MODELE 2 : ICT Policies and Issues Implications to Teaching and Learning

Module Outcomes
1. Discussed some ICT policies and explained their implications to teaching and learning
2. Explained some issues that relate to ICT policies
3. Identified safety concerns on Internet including digital safety rules

INTRODUCTION
Globalization is reality and ICT has become a fundamental part of process. A networked
society is one in which the entire planet is organized around telecommunicated networks of
computers. The powerful use of network has broad boundaries, provided opportunities for
inclusion and collaboration. However, this will also be struggle for those who does not have
access or those who are exclude marginalized and powerless. Thus a need to establish policies
in the use of ICT imperative.
As the Department of Information, Communication and Technology (DICT) says,
“The future has arrived. Now we have to ensure that we have a place in it”

Lesson Outcomes
1. Named examples of ICT Policies which are applicable to teaching and learning
2. Discussed some issues that relate to the ICT policy

EXCITE
New technologies have become central to the lives of every individual in this
planet. Whether you are talking on the phone, sending an electronic mail, going to the
bank, using the library, watching news on television, going to the doctor, catching a
flight, or seeing a movie, you are using ICT, Almost everything that we do in the modern
world is influenced by the new technologies.
Would your life as a teacher be also influenced by the new technologies?
Should we leave our lives to be controlled by technology or should we control
the utilization of technology in our lives? How?
 EXPLORE
One way of enhancing and regulating the use of ICT is to formulate and implement
policies to guide appropriate decisions.

Definition of ICT Policy

The Oxford English Dictionary has defined “policy” as a course of action, adopted and
pursued by a government, party, ruler, states man. It is any course of action adopted as
expedient or advantageous. Its operational definition of policy is a plan of action to guide
decisions and achieve outcomes.
Thus, ICT Policies are needed to put a roadmap or course of actions to be pursued
and adopted by various governments, organization, entities involving ICT. These include
principles and guidelines in the use of ICT which cover three main areas: telecommunication
(telephone), broadcasting (radio and television) and Internet.

The New ICT Technologies

More recent technological innovations increased the reach and speed of
communications which can be grouped into three categories:
1. Information Technology – includes the use of computers, which has become indispensable in
modern societies to process data and save time and effort. What are needed will be computer
hardware and peripherals, software and for the user, computer literacy.
2. Telecommunication Technologies – include telephones (with fax) and the broadcasting of
radio and television often through satellites. Telephone system, radio and TV broadcasting are
needed in this category.
3. Networking Technologies – The best known networking technologies is Internet, but has
extended to mobile phone technology, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) satellite
communications and other forms of communications are still in their infancy. In addition to
Internet, this category also includes mobile telephone, cable, DSL, satellite and other
broadband connectivity.
The DICT Roadmap
In our country; the Department of Information and Communication Technology
(DICT) has formulated a roadmap guide all agencies in the utilization regularization and
enhancement of ICT. Each project has corresponding policy statements and guidelines.
 The ICT for Education (ICT4E) is a program under the DICT that supports all the
efforts of the education sector in incorporating the use of ICT as well as in determining and
gaining access to the infrastructure (hardware, software, telecommunication facilities and
others) which are necessary to use and develop learning technologies at all levels of education.
Among the policy recommended programs that have applications to education teaching-
learning are:
1. ICT Education Masterplan for all levels, including a National Roadmap for Faculty
Development in ICT in Education. A National Framework Plan for ICT’s in basic education was
developed.
2. Content and application development through the Open Content in Education Initiative
(OCEI) which convert DepEd materials into interactive multi-media content, develop
applications used in schools, and conduct student and teachers competitions to promote the
development of education-related web content.
3. PheDNET, is a “walled” garden that hosts educational learning and teaching materials and
application for use by Filipino students, their parents and teachers. All public high schools will
be part of this network with only DepEd-approved multi-media applications, materials and
mirrored Internet Sites accessible from school’s PCs.
4. Established Community eLearning Centers called eSkwela for out-of-school youth (OSY)
providing them with ICT-enhanced alternative education opportunities.
5. equality Program for tertiary education through partnership with state universities and
colleges (SUCs) to improve quality of IT education and the use of ICT in education in the
country, particularly outside of Metro Manila.
6. Digital Media Arts Program which build digital media skills for government using Open Source
technologies. Particular beneficiary agencies include the Philippine Information Agency and the
other government media organization, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National
Commission for Cultural and Arts and other government agencies, State Universities and
Colleges and local government units.
7. ICT skills strategic plan which develop an inter-agency approach to Identifying strategic and
policy and program recommendations to address ICT skills demand-supply type.

All the seven programs were guided by the roadmap that embeds policy statements
that relate to education specifically in the enhancement of human development for teaching
and learning.
Some Issues on ICT and Internet Policy and Regulations
Global Issues
Access and Civil Liberties are two sets of issues in ICT Policy which are crucial to the
modern society. The other concern is civil liberties which refer to human rights and freedom.
These include freedom of expression, the rights to privacy, the right to communicate and
intellectual property rights.
Access to use of Internet and ICT. Access means the possibility for everyone to use the
internet and other media. In richer countries, basic access to internet is almost available to all
with faster broadband connections. These are still countries where access to the internet is still
a challenge.
Infringement to Civil Liberties of Human Rights. What are specific internet issues on
internet policy that have relationship to civil liberties or human rights? Let’s study the examples
that follow.

Issue No. 1 : freedom of expression and Censorship

Under international human rights conventions, all people are guaranteed the rights for
free expression. However, with the shift from communicating through letter, newspaper and
public meetings to electronic communications and on-line networking, a need to look into how
these new means modifies the understanding of freedom of expression and censorship.
The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that everyone has the right to
freedom thought, conscience and religion, likewise the right to freedom of opinion and
expression. However there are practices that violate these provisions in the use of internet.
Some examples are the following:
1. Individual rights are given up in order to have access to electronic networks.
Microsoft Network’s (MSN’s contracts provide protection of individuals like “ upload, or
otherwise make available files that contain images, photographs or other materials protected
by intellectual property laws, including but not limiting to copyright or trademark laws, unless
you own or control the rights thereto or have received all necessary consents to do the same.”
However Microsoft reserves the rights, in its sole discretion, to terminate access to any all MSN
sites or services.
2. Censorship restricts the transmission by blocking it or filtering the information.
Blocking is preventing access to whole areas of internet based upon the “blacklist” of certain
internet address, location on email address while filtering the packets of data or messages as
they move across computer networks and eliminating those considered “undesirable”
materials. The selection of sites that are blocked or filtered has been considered as an issue.
 WARNING! ! ! !
“When you are surfing the web, you may think you are anonymous, but there are
various way that information about you or your activities can be collected without your
consent”
3. Defamation actions may be used to silence critics. This action deters the freedom of
expression.

Issue No. 2 : Privacy and Security

Privacy policies are an issue. Most commercial sites have a privacy policy. When
someone uses a site and clicks “I agree” button, it is as if you have turned over private
information to any authority that may access it.
There are several types of privacy as shown by the following examples:
1. For most, privacy means “personal privacy” the right of individuals not to have their
home, private life or personal life interfered with.
2. Privacy of communication refers to the protection from interference with
communication over the phone or internet. Respect for privacy human relationship via
technological communications media.
3. Information privacy is related to the use of computers and communication system
which are able to hold and process information about large numbers of people at a high speed.
It is important to ensure that information will only be used for purposes for which it was
gathered and will not be disclosed to others without consent of the individuals.

Issue No. 3 : Surveillance and Data Retention

The use of electronic communications has enhanced the development if indirect
surveillance. In the indirect surveillance there is no direct contact between the agent and the
subject of surveillance but evidence of activities can be traced. The new and powerful form of
indirect surveillance is dataveillance. Dataveillance is the use of personal information to
monitor a person’s activities while data retension is the storage and use of information from
communication system.
There is very little that can be done to prevent surveillance. What can be done is to
change the methods of working to make surveillance difficult. This is called “counter
surveillance” or “information security” if it refers to computers and electronic
cpommunication.
Issue No. 4 : E-pollutants from E-waste
Large amount of E-waste is generated by ICT. These are in particular, terminal
equipments used for computing (PCs, laptops), broadcasting (television and radio sets),
telephony (fixed and mobile phones), and peripherals (fax machines, printers and scanners).
The accumulated e-waste is due to rapid turnover of equipment due to rapid
improvement of software. While material waste can be destroyed by crushing, toxic material
brought about by the different equipment requires utmost management. The quantities of e-
waste are increasing in both developed and developing countries. A very dismal state is that
there is a significant amount of electronic waste that has been shipped from industrial
countries to developing countries, using less environmentally responsible procedure.
Remedies include standardization and regulatory measures to increase the life cycle of
equipment before they become obsolete. Efficient extraction of toxic components are requiring
the recycling by both consumers and equipment vendors are selling must be required.
If not controlled then, e-waste will tremendously affect climate change, damage human
lives, and overload the capacity of the earth in carrying solid waste.

For the Teachers and Teaching

1. Guide the teachers on what they should teach that relate to ICT, and how to teach it. Since
ICT development comes so rapid and fast, teachers might be overwhelmed by its rapid speed.
Temperance in its use is a caution that should be looked at.
2. Technology should never replace any human teacher. The tools are support instructional
materials for the teachers which are available for use. The teacher should learn how to
appropriately use them. The human touch of the teacher is still a vital component in teaching.
Teachers should always be reminded that there are always limitations in the use of the different
gadget and tools.
3. There are rules and regulations that govern the use of technology. Caution should be
observed to protect individual privacy. As teachers, you must be aware that the use of the
technology may jeopardize your privacy and security.
4. All the issues and many more shall be part of the teaching content as each teacher will be
encouraged to use technology in teaching.
For the Learners and Learning
The learners of the 21st Century are even more advanced than some of the teachers.
However, learners still need guidance on how to use, regulate technology use. As there are
positive and negative effects of technology use learners should know the difference. Learners
should not only know the benefits of technology use, but they should also know how they can
be protected from the hazards that technology brings to their lives.
Learners should take advantage of the potential of learning support they can derive
such as the development of higher order thinking skills, the development of learning
communities through collaboration, the enhancement of skills to manage the vast resources as
21st century learners and many more.
Both the teachers and learners should be mindful of the e-waste that are being thrown
away to the land and to the atmosphere. Thus, safety in the use of technology shall be
presented in the next lesson.

Lesson 2: Safety Issues on the Use of ICT including e-Safety Rules

Lesson Outcomes
1. Identified and explained safety issues on the use of ICT
2. Listed and applied e-safety rules in the use of ICT

EXCITE
Using technology is not a risk by itself, but how it is used will be vulnerable to risk. When
improperly used, it will pose danger to the users in school and at home. What are the safety
issues that are needed to be addressed by safety policy and guidelines? As future teachers, do
you need to know all of these?
 EXPLORE

Some risk in the Use of ICT and e-Networking

Technology is a phenomenon that seems to be uncotrollable. Despite the so
many benefits for teaching and learning, there are also negative effects or influence on the
learners. Hence as future teachers you have to be aware of how to safeguard learners in the
school communities where they spend most of their waking hours and also in their home or
facilities that provide opportunities to use digital technologies like Internet Cafes. Safeguard
and protection should be the primordial role of parents, teachers and schools. There are so
many risk that we have to be aware of in the use of digital technologies. These are the
following:
1. Exposure to an inappropriate content, including online pornography, extremism
(exposure to violence associated with racist language);
2. Lifestyle website like self-harms and suicide sites, and hate sites;
3. Cyber-bullying in all forms, receiving sexually explicit images or messages;
4. Privacy issues including disclosure of personal information;
5. Health and well being, (amount of time spent online, internet gaming, and many
more;
6. Prolonged exposure to online technologies, particularly at an early age;
7. Addiction to gambling and gaming;
8. Theft and fraud from activities such as phishing;
9. Viruses, Trojans, spyware and other malware; and
10. Social pressure to maintain online networks via texting and social networking sites.
Minor Misuse of ICT
In school, some minor misuse made by learners include the following:
⦁ Copying information into assignment and failing to acknowledge sorce (plagiarism
and copyright infringement)
⦁ Downloading materials not relevant to their studies
⦁ Misconduct associated with subject logins, such as using someone else password
⦁ Leaving a mobile phone turned on during class period
⦁ Unauthorized taking of pictures or images with mobile phones camera or moving

e-Safety
With all of the above concerns and many more, how do we confront all of these so as to
protect our future generation?
e-safety takes not only of internet technologies but also of electronic communication via
mobile phones, game consoles and wireless technology highlights the need to educate children
and young people about the benefits, risk, responsibilities of using information technology.
Here are some issues of e-safety:
⦁ e-safety helps safeguard children and yopung people in digital world;
⦁ e-safety emphasizes learning to understand and new technologies and its positive
way;
⦁ e-safety educated children about the risk as well as the benefits so can feel
confident online; and
⦁ e-safety supports young learners and adults to develop safer online behaviors,
both in and out of school.

Network Management
1. Safety in the Use of Network in School
1.1 Make clear that no one should log on as another user;
1.2 Require all users to always log off when they have finished working;
1.3 Maintain equipment to ensure health and safety,
1.4 Provide students with access to content and resources through guiding e-learning;
 1.5 Set up a clear disaster recovery system in place for critical data to include secure,
remote baeducationck up of critical data;
1.6 Secure wireless network to appropriate standards suitable for education use.
1.7 Install all computer equipment professionally and meet health and safey standards.
1.8 Review the school ICT system regularly with regards to health and safety and
security.

2. Password Policy
2.1 Only authorized users will have individual passwords. User are not permitted to
disclose their passwords unless they got permission from the owner or from the management.
The equipment that keeps the personal information shall be locked when unattended to
prevent unauthorized access.
Computers should set to a time out if they become unused for a certain period of
time.
3. Personal mobile phones and mobile services
3.1 All mobile phones shall be kept away in a box away from the children or learners
and access is only allowed at break time or at the end of classes or when needed during the
class period.
4. Cameras
4.1 Taking pictures only from parents or caregivers and not from any other family
member or friend while the child attends class.
4.2 Any pictures taken of children shall be on cameras solely for the purposes.

Setting Up An Educational Technology Room

Schools that plan to dedicate a room where the students can access technologies
for learning should include the following basic safety rules:
1. Provide tiltable tables. These tables can be tilted and adjusted to the height of the
users.
2. Provide anti-glare screen filters.
3. Provide adjustable chairs.
 4. Provide foot support.
5. make sure lightning is suitable.
6. Make sure work stations are not cramped.
7. Plan work at a computer so that there are frequent breaks.
More specifically safety rules that can reduce risk of accident in working stations should
include:
1. No trailing wires across or around the room which people can trip on.
2. Electrical sockets should not be overloaded.
3. Electrical equipment should be safety-tested at least once a year.
4. There should be adequate space around desk for people to move.
5. Bags and obstacle should be stored out of the way.
6. Food and drinks should not be placed near machines.
7. Heating and ventilation should be suitable for the working environment.
8. Fire extinguisher should be available.
9. Fire exist should be clearly marked and free from clutter.

There are more issues, policies and rules. What have been presented in the lesson may
be the minimum that you should learn. As you explore some more and engage in the different
aspect of Technology and Learning, you will find more details.