Computers help teachers, students
By Vicente Labro
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:51:00 10/19/2008
Filed Under: Education, Computing & Information Technology
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—The introduction of new technologies in the teaching-learning process is helping improve the education of children in poor provinces like Samar.
With computers donated by Intel Technology Philippines, four public schools in the two cities of Samar now have computer laboratories with Internet connections that continue to encourage students to study more, aside from making it more convenient for the teachers to teach their lessons.
Gone are the days when teachers have to write lessons on the blackboard, unfold a Manila paper to present a graph or show picture cards. With a click on a keyboard or a press of a button during a Powerpoint presentation, the text or illustration would immediately appear on a screen.
It is likewise much easier now for students to do their assignments or research with the use of the Internet, which connects them to the rest of the world.
The school-recipients in Samar of Intel-donated computers were the Samar National High School in Catbalogan City and the Calbayog City National High School, Oquendo National High School and San Policarpo National High School, all in Calbayog City, located about 180 km north of Tacloban City.
Samar National High School, located 107 km north of Tacloban City, received 50 computers late last year from Intel Philippines through its Intel Teach program.
The three public high schools in Calbayog City also received their computers donated by Intel late last year, with Calbayog City National High School and San Policarpo National High School getting 55 computers each and Oquendo National High School receiving 60 computers.
Intel’s donations allowed each student attending classes in the computer laboratory to use one computer for his/herself, or a 1:1 student-computer ratio.
As counterpart, as in the case of Calbayog, the school, the city government and the general PTA have provided the computer laboratory room, computer tables and chairs, air conditioning, and Internet connection, among other facilities.
“Intel Teach, which we implement globally, is part of the corporate social responsibility program [of Intel],” explained Ma. Teresa L. Pacis, external communications manager, corporate affairs, of Intel Technology Philippines Inc.
So far, Intel Teach has trained around 79,000 teachers in the country, Pacis said in a recent interview.
The Intel Teach program has been training teachers “on how to integrate technology into their lessons, promoting problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills among their students.”
Pacis said Intel trains teachers because the company believes that technology is only a tool while the teachers are the implementers. “According to our chairman, it’s not technology but the teachers who are the magic,” she added.
Intel also introduced the “Community of Learning (CoL)” concept, which is a network of teachers, school administrators, technical support staff, local governments, private groups and other education stakeholders who “share information, expertise and resources in support of technology integration in school.”
Calbayog is one place where the Community of Learning is very active, Pacis observed.
Luisa M. Fernando, division Information and Communication Technology (ICT) coordinator, said the CoL in Calbayog City was launched just last February, chaired by the mayor and the school superintendent.
Under the CoL, she said, they have been able to train teachers on ICT, not only on the use of computers and the integration of technology in teaching but also on PC troubleshooting and minor repair of computers.
Aside from Intel Teach, they also tapped the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development Inc., UP National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development, Department of Science and Technology, Philippine Business for Social Progress, among others, in the ICT training of local teachers.
“We have to collaborate with other agencies because we have a few existing ICT facilities, and some of them are even outmoded,” Fernando explained.
The “modernization” of these three schools did not come easy to the city school division office of the Department of Education, recalled Editha Paculan, Calbayog City school division superintendent.
With no funds to buy computers and accessories, the city school division had to look for individual or group donors.
“Our first computers here were three, donated by the Department of Science and Technology. Then the Department of Trade and Industry also donated computers to several schools in the city,” Paculan said.
But, according to her, these donated computers were not immediately fully utilized because of lack of Internet connection and lack of teachers trained on ICT.
Last year, however, these three public schools in Calbayog had qualified and were provided by Intel with a donation of several computer sets aside from providing training on ICT to the teachers to ensure that the project would be sustainable.
Calbayog City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento said in an interview with the Inquirer that he witnessed a demonstration in one of the computer laboratories in the city and that he was fascinated how classes are now being held, which are conducted in a very different way than during his school days.
Sarmiento lauded Intel for choosing Samar among its program beneficiaries. “In a place like Samar where there’s so much poverty, education is really a very good investment,” he emphasized.
Sarmiento said the Intel Teach program is very good because it does not only provide computers but also conduct capability building for teachers to ensure the maximum use of the technology.
He assured Intel that the city school division and the city government are doing their best to improve the quality of education in Calbayog City, “because it would be shameful to our benefactor if we cannot show that their investment did not go to naught here.”
Rodney Manalo, 15, a fourth year student of the San Policarpo National High School, said the use of computers has been of great help to him as a student because it simplified and made easy to understand their lessons.
On the other hand, 12-year-old Relene Aquiro, a first year student of the same school, recalled that she was excited when she first used a computer this school year and that the Internet has exposed her to the world.
School authorities in Calbayog reported that the use of modern technology in school has caught the interest of students. They added that they believe this contributed much to the decline of their dropout rate, the increase in participation rate, and reduction of incidences of cutting of classes and absences.
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