News and Features
Palawan Smart Schools Journey Towards The Integration Of ICT In Education
[April 27, 2007/ Manila] - The Philippines’ Last Frontier… an island paradise of lush rainforests, mountain ranges, towering limestone cliffs, primeval caves, pristine beaches, white-sand islets, colorful reefs, rich marine life, exotic flora and fauna, and rich indigenous cultures.
While tourists visit Palawan to discover nature’s treasures, teachers and students of its four leading public high schools are on a voyage of their own, exploring a world of information with limitless possibilities.
Their ticket to this journey is the Internet access recently made available to them by Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) as part of its Smart Schools Program.
Being among the newest partners of the program, the schools are on the road towards integrating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in education. Existing computer laboratories have been upgraded to Smart Teacher Learning Resource Centers with networked computers connected to the Internet via Smart Bro, the wireless broadband service of Smart.
To guide them along the way, Smart is extending full assistance on top of providing Internet access, which it is giving free for one year. This includes seminars and trainings for the teachers on a continuing basis, regularly updated online content via www.smartschools.ph, as well as, web hosting services.
Training is being provided by professors of Fullbright College, Puerto Princesa, a partner school of the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), SMART’s industry-academe partnership initiative that helps raise the level of technology and engineering education, particularly in the field of Electronic and Communication Engineering.
With this extensive support, Brooke’s Point National High School, Coron School of Fisheries, El Nido National High School, and Palawan National School are set to further build on a reputation of being the primary learning institutions in their respective municipalities.
Brooke’s Point’s Great Find
In May 7, 1934 the world’s largest pearl, known as the Pearl of Allah, was recovered from a giant clam off the coast of Barangay Oring-Oring in Brooke’s Point situated along the southern section of mainland Palawan.
At Brooke’s Point National High School, it is the discovery of an “open library” that everyone is excited about.
“We have been waiting for Internet access since Year 2000 when we received our first computer units from the Department of Education’s computerization program,” says Principal Dawin H. Omar. The units were LAN-ready but there was no available telephone line.
Thanks to the wireless Internet connection they now enjoy, great opportunities have been opened to them. “It helps the students with their requirements, especially in research work. They are able to access additional information on subjects where we lack references,” he says.
The “open library”, as Principal Omar refers to the Internet, will benefit the school’s 1,200 student population which include over 100 Muslim youths.
Diving into a Sea of Information in Coron
Coron’s vast tourism potential is mainly attributed to its world-renowned dive sites teeming with diverse and unique coral formation and colorful marine life. One major site, a favorite among foreign guests, reveals wrecks of the Japanese supply fleet that sunk in September 1944.
Located within this diver’s haven is Coron School of Fisheries, now a springboard to a World Wide Web of information much to the benefit of its students and teachers.
“It is much faster to do research via the Internet than to go through books to look up information about various fish species,” observed third year students Jaro Novero and Mark Chester Gueco, majoring in Fish Preservation and Fish Capture, respectively. In her spare time, Jane Kyna Chua, a junior majoring in Homemaking, gets to meet friends from Manila and abroad through Friendster.
Dr. Nestor V. Urate, School Admistrator 1, is himself amazed at the positive changes brought about by the Internet connection. “We can access the DepEd year calendar through its website, we no longer have to wait until the executive meeting to get updates.”
Carmen Ducado, Head Teacher 6, couldn’t agree more. “We can just download, print out and easily disseminate news and memorandum from DepEd.” She also visits the Smart Schools website to check online content. Along with nine other school staff, Ducado recently completed troubleshooting and lab maintenance training under the tutelage of Fullbright College professors Edwin Regalado and Ace York Mangalino who happens to be an alumni of the school.
The Pride of El Nido
Travel books describe El Nido as a magical place. White sand beaches and enchanting lagoons account for the island’s awe-inspiring beauty.
Anson G. Paredes cites the island’s huge tourism industry as reason why El Nido must never be left behind. As the principal of El Nido National High School, his goal is to have a school that can compete even with those in Manila. Presently, it is the only one, out of eight schools in the municipality, that boasts of an Internet connection.
He is proud of and happy about how much the school has improved. “We did not even have a library when I was studying here. But today, with the integration of ICT, we are able to better aid our students in learning. They are very lucky.”
The prospect of having a school website is something Principal Paredes also looks forward to.
“We promise to undertake all efforts to produce good students and competitive graduates. It will be our way of showing appreciation for the help extended to us by Smart,” he says.
Main Attractions in Puerto Princesa
A trip to Puerto Princesa would not be complete without a visit to Honda Bay Islands and the Underground River, two top destinations in the city capital of Palawan.
When it comes to education, Palawan National School leads the pack. Its inclusion in the Smart Schools Program stands to benefit 6,700 students and 250 faculty and staff, the biggest in all of Palawan.
“We are very happy that our school has been included in the program. This is a very nice opportunity to help our students in terms of computer literacy. The Internet presents them with more and newer information they can learn from. The training will also help our teachers gain advance knowledge in ICT and this can be passed on to the students,” says school principal Benjamin H. Rodriguez.
“Information Communications Technology is very important in education because we are in the ICT age. More teachers and students should be ICT literate,” he adds.
By providing the necessary technology, Internet connection, hardware and the accompanying training, Smart has paved the way for the effective integration of ICT in education. The ultimate determinant of success will be how well the schools take advantage of these “tools”.
“There are many hands at work here. Let’s continue to work together to ensure the success of the Smart Schools Program in your schools,” intimated Rogelio L. Flores, Network Services Assurance – South Luzon Head of Smart’s Network Services Division.
The program is implemented in cooperation with the Philippine Business for Social Progress, the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program and Learn.ph Foundation, with support from the Department of Education. @
