applicable across multiple industries. Some of the common benefits of IoT enable
businesses to:

• monitor their overall business processes

• improve the customer experience
• save time and money
• enhance employee productivity
• integrate and adapt business models
• make better business decisions; and
• generate more revenue.

The Future of the Internet of Things

One day, the internet of things will become the internet of everything. The objects in our world
might sense and react to us individually all the time, so that a smart thermostat automatically
adjusts based on your body temperature or the house automatically locks itself when you get into
bed. Your clothes might come with connected sensors, too,

Pros and cons of IoT

Advantages of IoT

• ability to access information from anywhere at any time on any device.

• improved communication between connected electronic devices.
• transferring data packets over a connected network saving time and money; and
• automating tasks helping to improve the quality of a business's services and
reducing the need for human intervention.

Disadvantages of IoT

• As the number of connected devices increases and more information is shared

between devices, the potential that a hacker could steal confidential information
also increases.
GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 9
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

• Enterprises may eventually have to deal with massive numbers -- maybe even
millions -- of IoT devices, and collecting and managing the data from all those
devices will be challenging.
• If there's a bug in the system, it's likely that every connected device will become
corrupted.
• Since there's no international standard of compatibility for IoT, it's difficult for
devices from different manufacturers to communicate with each other.

Automation

Automation is the creation and application of technologies to produce and deliver goods and
services with minimal human intervention. The implementation of automation technologies,
techniques and processes improve the efficiency, reliability, and/or speed of many tasks that were
previously performed by humans.

➢ Use of machines and technology to make processes run on their own without
manpower.

With the available technology and standards for computer system interconnection, the demand
for system automation is on the rise. Colloquially called “computerization”, having an automated
system means automated business processes operations, service provider, monitoring, and even
tools.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

The application of technology that allows employees in a company to configure computer

software or a “robot” to capture and interpret existing applications for processing a transaction,
manipulating data, triggering responses, and communicating with other digital systems.

• Process Automation

The use not only of industrial robots but also of “presentation-layer automation
software” is capable of carrying out daily operations of an organizations.

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 10
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

• Automated Assistants

Apple’s Siri is an example of a voice recognition software used in RPA’s.

instead of machine language (binary), computers will be able to understand
human language and interact with the same.

o Another example for automated assistants will be banks having an

automated customer service hotline. Customer call the bank, and instead
of a human operator, an automated assistant will respond asking for
details, such as service choices, account numbers, etc.,

Sensors

Sensors are hardware devices that have the capability to measure an event, object, or any
physical quality that is happening. (a heartrate of a person while jogging).

• Temperature Sensor – capable of measuring temperature as well as detecting

its rise or fall.
• Infrared (IR) Sensor – often used for security purposes detects infrared light. It
is commonly used along with an infrared light source.
• Ultrasonic Sensor – It detect sound waves, such as how radars and sonars pick
up sounds.
• Touch Sensor – through touch, the sensors activate itself and becomes capable
of doing its functions. (Samsung, apple, log-in to access the device).
• Proximity Sensor – able to detect objects within a certain range, even if the
objects are not physically touching the sensor yet.
• Pressure Sensor – helps determine the weight or impact of a certain object.
• Level Sensor – it can detect the level of liquids, fluids, grainy, granular
materials, such as powders, etc.,
• Smoke/Gas sensor – this sensor used to detect the presence of dangerous fumes
such as carbon monoxide caused by fire. Smoke alarms show how this sensor
works.

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 11
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines

COLLEGE FRESHMEN PROGRAM

First Semester, School Year 2021-2022

Reference/s:

➢ Ronia R. Caoili-Tayuan and Mia V. Eleazar., 2019. Living in the Information Technology
Era

Prepared by:

IT INSTRUCTORS

GEEL 1 / Elective 1MT | Living in the Information Technology Era | IT Culture and Society 12