Why we should support CyberEd

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.

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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)

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