INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Recent developments have given rise to what we call the INFORMATION REVOLUTION
which is also referred to as DIGITAL REVOLUTION. This era, according to Cayaban
(2004) have subsequently given rise to a new concern which is Information Technology (IT)
or more commonly referred to as Information and Communication Technology.

Braud (1998) said that today, Information Technology is revolutionizing lifestyles, work
styles, and is changing our lives, transforming the organizations in which we work, and
transforming the skills needed in order to succeed.

Information Technology has come to mean the collective term for the various technologies
involved in generating, processing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, and communicating
information at high speed. It encompasses the use of computers, telecommunications, office
systems technologies, and microelectronics. It has been said that computer technology, from
which IT is derived, is at the very heart of this scientific activity and progress (Padolina,
1997).

According to Encarta (2000), an electronic encyclopedia, the new IT based on

microelectronics, together with other innovations such as optical disk and fiber optics,
underpins large increases in the power, and decreases in the cost, of all sorts of information-
processing. The information-processing aspects of all work can be reshaped through IT, so
the revolution is not limited to professionals and blue-collar jobs. The changes ushered by
ICT also makes learning more fun and enjoyable, too.

Information Technology is an agent of change in present society and economy. It is the

technology whereby information - whether text, sound, or video can be transmitted over
global networks.

DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippine government has for the past decades given some considerable recognition of
IT as the cutting edge to “pole vault” into a newly industrialized country and to economic
development. The development of such IT plans and programs of the Philippine
government is based on the Philippine Constitution as provided in Article II and Article
XVI.

To wit:

“The State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-building”
(Section 24, Article II).

“The State shall provide the policy environment for the full development of Filipino
capability and the emergence of communication structures suitable to the needs and
aspirations of the nation and the balance flow of information ...” (Section 10, Article XVI).

According to Felipe (1997), it was only in the 90’s, however, that Information and
Communications Technology started to vigorously and actively take root in the Philippines.
Prior to the 90’s, Information Technology in the country did not, generally, prosper and
grow primarily because of other concerns and priorities such as supportive change in
political, technical, financial, and economic environments of the nation.
The biggest support came from President Fidel V. Ramos when he approved the 1996
National Information Technology Plan (NITP). The NITP is also known as THE
NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM PLAN which was subsequently revised in October
1997 and became known as IT 21. The ultimate goal of this plan is to make the Philippines as
the KNOWLEDGE CENTER OF ASIA. The plan, likewise, lays down the course for
Information Technology development in the country.

According to Carague (1998), the plan advocates the following objectives:

1. Educate government, business, and private leaders on the uses of IT in the enterprise
and nation-building;
2. Expand IT awareness among general public;
3. Promote the Philippines as an alternative center for IT education;
4. Build a capacity for self-reliance in the country’s educational and training institutions
in the area of IT education, research, and development;
5. Upgrade IT training and educational institutions; and
6. Produce a critical mass of IT workers of good quality and number of industry and
government.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

The International Society for Technology in Education (1995) believed that IT includes
computer hardware, the networks that tie computers together, and a host of devices that
convert information such as text, images, sounds, and motion into common digital formats.
However, IT is not just hardware, wires, and binary codes, but also the effective use of
digital information to extend human capabilities.

Tan (1991) as cited by Padolina (1997) described IT as both a process and a tool. According
to him, as a process, IT transform data that are systematically collected into useful and
timely information. As a tool, it enables an individual or an organization to increase its
efficiency, effectivity, and productivity by implementing a set of operational procedures,
feedback, and control. IT is also a means of transporting information using data, voice, or
video between and among parties found in different locations. More importantly, IT is about
people communicating with each other to share information, experiences, ideas, opinions,
and others.