Course Title: Science Technology and Society

Date : December 3, 2022

Module 11

Content : The Information Age

 Opening Prayer
Let us now pause for a moment and feel the presence of
God in our midst.
In the name of the Father …
Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for the gift of
life, for all the blessings we receive everyday.
Thank you Lord for keeping us safe and healthy and
bringing us together in this class. We pray that You will
send forth the Holy Spirit to guide, enlighten and to
focus our attention to our discussion in order to
understand fully and learn the lesson well.
As we pray … Hail Mary … Holy Mary Mother of God …
In the name of the Father …
Good Day Everyone …

2
Topics for Finals:

Specific Issues in Science and Technology and

Society:
Information Age
History
Computer
World Wide (Internet)
Application of Computers in Science Research
How to Check the Reliability of Web Sources

3
Biodiversity and Healthy Society:
Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Changes and Threats of Biodiversity
Consequences of Biodiversity Loss
National Impact of Biodiversity
Health, Biology and Biodiversity
Environment-Related Illnesses

4
Genetically modified organisms
GMOs in:
 a. Non food and agricultural industries
 b. Non food crops and micro-organisms
Benefits and Risks of GMO's
Biosafety in GMOs
GMOs in the Philippine Context

5
The Nano World:
Nano Materials & Manufacturing
Government Funding for Nanotechnology
Benefits and Concerns of Using
Nanotechnology

6
Climate Change:
Causes of Climate Change
Effects of Climate Change on Society

FINAL EXAMS

7
 Objectives
Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:

 define Information Age;

 trace the development of the information age and discuss the history of the
information age;

 determine the impacts of the information age to society;

 analyze the ways in which the information age and social media influence
human lives; and

 understand the factors that need to be considered in checking the website

sources.
 Information Age
Collins Dictionary simply defines information age or also
known as 'the digital age' as “a time when large amounts
of information are widely available to many people, largely
through computer technology”.

The modern age regarded as a time in which information

has become a commodity that is quickly and widely
disseminated and easily available especially through the
use of computer technology Information has a unique
quality as a resource and a commodity,
The Information Age (also known as the Computer Age,
Digital Age, or New Media Age) is a historical period that
began in the mid-20th century, characterized by a rapid
epochal shift from the traditional industry established by
the Industrial Revolution to an economy primarily based
upon information technology.
What are the developments in information age?

More technological changes, such as the development of

fiber optic cables and faster microprocessors which
accelerated the transmission and processing of
information.
 What are the four periods of information age?

 Pre-mechanical Age
 Mechanical Age
 Electromechanical Age
 Electronic Age.
 Impacts of Information Age to Society

It can improve relationships at home, work, and in social

situations by deepening your connections to others and
improving teamwork, decision-making, caring, and
problem solving.
 Impacts of Information Age to Society

It enables you to communicate even negative or difficult

messages without creating conflict or destroying trust.
 Impacts of Information Age to Society

Information technology has helped to computerize the

company process thus streamlining companies to create
them extremely economical money-making machines.
This usually means that a company can be available
anytime anyplace, making purchases from various
countries easier and much more convenient.
 Impacts of Information Age to Society

Digital technologies enable scientists to perform

experiments not previously possible to conduct.

However digital technologies also make it possible to

manipulate scientific data and research results to an
extent not previously possible or detectible.
 How do Information age and Social Media
influence Human Lives?

Social media have changed our personal space, altering

the way we interact with our loved ones, our friends, and
our sexual partners.

They have forced us to rethink even basic daily processes

like studying and shopping.

They have affected the economy by nurturing the

business startup culture and electronic commerce;
 The Information Age
A period starting in the last quarter of the 20th century when
information became effortlessly accessible through publications and
through the management of information by computers and computer
networks.

James R. Messenger (1982) proposed the theory of Information Age.

The Information Age (also known as the
Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age) is
a historical period that began in the mid-20th
century, characterized by a rapid epochal shift
from the traditional industry established by the
Industrial Revolution to an economy primarily
based upon information technology.
 In the 1990's, Information became the currency in the business
world. Information was the preferred medium of exchange and
the information managers served as information officers.

 In the present generation, information has turned out to be a

commodity, an overdeveloped product, mass produced and
unspecialized.

 Information is very important tool that helps improve our way of

life. Nowadays information could be shared or transferred very
quickly.

 - People are becoming more interested in sharing information

about themselves.

 - Various aspects of our society are being influenced by the

information age especially in communication, economics,,
industry, health and environment.

 It makes life much easier and more convenient.

The upgrade of information poses positive and negative impacts
to our society. So there is a need to:

 a) carefully check our motives before disseminating the

information.

 b) verify information before believing them and using and

sharing them

 c) share information that could help improve our lives and

others.
Computers- are among the most important contributions of advances in the
Information Age to Society.

Computer- is an electronic device that stored and processes data (information).

It runs on a program that contains the exact step by step directions to solve a
problem.

It is any device that has a microprocessor unit.

It is a device that receives input from the user through a mouse ( hand guided
directions tool) or keyboard processes it in some fashion and presents the
result on a screen.
 Types of Computer
 1. Personal Computer (PC) it is a single user instrument. PC's were first
known as microcomputers since then were complete computers but built on
a smaller scale than the enormous systems operated by most businesses.

 2. Desktop Computer- described as a PC that is not designed for portability.

It will be set up in a permanent spot. A workstation is simply a desktop
computer that has more powerful processor, additional memory and
enhanced capabilities for performing special group of tasks such as 3D
graphics and game development. Most desktops offer more storage, power
and versatility than their portable versions.

 3. Laptops are portable computers that integrate the essentials of a desktop

computer in a battery powered package which are somewhat larger than the
typical hardcover book. They are commonly called notebooks.

 4. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's) - are tightly integrated computers that

usually have no keyboards but rely on a touchscreen for user input. It is
smaller than paperback, lightweight and battery powered.
 Types of Computer
 5. Server- refers to a computer that has been improved to provide network
services to other computers. It usually boast powerful processors, tons of
memory and large hard drives.

 6. Mainframes - are huge computers that fill an entire room. They are used
in a large firms to describe the large expensive machines that process
millions of transactions everyday.

 7. Wearable Computers- involve materials that are usually integrated into

cellphones, watches and other small objects or places. It performs common
computer applications such as databases, emails, multimedia and
schedulers.
 WORLDWIDE WEB (Internet)
Claude E. Shannon- American Mathematician- Father of information
theory

 Internet is a worldwide system of interconnected networks that

facilitate data transmission among innumerable computers. It was
developed during the 1970 by the Department of Defense.
 Applications of Computers in Science & Research

Significant applications of computers and research is in the metrics

of bioinformatics.

 Bioinformatics- is the application of information technology to

store, organize and analyze vast amount of biological data which
is available in the form of sequences and structures of proteins -
the building blocks of organisms and nucleic acids - the
information carrier.

 Bioinformatics was established because of the need to create

databases of biological sequences. The human brain cannot
store all the genetic sequence of organisms and this huge
amount of data can only be stored, analyzed and be used
efficiently with the use of computers.
In pharmaceutical industry, bioinformatics is the key to rational drug discovery.

- It reduces the number of trials in the screening of drug compounds, and

-In identifying potential drug targets for a particular disease using high power
computing work stations and software.

In plant biotechnology, bioinformatics is found to be useful in the areas of

identifying diseases, resistance genes and designing plants with high nutrition
value.
There are six (6) criteria that should be applied when
evaluating any Web site:

1) authority

2) accuracy

3) objectivity

4) currency

5) coverage and

6) appearance

For each criterion, there are several questions to be

asked. The more questions you can answer "yes", the
more likely the Web site is one of quality.
How to check reliability of web sources.

The following guidelines can help check the reliability of web sources that we
gather?

1. Who is the author of article/site? - How to find out?

- Look for more information about the author.

2. Who published the site? How to find out?

- Look at the domain name of the website that will tell you.

Who is hosting the site?

3. What is the main purpose of the site?

Why did the author write it and why did the publisher post it?

4. Who is the intended audience?

5. What is the quality of information provided in the website?

Thank You For Listening!