There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
– Victor Hugo
I HAD the wonderful opportunity to meet and speak with Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus. Gigi and Pam of the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam invited me and Michelle to the despedida party of Consul-Gen Baisa and Ms Bel. Secretary Lapus was the guest of honor and luckily, Ambassador del Rosario asked me to join them at their table.
We talked about life, family, careers, and of course, CyberEducation! Here are some of the insights I gained from Secretary Lapus and from my own research about CyberEd:
What is Cyber Education?
I’m sure you’ve heard of open and distance education (a.k.a. distance learning). This is a hot topic in our generation because of the availability of fast-paced information and communications technology (ICT), which includes e-mail, the Internet, multimedia resources, etc.
Distance learning (DL) is not new. [1] It was invented in 1840 by the Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman when he started giving lessons to his students by mail. What a revolutionary idea! You don’t have to go to a classroom anymore to learn. All you have to do is correspond with your teacher by mail. You don’t have to pay for expensive classroom space! No more costly transportation fees! Distance learning gives every one access to learning, wherever, whenever.
Progressive countries picked up on the idea right away. In the 1900s, DL was established at the University of Chicago. In 1911, the Department of External Studies was created at the University of Queensland, Australia. And in 1969, The Open University was founded (after much objection by conservatives) in the UK [2] with the mission of bringing high quality degree-level learning to people who don’t have the opportunity to attend campus universities.
In the 21st century, Distance Learning is growing at an even faster pace, thanks to e-mail, satellite broadcasts, videos, teleconferencing and, most recently, the Internet. With the arrival of hundreds of online universities, DL is now more commonly known as online learning. The concept is still the same — by using ICT, we can provide quality education to those who don’t have access to it.
So what is CyberEd? The Cyber Education Project (CEP) is the name of DepEd’s revolutionary project that will institutionalize distance learning in our public school system. By using satellite and computer technologies, public school administrators, teachers and students will have access to video instructions and online resources that are sure to raise the standards of teaching and learning, especially in public schools that are at risk. What a wonderful idea!
I think, this alone, is reason enough to support CyberEd. But if you’re not yet convinced, then here are seven more reasons which will make you a supporter of CyberEd:
1) CyberEd will level the playing field
US Education Secretary Horace Mann, the Father of American Education, once said, “Education is the great equalizer of the conditions of men.” And we all agree! But the problem is, not all education systems are created equal. We all know that private schools are somewhat better than public schools. And urban public schools usually have higher standards than the ones in the rural areas.
The disparities can be lessened by CyberEd. By accessing short instructional videos presented by “master teachers,” public school students and teachers can increase their knowledge in the subject areas of Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The “master teachers” will also prepare lesson plans that go with their videos so that public school teachers will be guided in their teaching. They will also have access to shared online resources including worksheets, websites, etc. As a teacher, I know that this kind of support will immediately increase the quality of teaching and learning, for sure!
2) CyberEd will assist teacher-training
The “master teachers” in the instructional videos don’t have to be teachers. Some of them can be resource presenters. For example, the topic is about lawmaking, the presenter can be a senator. So, the public school teacher and the students learn first-hand from experts. Teachers will improve their subject-matter mastery and this will boost their confidence in teaching. Plus of course, with CyberEd, teachers can have access to online degrees to further their professional development.
Some people have the misconception that as soon as a teacher graduates from a teacher-training course, that’s it. This is certainly not the case. Even teachers who have masteral and doctorate degrees will admit to the fact that there’s always a need for continuing professional development. Even wealthy private schools who have highly-qualified teachers, allocate thousands of dollars every year to make sure that there is sufficient on-site and external training for their teachers and administrators.
3) CyberEd will help standardize education
Depending on its implementation, CyberEd can promote consistency in the standards of teaching and assessments in public schools. I can see the potential of having an online portal where teachers from anywhere in the country can access easy-to-use lesson plans and digital resources prepared by experts. We have a national curriculum but its delivery varies from school to school depending on available resources, human and/or financial. By using the same videos, lesson plans, and online resources, there can be more consistency in the delivery of the national curriculum. We are already seeing improvements in our students’ performance in the standardized tests. I’m sure we will see more when we implement CyberEd.
4) CyberEd will improve communication
CyberEd will promote online networking among public schools and DepEd offices. Administrators and teachers will have access to e-mail and websites. Memoranda, letters, reminders, and all kinds of messages will be communicated instantly. I don’t think there’s a need to point out the benefits of having direct communication in any organization, and in any relationship for that matter. It’s simply a must!
5) CyberEd will lessen our dependence on textbooks
Back in 2000, Microsoft’s Bill Gates predicted that “Less of the school budgets will be spent on textbooks and more on learning through technology.” [3] Bill Gates’ dream is obviously a textbook publisher’s nightmare. I won’t be surprised to see some of the textbook publishers supporting protests against CyberEd.
Somewhere along the way, we have been conditioned to believe that the only way we can achieve quality education in public schools is by having a student-textbook ratio of 1:1. Every year, the government spends billions of pesos on textbooks. What’s worse is that there may even be some irregularities in textbook procurement, according to Senator Lacson. [4] Maybe it’s time we let go of this system. Maybe it’s time we realize the vast potential of having an online portal that will store teaching materials and resources. A portal that will allow access to teachers so that when they like to use something, they just access it, print it and make enough photocopies for their students. No more textbooks.
In the not-so-distant future, when we really get our act together, we may not even have to print documents because each public school student will have their own laptop. Believe it or not, many schools abroad are now providing a laptop for every student, as early as Grade 1.
6) CyberEd will increase Internet access in the country, especially in rural areas
The December 2000 Report of the Web-Based Education Commission to the President and the Congress of the United States has this to say about the Power of the Internet for Learning: “the Internet enables education to occur in places where there is none, extends resources where there are few, expands the learning day, and opens the learning place. It connects people, communities, and resources to support learning. It adds graphics, sound, video, and interaction to give teachers and students multiple paths for understanding. the Web is a medium today’s kids expect to use for expression and communication.”
Not surprisingly, the Commission made key recommendations that all point toward the implementation of tech projects with features similar to that of CyberEd’s. [5]
7) CyberEd will help the marginalized and the disadvantaged
Oxfam International says in their campaign, “Education is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty… Education is a key to enable poor individuals and marginalized communities to take control of their lives and stand up for their rights.” We all know that this is true. We can argue about the different paths to social development, but we all recognize the central role played by education in helping the poor help themselves get out of poverty.
The tragic death of Mariannet Amper has awakened our senses to the harsh realities of poverty and now, many of us are asking the question, “How can we help?” Well, here’s one answer: You can help by writing the Education Secretary, your congressman, senators, and the Office of the President and let them know that we, the people, support CyberEd!
Your voice counts
I read an article in the Inquirera few days ago saying that the Cyber Education Project is still under review by government panels as its credibility was affected by another Chinese-financed government project, the National Broadband Network. I think we need to let our voices be heard by our leaders so that they can make the right decision.
I hope you can find time to promote CyberEd. Blog about it, e-mail your friends and write your representatives about this project. It’s a project that will directly assist in providing quality education to the future citizens of our great nation.
===
References:
[1] The Origins of Distance Education and Its Use in the United States. Contributors: Diane Matthews - author. Journal Title: Technological Horizons in Education Journal. Volume: 27. Issue: 2. Publication Year: 1999. Page Number: 54. COPYRIGHT 1999 T.H.E. Journal
[2] http://www.open.ac.uk/about/ou/p3.shtml
[3] School Textbooks Are Doomed but Kids Will Always Need Teachers; GATES PLANS LAPTOPS FOR ALL. Contributors: Richard Garner Education — author. Newspaper Title: The Mirror. Publication Date: February 2, 2000. Page Number: 14. COPYRIGHT 2000
[4] http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2006/1011_lacson1.asp
[5] The Power of the Internet for Learning: Final Report of Web-Based Education Commission. December 2000 (http://www.ed.gov/offices/AC/WBEC/FinalReport/index.html)
(Also posted in www.lestercavestany.com)
Loading ...
June 18th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
of course we have to support CyberEd of the government. I am a faculty of a private school, http://www.13HQ.com and because of the priority of our government, the school that I am working as Vice-President/Registrar/faculty is moving forward to its vision/mission. I have met PGMA when she was still Senator, year 1993, me serving as JCI-Pres. of Agoo “Nalibnos”Jaycee, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was on her first term as Senator…just recently,I attended the unveiling of the largest and biggest flag in our country, http://baguiocityindependence-2008.blogspot.com and I was so proud singing “Bayan Ko!” while the Philippine flag was being unvieled in the athletic bowl…by the way, the guest of Baguio City during the wreath laying ceremony, was Sec. of ICT, Sec. Roxas-Chua, a very young Secretary,he is a Chinese-Filipino…me? with a Spanish Filipino blood…Do I have to say more????just see
http://www.legalpassion.com, http://www.my-eyes-adore-you.blogspot.com and comment on http://baguiocityindependence-2008.blogspot.com=)richelda.com
February 1st, 2008 at 9:25 am
Gloria’s fall from grace is not caused primarily by crab mentality as much as it is caused by her and her allies’ abuse of authority, attempts to destroy democracy and corruption cover-ups to name a few.
When she or her allies are in the hot seat, they blame everything to politics while in fact all she has to blame is her allies, those within her family and herself as well.
As predicted, De Venecia’s time in Congress is at peril because he does not fit in the plan of Gloria either becoming a Prime Minister or extending her term as de facto albeit questionable President. JDV is a rival, pure and simple.
Things to watch out for in the coming months and several years:
1. Further inroads to call for a Charter Change to extend her and her allies’ terms of office
2. More privileges and term extensions for her minions in the PNP, Military and members of the Executive Branch
3. Fabrication of alleged “instability” and frequent using her cure all “destabilizers” script to justify repressive move
4. Overhauling her cheating machinery in COMELEC
5. Fabrication of instability so as to bring about a de facto Martial Law (something similar to what Marcos did as an excuse to declare Martial Law in the 70s.)
Watch out for these signs as year 2010 fast approaches. The nature of the Beast is to get absolute power in every way they can.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Two reasons for growth of OFWs:
1) Pinoys speak English and though not mother tongue, it has allowed Pinoys to acquire learning, aka knowledge, at least for those who got access to it however limited;
2) As a 3rd world economy, an undereducated, high population and few jobs account for the country’s backwardness. More developed economies have harder currencies.
If Cybereducation doesnt move forward then erase No.1 above and most of our exported OFWs will be at an even lower level of other East Asian countries with less English proficiency.
Should then we crabby Pinoys continue to grumble and blame each other, PGMA, etc? Instead, let us help one other, Kabayans!
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 am
The blogger who wrote this post missed the point why CyberEd should ‘NOT’ be supported…
It is very plain to see that CyberEd will open a huge door of opportunity for all crocs at GMAs foot to corrupt the fund for this proposed project.
December 24th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Passage of this proposal for bringing the education content in technological format would by means give educators and students an opportunity of access to delivering good quality of education. Availability of this service will bring mass collaboration between different school institution not only this and also a first step toward vast improvements of first hand access to technology education. This is somewhat tantamount to no “left child behind” education program in the US, where educators and students alike would both benefit from this project.
December 23rd, 2007 at 9:53 am
I have no objection in the Cyber-Ed. It is a good idea, but it is out of time and out of place.
First, the people who will implement the project has very questionable characters. They have the same quality like Fider Ramos, our Ex.
They talk and talk and talk, and at the end of the day, they never reach their goal. Remember the unfinished “Sky way?”, the “Centennial Project”, the substandard, ergo, expensive mega dike?” Far worst, Fedel sold the majority stock of Petron to the foreigners? At the end of the day, nothing will come out of this Cyber Ed, except “Juan dela Cruz” will carry again the burden of paying back the loan.
Second, majority of our “Cabinet Ministers” are bunch of clowns or pretenders, playing a make believe world. They are political protégées. Nobody believes them except themselves.
Third, it is very expensive. A third world like us is better off hiring qualified teachers, increase their salary as incentive, and get rid of politics in their mids.
Fourth, I never trust the people in our government. Ninty Eight percent (98%) belonging to the highest position in our government are “Ethnic Chinese”. They cannot be trusted. Even the Spaniard train their cannon across the Pasig River, pointing towards Binondo because they distrust the Chinese. A typical Chinese will do anything, whether it is morally, ethically and lawfullly right or wrong, all he is concern is to enrich himself. The motivation is so strong to the point that a Chinese will lie, cheat, steal, or kill just to enrich himself. Morality is out of the question.
Do I have to say more?
December 5th, 2007 at 10:50 am
I am an eLearning professional and I am just wondering what the delivery of the content is. It was said that it would be some sort of video, if it is then would it be on a computer where every student would have control over it or would it be just one big screen in front of all students? If its just one big TV screen then it’s ineffective. Not all students learn at the same pace and if the student is a slow learner then it would not help. One of the things that make distant learning effective is that learners can learn at their own pace.
I think we should cover the basics first. DepEd is such a CORRUPT department that it makes you feel that this is just another project that will fill the pockets of those in charge. Why not allot budget for books, teachers, and classrooms. Teachers need to be retrained continuously. Why not allot budget for that. They cannot even cover the basics, why are they trying to move into the next level? Cover step 1 first before going to step 2!
I don’t know… I think this is a foul project from the start. Its not the right thing to do. More classrooms, books and teachers! That’s what we need.
December 4th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
judging from the amount of responses this blog has gotten, it’s obvious that there are a lot of intelligent filipinos. it’s also obvious that these intelligent filipinos are too lazy to accept intelligent discussions on the merits and demerits of “cyberEd”. kudos to the open-minded and impartial filipinos.
a humble suggestion. we filipinos are better off putting reason above emotion. if majority of us think that our education system doesn’t work, then let us open a debate on creating a system that will work for us.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:03 am
In a government where moral ascendancy and credibility have degenerated with time, no amount of optimism and good intentions are bound to be availed. Truly, there must have been realisms on these views. We must put ourselves first in the shoes of the people from below (teachers,students,parents,etc) before we can actually speak for them. Try going out of your comfort zone and spent time with them; that way you’ll know and hear the true VOX POPULI.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:10 am
All kids are not created equal — some are smarter, some dumber, some studious, some lazy, some sharp, some dull.
All parents’ pockets are not created equal — some are deep, some shallow, some none at all.
All leaders are not created equal — some are sincere, some earnest, some gluteus lovers, some rapacious.
It’s a cruel world.
December 4th, 2007 at 7:14 am
There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
– Victor Hugo
Yes, right. CyberEd and NBN deal… The powerful idea of the corrupt and bogus government.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:53 am
Hi Roje,
true, there are big scams with textbooks,and there are plenty errors. Only, why do you think there could not be scams at CyberEd? It starts already with a gigantic scam. And the errors? Those whowrite and edit books, will also do it to the lessons of CyberEd.
Andgenerally, if the lessons come from Manila, as to expect, do you think you son will get adequate lessons in your dialect?
As mentioned already, Distant Learning, not CyberEd, is a reasonable solution. PCs are needed here and there, also power and maintenance. But with distributed CDs, the teacher is not depending on a certain time when lessons are available online. And teachers can show the lessons atany time, as long as needed and as often as needed. And the sets of CDs needed per PC are so inexpensive that there is not much opportunity for big scams. Additional, in the most simple version, it only needs an CD player and an monitor, not even necessarily an PC. Total costs a few thousand pesos only and not much difficult technology needed to know. CD or DVD player cost now not even 3000 Pesos and do not need any software to run, also not computer literated teachers. That can come later and in another way.
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I commend the critical questionings that go with the commentaries on this topic. Now, if only the committee members who are in charge in the Philippines’ department of education will read what’s been written here, they can gain some constructive ideas and criticism to ponder about that can help them formulate better plans regarding this cyber-education ideas. The critical timing and the logistics of implimentations will depend on the intelligence and critical thinking these discussions will engender. I hope to read more commentaries on this issue, for I as one, would like to be able to do so. But I will have to familiarize myself with this issue, maybe to be more factual as to how other countries are doing in their drive to computerize their educational system. There are many hurdles for successful implementations, and cost is just one of them.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:07 am
napakakumplikadong mag-isip ng author ng blog na ito. naisip mo ba na napakaraming simple at importanteng bagay ang hindi maibigay ng gobyerno tapos pa-cyber-cyberEd pa. nakabisita ka na ba sa mga third-class municipalities sa mga probinsya. naisip mo ba kung ano talaga ang kailangan ng mga paaralan doon. naisip mo rin ba ang pinakasimple at cost-effective na solusyon dito??
December 1st, 2007 at 6:15 am
Cyber Ed…that is nice, IF every student in every tiny community will be able to avail it. All I am sure of is–politicians making millions of money out of this project.
December 1st, 2007 at 2:22 am
I do not support CyberEd at all! Ibigay ninyo na lang yan budget dyan sa mga college graduate na nagugutom at walang makitang trabaho sa Pilipinas.
November 30th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Sus!After NBN,cyber Ed?Whats next?Remember the barangay telephone?Every barangay hall in the Philippines have one set up but as of today,nobody is using.How many billions did we spend for that costly “high tech decoration”?Extra garapalan na talaga.Enough of this non sense.Improve the basics first.Build additional classrooms,new teachers,Clean cr,print books and lastly increase the salary of the teachers,at least twice!That is what we need right now.Or better yet,throw those billions of money outside a helicopter hovering us,Its raining maney!!!We will keep quite then….
November 30th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Let’s do our basics right first. If we can’t give excellent ELEMENTARY education (with properly paid teachers and classrooms), let’s not give FREE HIGH school education that is below par anyway.
Let’s reserve our meager resources for subsidized UNIVERSITY education for the most promising students.
ONCE WE DO THESE BASICS right, we CAN give CYBEReducation full support.
What I know is no one objects to cyuberducation per se. What is objected to is the COST of this free cyber-education to the taxpayer. Enough said
As it is we give FREE HIGH SCHOOL with grade school quality skills.
November 29th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Please visit Commonwealth High School in the National Government Center. Population is more than 10,000 students and over a hundred teachers and staffs, with about a dozen computers. How will Cyber-Ed help them?
I had two daughters and a son graduated in there without even their hands-on on the school computers! In fact kulang pa ang mga computer units sa mga guro pa lang!
November 29th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Why CyberEd should NOT be supported, at least this kind.
For really working, not just in anyway very advanced areas like Manila, it basically needs computers at any classroom and electricity uninterrupted at any classroom whic nowhere in RP is reality. Not to mention the many problems with any and all wireless systems.
How useful is it if there are lessons aired but there is no power? Or the PC has problems but strands far from any repar service? There are much more efficient and much cheaper ways for Distant Learning, which is different from CyberEd.
Every school needs some PC,no matter what kind of Distant Learning. But for a rather small expense, DepEd could produce sets of CDs with lessons and distribute it to the schools. Then, like at real Distant Learning, teachers could show the lessons at any time and as long and often they want. Of course, a set of ten CDs which could cover the whole teaching of one schoolyear per grade, costing maybe hundred Pesos per set, would not create such possibiulities for huge kickbacks, if this is a main reason for the ZTE contract.
Connecting schoold and maybe even goverment offices to internet is a big but stupid idea.Even now, with RP’s relatively small number of surfers, all IPs are already unable to provide permanent, safe and fast internet access. How it would work if there are millions of PCs added? Distant Learning is OK, but it is not done via internet, usually it is done by mailing written lessons and additional CD lessons, so the student can learn whenever he or she has time, mood and can repeat it as m,any times as needed for to really understand. All other is plain nonsense.
November 29th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
It’s good to be able to have a say in this CyberEd project. Let’s point out the good points and the not-so-good points about it and hopefully the government panels will listen. The last news update I read about CyberEd was in the first week of November and the article said that DepEd is modifying CyberEd to address the needs and resolve the issues of all those who will be affected by this project.
(http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=99728)
November 29th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Lester forgot to add… number 8.
8. Under the present set-up, transparency and equitability in the bidding of the Cyber-Ed program is questionable at best. The bidding process is so murky that it is bound to benefit people in key positions and those who have the influence and power. So let us ram through this program to the throats of the Filipino people without question so that we and our great grand children will be paying for this loan while corrupt people wallow in ill gotten money courtesy of this transaction.
****
Lester, first of all an initial study should also be done if there are other basic things currently needed in schools which may prove critically needed for the well being of the students and teachers.
When the basics are fixed then make sure that this Cyber-Ed program transaction and procurement of equipment is transparent and proper bidding be done. Quality control must be paramount and we should not allow cheap shoddy equipment be installed in our schools (hear that China manufacturers?). Remember that our great grand children will be paying for the mistakes done today in implementing and procurements done in this program.
November 29th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Should we support the CyberEd program?Maybe?Why? Its a complicated approached/solution to simple problems that is hounding our educational system.Should our government spend billions of pesos in a complicated system of education that might bring more complications later?BACK TO BASICS: more teachers!more sturdy and comfortable classrooms(with electricity)!more books!A better and up-to-date curriculum!How can we think of spending billions on cybered when our students and teachers are holding classes under a tree.BASIC NEEDS FIRST AND maybe.
November 28th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
CyberEd is corruption in the highest level.
we need more rooms, books, and other educational materials rather than these CyberEd project ,,,,,
November 28th, 2007 at 8:56 am
i commend hon. jesli lapus on cep, and this blog
November 28th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Nice try, lester. Not convincing though. Here are my takes on this: There is no argument that cyber education is good, but not this one presently being negotiated with China and suspended indefinitely. This one should be scrapped together with the NBN deal. And a new more transparent bidding be held. Given that the NBN deal showed clear evidence of anomally, it follows that this one is the same. Please tell Mr. Lapus to stop pulling our legs. Even without CyberEd the Filipino people are not that uneducated, or that dumb, to agree to this project, knowing that we will be paying most of the cost that went to the pockets of some government officials that cooked this deal. Better luck next time, lester.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
cyber education is really very nice… but i think it should be implemented with the basics in mind.
first, gather information from the deped division offices and find out if there are people especially in the non-teaching staff—that are assigned or can do the job in servicing, maintaining, and 100 percent available to the equipments or facilities for the said purpose.
second, please assure the implementing division office of proper budget support for the software and hardware operating costs in the said purpose.
and third, support the over-worked non-teaching staff that should be assigned for that purpose.
reasons: i am a member of a certain large division office here in the country and it is these things that i know— 1. teachers are not computer experts and can’t run and maintain computers. they run to their respective division offices for help on their pc problems. and, in our case, we don’t even have IT-positioned staff. i am given the job. and i am a measly-paid clerk.
2. when computers were purchased before (we have very old units), they don’t have proper support and maintainance given. even with a simple virus infection, staffs will run to the supply office for their pc to be brought to the nearest private servicing stores. and that usually takes two to three days. and during those time, work is severely hampered. aside from being undermanned, we only have very outdated computers.
3. why don’t the government look into the welfare of the non-teaching staff of the deped? we are very small and overly worked and been doing the jobs that run the system especially the technical know-how in running computers, yet only the teachers were given bigger salaries, and greater benefits. when in fact we do things much better than them.
this is the truth. this is crucial for the said “cyber education”. whether it will succeed or be a failure.
November 27th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
I don’t want to sound negative but I don’t think we are ready for this cyber education projects. I have attended a forum regarding this together with the DepEd bigshots. It seems that theoretically, this project will work but maybe because those who are at the top lack knowledge of what is really going on in real classrooms.
There are several questions worth asking. Though this questions are trivial but try to think about it.
1.) Suppose the master teacher demonstrates the lesson, do you think that the teachers would be able to process it on the spot? I had been in teacher trainings and I tell you, its not that easy.
2.) Suppose CyberEd push through, do you think that DepEd has enough qualified manpower to support the schools? They cannot even support small ICT projects
3.) They said that teachers will just download/upload videos, lesson plans in the internet. Some teachers don’t even know how to shut down a computer properly. Are they going to train all the teachers? How long are they going to train them for them to become confident?
4.) The quality of materials that can be downloaded from CyberEd should be moderated and edited. If teachers can just upload files there, who will edit it?
5.) They said that teachers can talk to experts in real time. Lets ask the experts if they have the time to talk to teachers. Lets also ask the teachers.
I guess we should think a little bit, before proceeding with this project. Try to put a little bit of education in this CyberEd. People are just thinking of the “Management Part”, but nobody is thinking about the “Education Part”.
We lack classrooms, we lack qualified teachers, our textbooks have a lot of errors, etc.
And we are thinking of cybereducation.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Perhaps in first world country this program may be applicable but surely you jest to even consider it here where the majority of schools do not even have the basic needs met, and overcrowded. Some even do not and I emphasize DO NOT have enough power to support such a system. Consider the tremendous effort both in training teachers who could barely speak English let alone deal with technological jargons.
Better yet to build buildings conducive to learning, enough CLEAN CR and seats for the pupils/students to seat on (some are standing up or haven’t you noticed).
Add to this the tremendous debt that will be incurred by us, but the kids will end up paying!
Stop this nonsense, enough already!
Doug
November 27th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Well said but it’s just a myth. I agree that CyberEd is neccesary but the Old way of learning is irreplaceable. Even the first world, educators encourage their students to go to school and use textbooks. What the writer said is the ideal but not real. Here in the US, People both young and old are using the traditional way of learning, “No child left behind” as President Bush used to say. Although we can’t deny that there are some people who prefer “distance learning” but more than 90 % are using the traditional way. Now, Why can’t the Philippine government fix the educational system before going to technology? Imagine, there is no classroom, no books, the teachers are not properly trained, so what is the result? If you have a crooked educational system, then what you get is a crooked graduates. If you can’t provide classrooms, how can you use your computer/technology? Can you define the need from want? Do we need it or want it? I guess PGMA and her education man want it but it does not neccesarily mean that we are ready for it, maybe we need it after fixing our educational system. Perhaps, PGMA and Lapus want a CyberEd for a simple reason, it is about money. They want to make money out of CyberEd. Do I make sense?
To the Filipino people, all tax payers, PMGA, Lapus, senators, and congressmen: PLease fix the Philippine educational system first and hopefully we can avail the technology in the future. You can’t heal the wound by putting a band aid, so with our educational system by cyberEd.
Please don’t be deceived by PGMA and Lapus. Be realistic. Ask them to fix the system first. No short cut pls.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:38 am
Allow the private sector do it.
November 25th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
May I ask, what is the situation regarding the presence of adequate electrical outlet and power in the country? I know that there are sufficient electrical powers for the urban areas but how about the rural areas?
Would it not be funny to imagine a starving child figuring out how to turn on a computer? If this program is pushed through, what will be the role for the teachers?
Where will the money to fund this program come from? Will China provide the monies…as a donation or as a loan?
How much oral interactions and spontaneous critical thinking will the child get to engage in it to ensure his well-rounded development and growth?
What consequences would there be for a child to grow sitting in front of a computer for a certain length of time, to his health, his eyes, and his weight?
It is easy to get excited for a novel idea such as you are persuading us here to support…but how practical would this idea be for a country struggling to solve its own problems of corruptions, poverty, and the lack the human resources and power to even to begin to learn to implement the use of computer for the children’s learning? Will the program be able to generate competitive salaries for qualified teachers to stay and not go to other countries to teach?
How will children be protected from criminals stalking them for sex in the cyberspace? How will the peace keepers keep criminals at bay? How long will it take to keep them ready?
Maybe you should stop dreaming about this cyber education. Save the country from securing another loan from China. It will just keep the country in bondage for its next generations are already saddled with too much debt to pay. The country’s own corrupt politicians will undermine this program since they will, as expected, appoint all their cronies, their kumpadres, and their relatives to run and implement the programs regardless of whether they are qualified or not.
I admire your enthusiasm, however, but be realistic, please.
Would it be better if the country’s leaders secure the country’s ability to produce its own machineries, run its own factories, market and distributes their own products locally and abroad and start counting profits and earnings instead of debts? For when this happens, the country will be empowered to launch her own cyber education program without borrowing money from China since the Filipinos themselves will manufacture and produce the computers and the technologies it will need to educate, not just the children of the cities but also the children in the rural areas. Let’s call this as an education for our country’s self-reliance. When this happens, yes, cyber-ed will become an equalizer while the government can afford to pay qualified teachers their competitive salaries compared to other countries.
Let’s say, your idea is good. But this is not the time for it yet. The road is paved with hurdles that needed to be taken away first.
November 25th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I believe that the intentions of the project are noble. However, there are other matters that need more attention than this project. The apparent lack of classrooms and teachers immediately comes to mind. How could CyberEd be implemented when there are no classrooms to begin with. Also, not all schools in the country are blessed with necessities such as electricity. I also do not believe that the government would be up to the task of maintaining such a project. They simply are not technical enough to handle such an expensive undertaking. Given the very fast pace with which technology changes, the project would probably end up obsolete even before it has been fully implemented. Considering the huge cost of such a project, it would be much more advisable to use such funds for more urgent concerns, such as the construction of more classrooms, payment/upgrading of teachers’ salaries, etc. Going high tech without first providing for more urgent matters would be just another waste of precious resources.
November 25th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Textbooks are such a mess in public schools. I should know because my son studies there. He is in grade 3. In fact, I am fortunate to “choose” among the books being distributed to the school children. After two months of summer in the storage, these books are expectedly full of dust, aside from them already with torn pages, or filled with writings. School children has to make do with what books they get. I know Cyber-Ed will resolve these “textbook” problems, especially here in Mindanao (I live in Davao City). It can also do away with possible future “textbook scams”, and more important textbooks that are found to have a lot of errors in it. Shame on the authors and publishers of these books. I’d like to share my son’s experience also with computer education as a tool. I may be lucky to own a personal computer, and there are times I create my “review lessons” with my son through the computer. Imagine letting a child understand the story of the “Three Little Pigs” by multi-media plus making it interactive. Another thing, when I came across this Cyber-Ed articles, I began to make my own design of the hi-tech arm-chair for use by schoolchildren.