Empowerment Technologies

1st Lesson (Evolution of ICT)

What is Empowerment Technologies?

It is about the study of different technologies (such as
mobile phones, telephone, computers, computer software, and other platforms) to enhance student’s ability in
harnessing these resources for productive uses in connection with his/her chosen track.

ICT (Information and Communications Technology) – It refers to the technologies, infrastructure, and components both
hardware and software that support, enhance, and optimize the delivery of information from person to person or from
one end of the line to the other.

-The birth of ICT

-Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized the communication field by inventing the telephone. Graham Bell lived in
Scotland and went to Canada and United states to work as a teacher for deaf students. He invented the telephone in
1876 After his invention, Graham Bell became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1882.

What was the first ever message sent over the phone?
- “Mr. Watson come here. I want to see you”

In order for the telephone to reach farther distances to maximize its benefit, a support facility is necessary. Railroad
posts were used to install electrical cables for use as telephone lines.

Other than telephone, what are the other technologies available today?

Phone, laptop, desktop, internet. These technologies and methodologies are collectively called as ICT.

Periods in the evolution of ICT

1. The Pre-mechanical period

- During this period, people communicated through engraved images or pictograms curved in rocks. Date:
3000 to 1450 B.C.
- Sumerian pictograms are symbols or images that depicts their day-to-day experiences, their thoughts, and
their ideas. This activity gave rise to the birth of our modern alphabet. So, people of this time stored
information through stone tablets which are bulky and heavy. And with the passing of time information was
inevitably growing and becoming enormous so another material was invented, the paper made from
Papyrus plant. Stored information in papers were compiled and bound as books. As books grew, hence
libraries were created. How did people then store numerical information – Abacus (first counting device).

2. The Mechanical period

- It started around 1450 to 1840. This period serves as the bridge to our current period. This particular period
is mainly focused on the development of machines that enhance calculation speed. Mechanical calculator
like the Pascaline (Blaise Pascal), the Analytical Engine – the first programmable mechanical computer
 (Charles Babbage) Father of Computers. Ada Lovelace – algorithm of analytical engine (first computer
programmer).
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3. The Electro-mechanical period

- This is the period where electricity is used for information handling and transferring. The need for faster and
reliable manner of communication over long distances has risen. Telegraph – information is coded in sounds
of dots, spaces, and dashes over wired media. Morse code, (first electrical communication medium) The
telephone was later invented enabling voice transmission over long distances.

4. The Electronic period

- This period started around 1940 and it led to the revolutionary or dramatic change in the field of
communication. An American electrical engineer by the name of Jack Kilby invented the IC (Integrated
Circuit), a device made up of transistors and circuit elements compressed in a single package.
- Vacuum tubes (amplifier to control electric current flow) Thermionic emission –ENIAC computers uses
vacuum tubes for operation.
- The advent of solid-state devices or oftentimes called as electronic devices has begun.
- Generation of computers (main events) from Vacuum period to transistor period then integrated circuit
period and finally the computer processors period (RAM vs. Processor). HDD vs. SSD

What are the categorical effects of rapid technological development in the field of electronics and communications?

1. High productivity
- The unprecedented and unparalleled speed of production of goods and services in the corporate world.

2. Ease of doing our day-to-day activities especially office or schoolwork because almost everything today is aided
by the use of electronic devices.
3. Even if the pandemic put on a sudden stop to our face-to-face classes in school, schooling is still made possible
through the use of electronic devices such computers, tablets, and cellphones etc.