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N QUARTER 1, IT COVERS HOW THE NETWORKED WORLD/SOCIETY CAME TO

BE, DISCOVERING GLOBAL TRENDS AND FADS AND LEARNING HOW TO
ACCEPT AND REJECT EACH EMERGING PATTERN, AND LOOKING INTO
TECHNOLOGY'S ENABLING, EMANCIPATING AND ENSLAVING
DIMENSIONS. IN QUARTER 2, THE LEARNER UNDERSTANDS THE MEANING
AND DIMENSIONS OF DEMOCRACY. THE LEARNER UNDERSTANDS HOW ICT
ENSLAVES, EMANCIPATES, AND EMPOWERS INDIVIDUALS. THE LEARNER
UNDERSTANDS THE PARALLELISM BETWEEN NEURAL AND SOCIAL
NETWORKS.
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APPLICATION

Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking

(TNCT) in the 21st century subject provides area
of knowledge where deep understanding is
required, it will help us to discover and
differentiate relationships between causes and
consequences. This subject may also be applied in
facing challenges addresses by the world
today. With this subject, the learners will be able
to perform competently and accurately. It offers
interesting topics that we can apply in real life
situations. We will learn many skills that we can
use for daily living. By studying this subject, we
will become aware of what is happening around us.
We will have an idea on how to become a
productive citizen and how to stand against social
issues and concerns.
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017

NEURAL AND SOCIAL NETWORKS

Neural networks (also referred to as connectionist systems) are a computational

approach, which is based on a large collection of neural units (AKA artificial
neurons), loosely modeling the way a biological brain solves problems with large
clusters of biological neurons connected by axons. Each neural unit is connected
with many others, and links can be enforcing or inhibitory in their effect on the
activation state of connected neural units. Each individual neural unit may have a
summation function which combines the values of all its inputs together. There may
be a threshold function or limiting function on each connection and on the unit
itself: such that the signal must surpass the limit before propagating to other
neurons. These systems are self-learning and trained, rather than explicitly
programmed, and excel in areas where the solution or feature detection is difficult
to express in a traditional computer program.
Neural networks typically consist of multiple layers or a cube design, and the signal
path traverses from front to back. Back propagation is where the forward stimulation
is used to reset weights on the "front" neural units and this is sometimes done in
combination with training where the correct result is known. More modern networks
are a bit more free flowing in terms of stimulation and inhibition with connections
interacting in a much more chaotic and complex fashion. Dynamic neural networks are
the most advanced- in that they dynamically can, based on rules, form new
connections and even new neural units while disabling others.

The goal of the neural network is to solve problems in the same way that the
human brain would, although several neural networks are more abstract. Modern
neural network projects typically work with a few thousand to a few million neural
units and millions of connections, which is still several orders of magnitude less complex
than the human brain and closer to the computing power of a worm.

SOCIAL NETWORKS
 A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as
individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between
actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for analyzing the structure
of whole social entities as well as a variety of theories explaining the patterns observed in
these structures. The study of these structures uses social network analysis to identify local
and global patterns, locate influential entities, and examine network dynamics.
Social networks and the analysis of them is an inherently interdisciplinary academic field
which emerged from social psychology, sociology, statistics, and graph theory. Georg
Simmel authored early structural theories in sociology emphasizing the dynamics of triads
and "web of group affiliations". Jacob Moreno is credited with developing the
first sociograms in the 1930s to study interpersonal relationships. These approaches were
mathematically formalized in the 1950s and theories and methods of social networks became
pervasive in the social and behavioral sciences by the 1980s. Social network analysis is now
one of the major paradigms in contemporary sociology, and is also employed in a number of
other social and formal sciences. Together with other complex networks, it forms part of the
nascent field of network science.
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INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

 The twenty-first century has been characterized as
the information age. No doubt, one of the greatest achievements of
this age has something to do with the technology, especially the
increasing power of communications. ICT is providing an extra-
ordinary opportunity to hone our critical thinking and problem-
solving skills. communication skills, creativity and innovation.

How has ICT positively affected the life of the members of the
society or the digital citizens? The following can serve as an
example:

Education – Many educators are already using and infusing

technology as a teaching-learning pedagogy through the use of
different platforms.

Business – Most entrepreneurs are making use of the internet and

different social networking sites to promote their businesses and
products.
Government – In the Philippines, many transactions with
government offices are now possible and available online.
Application for birth certificates, passport, NBI and like are
maximized by some Filipinos.

Computers, e-mail, internet, fax machines, mobile phones are

only among the information communication tools that can be
considered an integral part of work activities in almost all
companies or institutions in the Philippines and abroad. The
development and access of different technologies like wireless
networking and mobile devices significantly transformed user into
content producers.

ICT and Global Networks

With ICT in our schools, learners are not only consumers but
content creators as they write, edit, publish, participate, co-create
and collaborate with others through the use of technologies. ICT
hastens global and democratic network across the planet. The
Internet is an apparatus for causal connection as well as open
spaces where individuals can voice out their issues. ICT can generate
global social awareness through social network sites. Social
networking sites also facilitate the mobilization of grassroot
movements and advocates especially among the younger
generation. ICT promotes social development by sharing knowledge,
fostering cultural activity, increasing democratic participation, and
enhancing social cohesion. Technological advances have improved life
and brought the world’s people closer.
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DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTIONS

"Democracy is one of the most important principles for a better world. In its truest
sense, a democracy is a community in which all members have an equal say in the
running of that community. Unfortunately in reality, democratic societies have
fallen short of this ideal. Nevertheless, because of its very nature, once a democracy
is established, its citizens can work together to make their society more and more
democratic, if they choose to do so." – Robert Alan Silverstein

POLITICAL CORRUPTION

There is an increase disenchantment of the state of society in

our globalized world. In a study about democratic participation in
different countries in the globe, 44 out of 47 countries that took
part in the study asserted that the conditions of a good society
were not met (Barry Knight: 2002, p. 107)

Undemocratic practices breed social ills that haunt societies in

the planet. Dissatisfaction of citizens with their governments
include: a. failure to meet their basic needs that create profound
insecurities,b. failure to protect them from the sweeping winds of
economic change where they lose their customs and traditions,
andc. failure to involve its citizens in its policies and programs.

Basic Needs

Failure to meet basic needs is a common complaint among

many societies in the world today. There was a growing gulf
between rich and poor droving the former to extra-legal activities
such as theft and prostitution.

Association

Undemocratic practices undermine the traditional bonds of

family and kinship threatened by the pressures of work,
urbanization and migration. The distancing of government concerns
from the lives of ordinary people weakened customary forms of
accountability and led to a highly corrupt, self-seeking, inefficient,
and partisan state.

Participation

Citizens play they part by (1) engaging in collective action to

perform voluntary work with others in order to tackle problems
and (2) participating in political processes to play an active role in
relation to the state in order to ensure that the state opened itself
up to the influence of citizens.
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PLANETARY NETWORKS: CLIMATE CHANGE

Global Warming
"The ecological crisis is a moral issue…. Respect for Life and for the
dignity of human person extends also to the rest of creation… We
cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying due
attention both to the consequences of such interference in other
areas and to the well-being of future generations." – John Paul II
1990

One of the most important issues of our time is in relation to

the environment. Humanity has disturbed the fundamental beat of
nature. Some of the problems that relate to environmental issues:
air and water pollution, toxic wastes, improper garbage disposal,
destruction of wildlife habitats, deforestation and mining. These
problems were indeed devastating. The pollution of international
waters, the irreversible destruction of the world’s forests and
increased toxic emissions in the air we breathe, among other
things, leave us to ponder our relationship with the environment.

"The most important about global warming is this: Whether

humans are responsible for the bulk of climate change is going to be
left to the scientists, but it is all our responsibility to leave the
planet in better shape for the future generations that we found it."
– Mike Huckabee

The fact remains that people’s lifestyles have largely contributed

to some of the environmental problems that confront the world
today remains. One concrete effect of this lifestyle is global
warming. The use of coal and oil in generating electricity for
industrial and residential settings is a big factor in increasing levels
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which contributes to the
warming of the planet.

Climate Change
One of the big questions in the climate change debate: Are
humans any smarter than frogs in a pot? If you put a frog in a pot
and slowly turn up the heat, it won’t jump out. Instead, it will
enjoy the nice warm both until it is cooked to death. We humans
seem to be doing pretty much the same thing. – Jeff Goodell

The United Nations Forum Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC) defines climate change as “a change of climate which is
attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the
composition of the global atmosphere.” The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that over the past 200
years, the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests have
caused the concentrations of heat-trapping of the greenhouse gases
to increase significantly in our atmosphere. With more of these
gases in the atmosphere, more radiation is absorbed and radiated
back to Earth as heat. Thus, as the concentrations of these gases
continue to increase in the atmosphere, the Earth’s temperature
also continues to increase.

Today, the impact of climate change is one of the most significant environmental
challenges facing the global planet.
 “Mitigating this impact requires profound changes in energy
production and use, since emission of greenhouse gases from
combustion of fossil fuels is the dominant human contribution to
climate change.” – Nick Hanley and Anthony Owen on The
Economics of Climate Change

It is clear that human activities are driving the current rate of

climatic change. When people burn fossil fuels to heat their homes
or fuel their cars, and when land is converted from forests to the
other uses, greenhouse gases are emitted to the atmosphere.

As reported by experts, the effects of climate change will not be

the same across sectors, the world, or even within many countries.
Some areas could have benefits while other could have damages.
Some sectors may see ‘positive’ effects while other sectors may see
‘negative’ effects. Effects may also evolve as climate change
continues, altering the nature and distribution of these effects
across sectors and regions.

Climate Change Solutions

The last two decades have witnessed expanding political and

economic discussions over the ways of reducing greenhouse gases or,
at least, exploring ways of adapting to the predicted climatic
changes. In order to avoid the most serious impacts of climate
change, humans will have to significantly reduce the amount of
greenhouse gas emissions being put into the atmosphere. There are
different approaches to make these decreases, including optimizing
vehicles proficiency, expanding access to and utilization of open
travel, overhauling building protection, supplanting fossils with
renewable energy, and diminishing deforestation. Numerous
legislatures, organizations, and people are starting to execute some
of these techniques and hence gradually decreasing emissions. The
use of cleaner production technologies and change of lifestyle are
desired to impact a change in climate.

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Global Networks
Understanding Globalization
“Globalization could be the answer to many of the world’s
seemingly intractable problems. But this requires strong democratic
foundation based on political will to ensure equity and justice.” –
Sharran Burrow

Clearly, one of the goals of globalization is for the world to become

more interdependent. People and countries of the world are closely
woven together especially in the economic aspect. Globalization is the
most powerful source for change in the world today affecting all
societies in the planet. It entails movement of capital, free flow of goods
and services, the increased mobility of individuals, and the expansion of
multinational corporations and transnational organizations.

Globalization and Migration

The issue of globalization is linked with migration and with

movement of capital and commodities.

Migration is said to be as old as human civilizations, and there

is clear proof that globalization is inextricably related to it. The
growing demand for laborers of the most capitalist countries
precipitated the migration of many families from the unprivileged
communities.

According to estimates, more or less 20% of the labor force in

the Philippines want to leave the country in search for a job
abroad. Some of them become victims of illegal recruitment and
human trafficking.
What is Migration?
National Geographic defines human migration as the movement of people
from one territory to another for the purpose of taking up either a permanent or
temporary residence.
People migrate for various reasons. The reasons may fall under four
categories:

1. environmental
2. political
3. cultural
4. economic
Within these categories, National Geographic categorized them as
“push” and “pull” factors of migration.

Push factors – are those that motivate people to move from one
place to another because of difficulty, such as food shortage, war,
flood, etc.
Pull factors – are those that motivate people to move their place to
another place simply because of some desirable reasons such as
nicer climate, better food supply, freedom and others.

Types of Migration

 Internal Migration – this is defined as the process where

migrants look for a new residence within their own country,
state, or continent.
 External Migration – moving in a different country, state or
continent to a new residence
 Migration – leaving one country to move to another
 Immigration – moving into a new country
 Forced Migration – this happens when the state or authorities
forced its people to migrate for a reason
2. Migration, Globalization and Climate Change

The first half-decade of the twenty-first century has been

characterized by incidents of disaster that brought about massive
human suffering. Regardless of location, humanity is threatened by
hazards of many types. The World’s Health Organization’s
Collaborating Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters
(CRED) shows that hazardous events have been on the rise around
the world, which include natural and technological hazards:
drought, earthquakes, epidemics, extreme temperature, famine,
floods, insect manifestations, landslides, volcanic eruption,
waves/surges, wildfires, and windstorms.
Natural calamities like earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and floods
have brought varying degrees of devastation around the world. The
global consciousness that climate change may represent one of the
most significant threats of the near future has stimulated
humanity’s collective interest in disaster.

“Migration, forced or otherwise, will undoubtedly be one of the

most significant consequences of environmental degradation and
climate change in decades to come.” – Achim Steiner

Ecological migrants are compelled to relinquish their belongings and

escape for their lives in the fallout of typhoons, tidal waves,
tremors and other grave calamities. They are displaced people who
are compelled to leave their homes. They are the ‘new’ poor people
and the most defenseless in the midst of calamities which are
getting more violent because of climate change.

250 million people are permanently displaced by climate change-related

phenomena, such as floods, droughts, famines, and hurricanes.

In the Asian regions, disasters emanating from natural and

technological hazards have occurred with increasing frequency,
impacting greater number of people and financial losses. In the past
ten years alone, Asia had been hit by strong earthquakes, tsunamis,
and typhoons that resulted to the loss of thousands of lives, and left
ens of thousands homeless and in anguish.

Global ecological and environmental movements have rightly

observed that a new poor called climate refugees or environmental
refugees emerges out of this situation. They are the people who had
been internally displaced, not because of war, but by disasters

In 2005, Glen Albrecht created the term “solastalgia,”

consolidating solacium (comfort), nostos (return home), and algos
(torment) – the misery, dejection, or tension brought about by
modified situations. He believes that the level of pain an individual
or a group encounters is associated with the loss of an endemic
feeling of place.