My 10:00 PM Thoughts on Distance Learning

Never had I imagined that our education would drastically shift from face-to-face into distance and virtual learning because of this COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, in the past, I was quite envisioning that we would really transitioning into a technology-mediated teaching and learning scenarios, but not in this hastily and very frustrating way. The digital divide in our country is so real that we cannot totally rely on virtual distance learning alone, knowing that many learners do not have online access. It is not just really equitable. Good thing is that the Department of Education offered different modalities so that learners with totally no online access can somehow continue their learning with the help of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs). But is it fair, knowing that there are learners who have 24/7 online access and all the gadgets and technology tools at their disposal to participate in online classes and constantly communicate with their teachers? I just feel sad for these learners who were deprived of these technology tools because of poverty. In our city (at Valenzuela), we are fortunate to have Rex Gatchalian, as our visionary and vibrant city mayor, who found a way to lend distance learning tablets for all the Valenzuelano learners, who do not have gadgets to watch livestreaming, video lessons, and participate in follow-up sessions. The tablet they borrowed even has a free SIM card with free internet load. 

This distance and virtual learning modalities we are all in right now would somehow continue until everyone is vaccinated against the virus. We can just all hope and pray that we will surpass this trying time early this year, knowing the vaccines are soon to be rolled out next month. Meanwhile, what we can do is just to still give our very best as their virtual and distance learning teacher, extend more and more patience for those who cannot comply with our prescribed tasks and outputs, and practice the art and science of time management, because in this work-from-home setup, we all need to know when to start and when to stop working. Make time for your self-care, because your mental health also matters.

This was during our prerecording session for DepEd NCR's Video Lesson Project

 

Division Mass Training of Grade 10 TLE Teachers

May 26, 2015, around 2:30 in the morning, I arrived in Stotsenberg Hotel, Clark, Pampanga, where I was invited by Mrs. Remedios L. Santos, our TLE/EPP Education Supervisor, as one of the trainers in the Division Mass Training of Grade 10 Teachers in TLE. I was also assigned to discuss 21^st Century Teaching Strategies.  

The experience was also fantastic. I was amazed by how the participants were trying to be engaged in the discussion. I was also a participant in this training, so after my talk, I also wore the cap of an active participant and learned so many new things from other speakers as well.

This is while giving my talk during the Division Mass Training
for Grade 10 TLE Teachers. Photo Credits: Jay-R Tadifa

School In-Service Training (Opening the Class Doors)

It was indeed a great honor when Mrs. Salvacion V. David, our very own school head, assigned me to discuss some important topics during our School-Based In-Set last May 26. She tasked me to discuss about 21^st Century Teaching Strategies and The New Classroom Assessment.

I was really anxious at first. It was really a different feeling, like I felt more pressured, when I talked in front of my co-teachers than when I did it during the National Training of Teachers. Perhaps, because these teachers were already familiar faces and that some of them were really expecting so much from me, because I was introduced by Mrs. David, herself, as a National Trainer. Honestly, I knew from the start that this would really happen, I considered this as my payback opportunity for all those times that she allowed me to attend those write shops and trainings in preparation for the NTOT for Grade 5 Teachers. Every time the DepEd would send their invitation for me through her office, she never hesitated to say yes. In fact, she would always tell me that it’s an honor for her to have a teacher, whom the writing and speaking skills were recognized by the DepEd Central.

After I have delivered my talk, I received a lot of positive feed-backs from them (to God be the glory) and I was also thankful because my fellow teachers became very active and cooperative audience. Just right after my training session in our school, I needed to leave immediately because I still need to prepare for my talk in Clark, Pampanga with TLE Grade 10 teachers of our division.      

Some candid shots during my talk (ha-ha)...

  

The K to 12 National Training of Trainers (VisMin Cluster)

After the success of our NTOT in Luzon Cluster, we all went home to relax a bit and prepare for the NTOT for the VisMin Cluster. The two-day rest was never enough, but for the Filipino children, we needed to prepare again for a flight going to Ecotech, Cebu City, where the NTOT for Visayas and Mindanao Cluster was held.

It was afternoon of April 20, at NAIA Terminal 2, I met the EPP Training Team again. Everyone was excited and thankful for a good weather condition. And I was like a million times more excited than them because this was actually my first-ever flight (I am blushing now ha-ha).

We boarded at exactly 3:25 PM and our plane took off at exactly 4:15 PM. 

Photo op before we boarded :D

When Dr. Rogel learned that this was my first time, he insisted that I should seat at the window side for me to enjoy the view. He even reminded me to take pictures for souvenirs, and so I did:

We arrived at Mactan International Airport at exactly 5:20 PM and from there we were fetched by an official shuttle to Ecotech Center, wherein we will stay for the rest of the training. The same program of activities. The participants were gathered for a plenary session for the opening program and video presentations of Secretary Luistro’s message and Undersecretary Ocampo’s updates about K to 12.

The participants for EPP were housed in the Applied Nutrition Center (ANC), so that our training team still needed to travel from Ecotech to ANC through the official shuttle they provided us. This was the difficult part, the shuttle was scheduled to fetch us every 6:00 AM sharp. We needed to wake up so early because of this call time. Thank God, because I was never late and thank you also to Sir Noni, my roommate, who sometimes served as my living alarm clock. LOL

All the training sessions went well. We were informed by the NEAP Training Evaluation Team that EPP-ICT Group performed great as based on the training evaluation they designed on-line. We received a lot of compliments from the participants. To God be the glory. Although, there were still some suggestions for improvement, particularly on the time allotment for each learning episode. They hoped for more time. Perhaps, we could still improve the session guides by capturing all the essential topics within the required time allotment.

The NTOT for Visayas and Mindanao cluster was also a success! We were all thankful because we were able to echo, in the loudest possible way, how to properly implement the K to 12 curriculum. The trainers for the Mass Training of Teachers were now equipped to run the same sessions and guide the classroom teachers in optimizing the use of the Learners’ Materials and Teachers’ Guides, utilizing different teaching strategies applicable for the 21^st century learners and performing effective classroom assessments.

The K to 12 National Training of Trainers (Luzon Cluster)

Three days before the National Training of Trainers (NTOT), I had put my shoulder to the wheel in finalizing our session guides and slide presentations. I studied the topics assigned to me, which was about Teaching Strategies. I even bought a book about teaching strategies so that I could revisit the theories, approaches and strategies in teaching, and searched the net for the current trends about pedagogy in the 21^st century. I made my script and prompts for my talk. I also prepared an outline of the whole session.

It was like over-thinking and preparing exaggeratedly , but I considered it a normal thing for someone who would experience to become a chief trainer for the first time in a national level training, with participants who were officials in their schools or divisions. I really took this task seriously.

The night before I leave for the NTOT Luzon Cluster, I really prayed hard for strength, wisdom and confidence to effectively facilitate my sessions. Honestly, I’m having nightmares about being a chief trainer, like failing to facilitate the learning session or dealing with a challenging participant. But I would just console myself with prayers for I know that God is our great comforter. He will be there for me to support me in this enormous undertaking.

I left our home last April 11, 2015 for Teachers’ Camp, Baguio City, where the NTOT for Luzon Cluster was held.  I arrived at exactly 12:30 in the afternoon. It was Day 0 of the training, many participants were already at the administration office for setting in and waiting to be accommodated.

There was a plenary session that was held in Day 1 (April 12), wherein we were all welcomed by the Bureau of Elementary Education. The participants also watched the video message of DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro and the K to 12 Updates by Undersecretary Dina Ocampo. The learning sessions started in Day 2 (April 13), wherein a plenary session for all Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) trainers was organized by our team for the levelling of expectations, house rules and discussion on the conceptual framework of EPP/TLE.

The EPP Training Team was divided into four sub-groups, namely EPP-ICT group, EPP-HE group, EPP-Agri group and EPP-IA group. In EPPP-ICT group, I was with Sir Virgilio Laggui and Ma’am Eden Samadan, they were my co-writers in the development of LMs and TGs. We also divided the number of EPP trainers into three classes (Class A, B and C). Every time that our group was on board, we would see to it that the participants would actively participate. The learning engagement was fun-filled with lots of inputs about the utilization of Learners’ Materials and Teachers’ Guides, teaching strategies and classroom assessments, all to equip them in their Mass Training of Teachers (MTOT) in their respective regions or divisions.

All in all, this was a great experience. I felt so accomplished after our effective facilitation of sessions and rewarded because of the positive feedback of our participants. To God be the glory.

Becoming a Successful Online Learner

Let me dedicate this post for those who are planning to enroll in a distance education program or online training as part of their continuing professional growth and development. 

Image Source: Western Piedmont Community College

Successful online learning highly depends on the expertise of the educators to guide and support the learners in achieving the learning outcomes of the online course, but even more is demanded from an online learner, if he would like to satisfyingly surpass the course requirements. Since there is an absence of the instructor, knowing how to study independently is a great deal. Becoming a successful distance learner entails a number of characteristics that one must possess:

SELF-MOTIVATED

In a traditional classroom, learners are being motivated by their instructors, in distance learning, the student must learn to motivate himself. A motivated learner never gives up, when he feels bogged down; he will just remind himself that this will help him to achieve his dreams.

KNOWS HOW TO MANAGE TIME

A successful online learner never procrastinates. He will always make use of his time wisely by working with assignment and other activities ahead of time to avoid cramming for the deadline of submission. He has a study program and schedule to see to it that every online course program activities are attended.

KNOWLEDGEABLE IN COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

Since distance learning nowadays requires computer with Internet access, it is a minimum requirement that the learner is a computer literate. He should also know how to take advantage of the rich multimedia resources of the World Wide Web. He is fully aware on how utilize the learning environment system of his virtual classroom. But, in case the skill is insufficient, he doesn't hesitate to seek the help of online instructor or other classmates, who are more knowledgeable.    

HAVE GOOD READING COMPREHENSION

In a face-to-face class, learners are used to listen and take down notes during lectures, while in distance learning, it is expected that learners can master the course through reading materials. Although, there are some other media contents that can be used as resources, like clip arts, videos, and audio files, still large amount of information in the web are in text.   

FOCUSED

Successful online learner is in focused every time he is studying. He knows how to stick to his schedule to finish his paper works. He works hard to finish the requirement on time.

                               

FLEXIBLE

He deals with changes positively. He might be used in traditional learning set up, but he managed to adjust himself with the new virtual environment, participate in the class discussion and collaborate through e-mail and pod cast.  

RESPECTFUL CLASS PARTICIPANT

He is respectful all the time, with his online instructor and classmates and shares his insights about the topic and always cordial in discussing issues with other members.

2nd IT Festi-VAL 2014

Last February 28, 2014, the Division of Valenzuela held the 2^nd IT-Festi-VAL, with the theme: “Magandang Kabuhayan Para Sa Kabataan,” at Dalandanan National High School. Nineteen public secondary schools competed for six different contest categories: Web Designing with HTML and CSS; Tarpaulin Designing with Adobe Photoshop; Logo Making with CorelDRAW; PC Assemble and Troubleshooting; I.T. Booth Contest; and Cosplay (Anime) Contest.

The program started at 8:00 in the morning with a kick-off parade/motorcade. A colorful drum and lyre corps made a colorful and spectacular opening number. Dr. Leilanie Mendoza, Education Supervisor/IT Coordinator gave her very inspiring message to all the TLE-ICT teachers and student-participants on how fortunate Valenzuela City was for having a very supportive City Mayor (Mayor Win) in helping DepEd Valenzuela respond to the call of revolutionizing  education through ICT with his WinLab (Computer Laboratories) Grant Project.

Gen. T. de Leon National High School was so fortunate to bag five places out six contests:

·         First Place/Champion in Cosplay (Anime) Contest

·         Third Place in Web Designing with HTML and CSS;

·         Fourth Place in Tarpaulin Designing with Adobe Photoshop;

·         Fourth Place in PC Assemble and Troubleshooting; and

·         Fifth Place in I.T. Booth Contest

Overall, Mrs. Tanfelix, our department head, was so happy that our students performed at their best during the contests. She was also thankful that the trainers did their job seriously in devoting their time and effort to train our student-participants.

On the personal note, I know that for next year’s IT Festi-VAL, we will perform better. How about winning as CHAMPION in all those contest categories? Yeah right… I am dreaming BIG! But anything can happen. Next year, it will be our goal to become the over-all champion of our Division’s IT Festi-VAL.

Here are some of our pics during the awarding ceremony:

We did it! Elton bagged the Third Place in Web Designing Contest

Certificate of Recognition for being one the contest facilitators
with Dr. Leilanie Mendoza

The pack of very dedicated trainers with their
very supportive head teacher, Mrs. Tanfelix (wearing red and green shirt)

The GTDLNHS Delegation for 2nd IT Festi-VAL

I.T. Festival Emblem

This is the emblem that I designed, which will be used in the forthcoming I.T. Festival. I was also tasked to design the official banner. I will post it here soon... :)

I.T. Festival 2014 Emblem

GURO21 Oral Revalida and Graduation

Hola! It’s been like so many days the last time I updated you about my brave journey. Well, it is because of those overwhelming events that happened to me as soon as the classes resumed this year. January is not yet over, yet I could already claim that it was really indeed a great start for me this year.

So glad that I was through with most of my special assignments and paper works in school, now I can recharge and do my leisure, which is this - blogging! J

If there is something I’m so excited to share with you is my GURO21 Oral Revalida and Graduation Ceremony. Last January 9, I attended the Oral Revalida for the GURO21 Course 1: Facilitating the Development of 21^st Century Skills for Southeast Asian Teachers. The mere fact that I was invited to attend the Oral Revalida (revalidation) was already an honor for me, because it would mean that I was considered as a potential graduate of this course. The revalida was held through a panel discussion that could help the SEAMEO-INNOTECH authenticate the learning portfolio of every candidate. The panel interview with our online tutor Dr. Brenda Corpuz and Mr. Pierre Alejo went so well and I was pretty confident that I could really make it, that I will successfully finish this course and be awarded with the international certificate. All my classmates in Class 4 were really apprehensive too about the result. Can we really make it? Are they impressed by our learning portfolio? Is there any problem with the way we comply with their requirements?  I was a bit reflecting about all of these, when one of the SEAMEO staff approached and told me about Dr. Brenda’s request to prepare a class reflection later for the graduation ceremony and he congratulated everyone in our class. We did it! Hurrah! 

To be requested by Dr. Brenda Corpuz, an icon of Educational Technology in the Philippines, to represent our class was indeed an honor of all honors… She trusted me so much with such a very important task. My classmates teased me that perhaps, I was their first honors or class Valedictorian. I was flabbergasted. I was a bit nervous (believe me I really have a stage fright hehe), but thank God that I was able to pull it off.

I can never forget my learning experiences with GURO21 because of these reasons:

• The course delivery transcends time and space, one of the 21^st century new parameters of learning. I’m not new with virtual classrooms, but I am still amazed by the iFLEX platform
• Being so fortunate to be with the class under Dr. Brenda Corpuz, our online tutor, my idol in the field of Educational Technology. I even asked her to sign my book she co-wrote about Educational Technology in the Philippines
• Very insightful classmates – I also learned a lot from them, every time we had the chat session, I was amazed by how they reflect with our current education system, by their ideals and hopes to mold the young learners
•  A chance to improve myself through a Personal Lifelong Learning Plan (PLLP) – so happy that we were taught how to become lifelong learners in this course. After all, to become a 21^st century teacher is to become a lifelong learner.

Before this school year ends, I will see to it that I could share all of my learnings among my fellow teachers through an echo seminar.  

Together with my GURO21 classmates :)

Giving our Class Reflection (a.k.a Valedictory Speech :D )

Dr. Brenda B. Corpuz and her very proud fan :D

My grade report, I just can't believe it, straight A's... Pardon me for bragging this my friend... I just can't help it.. To God Be the Glory! :)

GURO21 Course 1 Grade Report - Worth all the effort!

GURO21 (Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia for the 21st Century)

Today, I attended the orientation for GURO21 (Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia for the 21st Century) at DepEd NCR conference room. The orientation was facilitated by the specialists from SEAMEO-INNOTECH. 

I was somehow awestruck at first because what I saw inside the conference room were pack of school heads. I thought I went to the wrong venue, but I knew I really heard it right from the office personnel. Oh-my! The current orientation was really for school heads for their ICeXCEL course. I was just relieved when I learned that our orientation was just a make-up, since I wasn't able to attend the actual orientation yesterday. I became more comfortable when I met some fellow teachers from different divisions that were also attending the make-up orientation with the INNOTECH tutors. 

We all listened attentively to the presentations of Mr. Pierre Alejo, discussing about the background of SEAMEO-INNOTECH and features of the GURO21 courses. Ms. Joan Atienza gave her comprehensive orientation on how to use the iFlex interface, as the platform for our online learning. 

We all received our copies of this Interactive CD, which included the 2 modules:

• Module 1: Equipping Teachers with Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Values for the 21st Century; and
• Module 2: Facilitating 21st Century Learning

Guro21 Interactive CD

I am really looking forward that this six-week professional development and learning experience will bring me to greater heights when it comes to my advocacy for 21st century student learning. 

Multimedia in Teaching

Multimedia through Computer Technology

Multimedia is the integration of different media content like text, graphic/still images, audio, video, animation, and even interactivity. As an advocate of 21st Century Learning, I highly recommend this approach to all the teachers, who would like to redefine pedagogic scheme in view of the omnipresent technology.

Let me cite some of its advantages first:

• It engages learners in accomplishing certain tasks that involve computer and multimedia applications
• It empowers them to create and design their own presentation and flow of thought through multimedia
• It becomes a medium for the students to represent and express their prior and captured knowledge
• In the study conducted by Carver, Lehrer, Connell, and Ericksen (1992), they list some of the major thinking skills that learners learn and use as multimedia designers:
• Project management skill
• Research skill
• Organization and representation skill
• Presentation skill
• Reflection skill

About the disadvantages, I can say that the cost of developing a sophisticated multimedia application is one of its major limitations. Considering some high end hardware and software supports is also one. Sometimes, overuse of multimedia contents could distract the learner from your real learning objectives.

Developing a multimedia application would require us to meet some hardware and software considerations. The more sophisticated multimedia application we are eyeing to develop would mean more high-end hardware and software requirements.

Basically, for some hardware considerations, we need to have some of the essential computer components like:

• Monitor screen – as much as possible with wider screen for better view of image editing
• Scanners – flatbed or portable, nowadays we have the scanner integrated to our printer device
• Microphone and speakers – for sound/audio recording
• Computer pen and pad – for graphic creations
• Computer processors and memory – as much as possible the computer unit must be high-end to meet the latest version of multimedia authoring programs

      For some software considerations:

•        Audio editing software like Audacity
•        Video editing software like Windows Movie Maker
•        Animation authoring tool like Adobe Flash or Macromedia Director 

Microsoft Philippines Learning in the 21st Century

Last Thursday, I had a great learning experience packed with elegant and classy accommodation by a 5 star deluxe hotel. I was one of those fortunate teachers who were invited to attend this very empowering seminar titled “The Microsoft Philippines Learning in the 21^st Century” held at InterContinental Hotel in Makati.

The programme started with an inspiring welcome address by Ms. Karrie Ilagan, Microsoft Philippines’ General Manager.

Mr. Anthony Salcito, Vice President for Education of Microsoft Corporation, gave his keynote message about Microsoft’s vision for education through a visual teleconference using Skype. He clearly states the tremendous shift with technology, the aspirations of 21^st century learning environments and the dynamics that are changing the teaching and learning situation. He challenged all educators to think beyond the immediate tradition of technology and create a broader goal for the future.

Partners in Learning – What does it mean to me?

This topic was discussed by Ms. Clarissa Segismundo, the Education Programs Lead of Microsoft Philippines. She introduced us to their web portal Microsoft Partners in Learning, which has rich resources, discussions about technology integration and free tools for educators.

Windows in the Classroom – Being more effective with technology

Mr. Paolo Ocampo, Windows in the Classroom Evangelist, gave us a vibrant demonstration on how we can maximize the features of Windows 8 as a tool to enrich our teaching strategies.

Office Tips and Tricks for Teachers

Mr. John Erwin Magno, Office Specialist of Microsoft Philippines, revealed to us some of the hidden but useful features of MS Office 2013. This speaker awed the audience with his sense of humor and some tricks on how to use the full potential of Microsoft Office 2013.  

with my co-ICT teachers in Division of Valenzuela