ICT (Information and Communications

Technology)

★ The term information and communications

technology (ICT) collectively refers to the
technologies, both hardware and software,
that enable humans to communicate with one
another. It is a common misconception that ICT
is Internet or computer alone. Basically, it is any
form of technology that enables you to
communicate.

Evolution of ICT
★ The beginning of ICT can be traced back when
humans started to use objects to
communicate with one another. It is
ascertained that ICT began along with the rise
of humans.
★ The four main periods in history that divide the
era of ICT are the premechanical, mechanical,
electromechanical, and electronic periods.
★ The periods that greatly affect our lives today
involve the electromechanical period and the
electronic period.
★ The devices, technologies, and processes that
humans enjoy today are products of centuries
of improvements and innovations built on
foundations prepared by the early humans.
Periods Of ICT

Premechanical Period
★ This period spans from around 3000 BCE to
1450 CE and is characterized by the use of
words, pictograms, and later, symbols for
communication by the use of curved
rocks. It led to the development of our
modern alphabet.

★ Early humans realized that stone tablets

were impractical for storing growing
amounts of information. The introduction
of paper, made from the papyrus plant,
revolutionized information storage.

★ Humans continued to record and organize

information, eventually leading to the
creation of books. As books multiplied,
libraries were established, which are
considered the first data centers in
history.

★ In the late stages of this period, humans

began using a numerical system, which
simplified and organized counting
methods.
Mechanical Period
★ The Transition Period (1450-1840) served as a
bridge between the premechanical and
modern periods of technology and computation.
During this time, there was a notable increase
in the fascination with automating and
accelerating numerical calculations.

★ Information processing and calculation were

largely dominated by machines driven by
mechanical means, such as steam engines and
gears.

★ The primary focus of this period was the

development of machines aimed at
enhancing the speed of mathematical
calculations.

★ A significant highlight of this period was the

creation of the Pascaline, a mechanical
calculator. It was invented by the renowned
mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal, in
collaboration with Wilhelm Schickard. The
Pascaline played a pivotal role in inspiring
further innovations in automated counting
and calculation.

★ Another notable inventor of this era was Charles

Babbage, a mathematician. He is credited with
inventing the Analytical Engine, often
considered the world's first programmable
mechanical computer. This groundbreaking
invention earned Babbage the well-deserved
title of the "Father of Computers."

Electromechanical Period (1840-1940)

★ Introduction of Electricity in Communication
and Information: This era marked a significant
shift in communication and information
technology as electricity became a central
element.
★ Need for Faster and Reliable Information
Sharing: The period was driven by a growing
need for sharing information quickly and reliably
over long distances.

Technological Advancements
★ Telegraph: The telegraph system was a
groundbreaking invention, enabling the
transmission of information over vast distances.
It employed coded signals in the form of dots,
spaces, and dashes, initially over wired and later
wireless media.
★ Telephone: Alexander Graham Bell's patent for
the telephone in 1876 revolutionized
communication by converting sounds into
electrical signals, making it possible to transmit
voices over copper wires.
★ Control of Electricity: Humans began
harnessing electricity using vacuum tubes,
paving the way for the development of modern
electronic devices.

The Telegraph's Evolution

★ Invention (1837): William Cooke and Sir
Charles Wheatstone were the first to invent the
telegraph, utilizing five magnetic needles to point
to sets of letters and numbers using electric
current.
★ Morse Code (1844): Samuel Morse introduced
the single-circuit telegraph in 1844, leading to
the creation of Morse code as a standardized
way of communication.

Advancements in Computing
★ Mechanical Computing Devices: Computing
devices emerged, powered by electricity but
predominantly mechanical in nature. These
machines were designed to encode and transmit
information, particularly over telegraph lines.
★ Role in World War II: During World War II,
these machines played a crucial role in
preventing intercepted information from falling
into enemy hands. However, they were bulky
and slow due to their reliance on mechanical
components such as gears, levers, vacuum
tubes, relays, and wires for processing and
calculations.

The Electronic Period (1940s to Present)

★ Introduction of solid-state electronic devices.
★ Four main phases: late vacuum tubes,
transistors, integrated circuits, and computer
processors.

Late Vacuum Tubes Period:

★ Beginning of the electronic era.
★ Introduction of the Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) - the first
electronic general-purpose computer.
★ ENIAC was large (167 sq. meters) and
slower than modern machines.

Transistors Period (1947):

★ Invention of the transistor - lightweight and
faster electronic device compared to vacuum
tubes.
★ Transistors became foundational
components in all electronic devices.
★ Development of the first full transistor
computer in 1957.

Integrated Circuits Period (1958):

★ Jack Kilby introduces the integrated circuit
(IC) - a device consisting of transistors and
circuit elements in a single package.
★ ICs revolutionize computing and electronics
by speeding up operations.
★ Smaller devices for information processing
and communication emerge.
★ Powerful processors are constructed in IC
forms.

Computer Processors Period:

★ Personal computers adopt these powerful
processors.
★ Evolution from basic textual interfaces to
graphical user interfaces (GUIs) begins.
★ User applications for productivity,
entertainment, and communication flourish.

Development of User Applications:

★ Early personal computers bundled with
productivity tools for home and office use.
★ Limited entertainment options, such as video
games, included.
★ Continuous development of hardware with
enhanced capabilities.
★ Connectivity and the Internet:
★ Engineers work on methods for connecting
computers and sharing processed
information.
★ Birth of the Internet (World Wide Web) as a
global network for interconnecting devices.
★ Rise of connectivity technologies that shape
modern communication.

Focus on Human Productivity, Entertainment,

and Communication:
★ Ongoing efforts by engineers and scientists
to create applications that enhance human
productivity, entertainment, and
communication.
★ A shift from hardware development to
software and applications.
ICT Today

Current Composition of ICT Network

★ Fusion of hardware equipment, precise software,
GUI (Graphical User Interface), and an effective
communications network characterizes the
present ICT (Information and Communication
Technology) landscape.

The World Wide Web (WWW)

★ The World Wide Web, often referred to as the
WWW, is one of the most widely used
information systems in existence today.
★ It is the result of the integration of hardware,
software, GUI, and robust communication
networks.
★ People frequently rely on the WWW for a wide
range of purposes, including seeking directions,
instructions, information retrieval, and even
entertainment.

Role of Internet Applications

★ Internet applications and web browsers serve as
essential tools for facilitating communication and
information transmission between different points
on the Internet.

Evolution of the World Wide Web

★ Initially, the World Wide Web was designed to
disseminate information to users.
★ Over time, it has evolved in response to the
increasing demands and continuous usage by
individuals, adapting to changing user needs and
preferences.

The World Wide Web Evolution

Web 1.0 (Read-Only Web):
★ Introduced in the early days of the WWW.
★ Proposed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.
★ Documents are numbered with addresses; users
must input these addresses to access files.
★ Users could only access and read hypertext
documents.
★ Limited interactivity; users couldn't interact with
the content beyond reading.

Web 2.0 (Read-and-Write Web):

★ Emerged as a response to the limitations of Web
1.0.
★ Began the era of user interaction with web
pages.
★ Enabled users to email websites and engage on
social networking platforms.
★ Users gained the ability to edit the content of the
files they accessed.
★ Blogging sites gained popularity, allowing non-
technical users to publish and edit websites
easily.
★ User-friendly web browser interfaces empowered
individuals to create and modify content.

Web 3.0 (Semantic Executing Web):

★ The ongoing development phase of the WWW.
★ Aims to create a smarter and more intelligent
web experience.
★ Envisions improved access to hypertext files.
★ Enables more advanced and efficient search
capabilities.
★ Focuses on semantic web technologies, allowing
machines to understand and process data more
effectively.
★ Expected to support a wider range of search
queries and provide faster results.

The Social Media

Introduction to Social Media:
★ Emerged with Web 2.0.
★ Facilitates communication and socialization in
virtual communities.
★ Focus on user-generated content.

Variety of Social Media Applications:

★ Numerous social media platforms developed
over time.

Some platforms discontinued due to user impact.

Formats of Social Media:
● Diverse formats within social media.
● Examples include:
● Blogs
● Enterprise Social Networks
● Forums
● Photo-sharing sites
● Product selling and review sites
● Research sharing sites
● Special interest groups
● Social games
● Social networks
● Video sharing platforms.

Research and Information Seeking

One of the ideal applications laid down for ICT and the
World Wide Web is for research and education. Since
Web 1.0, the main objectives of Internet sites are to
share and disseminate information. Today, there are a
number of information sources over the Internet, some
of which are presented below.

Web search engines - These are programs designed to

search or mine the World Wide Web based on keywords
provided by the user. They return search results such as
Web sites, files, photos, or other media files. Examples
of these are Bing, Duckduckgo, Google, and Yahoo.

Research indexing sites - These are Web sites

dedicated to compile and index researches done by
academic researchers, engineers, social scientists, and
so on. Examples are IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, and
ResearchGate.

Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) sites or

tutorial sites - These are Web sites dedicated to teach
and inform users focused on different areas. The
delivery of information is similar to a classroom lecture
setup, wherein lectures and assignments are delivered
and submitted, respectively, online. Various universities
around the world offer this service. Examples are
Coursera, edX, and Udemy.

Employment Web sites - These are Web sites that

enable companies to post job vacancies and also
accommodate job seekers by providing a resume-
submission facility. One important feature of these Web
sites is the ability to match the qualification of the
applicant and the required qualification in a certain job
vacancy. Examples are JobStreet, JobsDB, and
Bestjobs.

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) - This is a

technology that uses electronic means
to trade products and currencies. It also includes any
technology that introduces ease in business
management and customer convenience.

Authenticity Verification of Information from the

Web
- The inherited property of Web 2.0 and its later
versions give viewers the privilege to influence
content or give anyone the freedom to publish
his or her own Web sites regardless of content.
There are no standards governing content
publishing on the World Wide Web to ensure the
correctness of information, but there are ways on
how to verify if the information is trustworthy or
legitimate.