TE year1sourcebook/Topics of Study in the Unit

The topics of study in Unit 1 are

Understanding ICT – a brief history

Through the course of history, there have been discoveries and inventions that have changed social processes and structures greatly. The agricultural revolution and industrial revolution created the agrarian and industrial societies respectively. We are now in another such age, brought on by Information Communication Technologies (ICT). With information creation, access, processing and sharing becoming quicker and simpler, society is now being shaped these processes, so much so that, the term Information Society is used to describe society today. Participating in this society requires the development of new skills as well as an understanding of how these processes are affecting society. It is the responsibility of the education system to respond to this by helping students develop an understanding of ICT, its impact on society and the possibilities for learning through ICT. The education system also has to support the building of skills in students that will make them capable of functioning in, and be responsive to a society shaped by ICT.

Most of you student teachers must be using a cell phone to communicate, which even ten years ago would not have been the case with most students. A cell phone is a digital information and communication device, a part of the recent ICT revolution. Yet ICTs are perhaps nearly as old as humanity itself, as human beings needed to communicate with one another, beginning with symbolic (non verbal) ways, before language was invented. Language could be seen as first 'ICT', it   enabled (oral) communication amongst human beings. Yet oral communication had the limitation of space and time, meaning that the speaker and the listener had to be in the same space and time.

Script was the next ICT, invented around 5,000 years ago, which enabled information to be held distinct from   the   communicator   and   be   made   available   beyond   the   limitation   of   space   and   time   that   oral communication   imposed.     (You   would   be   learning   more   about   the   processes   of   speaking   and   listening (comprising   oral   communication)   and   reading   and   writing   (comprising   written   communication)   in   your courses on language learning. Writing also enabled easier recording of human history and thus the invention of script was a landmark in the history of ICTs. Invention of printing technologies scaled up the 'writing' process and enabled mass production of books. The invention of radio and television created the 'mass media' in which simultaneously the same message could be transmitted to thousands of people. Each ICT invention enabled the processes of information creation, sharing, storing and communicating to be easier, quicker, more efficient (reaching more people) etc. Each invention was a significant event in the evolution of human communication processes and in the explosion in the availability of information.

ICT refers to those set of technologies that help us create information, access information, analyze information and communicate with one another. Human beings have always accessed information and communicated, but what makes these present technologies special is their digital nature.

Digital ICT

We are now perhaps in the middle of the next epochal movement in the history of ICTs, the use of digital  methods of accessing, creating, modifying sharing, storing information as well as for communication. Most of you would have been born after the beginning of the mass use of cell phones (the second generation or 2G cell phone technology was available for mass use from 1991), towards the end of the first millennium, while many teacher educators would have been born before this period!

File:Long_Waves_of_Social_Evolution.jpg

Growth of ICT can be seen to be broadly in terms of 4 ages premechanical mechanical electromechanical and electronic While technology for information creation, storage and processing has been developing continuously, one important development which changed the course of technology is the development of digital technologies in the electronic area. Whereas during the electromechanical area, information was stored largely stored in analog formats. During the electronic age, information was stored in analog and digital formats.

This phenomenon creates an interesting inversion in the school environment, in almost all other areas, the teacher (teacher­ educator) is more familiar than the learner (student­ teacher), while in case of ICTs (more specifically in the skill of using ICT devices and methods), it can often be the opposite! Research also

suggests that younger people are quicker to pick up a technology than older people. Hence this course may require the student­ teacher to help the teacher educators to acquire some of the skills covered and support 'collaborative   learning   amongst   student­ teachers   and   teacher­ educators!  On the other hand,   the   experience   and insights of teacher educators can help student teachers to develop a critical perspective towards digital ICTs, which is essential, since digital ICTs have huge potential for doing good as well as harm. One point to note is that, one technology does not replace the earlier one, rather the earlier technologies tend to continue, thus creating a richer environment of multiple ICTs.

History of ICT

Knowledge model / Basis	Method	Storage	Sharing	Publishing (mass sharing)	Features
Oral / Language	Oral	Human memory	Speaking - Hearing	Not possible	Requires synchronicity of space and time
Written / Script	Text	Books	Physical	Not possible	Share knowledge across space and time, but in limited manner
Print / Printing	Text	Books	Physical	Books	Explosion
Mass Media/ Radio, TV	Analogue -Audio, video	Cassettes and similar analog devices	Physical	Over broadcast media	Mass reach across space and time
Digital (ICT)	Digital methods (text / audio / video editors)	Digital storage like hard disks	Email	Websites, blogs, Wikis – 'desktop publishing'	Information spreads fast and wide1. Much easier construction and much Wider possibilities – text, audio, video

You will learn to use digital ICT for two purposes in the first year - 'connecting and learning' and 'creating (generic resources) and learning', in the two units respectively. Before 'connecting and learning' you need to have a basic familiarity with the ICT devices and tools.

ICT for connecting

The internet, a product of digital ICT, has changed the way we think of communicating. Talking to a friend through whatsapp or telegram chats, emailing or making a video call are just some of the ways in which the internet has changed the way we communicate with others. With the internet, you can connect to any computer in the world and access information. You can join other friends, form groups to learn about many things. Internet is also allowing new methods of learning through online courses and resource repositories. Unit 1 will help you learn how you can use ICT to connect and learn.

Navigating the Internet, web browser for accessing the internet

Accessing the internet and browsing the web (understanding the difference between the two)

Downloading information and organizing

Identifying license information and using downloaded information appropriately

Using safety tips while browsing

You will develop a text document with a list of websites that you have accessed

Equitable access to ICTs

As you use the computers and Internet, the easy sharing of digital documents will seem quite powerful – instead of physically photo copying documents or re­creating models of a device, making digital copies of the document or photos of the device is simpler and also almost free. Hence it should seem obvious that digital modes of information production and sharing would make resources easy to access, covering all kinds of digital items including content and software. However, there have been very strong forces that have worked against such easy sharing.

Paradoxically such sharing has been made difficult using technological methods as well as legal methods. Legal methods have been through releasing software or content using restrictive licenses, that forbid sharing or modifying. Technological methods have been to not release the source code (in case of software), which is required   for   making   modifications   and   by   using   techniques   that   prevent   'copy   paste'   processes.     Thus 'proprietary' software which forbids sharing and customising is used by most ICT users.

One argument for restricting free sharing is that the creator needs to be compensated for producing the resource and instead of having the first buyer pay the entire amount of creation, seeking license fees from many users can reduce the costs to the first buyer and also increase the profitability for the creator. While this argument can have relevance in commercial transactions, in the case of education, where the free access to and sharing of learning resources is essential, using digital resources that do not have restrictive licensing would be required. Fortunately, in the case of software, there are free software communities that have developed software and released it on liberal conditions, that allow free sharing and modifying. Dr Richard Stallman, who was a professor at the Massachusets Institute of Technology, established the Free Software Foundation, whichworked to develop software applications and released them under a 'General Public License' (GPL), which allows the user four freedoms – to use, study, modify and share. The GPL also insists that any changes made to a free software should also be released on same terms.

Similarly in the case of content or learning materials, the 'open educational resources' (OER) movement aims to support creation of digital materials that allow the four rights – right to re­use, re­vise, remix and re­distribute (called the 4 Rs). As teachers, you too can release materials you create as OER, so that other teachers can give feedback as well as revise/refine the same to make it better quality. (Karnataka teachers are already doing this in the Karnataka Open Educational Resources (KOER) programme of DSERT, which you too can join.

Ethical use of ICT

You will be learning to use ICT for many purposes. However, you should know that ICT use can be beneficial or harmful, and you need to use your judgement in the use of ICTs. Ethical challenges in the use of ICTs can arise in the following situations:

1. Plagiarism - showing resources created by others as created by oneself
2. Using others resources without their permission, or as per the 'license' associated with the resource.
3. Participating in a virtual forum in an offensive manner, violating the etiquette of virtual forum behaviours

You need to be aware of these dangers and learn to avoid these, and help your classmates also avoid these.

Plagiarising - copying resources created by others and representing it as yours

While it is easy to copy a resource from the internet and include in your own work without giving credit to the creator, it is an unethical practice. This is called 'plagiarism', the more familiar word is 'copying'. Referring to other resources, 'citing' them in your work, or adapting them to meet the needs of your work are ethical activities. This is called 'fair use' of materials created by another person. What is 'minor' copying or 'large' depends on the situation, and you need to use your judgement. In case of doubt, always discuss with your teachers, classmates and friends. One simple rule - use materials from existing OER sources, and give credit to the source, in your own document.

Violating the 'license' associated with the resource

Digital resources, including software and content always have an associated 'license' of use. In case the software or content is licensed as 'proprietary', where the creator has all the rights, and has not given any rights to others, then using the digital resource is illegal, without paying the required license fee, as well as unethical. Such use is called 'piracy'. You may find it technically very easy to just 'copy-paste' an article from the Internet or copy a proprietary software program from another computer, or download a movie from the internet which is not licensed to be copied. All these would be unethical practices and must be avoided. For the same reason, your school computer lab must not have any pirated software. If you find any pirated software or content in the school computers, please do bring it to the notice of your teacher.

Free and Open Source Software and Open Educational Resources

One way of avoiding this unethical practice, is to use and promote Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and Open Educational Resources (OER). FOSS and OER movements aim at providing digital resources that are licensed to allow you to make copies. In addition, you can modify the software / content resource and share again. It is ethical to use FOSS and OER. It is unethical to pirate proprietary software or content.

Remember that if a digital resource has no explicit copyright clause mentioned, it means it is owned by the creator with no rights for others. Hence when you create a digital resource, please take care to explicitly mention that it is an OER. You can do this by providing the copyright clause such as - "Copyright - Creative Commons CC BY SA 4.0", you can mention this in the first page itself, below the title of the article.

Ethical use of internet

The Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility has prepared the 'ten commandments' or ten rules for use of computers, some of which are listed below:

1. You should not use a computer to harm other people.
2. You should not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. You should not snoop around in other people's computer files.
4. You should not use a computer to steal.
5. You should not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid
6. You should not use other people's computer resources without authorization
7. You should always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for others

This can be pasted on your computer lab as 'Do's and Dont's of using the lab.

Internet Safety

The virtual world also can be as or more dangerous than the real world. Cyber bullying (including by students of other students), abusive communication, on-line fraud including transfer of funds from your bank accounts etc are common. A June 2011 Consumer Reports "State of the Net" survey "unearthed several disturbing findings about children and Facebook": One million children were harassed, threatened, or subjected to other forms of cyber bullying during 2010.

1. Of the 20 million minors who actively used Facebook in the past year, 7.5 million - or more than one-third - were younger than 13 and not supposed to be able to use the site.
2. Among young users, more than 5 million were 10 and under, and their accounts were largely unsupervised by their parents.

Read these news articles and discuss among your friends. Think of the steps you should take to avoid getting into trouble. 'Ditched' by Facebook lover, 14-year-old girl hangs self, news article shows that the use of Facebook by children which is not supervised by parents/teachers can be quite dangerous. A 20-year-old girl student was arrested by the Cyber Crime Police on Thursday on the charge of creating a fake Facebook id. on the name of another girl and posting her photographs, phone numbers and some abusive messages and causing mental agony to her, from The Hindu Hyderabad student stalked girls through Facebook. This article shows how dangerous it can be to befriend strangers. As a simple but necessary rule, never make any friend on-line, unless you already are their friend off-line Using social networking sites presents children and their friends and families with safety, security, and privacy risks. read the article from Truthout Mobile Internet abetting cyber crimes, say police, Hindu September 2014 Phishing: 3 victims lose Rs. 20 lakh, Hindu September 2014. (Banking fraud) Internet - a double-edged sword. Hindu April 4, 2015

Apart from harm that may be inflicted by others through the internet, there is harm from excessive use of the internet. See Man treated for Internet addiction. South Korea, the country which has the highest density of internet use has internet deaddiction centres in more than 100 hospitals. Like any other resource, the internet needs to be used wisely, there is a danger of misuse, abuse and over-use. Please visit the following sites to learn about safe internet use

1. https://www.getsafeonline.org/protecting-your-computer/safe-internet-use/
2. http://blog.searchlock.com/internet-safety-tips-kids-teens/

Apart from harm to yourself, the use of the internet can cause problems for your computer, through malware (software viruses), or spam (unwanted mails). Do not download any software or content to your computer from the internet, unless you have clear instruction from your teacher.