GEE 5-Living in the IT Era

Title of the Chapter:

The Information and Communication

Technology

Chapter 1
Overview

Information Technology (or IT) is a general term that describes any technology that
helps produce, manipulate, store, communicate and/ or disseminate information
(Williams & Sawyer, 2011). In this Era, people want fast and instant processes for
getting their work done. Everybody wants to have a just one-click-away and one-stop-
shop button to accomplish their desired work outputs. Hence, the usefulness of
Information Technology has become a basic yet essential part of humans’ daily
activities.

Today almost every job and profession requires computer and information
technology skills. Some jobs only need basic computer and technological skills, while
other jobs require an advanced computer and technological skills to accomplish
specialized jobs.

Thus, to better understand Information Technology, this chapter introduces

the Basics of Information Technology, computers, and their purposes.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

1. differentiate the concepts and components of Information Technology,
2. explain and distinguish the five sizes of computers and their functions.
3. extricate hardware and software and the basic operations of computer.

Pre-test
Multiple Choice: Circle the letter that corresponds to the correct answer.

1. It refers to the physical components of a computer that one can actually touch
which provide information and instructions to the computer. Examples are
mouse, printer, speakers etc.
a. Internet c. Software
b. WWW d. Hardware

2. These are the largest, fastest and most expensive computers.

a. Microcomputers c. Mainframe computers
b. Desktop computers d. Supercomputers

3. It is an act of transmitting messages.

a. DVD Player c. Telephone
b. Speaker d. Communication

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4. It is a communication system connecting two or more computers

a. Telephone c. Cable
b. Network d. None of the choices

5. It is a software that helps the computer to perform essential operating tasks and
enables the application software to run.
a. Application software c. Microsoft Office 95
b. Microsoft Office XP d. System software

6. 1 gigabyte is more than how many characters

a. 1 trillion characters c. 1 billion characters
b. 1 quadrillion characters d. 1 million characters

7. 1 terabyte is more than how many characters

a. 1 trillion characters c. 1 billion characters
b. 1 quadrillion characters d. 1 million characters

8. It is an input device that has alphabetic, numeric and function keys for the entry of
information.
a. mouse c. keyboard
b. speaker d. projector

9. The following are the core values of WPU except for one
a. Commitment c. Charism
b. Creativity d. Teamwork

10. It refers to the knowledge obtained from reading, investigation, study, or research.
a. Information technology c. Information
b. Technology d. communication

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 GEE 5-Living in the IT Era

Lesson 1- Introduction to Information and Communication Technology

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the chapter, students can:

1. explain the difference among data, information and knowledge

2. associate concepts of information, Technology, information technology and
ICT?
3. distinguish concepts of the Internet, Cyberspace and World Wide Web.

Time Allotment
Week 1, Day 1: (1 hour and 30 minutes)

Discussion

Information Communication Technology

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deals with using different
communication technologies, such as mobile phones, telephones, Internet, etc. to locate, save,
send and edit information.

IT versus ICT
What is the difference between IT and ICT? Is there really a difference?

ICT or Information and Communication Technology is often used in a more general

sense and is described as using computers and other digital technologies to assist individuals
or institutions in handling or using information. ICT is a technology that supports activities
involving information such as gathering, processing, storing, and presenting data involving
collocation and communication.

Information Technology pertains to the industry that involves computers, software,

networking, and other infrastructure to help relay or manage information important in
modern-day living, as seen primarily in large companies or corporations. Thus, IT is a subset
of ICT as the Technology used in the IT field aids in the use of ICT.

Information refers to the knowledge obtained from reading, investigation, study, or

research. Some of the tools that transmit information are the telephone, television, and radio.

Communication is the act of transmitting messages. It is a process in which

information is exchanged between individuals through verbal and non-verbal means.

Technology has evolved in ways to improve people’s daily activities. As mentioned

above, Technology has made communication much easier and faster.

The term Information and Communication Technology is used as an extended

synonym for information technology (IT), but is a more specific term that stresses the role of
unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and
wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and
audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate
information.

The term ICT is now also used to refer to the convergence of audio-visual and telephone
networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system.

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From Data to Information to Knowledge

Data- The plural of the Latin word datum, meaning "what is given," is often used as a
singular collective noun.
-These are facts, figures, or instructions presented in a form that can be
comprehended, interpreted, and communicated by a human being or processed by
a computer.

Information- Data presented in a readily comprehensible form to which meaning

has been attributed within the context of its use. In a more dynamic sense, the
message is conveyed by the use of a medium of communication or expression.
Whether a specific message is informative or not depends in part on the subjective
perception of the person receiving it.

Knowledge- Information that has been comprehended and evaluated in the light of
experience and incorporated into the knower's intellectual understanding of the
subject.

1
2 Figure 1 shows data as a set of symbols. In
this figure, the symbols are the numbers.
3
4
5

Figure 1. Data as a set of symbols

2 Number of Ms. Juana’s children Figure 2 shows that

without a set of rules
3 Number of Ms. Aidyl’s children and meaning for
interpreting it, it has no
5 Number of Mr. Peter’s children meaning.

1 Number of Ms. Mary’s children

Figure 2 shows that Ms.
4 Number of Ms. Anton’s children Juana has 2 children, Ms.
Aidyl has 3 and so on.

Figure 2. Data becomes Information

Information becomes knowledge when we combine it with other information on the

same topic.

For example, by using the information on Figure 2, we develop knowledge on the

number of children per person and which among them has more blessings
(children).

Technology is a manner of accomplishing a task especially using technical processes,

methods, or knowledge (Websters, 2020).

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Information when it is partnered with Technology it becomes Information

Technology (IT) that describes any technology that helps to produce,
manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information. IT merges
computing with high-speed communications links carrying data, sound, and video.
Examples of information technology include personal computers but also new
forms of telephones, televisions, appliances, and various handheld devices.

There are two important parts of Information Technology (1) Computers and (2)
communications.

Computer is a programmable, multiuse machine that accepts data-raw facts and

figures—and processes, or manipulates, it into information, such as summaries,
totals, or reports. Its purpose is to speed up problem solving and increase
productivity.

While, Communication is an act of transmitting messages. Also, there is what we

called Communication technology or Telecommunication Technology
which is a subset of IT that consists electromagnetic devices and systems for
communicating over long distances. It is also called Telecommunications
Technology. Examples are telephone, radio, broadcast television and cable TV.
▪ In this context, online means using a computer or some other information
device, connected through a network, to access information and services from
another computer or information device.
▪ A network is a communication system connecting two or more computers; the
Internet is the largest such network.

The Internet, the World Wide Web, and the Cyberspace

The term cyberspace was coined by William Gibson in his novel Necromancer
(1984) to describe a futuristic computer network into which users plug their brains. (Cyber
comes from “cybernetics,” a term coined in 1948 to apply to the comparative study of
automatic control systems, such as the brain/nervous system and mechanical-electrical
communication systems.)

Today many people equate cyberspace with the Internet. But it is much more than that.
Cyberspace includes not only the web, chat rooms, online diaries (blogs), and member-based
services such as America Online—all features we explain in this book—“but also such things as
conference calls and automatic teller machines,” says David Whittler. We may say, then, that
cyberspace encompasses not only the online world and the Internet in particular but also the
whole wired and wireless world of communications in general—the nonphysical terrain created
by computer and communications systems.

The Internet—“the mother of all networks”: The Internet is at the heart of the
Information Age. Called “the mother of all networks,” the Internet (the “net”) is a worldwide
computer network that connects hundreds of thousands of smaller networks. These networks
link educational, commercial, nonprofit, and military entities, as well as individuals.

The World Wide Web—the multimedia part of the Internet: The Internet has been
around for more than 40 years. But what made it popular, apart from email, was the
development in the early 1990s of the World Wide Web, and often called simply the “Web” or
the “web”— an interconnected system of internet computers (called servers) that support
specially formatted documents in multimedia form. The word multimedia, is from “multiple
media,” refers to Technology that presents information in more than one medium, such as text,
still images, moving images, and sound.

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Activities/Exercises
Rubrics/ Practical Applications: 10 points each (Organization-5; Content-5).

1. Differentiate data, information, and knowledge by providing a

scenario that could be observed from your classmates (states their
names). (See a sample from Figure 1 to Figure 2)
2. What do you think is/ are the relationship/s of information,
Technology, Information Technology, and ICT? [Keep that in mind
that there are four items here]
3. How do you associate the concepts of the Internet, cyberspace, and
World Wide Web? [In this particular activity, capitalize all letters
whenever you mention the INTERNET, CYBERSPACE, AND
WWW)

Evaluation/Post-test (ACTIVITY FOR THE NEXT MEETING)

TRUE or FALSE. Write the surname of your teacher in the space provided
before the item if the statement is TRUE. On the other hand, write your first
name (first word in case you have multiple first names) if the statement is
FALSE and provide the correct answer on the blank provided after the
statement (2 points)

1. ______________. A knowledge is information that has been

comprehended and evaluated in the light of experience and
incorporated into the knower's intellectual understanding of the
subject.
2. ______________. A network is a communication system
connecting two or more computers.
3. ______________. Data are facts, figures, or instructions
presented in a form that can be comprehended, interpreted, and
communicated by a human being or processed by a computer.
4. ______________. A wire is considered the mother of all
networks.
5. ______________. Information refers to the knowledge obtained
from reading, investigation, study, or research.
6. ______________. Technology is a manner of accomplishing a
task especially using technical processes, methods, or knowledge.
7. ______________. Cyberspace refers to Technology that presents
information in more than one medium, such as text, still images,
moving images, and sound.
8. ______________. Computer is a programmable, multiuse
machine that accepts data-raw facts and figures—and processes, or
manipulates, it into information, such as summaries, totals, or
reports.
9. ______________. Multimedia encompasses not only the online
world and the Internet in particular but also the whole wired and
wireless world of communications in general—the nonphysical
terrain created by computer and communications systems.
10. ______________. Batum is the Latin word for Data.

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