Grade 12 Empowerment Technologies

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY TODAY: DEVELOPMENT AND COMMONLY

USED TOOLS

The terms information and communications technology (ICT) collectively refers to the
technologies, both hardware and software, that enable humans to communicate with one another. It is a
common misconception that ICT is Internet or computer alone. Basically, it is any form of technology that
enables you to communicate. We can look at ICT as the unification of telephone networks (the
communications part) and computer networks (the information part).

Evolution of ICT

The beginning of ICT can be traced back when humans started to use objects to communicate with
one another. It is ascertained that ICT began along with the rise of humans. There are four main periods in
history that divide the era of ICT, namely, the premechanical, mechanical, electromechanical, and electronic
periods. The periods that greatly affect our lives today involve the electromechanical period and the electronic
period. Nevertheless, there is still a need to observe and learn from the previous periods to appreciate the
technologies enjoyed today.

Period of ICT Development

The Premechanical Period

The premechanical period can be traced back thousands of years ago, around 3 000 BCE to 1 450 CE.
During this time, humans started communicating with one another using words and pictograms curved in
rocks. Then they started to write symbols as substitutes for pictures to depict ideas, objects, and animals.
These gave rise to our modern day alphabet. Time passed and early humans soon realized that stone tablets
are too heavy and bulky. The information to be stored was growing and was becoming enormous, and writing
these pieces of information in stone tablets was impractical. When paper was finally produced from the
papyrus plat, storing of information was revolutionized.

The abacus, considered to be the first counting device, was

introduced in the 2nd century BCE. Evidence suggests that the
Romans might have introduced the abacus to China, as trade
relations have existed between the Romans and the Chinese through
the Silk Road.

Humans continued to write information that can be organized in some manner and kept as a
permanent record. They eventually compiled these records written on pieces of paper and bound them
together, eventually giving birth to books. As these books grew in number, they needed to be compiled and
stored in areas; hence, libraries were created. Libraries were considered the first data centers in history.

In the late stages of this period, humans started using the numerical system. This numerical system
spread around the world gradually, enabling a simpler, faster, and more organized way to count. The most
popular device created in this period is said to have come from China – the abacus. The abacus is a manually
operated device similar to the modern calculator. This was considered as the first device to process
information.

The Mechanical Period

This period served as the bridge between our current period and the premechanical period. This period
started around 1 450 – 1 840. During this time, the interest in automating and speeding up numerical
calculations grew. The machines driven by mechanical means such as steam and gears dominated information
processing and calculation. This period also concentrated primarily on development of machines that will
enhance calculation speed. The highlight of this period is the advent of the mechanical calculator called the
Pascaline, which was invented by the famous mathematician inventor Blaise Pascal along with Wilhelm
Schickard.

Charles Babbage, a mathematician. He invented the Analytical Engine, which is considered the first
programmable mechanical computer. This invention earned Babbage the title “Father of the Computers.”
Another person to note is Ada Lovelace. She provided the algorithm for the analytical engine. Because of this
contribution, many people consider her as the first computer programmer.

The Electromechanical Period

This period started around 1 840 – 1 940. In this period, the use of electricity for information handling
and transfer bloomed. The need and the urgency to share information with one another in a faster yet reliable
manner over long distances aroused.

This period saw the use of the telegraph to transmit information over long distances. The information is
coded in sounds of dots, spaces, and dashes over wired (and eventually wireless) media. The telephone was
later invented, enabling voice transmission over long distances. Likewise, humans started to control electricity
using vacuum tubes in devices that eventually led to the development of today’s electronic gadgets.

The telegraph is considered the first electrical communications device. It was the first device to use
electricity to transmit information oven an electrical media. The first commercial telegraph was invented in 1
837 by William Cooke and Sir Charles Wheatstone. The first working model use five magnetic needles that
could be pointed around sets of letters and numbers by using electric current. However, humans were not
satisfied with simply transmitting symbols or letters over long distances; they became fascinated with the idea
of voice transmission. In 1 876, Alexander Graham Bell was granted the patent for the telephone. The
telephone converts sounds into electricity and enables the telephone network to transmit it over copper wires.

The Electronic Period

The last period in ICT history is the electronic period. It started in the 1 940s and continues to the
present. The highlight of this period is focused on the advent of solid state devices or electronic devices. The
four main events found in this period are the late vacuum tubes period, the transistors period, the integrated
circuits period, and the computer processors period.
The latter period of vaccum tube machines is the start of the electronic period. The dawn of the
Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), the first electronic and general purpose
computer, marked a revolutionary period in computing. ENIAC was a big machine that occupied an area of
167 square meters. Aside from its big size, its processing speed was slower than those of machines used
today.

In 1947, the transistor was invented. It is an electronic device with properties and functions similar to
vacuum tubes, but it is lightweight and faster.

An American electrical engineer named Jack Kilby was credited for introducing the integrated circuit
(IC) in 1958. The integrated circuit (IC) is a device that is composed of a group of transistors and circuit
elements compressed in a single package. IC’s are used in processing devices, and processors are constructed
in IC forms. Personal computers then used these processors to deliver user applications. From this time up to
today, computers are evolving from basic textual interfaces to graphical user interfaces or GUI.

The development of various forms of hardware with improved capabilities continues, but engineers and
scientists are more interested and focused on developing applications that will ease human productivity,
entertainment, and communication. In parallel with these developments, the technology of connectivity among
computers began to rise.

For decades, scientists and engineers developed methods of connectivity for sharing processed
information stored in computers and processing devices (i.e., Arpanet by the US Department of Defense in the
1960s). The result of this is the interconnection of computer devices and equipment we enjoy today. This
network is commonly known as the Internet. We can look at the Internet as a massive network of networks
(i.e., a global network infrastructure). It is the physical medium over which the World Wide Web, an
information sharing system, was built on top of.

ICT TODAY
 The World Wide Web was initially conceived for the purpose of communication among scientists within
a nuclear research institute in Geneva, Switzerland. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee in the 1 980s.

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (www) is the system that enables you to access hypertext documents and
other files over the Internet. The Technology was proposed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, in which a database
and interface will be implemented to associate links in readable documents. In the previous system,
documents are numbered with addresses that should be inputted to retrieve the file. This is called the Web
1.0 or the read only Web, wherein the information or hypertext file is accessed by the user. There were no
facilities to interact with it other than to read or view the content. Web 1.0 underwent multiple innovations
because of some inherent disadvantages. The Web 2.0 or the read-and-write Web started with the need to
interact with Web pages. Users wanted to e-mail Web sites and interact on social networking sites. The Web
2.0 enabled users or viewers to edit the content of the files they were accessing. In this period, blogging sites
started to gain popularity. Nontechnical users of the Web are empowered to easily publish and edit Web sites
through user-friendly interface in the Web browser. Today, the Web 3.0, which includes the semantic
executing Web, is being developed. The Web 3.0 is envisioned to be a smarter access of hypertext files and
a version that would enable a wider range of search in a fast manner.

The Social Media

ICT produced another high impact user application – the social media. These applications started
together with the Web 2.0 and are used in communicating and socializing with other application users in
virtual communities and networks. These applications allow users to create and exchange user-generated
information. A handful of social media applications have been developed over the years and some have been
discontinued depending on their effect on the users.

The social media platform contains different formats. Some of these forms of social media are blogs,
enterprise social networks, forums, photo-sharing sites, product selling and review sites, research sharing
sites, special interests groups, social games, social networks, and video sharing.

The effectiveness of a social media application can be measured by its virality, which is defined as the
rate of reposting or sharing of photos, pieces of information, or ideas published on one’s social media profile
or page. The main benefactors of virality are businesses, nonprofit organizations, and special interests groups
that use online marketing and campaigns through these social media sites. The more viral their ads become,
the better or more effective their publication campaign will be.

Research and Information Seeking

One of the ideal applications laid down for ICT and the World Wide Web is for research and education.
Since Web 1.0, the main objectives of Internet sites are to share and disseminate information. Today, there
are a number of information sources over the Internet, some of which are presented below.

 Web search engines – These are programs designed to search or mine the World Wide Web based
on keywords provided by the user. They return search results such as Web sites, files, photos, or other
media files. Examples of these are Bing, Duckduckgo, Google, and Yahoo.
 Research indexing sites - These are Web sites dedicated to compile and index researches done by
academic researchers, engineers, social scientists, and so on. Examples are IEEE Xplore and Google
Scholar.
 Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) sites or tutorial sites – These are Web sites dedicated to
teach and inform users focused on different areas. The delivery of information is similar to a classroom
lecture setup, wherein lectures and assignments are delivered and submitted, respectively, online.
Various universities around the world offer this service. Examples are Coursera, edX, and Udemy.
 Employment Web sites – These are Web sites that enable companies to post job vacancies and also
accommodate job seekers by providing a resume-submission facility. One important feature of these
Web sites is the ability to match the qualification of the applicant and the required qualification in a
certain job vacancy. Examples are JobStreet and Bestjobs.
 Electronic commerce e-commerce – This is a technology that uses electronic means to trade
products and currencies. It also includes any technology that introduces ease in business management
and customer convenience.

Online Ethics and Etiquette

 The term “netiquette” is a coined or portmanteau term of network and etiquette. The term “netizen”
refers to the person who is a member or a part of the online community. Hence, a netiquette is a set of ideal
rules and conduct that a netizen should observe in communicating and/or publishing information and materials
over the World Wide Web and in ICT in general. The rules of conduct in the Web vary from one community to
another. However, there are some key points to keep in mind to maintain good conduct over the Internet.

 Recognize that your avatar, or your online representation, is not another world but an extension of
your personality and an extension of the existing society that you are part of. Anything that you
publish, post, or share affects you and another individual who exists somewhere in the globe, and this
individual may be some whom you might bump into.
 You should apply the values and conduct learned since childhood in the online extension of our society.
The values and conduct imparted to us, such as respect, kindness, and courtesy to others, should be
observed as we expect to receive them from others. Theft, hate speech, gossip, pornography, and
bullying are unacceptable in the online community as they are in our interaction with other people.
 Keep in mind that there are laws existing in our society and on the Web. Remember that there are
punishments laid by the government, not for the sake of punishing, but for peace and order among the
citizens.
 The World Wide Web enables participation of people from different countries with different cultures
and religions. Keep in mind that there are differences among the individuals you will interact and the
individuals who will read your published contents. Be sensitive with their beliefs, cultures, and religions.
Furthermore, the differences will result in different behaviors and social norms.
 Everything published on the World Wide Web should be considered as copyrighted or owned by
another individual. However, this does not mean that you cannot use these materials for your personal
use. If the materials are going to be used for educational purposes, certain rules should be followed in
academic writing, referencing, and making citation acknowledgement. If these materials are going to
be used another Web site and will be published, you should seek permission from the author. It is also
unethical to disseminate the personal information of others without their permission. Using the Web to
distribute photos, videos, and other pieces of information (e.g., names, addresses, and bank accounts)
is also not acceptable.
 In sending correspondence in either email or chat, be careful in selecting words to communicate. As
much as possible, use the appropriate manner of communication and avoid threatening and
disrespectful words.

Online Safety and Security

Each individual when accessing the World Wide Web is concerned with the safety of his or her terminal
or computer and the information that will be transmitted or received. Here are a number of threats that can be
acquired from connecting to the World Wide Web.

 Spam – This refers to the transmission of unsolicited messages from various origins using electronic
messaging systems such as email and chat messengers. Typically, attackers use spam as a tool for
advertisement. Email spam is the most common form, which is also known as unsolicited bulk email
(UBE).
 Phishing – this is defined as a software or a program used by an attacker to obtain personal
information. Attackers commonly target user passwords to hack and take control of a user account.
Furthermore, credit card numbers are also targeted by phishing.
 Malware – This is the short term for malicious software, which is a computer software sent by
attackers to inflict chaos on a computer’s operation and processes. Most of the time, this program is
disguised as enticing Web sites. Malwares are used to spy upon the activity of the computer and steal
information.

Other threats worth a mention are viruses, trojan horses, worms, denial-of-service attacks, hacking,
ransomware, spyware and adware, and rootkits.

There are numbers of threats lingering on the World Wide Web, and users are very prone to being
infected by these threats. A very effective way of avoiding these threats is verifying the authenticity of
information from the World Wide Web.

Government Provisions for Online Courtesy and Etiquette

 The Philippine government ensures the welfare of its people in their ICT experience by enacting various
laws and regulations. When ICT grew in the country, several security issues arose and became a concern for
lawmakers. There are incidents of theft, scam, phishing, and other activities that victimize Filipino people.
Laws that aim to protect the people from these illegal activities were presented.

 Republic Act 10627 or Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 – Bullying is defined as “severe or repeated use
by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical gesture, or any
combination thereof, directed to another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the
latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his property.” This law also
includes protection of individuals from bullying through electronic means. Bullying invades an
individual’s privacy by using photos and other information meant to disgrace that individual.
 Republic Act 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 – This law protects an individual
from various unwanted online and cyber acts that may harm or evade one’s privacy and integrity.
Cybercrime offenses include, but are not limited to, integrity and availability of data, illegal access of
computers through remote means without permission, interception of one’s information from a private
conversation or correspondence, acquisition of passwords and other vital information from an
individual, computer forgery, and libel.
Another law to note is the Data Privacy Act of 2012, which protect personal information and data
from being divulged without consent.