Trends, Networks, and Critical

Thinking in the 21st Century

Definition of ICT

ICT refers to all the technology used to handle telecommunications,

broadcast media, intelligent building management systems, audiovisual processing,
and transmission systems, and network-based control and monitoring functions
(Technopedia 2020).

The key task of ICT is to furnish the purpose, uses, or functions needed by
the customer or user. The functions of ICT differ depending on the environment,
area, or field it is being utilized and, on the mandate, given by the user. Some of the
functions of ICT are technical, infrastructure, decision-making support, and
facilitating empowerment.

Uses of ICT
1. Learning. The school should consider learning about ICT as a subject and
learning with ICT, which is applying the entire range of ICT tools in support of
learning with ICT.
2. Management refers to the Management Information System (MIS) which takes
care of report writing, home-school links, attendance, examination entries, and
target setting.
3. Communication is about projecting the right image of the school through its
Web site, which provides the public an idea about the school. It contains core
information, online prospectus, news, student activities, and guidance and
support materials for parental engagement.

Benefits of ICT
1. Creates a more engaged environment
2. Incorporates different learning styles
3. Improves collaboration
4. Prepares children for the future
5. Connects you with other people

Advantages of Technology on Our Lives

From the wrist smartwatch we wear to the cars we drive; technology has
changed every single aspect of our lives (Advergize 2020). Here are some advantages
of technology in our lives:
1. Ease of access to information 6. Innovation in many fields
2. Saves time 7. Improved banking
3. Ease of mobility 8. Better learning techniques
4. Better communication means 9. Disabled, are now abled
5. Cost efficiency 10. Artificial intelligence

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Weakest Link
Weakest link refers to the part that is likely to fail, to cause a problem, or to
easily break. As it is the most vulnerable part of a system, it is the easy point for
attackers. The weakest link can be part of a software system, an infrastructure, an
application, or the people-administrators, technical support, and users who easily
succumb to social engineering. Social engineering is “the science of getting people
to comply with your wishes and concentrates on the weakest link of the security
chain” (Scheweitzer 2003).
In addition to this, practitioners of social engineering, in this case, the
attackers of a system, manipulate people to break into the security wall. It is the
trusting nature of people that makes them one of the weakest links. They
unsuspectingly open an e-mail coming from a family member, colleague, or friend
with a link, thinking that the content is genuine. But the attackers can mockup an
e-mail and make people believe the e-mail from the supposed acquaintance is
genuine. Overall, attackers are always on the lookout for the weakest link which
they can break and penetrate easily.
How is the weakest link detected? Security practitioners do it in two ways:
through strategic thinking and intuitive thinking. Using strategic thinking, security
practitioners apply a “good risk analysis” of the available data to identify and address
the most serious risk or problem, which is the weakest link. They also employ analogy
and some sort of logic in detecting the weakest link.
These following ten recommendations can help consumers combat hackers
and avoid them from infiltrating their laptops, networks, and social media accounts
(Chang 2017).
1. Automatically install security updates.
2. Use two-factor authentication.
3. Uninstall any software you do not use, patch what you do use.
4. Watch out for phishing emails and scams.
5. Avoid plugging in devices you are not sure about.
6. Track what is abnormal, not what is good or bad.
7. Take advantage of biometric identification technologies.
8. Use strong, but easy to remember passwords.
9. Use a virtual private network (VPN).
10. Trust and verify.

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Region III,

Schools Division of Bataan - Curriculum Implementation Division Learning
Resources Management and Development Section (LRMDS)

Provincial Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan Telefax:

(047) 237-2102

Email Address: bataan@deped.gov.ph

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Democratic Challenges
Over the years of the history of democracy, it has been met with various
challenges. Urgel (2017) cited the following most common challenges under the
political and social areas.

1. Gender
Gender is probably one of the most challenged areas in the democratic
practices. Gender bias is prejudicial act or abuse towards male or female or members
of the third sex is a worldwide concern. In fact, in a patriarchal society where males
are dominant, there are several cases of inequalities and even abuses among females
and similarly, in a matriarchal society where females are dominant, female members
of the society receive more privileges than males.
In the Philippines, you may be aware of how this topic became one of the
heated concerns for the past couple of years, if not, for decades already. The 2019
case regarding a transwoman who was apprehended by a janitress of a certain mall
in Manila because of using a women’s comfort room sparked protest against
members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community as such act
was a clear manifestation of inequality and unfair treatment against the rights of
those members of the third sex. As an answer to these kinds of events, the lawmakers
filed a bill known as House Bill 4982 or commonly known as the Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Bill. It is a hope still that this Bill will
address the long–time issues on gender equality and fairness.

2. Wealth Distribution and Poverty

It is another great challenge to democracy on the issues of unequal
distribution of wealth and the rise of poverty. Unlike communism and socialism
wherein the wealth of the country is controlled by the government and is distributed
based on the needs of the people, in democracy, capitalism is the prevailing economic
practice. The bad side of capitalism, however, is that all those powerful people can
abuse their influences and powers to control almost any aspect of the economy and
the socio-political life of the people. In fact, they can corruptly accumulate wealth
and power while depriving the least advantage people just the right to survive.

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 According to Scheve (2017), although there is little evidence of an automatic
link between democracy and wealth inequality, the challenge to all democratic
nations however is to come up with wealth – equalizing policies which foster equal
opportunities for all.

In the Philippines, measures to address such concerns are somehow being

addressed such as the promotion of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (the
K-12) because it is believed that through Education, the people will be given equal
and fair chance of improving their economic life; the Freedom of Information Law,
which provides transparency to the government’s expenditures; Anti–Graft and
Corrupt Practices Act which safeguards the people from any form of corrupt
practices of government officials; Plunder Law, which penalizes government
officials for illegal acquisition of properties and wealth; and of course the creation
of the Commission on Human Rights which safeguards, promotes and protects
people’s exercise of their rights.

3. Race Relations, Suffrage, and Political Marginalization

As Urgel (2017) puts it, unless revoked by law, every citizen is entitled to
exercise suffrage or the right to vote for people to whom he or she entrusts the
authority to govern. However, there are societies and governments that somehow
overlook at these basic rights and promotes a rather discriminatory policies and
disregards those in the marginalized sectors of the society. Historically, the
militaristic rules of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were examples of this. In the
Western countries such as the United States, the racial discrimination between and
among the white Americans and the black Americans contributed to unparalleled
violations of human rights especially those concerning the black Americans. In fact,
some speck of this social issue still prevails even to this date although much has
already improved.

In the Philippines, again, these concerns were being addressed, in fact, even
back in 1976, the former president Ferdinand Marcos signed the Presidential
Decree Number 966 or also known as the decree Declaring Violations of The
International Convention of The Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
to Be Criminal Offenses and Providing Penalties Therefore, which is a clear
breakthrough of the country against all forms of racial discrimination? To date, we
even have elected politicians such as Representative Geraldine Roman of Bataan,
who is the first transgender woman to be elected in congress, and Grace Padaca, a
polio victim, who served as the governor of Isabela from 2004 to 2010.

4. Cultural Domination, Representation, and the Politics of Recognition

In a multicultural, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic nation such as ours, there is a
tendency for one culture or ethnic group to be dominant over the others thus,
creating discrimination and division among the Filipinos. However, to ensure that
this will not happen, the same law already mentioned above was created. Further,
the development of cross–cultural linkages through the evolution of technology
became a great help for people all throughout the country to get connected and
become more appreciative rather than dominant.

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 The promotion of local tourism, the inclusion of duly recognized sectors in
the house of representatives, and the DepEd program of Palarong Pambansa are
just examples of how the government is addressing this concern.

Assessing Democratic Interventions

If almost all human endeavors can be gauged or assessed, then it follows that
a nation’s democratic practices or how a nation ensures that the political and socio
– cultural aspects of democracy are observed and enjoyed by their citizens can also
be assessed. These democratic aspects include the core elements of elections,
political parties, lawmaking bodies, interest groups, social movements, mass media,
and certain values such as respect for human rights and human dignity, racial and
ethnic equity, equal access to and distribution of wealth and resources, social justice,
fair trial, and other civil liberties and political rights are considered as indicators of
democracy and freedom. In fact, there are recognized international bodies which
gauge a nation’s democratic interventions to these aforementioned indicators. As
cited by Urgel (2017), here are some of them:

1. MaxRange is a data set that analyzes political regimes and democratization

processes from the 18th century to the present, making it the largest and most
comprehensive political regime data set in the world today.

2. Democracy Index is an evaluation of the state of democracy of countries. It is

published by The Economist Intelligence Unit based in the UK. Countries are
rated as either full democracies (with scores of 8-10), flawed democracies (6-
7.9), hybrid regimes (4-5.59), or authoritarian regimes (below 4) based on the
following criteria: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government,
civil liberties, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties. In the
2015 index, the Philippines ranked 54, with a score of 6.84, and is categorized
under flawed democracies. Singapore ranked 74 (6.14) as a flawed democracy.
Thailand ranked 90 (5.67) and Myanmar ranked 114 (4.14), both as hybrid
regimes. Vietnam (3.53) and Laos (2.11) ranked 128 and 155, respectively, both
as authoritarian regimes.

3. International IDEA is based in Stockholm, Sweden. It evaluates the country's

quality of democracy. The acronym IDEA stands for International Institute for
Democracy and Electoral Assistance. The structure of its assessment framework
is based on popular control over decision makers, political equality of those
exercising control, and seven mediating values (citizen participation,
authorization of public officials, equal representation of different groups,
accountability of officials, transparency in government, responsiveness to the
needs of the public, and solidarity of the people).

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 4. Freedom in the World is an annual survey published since
1972 by Freedom House, a non-governmental organization
(NGO) based in the US. It ranks countries by political rights
and civil liberties mostly derived from the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. In its methodology, the
countries are scored on separate categories of political rights
and civil liberties of the people. In the 2016 report, the
Philippines is rated as partly free with a rating of 3 in political
rights and a 3 in civil liberties.

These bodies serve to warn the government and other

socio-political institutions in various countries of the need to be
vigilant of their democracies, as enemies of democracy are just
lurking at the sides, ready to attack when opportunity comes.
The criteria used in the assessments can be sources for the
creation of new sets of criteria in evaluating the democratic or
undemocratic tendencies of social or political institutions,
especially governments.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is a blanket term

encompassing all the technologies and services involved in computing, data
management, telecommunications provision, and the internet. These technologies all
deal with the transmission and reception of information of some kind. ICT
permeates all aspects of life, providing newer, better and quicker ways for people
to interact, network, seek help, gain access to information and learn (Brown 2020).
Since all these technologies deal with the transmission and reception of
information, which is called communication, communication becomes the key
factor of ICT. Communication technology advancement has influenced social
relations as well as political movements. Social relation is a term for interactions
between two or more people, groups, or organizations resulted to social
relationship. Individual social relationships are composed of an immense number
of social, physical and verbal interactions that create a climate for the exchange of
feelings and ideas (Social Relations n.d.). That is why in this 21 st century, it is
important to know how ICT evolves and facilitates social relationship and political
movements.

The Evolution of Information and Communication Technologies

Smoke Signals (1800 BC)

People always have ways on how to interact with
other people even before hand, like what the Chinese
soldiers in 1800 BC did in preparing for the attack of their
enemy where they used smoke signals to warn their
comrades (Doyle 2017). Smoke signals could only mean
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simple messages.

This Photo by Unknown Author

Printing Press (1450) is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
 Letters (1837)
In the early 1800s, as the population grew and
people lived in further distance from each other, they need
to send longer messages in the form of letters. Letters were
delivered by messengers on foot to the nearby house but on
horseback on longer distances. The letter writing
progressed until Rowland Hill, a British school teacher,
came up with the idea of postage stamps in 1837 that gave
birth to postal system (Doyle 2017), the one used by our
post office today. Though delivery time is that much longer,
most businesses still used this as means of formal
communication to their clients or business
This Photo by Unknown
Author is licensed under CC BY
partners.

Telegraph
(1830) Even though letter writing still
evolved, Samuel Morse invented an
electromagnetic telegraph system called Morse Code
in 1830, when it took him a little longer to receive
This Photo by Unknown Author is
a letter that his wife was fatally ill and was already licensed under CC BY-SA
dead when he returned home. It became telegram, a
way of delivering short
amounts of information quickly and across long distances (Doyle 2017). Today,
it is like the text message “Wer n u, d2 n me.’’

Telephone (1876)
Since telegraph required a hand-delivery of
messages between stations and recipients, and only one
message could be transmitted at a time, Alexander
Graham Bell with the help of Thomas A. Watson,
developed a “harmonic telegraph” or telephone, a device
that combined aspects of the telegraph and record player
This Photo by Unknown Author
is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC to allow individuals to speak to each
other from a distance, was patented
on March 7, 1876 (History.com Editors 2020).

Radio
(1895) Radio is the first wireless mode of communication to
send messages using radio waves instead of wires which was
proven by German scientist Heinrich Hertz. In 1895, Gugliemo
Marconi invented “the wireless telegraph” and became
known as the radio. It played an This Photo by Unknown Author is
licensed under CC BY-SA

important role in people’s lives for

broadcasting news, music, sports, drama, and variety shows
(Knowitall.org 2021). It started in the Philippines in 1922. When people need help
or seek advice, they sent messages on air in radio programs like “Panawagan”,
“To Saudi with Love”, “The Love Clinic”, and others (Tuazon, Radio as a Way of
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Life n.d.).

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 Television (1925)
John Logie Baird, a Scottish man was successful in
showing moving images on a screen in 1925. And colored
television was introduced in 1953 (Doyle 2017). It was
introduced in the Philippines in 1953 with the opening of
DZAQ-TV Channel 3 of Alto Broadcasting System in Manila.
(Tuazon, Philippine Television: That’s Entertainment n.d.).
Television continues to rule many living rooms across the
world giving entertainment, bonding, and interaction to This Photo by Unknown Author
is licensed under CC BY-SA
family.

Email (1965)
The first email appeared at MIT in the form of a
computer program called Mailbox in 1965. This program
allowed someone to leave a message on a computer for
the next person logging in to see. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson
invented electronic mail creating a networked email
This Photo by Unknown Author
system for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
is licensed under CC BY-NC (ARPANET) where digital messages could be sent using
the @ symbol, like username@emailaccount. (Email:
Types,
History & Timeline 2018). From then on, email is used to send messages quickly
to computers outside of the network.

Cell Phone (1970)

Martin Cooper, a researcher at Motorola began
working on portable communication devices in 1970 and in
1973 developed a type of mobile phone as large and shape
that was called “the brick”. Innovation continued and cell
phone became smaller and sleeker. With digital cell phones,
new options were added, such as the ability to store phone
numbers, change ring tones and even play games. In recent This Photo by Unknown Author is
years, this has given way to smart phones that combine licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

computing power, internet access, and entertainment in one

(Doyle 2017).

Internet (1990)
Since the mid-1990s, the internet had a
revolutionary impact on communication, including the rise
of near-instant communication by electronic mail, instant
messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone
calls, two-way interactive video calls, discussion forums,
This Photo by Unknown Author is blogs and social networking. It made communication easier
licensed under CC BY-SA
and faster, it allowed us to stay in contact with people
regardless of time and location, it accelerated the pace
of business and
widened the possibilities within the enterprise space (Rogers 2019).
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 It allowed people to use different online platforms, a digital service that
facilitates interactions between two or more distinct but interdependent sets of users
(whether firms or individuals) who interact through the service via the Internet
(OECD 2019). It also allowed people to find their voice and express themselves
through different types of media like mobile and social media.

Mobile Media refers to media devices such as mobile from which we could
obtain information and communicate with one another. And leading in the market
now is smart phone. Social Media are computer-mediated tools that allow people or
companies to create, share, or exchange information, career interests, ideas and
pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks. The following are the different
types of social media used by the people to gain social relationship with other people
or initiate political movement.

Types of Social Media Sample Apps

Social Networks allow you to connect with other people
with the same interests or background.

Bookmarking Sites allow you to store and manage

links to various websites and resources. Most of these
sites allow you to create a tag that allows you and
others to easily search or share them.
Social News allow users to post their own news items
or links to other news sources. The users can also
comment on the post and comments may also be
ranked.
Media Sharing sites allow you to upload and share
media content like images, music, and video. Most of
these sites have additional social features like liking,
commenting, and having user profiles.
Microblogging sites focus on short updates from the
user. Those subscribed to the user will be able to
receive these updates.
Blogs and Forums allow users to post their content.
Other users can comment on the said topic.

Video conference is a live, visual connection between

two or more people residing in separate locations for
the purpose of communication. It provides
transmission of static images and text between two
locations, or full-motion video images and high-
quality audio between multiple locations (Rouse n.d.).

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 Internet of Things (IoT)
Kevin Ashton coined the phrase “Internet of
Things” in 1999, although it took at least another
decade for the technology to catch up with the
vision (Ranger 2020). The Internet of Things (IoT)
describes the network of physical objects - “things”
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
- that are embedded with sensors, software, and
other technologies for the purpose of connecting
and exchanging data with other devices and
systems over the internet. IoT has become one of the most important technologies
of the 21st century. Now that we can connect objects - kitchen appliances, cars,
thermostats, baby monitors—to the internet via embedded devices, seamless
communication is possible between people, processes, and things (What is IoT? n.d.).
Wearable technology is at the forefront of IoT. It
is a category of electronic devices powered by
microprocessors that can be worn as
accessories, embedded in clothing, implanted
in the user's body, or even tattooed on the skin
with the ability to send and receive data via the
internet. Examples of this are fitness activity
trackers, Bluetooth headsets, smartwatches,
and web-enabled glasses. The gaming industry
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-
adds more wearables, with virtual reality and
NC augmented reality headsets. Some are adapted
for medical and healthcare uses like iTBra
which was developed by Cyrcadia Health for detecting early signs of breast cancer
and transmits the information to a lab for analysis, smartwatch for people with
Parkinson's disease that tracks symptoms and transmits the data so that more
personalized treatment plans can be developed, and many others (Hayes 2020).
This speeds up the process and makes human life easier.

ICT Facilitates Political Movements in the Philippines

A political movement is a social movement in politics. It may be organized
around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social
group. It may be local, regional, national, or international in scope (Definitions.net
2021). ICT plays an important role not only for social relation but also for political
movements that brought changes to the country. Examples are the Sakdal Movement
of Benigno Ramos which used newspaper to build a large popular base of supporters
in Luzon in the 1930s (officialgazette.gov.ph n.d.); the Voice of Freedom which used
radio in keeping the Filipino spirit alive during World War II in the fall of Bataan in
1942; the Masagana 99 Campaign which also used radio in the information
campaign in 1973 as the country’s rice self-sufficiency program; the 1986 People
Power Revolution which used radio headed by Jaime Cardinal Sin, the Archbishop of
Manila, to make an appeal for the freedom of Filipinos (Tuazon, Radio as a Way of
Life n.d.); and the People Power 2 or EDSA 2 which used the powerful medium of text
messaging, internet mass mailings, web-linked mobile phones, and websites for anti-
Estrada campaign (Lichauco 2001).

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 In the present time, groups of people or organizations are using the internet, website, mobile, or
social media to spread information about their advocacy, programs, or activities and for the people to
easily connect with them. Like the environmental movements who really work and rallying against causes
of climate change, deforestation, pollution, and
other issues threatening earth. One example is the Haribon
Foundation that focuses on the biodiversity conservation of
the Philippines (Solaric.com.ph 2017). Another is the
LGBTQ Rights Movement that advocates for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in society. LGBTQ
community uses blogs, websites, or social media to expose
their feelings and to be heard and be accepted by the
society. Other political movements that benefited from ICT
are the Human Rights Movement, the Civil Rights
Movement, the Feminism Movement, the Labor
Movement, and others. These political movements aimed to change the government policy for the benefit
of everybody using ICT.