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Definition of ICT Policy
The Oxford English Dictionary has defined "policy" as a course of action, adopted and pursued by a
government, party, ruler, statesman. 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, organizations, entities involving ICT. These include principles and guidelines in the use of ICT which cover
three main areas: telecommunications (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:
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.
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.
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. 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 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. Among the policy recommended programs that have applications to education
teaching-learning are:
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.
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.
PheDNET, is *a "walled" garden that hosts educational learning and teaching materials and applications 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.
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Established Community eLearning Centers called eSkwela for out-of-school youth (OSY) providing them with ICT-
enhanced alternative education opportunities.
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.
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 local government units.
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.
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
right to privacy, the right to communicate and intellectual property rights.
Access to 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 to Civil Liberties or 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, 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.
Some examples are the following:
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 or all MSN sites or
services.
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Censorship restricts the transmission of information 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 or
email addresses while filtering is sifting 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 ways that
information about you or your activities can be collected without your consent."
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:
For most, privacy means "personal privacy" the right of individuals not to have their home, private life or
personal life interfered with.
Privacy of communication refers to the protection from interference with communication over the phone or
internet. Respect for privacy of communications is an essential prerequisite for the maintenance of human relationship
via technological communications media.
Information privacy is related to the use of computers and communications 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 of 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 datavelliance. 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 systems.
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 communication.
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
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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 and 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.
Implications to Teaching and Learning
How do the policy guidelines, projects and issues relate to the 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 theses are as follows:
For the Teachers and Teaching
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.
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.
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.
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 21" 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 21" 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.
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Safety Issues on the Use of ICT including e-Safety Rules
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 racist 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 on-line 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 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
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 care not only of internet technologies but also of electronic communications via
mobile phones, games consoles and wireless technology. It highlights the need to educate
children and young people about the benefits, risks and responsibilities of using information
technology. Here are some issues of e-safety:
• e-safety 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; 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 Schools
1.1. Make clear that no one should log on as another user.
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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 guided e-learning,
1.5. Set up a clear disaster recovery system in place for critical data that include secure, remote
back up of critical data.
1.6. Secure wireless network to appropriate standards suitable for educational use.
1.7. Install all computer equipment professionally and meet health and safety standards.
1.8. Review the school ICT system regularly with regard to health and safety and security.
2. Password Policy
2.1 Only authorized users will have individual passwords. Users 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 be set to a time out if they become unused for a certain period of time.
3. Personal mobile phones and mobile devices
3.1 All mobile phones shall be kept away in a box away from the children or learners and access is
only allowed at breaktime 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 picture taken of children shall be on cameras solely for the purpose.
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 lighti ng 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.
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 aspects of Technology
for Teaching and Learning, you will find more details.
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