SUBJECT: EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES

EMPOWERMENT-to give power to something or someone, to promote the self-actualization (Merriam-Webster

Dictionary) or in this case is to enhance your knowledge about a certain topic or activity.
TECHNOLOGY- the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life or, as it is sometimes
phrased, to the change and manipulation of the human environment.
EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES-provide students with the foundation of knowledge and skills needed to
succeed in environments that require the use of computer and the Internet.

LESSON 1- INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) deals with the use of different
communication technologies such as mobile phones, telephone, internet, etc. to locate, save, send, and edit
information. Having unified way to communicate is one of the goals of ICT.
ICT IN THE PHILIPPINES
Several international companies dub the Philippines as the “ICT Hub of Asia”. It is no secret that there is a
huge growth of ICT-related jobs around the country, one of which is the call center or BPO (Business Process
Outsourcing) centers.
In a data gathered by the Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industries, NSO in 2010, the ICT industry
shares 19.3% of the total employment population here in the Philippines.
To add to these statistics Time Magazine’s “The Selfiest Cities around the World” of 2013 places two cities
from the Philippines in the top 1 and top 10 spots. The study was conducted using Instagram, a popular photo
sharing application.

WEB 2.0: DYNAMIC WEB PAGES

When the World Wide Web was invented, most web pages were static. Static (also known as flat page or
stationary page) in the sense that the page is “as is” and cannot be manipulated by the user. The content is also the
same for all users. This is referred to as Web 1.0.
Web 2.0 is a term coined by Darcy DiNucci on January 1999. In her article titled, “Fragmented Future”.
She wrote:
The web we know now, which loads into a browser window in essentially static screenfuls, is only an embryo
of the Web to come. The first glimmerings of Web 2.0 are beginning to appear, and we are starting to see how
that embryo might develop.
Web 2.0 is the evolution of Web 1.0 by adding dynamic web pages – the user is able to see a website
differently than others. Examples of web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites,
hosted services, and web applications. Web 2.0 allows users to interact with the page: instead of just reading a page,
the user may be able to comment or create a user account. Web 2.0 also allows user to use web browsers instead of
just using their operating system. Browsers can now be used for their user interface, application software (or web
applications), and even for file storage. Most websites that we visit today are Web 2.0

FEATURES OF WEB 2.0

The key features of Web 2.0 include:
1. Folksonomy – allows users to categorize and classify/arrange information using freely chosen keywords (e.g.,
tagging). Popular social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. use tags that start with the
pound sign (#). This is also referred to as hashtag.
2. Rich User Experience – content is dynamic and is responsive to user’s input. An example would be a website
that shows local content. In the case of social networking sites, when logged on, your account is used to modify
what you see in their websites.
3. User Participation – the owner of the website is not only the one who is able to put content. Others are able to
put contents of their own by means of comments, reviews, and evaluation. Some websites allow readers to
comment on an article, participate in a poll, or review a specific product (e.g., Amazon.com, online stores).
4. Long Tail – services that re offered on demand rather than on a one-time purchase. In certain cases, time-based
pricing is better that a file size-based pricing or vice versa. This is synonymous to subscribing to a data plan that
charges you for the amount of time you spent in the Internet, or data plan that charges you for the amount of
bandwidth you used.
5. Software as a Service – users will subscribe to a software only when needed rather than purchasing them. This
is a cheaper option if you do not always need to use a software. For instance, Google Docs is a free web-based
application that allows the user to create and edit word processing and spreadsheet documents online.
6. Mass Participation - diverse information sharing through universal web access. Since most users can use the
Internet, Web 2.0's content is based on people from various cultures.

WEB 3.0 AND THE SEMANTIC WEB

The Semantic web is a movement led by the world Wide web Consortium (W3C). The W3C standard
encourages web developers to include semantic content in their web pages. The term was coined by the inventor of
the world Wide web, Tim Berners-Lee. Lee also noted that the Semantic Web is a component for Web 3.0.
According to the W3C, "The Semantic web provides a common framework that allows data to be shared
and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries." The aim of Web 3.0 is to have machines (or
servers) understand the user's preferences to be able to deliver web content specifically targeting the user. For
example, when doing a web search in Web 2.0, the topmost result is based on the preference of several users who
already searched for the item. The search engine then labels it the most common answer to the search query. Though
there are instances wherein several preferences are considered like geographic location, Web 3.0 aims to do better.
This is through studying personal preferences of an individual user and showing results based on those preferences.
The Internet is able to predict the best possible answers to your question by "learning" from your previous choice.
Web 3.0 is yet to be fully realized because of several problems:
1. Compatibility. HTML files and current web browsers could not support Web 3.0.
2. Security. The user's security is also in question since the machine is saving his or her preferences.
3. Vastness. The World Wide Web already contains billions of web pages.
4. Vagueness. Certain words are imprecise. The words "old" and "small" would depend on the user.
5. Logic. Since machines use logic, there are certain limitations for a computer to be able to predict what the user
is referring to at a given time.

TRENDS IN ICT
As the world of ICT continues to grow, the industry has focused on several innovations. These innovations
cater to the needs of the people that benefit most out of ICT. Whether it is for business or personal use, these trends
are the current front runners in the innovation of ICT.
1) Convergence
Technological convergence is the synergy of technological advancements to work on a similar goal or task. For
example, besides using your personal computer to create word documents, you can now use your smartphone. It can
also use cloud technologies to sync files from one device to another while also using LTE technology which means
you can access your files anytime, anywhere. Convergence is using several technologies to accomplish a task
conveniently.

2) Social Media
Social media is a website, application, or online channel that enables web users to create, co-create, discuss,
modify, and exchange user-generated content. According to Nielsen, a global information and measurement
company, Internet users spend more time in social media sites than in any other type of site. With this, more and
more advertisers use social media to promote their product.
There are six types of social media:
a) Social Networks. These are sites that allow you to connect with other people with the same interests or
background. Once a user creates his or her account, he or she can set up a profile, add people, create groups, and
share content. Examples: Facebook and Google+
b) Bookmarking Sites. These are sites that 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.
Examples: StumbleUpon and Pinterest
c) Social News. These are sites that 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. They are also capable of voting on these
news articles of the website. Those who get the most amount of votes are shown most prominently. Examples:
reddit and Digg
d) Media Sharing. These are sites that 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.
Examples: Flicker, YouTube, and Instagram
e) Microblogging. These are sites that focus on short updates from the user. Those subscribed to the user will be
able to receive these updates. Examples: Twitter and Plurk
f) Blogs and Forums. These websites allow users to post their content. Other Users are able to comment on the
said topic. There are several free blogging platforms like Blogger, WordPress, and Tumblr. On the other hand,
forums are typically part of a certain website or web service.

3) Mobile Technologies
The popularity of smartphones and tablets has taken a major rise over the years. This is largely because of the
devices' capability to do tasks that were originally found in personal computers. Several of these devices are capable
of using high-speed Internet. Today, the latest mobile devices use 4G Networking (LTE), which is currently the
fastest mobile network. Also, mobile devices use different operating systems:
a. iOS - used in Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad
b. Android — an open-source operating system developed by Google. Being open source means several
mobile phone companies use this OS for free.
c. Blackberry OS - used in Blackberry devices
d. Windows Phone OS - a closed source and proprietary operating system
e. Symbian — the original smartphone OS; used by Nokia devices
f. WebOS - originally used for smartphones; now used for smart TVs
g. Windows Mobile - developed by Microsoft® for smartphones and pocket PCS.

4) Assistive Media
Assistive media is a nonprofit service designed to help people who have visual and reading impairments. A
database of audio recordings is used to read to the user. You may visit http://www.assistivemedia.org/for several
of their audio recordings.