INTRODUCTION TO ICT

ICT in Our Everyday Lives:

•Online platforms, Sites, and Content

•Web 2.0 and Web 3.0

•The World Wide Web

•Trends in ICT

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.

3 Versions of the World Wide Web

Web 1.0:

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: Dynamic Web Pages

  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 users 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

1.Folksonomy. It 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 website.

3.Long Tail. Services are offered on demand rather than on a one-time purchase. In certain cases, time-based pricing is better than file-size-based pricing or vice versa.

4.User Participation. The owner of the website is not the only one who is able to put content. Others are able to place a content of their own by means of comment, 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, wiki).

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. Ex: 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. It is a 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 Hyperconnectivity” version.

Examples: 4G, Smart Phone, Android Phones, Search Engines, Online Food, Dress, and Taxi (Uber, Grab) services… 

  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.

Several problems of Web 3.0

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.

4 Trends in ICT

1. Convergence

Technological convergence is the synergy of technological advancements to work on a similar goal or task.

2. Social Media

Social media is a website, application, or online channels that enable web users to create, co-create, discuss, modify, and exchange user-generated content.

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.

b. Bookmarking Sites. These are sites that allow you to store and manage links to various websites and resources.

c. Social News. These are sites that allow users to post their own news items or links to other news sources.

d. Media Sharing. These are sites that allow you to upload and share media content like images, music, and video.

e. Microblogging. These are sites that focus on short updates from the user.

f. Blogs and Forums. These websites allow users to post their content.

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.

Kinds of operating systems:

a.iOS

b. Android

c.Blackberry OS

d.Windows Phone OS

e.Symbian

f.WebOS

g.Windows Mobile

4. Assistive Media

- 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. 

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