SUMMARY

        IN QUARTER 1, IT COVERS HOW THE NETWORKED WORLD/SOCIETY CAME TO BE, DISCOVERING GLOBAL TRENDS AND FADS AND LEARNING HOW TO ACCEPT AND REJECT EACH EMERGING PATTERN, AND LOOKING INTO TECHNOLOGY'S ENABLING, EMANCIPATING AND ENSLAVING DIMENSIONS. IN QUARTER 2, THE LEARNER UNDERSTANDS THE MEANING AND DIMENSIONS OF DEMOCRACY. THE LEARNER UNDERSTANDS HOW ICT ENSLAVES, EMANCIPATES, AND EMPOWERS INDIVIDUALS. THE LEARNER UNDERSTANDS THE PARALLELISM BETWEEN NEURAL AND SOCIAL NETWORKS.

APPLICATION

          Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking (TNCT) in the 21st century subject provides area of knowledge where deep understanding is required, it will help us to discover and differentiate relationships between causes and consequences. This subject may also be applied in facing challenges addresses by the world today. With this subject, the learners will be able to perform competently and accurately. It offers interesting topics that we can apply in real life situations. We will learn many skills that we can use for daily living. By studying this subject, we will become aware of what is happening around us. We will have an idea on how to become a productive citizen and how to stand against social issues and concerns. 

NEURAL AND SOCIAL NETWORKS

     

     Neural networks (also referred to as connectionist systems) are a computational approach, which is based on a large collection of neural units (AKA artificial neurons), loosely modeling the way a biological brain solves problems with large clusters of biological neurons connected by axons. Each neural unit is connected with many others, and links can be enforcing or inhibitory in their effect on the activation state of connected neural units. Each individual neural unit may have a summation function which combines the values of all its inputs together. There may be a threshold function or limiting function on each connection and on the unit itself: such that the signal must surpass the limit before propagating to other neurons. These systems are self-learning and trained, rather than explicitly programmed, and excel in areas where the solution or feature detection is difficult to express in a traditional computer program.

     Neural networks typically consist of multiple layers or a cube design, and the signal path traverses from front to back. Back propagation is where the forward stimulation is used to reset weights on the "front" neural units and this is sometimes done in combination with training where the correct result is known. More modern networks are a bit more free flowing in terms of stimulation and inhibition with connections interacting in a much more chaotic and complex fashion. Dynamic neural networks are the most advanced- in that they dynamically can, based on rules, form new connections and even new neural units while disabling others.

     The goal of the neural network is to solve problems in the same way that the human brain would, although several neural networks are more abstract. Modern neural network projects typically work with a few thousand to a few million neural units and millions of connections, which is still several orders of magnitude less complex than the human brain and closer to the computing power of a worm.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

   

      A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for analyzing the structure of whole social entities as well as a variety of theories explaining the patterns observed in these structures. The study of these structures uses social network analysis to identify local and global patterns, locate influential entities, and examine network dynamics.

Social networks and the analysis of them is an inherently interdisciplinary academic field which emerged from social psychology, sociology, statistics, and graph theory. Georg Simmel authored early structural theories in sociology emphasizing the dynamics of triads and "web of group affiliations". Jacob Moreno is credited with developing the first sociograms in the 1930s to study interpersonal relationships. These approaches were mathematically formalized in the 1950s and theories and methods of social networks became pervasive in the social and behavioral sciences by the 1980s. Social network analysis is now one of the major paradigms in contemporary sociology, and is also employed in a number of other social and formal sciences. Together with other complex networks, it forms part of the nascent field of network science.

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

       

     The twenty-first century has been characterized as the information age. No doubt, one of the greatest achievements of this age has something to do with the technology, especially the increasing power of communications. ICT is providing an extra-ordinary opportunity to hone our critical thinking and problem-solving skills. communication skills, creativity and innovation.

How has ICT positively affected the life of the members of the society or the digital citizens? The following can serve as an example:

Education – Many educators are already using and infusing technology as a teaching-learning pedagogy through the use of different platforms.

Business – Most entrepreneurs are making use of the internet and different social networking sites to promote their businesses and products.

Government – In the Philippines, many transactions with government offices are now possible and available online. Application for birth certificates, passport, NBI and like are maximized by some Filipinos.

    Computers, e-mail, internet, fax machines, mobile phones are only among the information communication tools that can be considered an integral part of work activities in almost all companies or institutions in the Philippines and abroad. The development and access of different technologies like wireless networking and mobile devices significantly transformed user into content producers.

ICT and Global Networks

     With ICT in our schools, learners are not only consumers but content creators as they write, edit, publish, participate, co-create and collaborate with others through the use of technologies. ICT hastens global and democratic network across the planet. The Internet is an apparatus for causal connection as well as open spaces where individuals can voice out their issues. ICT can generate global social awareness through social network sites. Social networking sites also facilitate the mobilization of grassroot movements and advocates especially among the younger generation. ICT promotes social development by sharing knowledge, fostering cultural activity, increasing democratic participation, and enhancing social cohesion. Technological advances have improved life and brought the world’s people closer.

DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTIONS

"Democracy is one of the most important principles for a better world. In its truest sense, a democracy is a community in which all members have an equal say in the running of that community. Unfortunately in reality, democratic societies have fallen short of this ideal. Nevertheless, because of its very nature, once a democracy is established, its citizens can work together to make their society more and more democratic, if they choose to do so." – Robert Alan Silverstein

POLITICAL CORRUPTION

     There is an increase disenchantment of the state of society in our globalized world. In a study about democratic participation in different countries in the globe, 44 out of 47 countries that took part in the study asserted that the conditions of a good society were not met (Barry Knight: 2002, p. 107)

     Undemocratic practices breed social ills that haunt societies in the planet. Dissatisfaction of citizens with their governments include: a. failure to meet their basic needs that create profound insecurities,b. failure to protect them from the sweeping winds of economic change where they lose their customs and traditions, andc. failure to involve its citizens in its policies and programs.

Basic Needs

     Failure to meet basic needs is a common complaint among many societies in the world today. There was a growing gulf between rich and poor droving the former to extra-legal activities such as theft and prostitution.

Association

     Undemocratic practices undermine the traditional bonds of family and kinship threatened by the pressures of work, urbanization and migration. The distancing of government concerns from the lives of ordinary people weakened customary forms of accountability and led to a highly corrupt, self-seeking, inefficient, and partisan state.

Participation

     Citizens play they part by (1) engaging in collective action to perform voluntary work with others in order to tackle problems and (2) participating in political processes to play an active role in relation to the state in order to ensure that the state opened itself up to the influence of citizens.

PLANETARY NETWORKS: CLIMATE CHANGE

Global Warming

"The ecological crisis is a moral issue…. Respect for Life and for the dignity of human person extends also to the rest of creation… We cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying due attention both to the consequences of such interference in other areas and to the well-being of future generations." – John Paul II 1990

     One of the most important issues of our time is in relation to the environment. Humanity has disturbed the fundamental beat of nature. Some of the problems that relate to environmental issues: air and water pollution, toxic wastes, improper garbage disposal, destruction of wildlife habitats, deforestation and mining. These problems were indeed devastating. The pollution of international waters, the irreversible destruction of the world’s forests and increased toxic emissions in the air we breathe, among other things, leave us to ponder our relationship with the environment.

"The most important about global warming is this: Whether humans are responsible for the bulk of climate change is going to be left to the scientists, but it is all our responsibility to leave the planet in better shape for the future generations that we found it." – Mike Huckabee

     The fact remains that people’s lifestyles have largely contributed to some of the environmental problems that confront the world today remains. One concrete effect of this lifestyle is global warming. The use of coal and oil in generating electricity for industrial and residential settings is a big factor in increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which contributes to the warming of the planet.

Climate Change

     One of the big questions in the climate change debate: Are humans any smarter than frogs in a pot? If you put a frog in a pot and slowly turn up the heat, it won’t jump out. Instead, it will enjoy the nice warm both until it is cooked to death. We humans seem to be doing pretty much the same thing. – Jeff Goodell

     The United Nations Forum Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines climate change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping of the greenhouse gases to increase significantly in our atmosphere. With more of these gases in the atmosphere, more radiation is absorbed and radiated back to Earth as heat. Thus, as the concentrations of these gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the Earth’s temperature also continues to increase.

Today, the impact of climate change is one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the global planet.

“Mitigating this impact requires profound changes in energy production and use, since emission of greenhouse gases from combustion of fossil fuels is the dominant human contribution to climate change.” – Nick Hanley and Anthony Owen on The Economics of Climate Change

     It is clear that human activities are driving the current rate of climatic change. When people burn fossil fuels to heat their homes or fuel their cars, and when land is converted from forests to the other uses, greenhouse gases are emitted to the atmosphere.

     As reported by experts, the effects of climate change will not be the same across sectors, the world, or even within many countries. Some areas could have benefits while other could have damages. Some sectors may see ‘positive’ effects while other sectors may see ‘negative’ effects. Effects may also evolve as climate change continues, altering the nature and distribution of these effects across sectors and regions.

Climate Change Solutions

     The last two decades have witnessed expanding political and economic discussions over the ways of reducing greenhouse gases or, at least, exploring ways of adapting to the predicted climatic changes. In order to avoid the most serious impacts of climate change, humans will have to significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being put into the atmosphere. There are different approaches to make these decreases, including optimizing vehicles proficiency, expanding access to and utilization of open travel, overhauling building protection, supplanting fossils with renewable energy, and diminishing deforestation. Numerous legislatures, organizations, and people are starting to execute some of these techniques and hence gradually decreasing emissions. The use of cleaner production technologies and change of lifestyle are desired to impact a change in climate.

Global Networks

Understanding Globalization

“Globalization could be the answer to many of the world’s seemingly intractable problems. But this requires strong democratic foundation based on political will to ensure equity and justice.” – Sharran Burrow

     Clearly, one of the goals of globalization is for the world to become more interdependent. People and countries of the world are closely woven together especially in the economic aspect. Globalization is the most powerful source for change in the world today affecting all societies in the planet. It entails movement of capital, free flow of goods and services, the increased mobility of individuals, and the expansion of multinational corporations and transnational organizations.

Globalization and Migration

     The issue of globalization is linked with migration and with movement of capital and commodities.

     Migration is said to be as old as human civilizations, and there is clear proof that globalization is inextricably related to it. The growing demand for laborers of the most capitalist countries precipitated the migration of many families from the unprivileged communities.

     According to estimates, more or less 20% of the labor force in the Philippines want to leave the country in search for a job abroad. Some of them become victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

What is Migration?

     National Geographic defines human migration as the movement of people from one territory to another for the purpose of taking up either a permanent or temporary residence.

People migrate for various reasons. The reasons may fall under four categories:

1. environmental
2. political
3. cultural
4. economic

Within these categories, National Geographic categorized them as “push” and “pull” factors of migration.

Push factors – are those that motivate people to move from one place to another because of difficulty, such as food shortage, war, flood, etc.

Pull factors – are those that motivate people to move their place to another place simply because of some desirable reasons such as nicer climate, better food supply, freedom and others.

Types of Migration

• Internal Migration – this is defined as the process where migrants look for a new residence within their own country, state, or continent.
• External Migration – moving in a different country, state or continent to a new residence
• Migration – leaving one country to move to another
• Immigration – moving into a new country
• Forced Migration – this happens when the state or authorities forced its people to migrate for a reason

2. Migration, Globalization and Climate Change

The first half-decade of the twenty-first century has been characterized by incidents of disaster that brought about massive human suffering. Regardless of location, humanity is threatened by hazards of many types. The World’s Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) shows that hazardous events have been on the rise around the world, which include natural and technological hazards: drought, earthquakes, epidemics, extreme temperature, famine, floods, insect manifestations, landslides, volcanic eruption, waves/surges, wildfires, and windstorms.

Natural calamities like earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and floods have brought varying degrees of devastation around the world. The global consciousness that climate change may represent one of the most significant threats of the near future has stimulated humanity’s collective interest in disaster.

“Migration, forced or otherwise, will undoubtedly be one of the most significant consequences of environmental degradation and climate change in decades to come.” – Achim Steiner

Ecological migrants are compelled to relinquish their belongings and escape for their lives in the fallout of typhoons, tidal waves, tremors and other grave calamities. They are displaced people who are compelled to leave their homes. They are the ‘new’ poor people and the most defenseless in the midst of calamities which are getting more violent because of climate change.

250 million people are permanently displaced by climate change-related phenomena, such as floods, droughts, famines, and hurricanes.

In the Asian regions, disasters emanating from natural and technological hazards have occurred with increasing frequency, impacting greater number of people and financial losses. In the past ten years alone, Asia had been hit by strong earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons that resulted to the loss of thousands of lives, and left ens of thousands homeless and in anguish.

Global ecological and environmental movements have rightly observed that a new poor called climate refugees or environmental refugees emerges out of this situation. They are the people who had been internally displaced, not because of war, but by disasters

In 2005, Glen Albrecht created the term “solastalgia,” consolidating solacium (comfort), nostos (return home), and algos (torment) – the misery, dejection, or tension brought about by modified situations. He believes that the level of pain an individual or a group encounters is associated with the loss of an endemic feeling of place.

Understanding Local Networks

     A network is a group of people whom we interact daily. Our relationships are networked. If you look at nature, networks are everywhere. The cellular network in the human brain, for instance, is an amazing network that makes human life possible.

     But what are networks? Networks are a ‘set of nodes and set of ties’ (Brass, 1994: 42). The things that are connected are usually called nodes. A node might be a person, a computer or even a hyperlinked text. The connections between hubs are called “associations” and here and there called “edges”. They are relations that bind the tie or even make the ties suffer. It is imperative for leaders and managers to precisely see the system relations that associate individuals and to effectively oversee them. Awareness concerning social networks is important to the extent that people are uncertain who is connected to whom. It is a means of developing contact and exchange of information. It provides us the opportunity to interact with people outside of our regular social circle. It is vital also to entrepreneurs, professionals, and job seekers.

     Networks are analyzed in terms of density, hierarchy, multiplexity, interdependence and embeddedness (Kilduff and Tsal, 2003, pp.3off).

1. Density-  The density of a network is based on the number of connections between and among the actors. According to Kilduf and Tsai, the higher the number, the denser the system.The density of a network depicts the potential associations in a system that are genuine associations while a potential connection is an association that could possibly exists between two “hubs” paying little respect to regardless of whether it really does.
2. Hierarchy- Actors in the network can pull their investments in social relations by establishing relations with a diverse set of groups in the community (preferably groups that are not connected to each other), rather than establishing all of their relationships with members of one group.
3. Complexity- Complexity is the extent to which a link between actors served a multiplicity of interests in the community. The more complex relations have considered have higher tie strength. Complexity also represents the extent to which two people are bound to each other in different social grounds.
4. Interdependence- The ties in the network can be useful in facilitating change and reform. The interdependence of social ties in a community produces benefits for actors and members. Interdependence facilitates cooperation and creates social capital necessary for the progress of the community. Social capital is the accumulated benefits as a result of the maintenance of a positive relationship between different groups and associations in the community.
5. Embeddedness- The networks of relations within each person is rooted include family, friends, and acquaintances. To be sure, business associations themselves are held together by formal relations of power as well as by casual connections that interface individuals crosswise over departmental and progressive limits.

Understanding Elements and Characteristics of a Trend

What is a Trend?

      A pattern of gradual change in a condition, output, or process, or an average or general tendency of a series of data points to move in a certain direction over time, represented by a line or curve on a graph.

MEGATRENDS AND MICROTRENDS

     Megatrends entail a major restructing ; they are a larger pattern of broad trends that reshape and transform our lives.

     Microtrends advocate localization as opposed to globalization, recognizing that people and communities have never been sophisticated and more knowledgeable about the choices they make in their everyday lives.

EXAMPLES OF TRENDS:

• Facebook – is the most common social network website where you can share information about yourself and communicate with other people.
• Twitter – it lets you see what is happening around the world, from breaking news and entertainment, sports and politics to big events and every day interests.

Trendspotting

     Trendspotting is attempting to see the future in the present (Rehn and Lindkvist, 2013). Being able to predict a trend is a valued skill for the global citizen. Trendspotting is sometimes called cool-hunting and trend analysis.

  Trend analysis is the widespread practice of collecting information and attempting to spot a pattern, or trend, in the information.

     Trend spotting is the identification of new trends or attempting to see the future.

     Trend spotter is a person who notices and reports on new fashions, ideas, or activities that are becoming popular.

Differentiating a trend from a fad

     Both trends and fads can play an important role in an organization’s success – but they must be treated differently. If they are not, leaders risk burning out adapting to every fad, and critical trends required for an organizations’ survival may be missed. Let’s start by looking into fads and trends individually.

     Fad is a new thing that people are doing. The easiest way to categorize a fad is one word: short-lived. Trends have a much longer lifespan than fads. In fact, trends can continue to be fashionable for years and even decades.

     Trend is significant, have broad implications in all aspects of society, identifiable and explainable while fad is transitory or quick, affect only particular group of people without impact and driven by emotions.