Last October 6th, I went to the College of St. Benilde(CSB) in Taft Avenue, Manila for an NSTP orientation for Consular and Diplomatic Affairs students who will be doing their service learning under National Service Training Program (NSTP) in the several learning centers of Constructing Learning Through Technology(CLT) in Manila. And because of this, CLT was invited by College of St. Benilde(CSB) for an orientation for the college students about what they will do in the two(2) learning centers that they have been assigned to. As Jon Mannion, President of CLT, is still in New York City, USA, I was asked to do the orientation on October 6th. Here is the Powerpoint file I used for that orientation. Looks like, I need to do more on making a more attractive PPT and also improve more on my presentation skills!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Looking back at the SLR-CLT CC
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
October 6th : I mark this date
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Drawing for Children and Resnick's Learning Cycle
Last Saturday, January 28th was another quiet and ordinary day at the SLR-CLT Computer Clubhouse. As to preferences, GCompris and ChildsPlay was still a favorite among the kid-members but 'Drawing for Children' became the software of the day because kids used it to show their drawing skills to other kid-members. Kids just love to show how what they did in their drawings. I this this process follows what Mitch Resnick calls as the iterative cycle of learning, which starts with imagining what you are going to do or learn, followed by creating or making something, then comes playing with your own creation, then sharing it with others and lastly, reflecting on the whole process of learning.
Monday, January 23, 2012
More educational programs in the CC
Things went well in the SLR-CLT CC in Taytay, Rizal last Saturday, January 21, 2012. Some kids were back again but some missed the day for some reason or another. I made an inventory of the educational software in the clubhouse and I felt that we don't have enough yet for all types of learners. I plan to add more educational programs in the following weeks to accomodate more learners in the clubhouse. Here below is a LiveBinder on the proposed educational programs that can be used in the SLR-CLT Computer Clubhouse.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Entertainers enrolled at Center for Alternative Learning Systems | Saksi | GMA News Online
Here is a video I got today again from my email through Google Alerts. After watching this video, I got impressed with these out-of-school youth who inspite of their life-situation, still find time and realize the value of lifelong learning for their future. Kudos to their ALS teachers who are helping them fulfill their dreams. Go, go, go ALS of Angeles City, Pampanga!
Monday, January 16, 2012
[PIA News] DepEd reiterates call for early enrollment for SY 2012-2013
Here's Alternative Learning System(ALS) news from the Philippine Information Agency(PIA) website about the Department of Education's(DepEd) call for early enrollment for SY 2012-2013 for school-aged children and out-of-school youth. The DepEd also seeks to enlist all five year-old children in kindergarten and for six year-olds to enlist for Grade 1. You can read more about this in this link.
Full house at the SLR-CLT Clubhouse
It was full house yesterday in the SLR-CLT Computer Clubhouse in Purok San Lorenzo Ruiz, Brgy. San Juan, Taytay, Rizal. More than 30 learners came to the center and all of them had one-hour of hands-on time on the computer. It was of a bit of a challenge because a lot of them just wanted to play games in the computer and were not really thinking of learning a new skill. So I think I need to find some sort of compromise so they can have fun playing educational computer games and learn something new at the same time. I think if you know and are conscious of what needs to be done, then eventually you will be guided and find ways to achieve your goals. But then now, it bothers me that it's only me setting the goals for the learners, which to me sounds more traditional teaching and unconstructivist. I think the constructivist way, follows the rule that learners are self-guided and are able to set their very own learning goals. And that is what I need to do in the SLR-CLT Computer Clubhouse, as the learning facilitator. I need to motivate and encourage learners to take control of their learning, to be more responsible and committed to self-learning, rather than wait for the 'teacher' or mentor to think for them. This poses more questions for me as a trained educator on the value of lesson plannng. My point is most teachers are trained to plan instructional goals for their students and this can be usually seen in the first part of any teacher's lesson plan. Most lesson plans, say "At the end of the class, the student must be able to ..." to do this and do that and then the teacher uses Bloom's taxonomy to complete the lesson plan's objectives. Now my question is - "What if it's not just the teacher saying what needs to be done and it's now the learners who will do the goal-setting on their own? How would teachers react to this and how would this change teaching strategies? I think this is the trend that has been going on for some years now especially in the Western countries. Some would call it the constructivist approach in teaching, and some others would extend it more to a constructionist approach. I think it's high-time in this country for teachers to adopt to new and innovative approaches in effecting learning inside and outside the classroom!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Out-of-schoolers in Central Visayas take equivalency test under DepEd’s ALS program | Sun.Star
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
NEARLY 20,000 out-of-school children, youth and adults in Central Visayas took the Department of Education’s (DepEd) accreditation and equivalency test last year.
Of the 19,570 persons who registered to take the test last November, 11,065 were from Cebu Province and 2,587 were from Cebu City.
The test, whose results will be announced next month, is one of the programs under DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS), which also offers basic literacy program to out-of-school children, youth and adults.
Those who pass the test are granted equal rights as those who graduate from the formal education system. They are given a certificate of completion signed by the DepEd secretary.
In the 2010 national accreditation and equivalency test, the divisions of Bohol, Cebu Province and Cebu City were among the 10 divisions nationwide with the most number of test passers.
Successful
Central Visayas has been recognized by the Accreditation and Equivalency National Ranking Committee as one of the most successful regions to implement ALS, with 222 community learning centers operating in the region.
The National Government is strengthening ALS to achieve the goals of the Education for All (EFA) movement, a global commitment to provide quality basic education to all children, youth and adults.
It has six goals that include expanding early childhood care and education, attaining a 50-percent improvement in adult literacy and achieving gender equality in education by 2015.
Last year, DepEd 7 appointed 26 mobile teachers who will teach basic literacy to out-of-school children, youth and adults in the region.
The ALS encompasses both the formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills, such as those acquired at home, church, media and environment.
Based on the functional literary education and mass media survey conducted in 2008, over 49 million Filipinos, or 62 percent of the country’s population then, were not able to study or finish elementary and high school.
As of 2010, ALS has catered to over 340,000 Filipinos, according to the Bureau of Alternative Learning System.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 10, 2012.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The first ALS eSkwela in Pasig!
Last Friday, January 6th, I went to the Constructing Learning Through Technology(CLT) learning center in Brgy. San Antonio(BSA E-Room), Pasig City and attended the meeting between the barangay officials and the people from the Department of Education(DepEd) office of Pasig City. The latter explained to the delighted officials of Brgy. San Antonio all about the Alternative Learning System(ALS). Before lunch, the DepEd installed the digitized modules of the ALS in the computers of the BSA E-Room. It's more fun to learn using those digitized modules of the ALS rather than the printed ones. Anyway, congratulations to Kat Pauso, center manager of the BSA E-Room, barangay officials of Brgy. San Antonio and the BSA E-Room for officially becoming the first ALS eSkwela learning center in Pasig City, Metro Manila! What a great start for 2012!!!
