Digital trainings pivot to Makabagong San Juan roadmap
The Schools Division Office (SDO) of San Juan City conducted a series of webinars geared towards digital literacy of around 400 plus teachers, school heads, and education officials in partnership with the local government headed by Mayor Francisco Javier M. Zamora. Everyone could participate because of the laptops that were distributed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the personal efforts of the participants for their respective internet connection.
It started with the launch of Tulong Eskwela on June 11, 2020 through the Zoom platform with support from AHA Learning Center as their team helped the SDO set up a system that can provide equitable access even for those without internet connectivity. They introduced the free features of Facebook Messenger that can be used in creating virtual classrooms.
This was followed by a 3-day training entitled, “Think, Create, and Share: Developing Learning Resources through Digitization for Seamless Flexible Learning for all Teachers” held on June 16-18 via Google Meet platform. It capacitated the participants to develop contextualized modules using softwares such as Kotobee Author, Microsoft Office Suite, Cartoon Creators, and similar applications.
Similarly, the Makabagong San Juaneno in the New Normal was conducted on July 16-17 on Zoom and Facebook Live which included the simulation activities and hands-on training of the Tulong Eskwela for both teachers and parents. It also featured practical tips on developing reading habits and a forum on how parents could provide effective support to the education of their children.
The webinars continued with the launch of the Digital Teachers and Learners Project through the intensive teacher training which ran from July 20-24, 2020 via Cisco Webex meeting platform in coordination with external partners from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and the local government unit (LGU) of San Juan City. This is a continuing project that is reflective of the strategic directions of both the SDO San Juan and the LGU to go online as captured in the Makabagong San Juan.
“Much is yet to be done but with all these digital trainings, we remain hopeful that all kinds of learners and their parents will be properly supported in the upcoming school year. We thank our partners especially the local government, for their generosity in making these things happen,” said DepEd OIC-Superintendent Dr. Cecille G. Carandang in one of her messages.
Meanwhile, Mayor Zamora stressed in a separate interview that,“education is a priority so we partnered with DICT to strengthen our wifi connection in public spaces on top of our efforts to provide gadgets to all our learners. This is part of our agenda that I promised to our people which I intend to deliver. The youth deserves the best investment.”
The Makabagong San Juan roadmap requires concerted efforts from multi-sectoral alliances. The future looks promising as teachers become empowered to navigate the digital world where children are at the center of learning experiences.
Article written by
Marnelli B. Tolentino - Education Program Supervisor (English)
