Course no: ED 104

Course Title: Technology for Teaching and Learning 1

Topic 2: ICT Policies and Safety Issues: Implications to Teaching and Learning

A. Policies and Issues on the Internet and Implications to Teaching and Learning

ICT Policy includes principles and guidelines in the use of ICT which cover three main areas:
telecommunication, broadcasting, and Internet.
The New ICT Technologies
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 of 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.

The DICT Roadmap

In our country, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) has formulated a
roadmap to guide all agencies in the utilization regulation 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, telecommunications facilities and others) which are necessary to use and
deploy learning technologies at all levels of education.

Policy recommended programs that have applications to education teaching-learning are:

1. ICT in education Masterplan for all levels, including a National Roadmap for faculty Development in
ICT in Education. A National Framework Plan for ICTs in Basic Education was developed.
2. Content and application development through the Open Content in Education Initiative (OCEI) which
converts DepEd materials into interactive multi-media content, develop applications used in schools, and
conduct students 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 applications
for use by the 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 partnerships 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 builds digital media skills for government using Open Source
technologies. Particular beneficiary agencies include the Philippine Information Agency and the other
government media organizations, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture
and Arts and other government art agencies, State Universities and Colleges and other local government
units.
7. ICT skills strategic plan which develops an inter-agency approach to identifying strategic and policy and
program recommendations to address ICT skills demand-supply type.

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 right to privacy, the right to communicate and intellectual property rights.
Access of the 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. There are still countries where access to internet is still a challenge.
Infringement in to Civil Liberties or Human Rights- what are the 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 convention, all people are guaranteed the rights for free expression.
However, with the shift from communicating through letter, newspapers 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 of
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.
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”, it is as if you have turned over private information to any authority that may access it.
Issue No. 3: Surveillance and Data Retention
The use of electronic communications has enhanced the development of 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 retention is the storage and use of information from
communication system.
Issue No. 4: E-pollutants from E-waste
Large amount of e-waste is generated by ICT. These are particular, terminal equipment's used for
computing (PCs, laptops), broadcasting (television and radio sets), telephony (fixed and mobile phones) and
peripherals (fax machines, printers, and scanners).
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 than has been shipped from industrial countries
to developing countries, using less environmentally responsible procedure.

Implications to Teaching and Learning

There are great implications of this lesson to both the teachers who are teaching and the learners who
are learning. A few of these are as follows:

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
teacher 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 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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 valid resources as 21st century learners and many
more.

B. Safety Issues including Digital Safety Rules

Safety Issues including digital Safety Rules Using technology is not a risk by itself, but how it is used will
be vulnerable to risks. 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?
Some Risks in the Use of ICT and e-Networking Technology is a phenomenon that seems to be
uncontrollable. 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 homes 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
risks that we have to be aware of in the use of digital technologies. These may include the following:

1. Exposure to inappropriate content, including on-line pornography, extremism (exposure to violence

associated with raciest language).
2. Lifestyle websites 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 on-line, 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 activity such as phishing, viruses, Trojans, spyware and other malware.
9. 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 the source (plagiarism and copyright
infringement)
•Downloading materials not relevant to their studies
•Misconduct associated with subject logins, such as using someone else's password
•Leaving a mobile phone turned on during class period
• Unauthorized taking of pictures or images with mobile phone camera still or moving.

e-Safety
e- safety takes care not only of internet technologies but also of electronic communications via
mobile phones, games consoles and wireless technology. It helps safeguard children and young people in the
digital world;
• e-safety emphasizes learning to understand and new technologies in a positive way;
• e-safety educates children about the risks as well as the benefits so we can feel confident online
• e-safety supports young learners and adults to develop safer online behaviors, both in and out of school.

Setting Up an Educational and 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 lighting 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 accidents in the 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 obstacles 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 extinguishers should be available.
9. Fire exits should be clearly marked and free from clutter.

PREPARED BY:

MICHAELLA L. CAUDILLA

LAYNIE DAMPOG

JANIN DE FELIX

MARYGOLD BILLIONES

PAMELA TOLEDO