Teaching Through Texting In Ilocos
By INA HERNANDO-MALIPOT
February 25, 2012, 6:40pm
MANILA, Philippines — Beginning this school year, learning mathematics, science, and English will become more fun and exciting for Grades 5 and 6 pupils of all public elementary schools in the coastal town of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte as the Text2Teach alliance brings to the area an innovative way of teaching via mobile technology.
Globe Head for Corporate Social Responsibility Rob Nazal said Text2Teach is a collaboration among the private and public sectors composed of Globe Telecom, Ayala Foundation Inc., Nokia Corporation, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH), the Department of Education (DepEd), and local government units.
“It shows how mobile technology can be used in various ways, not only to call, text, and browse the Internet but also to enhance the educational experiences of the students,” Nazal said. “Through the Text2Teach alliance, we, in the private sector together with our public sector counterpart, are able to work hand-in-hand in harnessing this technology to bridge the gap between education and the ever-growing demand for a highly-competent labor force,” he added.
To strengthen the program, Globe also introduced the Globe BridgeCom SIM card as the new communications platform for Text2Teach schools.
Nazal said the Globe BridgeCom SIM cuts regular rates in half, thereby, giving users a chance to enjoy a very low P0.05 per second rate for Globe/TM-to-Globe/TM calls and P0.50 per text.
“It will primarily benefit those on the grassroots level who are financially challenged,” Nazal said.
Nazal said that Pagudpud is the first community launch of Text2Teach in 2012, and likely the last for the third phase of the project, and brings to 57 the total number of Text2Teach schools in Ilocos Norte. Text2Teach also has 28 schools in Ilocos Sur or a total of 85 schools in the two provinces.
“Using the power of mobile technology, almost 2,800 Grades 5 and 6 pupil in 11 public elementary schools in Pagudpud can now watch any of the 389 educational audio and video materials loaded in the N86 8MP phones donated by Nokia and equipped with the Nokia Education Delivery (NED) application,” he added.
The beneficiary schools in Pagudpud include Burayoc Elementary School (ES), Caunayan ES, Dampig ES, Gamaban ES, Luzong ES, Pagudpud Central ES, Pagudpud South Central ES, Pancian ES, Pasaleng ES, Saud ES, and Subec ES.
Nazal said the NED allows teachers to play the educational audios and videos on math, science, and English specifically designed for the project, providing a highly effective visual aid for teachers. It also creates an interactive, student-focused learning environment in the classroom which makes the students eager to go to school.
Globe, on the other hand, provides pre-paid SIM cards, free P150 monthly load allowance for one year to each beneficiary-school to be used for helpdesk concerns, and an additional P1,000 load if there are new or updated materials to be downloaded through the mobile phones using its network.
Students can watch the videos using 29-inch television sets purchased from Kolin Philippines International, Inc. The TV sets, Teachers’ Guides, as well as part of the teacher training costs, were covered by the counterpart funds, provided by the LGU led by Mayor Matilde Sales.
The prototype lesson plans in the guides were created by the DepEd master teachers themselves to meet local education guidelines and standards, and are fully integrated with the basic education curriculum.
