“ The Philippines must be competent in the use of ICT as a tool for sustainable developmnet by the year 2015.” This was implied in the talks during the recently concluded iSchool Project Briefing held last Dec 9 at the Iloilo Grand Hotel, Iloilo City. The said briefing was conducted by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology, the agency that has been driving to empower Filipino learners with computer literacy and develop human capability in honing teachers’ skills toward information technology.

This one-day activity was opened by Dr. Luis M. Sorolla, WVCST president who encouraged the participants to engage into the global trend of computer technology. “CICT can provide opportunity to link our public schools to the global windows but our educators must be oriented on what to do with the use of the ICT in the classroom,” Dr. Sorolla stressed. His welcome remarks was followed by the presentation of CICT and SUC project teams from Aklan State University, Capiz State University, Guimaras State College, Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College, Northern Negros Occidental State College of Science and Technology, Polytechnic State College of Antique, Western Visayas College of Science and Technolgy, and West Visayas State University. Each SUC project team leader presented the different public secondary schools that were chosen by the team to be the recipient candidates for the iSchool project. Antonette Torres, CICT iSchool Manager discussed the benefits and the regulations of iSchool project for them.

The second part of the activity was the presentation of EdUbuntu, an operating system to be used by the CICT iSchool project for each computer unit that has to be released for the recipient schools. Alex Ledonio, faculty of the WVCST, discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the said OS.

For this year, four national high schools in the province of Aklan will benefit from the aforesaid project. These are: Bay-Ang Magpag-ong High School (BMHS) in Batan; Guadalupe National High School (GNHS) in Libacao; Linayasan National High School (LNHS) in Altavas; and Makato Integrated School (MIS)in Makato.

School Principals, LGUs, PTA officers and Sangguniang Kabataan leaders of different school recipients attended the aforesaid briefing. The ASU project team headed by Dr. Roberto Saladar was participated in by Prof. Clarita Tambong, Prof. Teresita Naculangga, Mr. Judival Retinio, Mr. Rolly F. Democritio and Mr. Patrick Anthony Jamilarin.

The one-day briefing ended with a closing remark from Dr. Roberto Saladar. “What we are doing now is just a process that will lead us to get into our goal for Philippines to be a proficient ICT users. The CICT and SUC cannot reach this goal alone without the cooperation of the members of the community that will avail over this project. This is just the beginning of another learning that will ultimately be benificial for all,” Dr. Saladar said in his closing speech.

It was the day of glamour, beauty and brain when 9 candidates vying for the title Mr and Ms ASU Intercampus ’08 romped their way on the center stage of ASU-CIT cafeteria last December 5, 2008. Each of the ASU external campuses had two candidates who mesmerized and impressed the adjudicators and audience in their sports wear, casual attire, talent and elocution.

The winners in the male category were: 3rd runner-up, Richard Berdandino of ASU-CTE Makato; 2nd runner-up, Jan Micheal Perez of ASU-SRRDM; and 1st runner-up, Manases John Tabay of ASU-CFMS. For the female category the winners were; 4th runner-up, Carla Panagsagan of ASU-CTE Makato; 3rd runner-up, Cyra Sarol of ASU-SRRDM; 2nd runner-up, Christian Abegail Seraspe of ASU-Main Campus; and 1st runner-up, Florizel Reyes of ASU-CFMS.

Jun Rose Tato, a second year BS Info Tech student, and Renato Garcia, a first year Associate in Hotel and Restaurant Technology Services student were declared as the 2008 Mr. and Ms. ASU Intercampus. Both were from ASU-CIT Kalibo.

The said screening was adjudicated by Mr. Edgardo Cobrador, Ms. Helen Ylanan, and Ms. Jesusa Villanueva.

Garcia and Tato will represent ASU for the regional level of the Mr. and Ms. SCUAA to be held in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

 

Education graduates must be the assets of the country’s learning agency in this trying times where quality teaching is a farce and quantity is a serious entity. What is wrong is purely manifested on the present-day status of the Philippine’s educational system. Some teachers have become the liabilities of the country’s manpower; thus, constant training must be conducted to equip these would-be educators with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to beef up their concepts and appreciation in the profesion of building and touching lives. Just recently, the College of Teacher Education(CTE) and the College of Industrial Technology (CIT) conducted a pre-servive training for student teachers. Campuses of ASU which offer teacher education program convened to this one-day training last November 21, 2008 to extract insights out of the isuess, mythodologies and researches in education.

The forum was opened by a keynote speech from Dr. Benny Palma, ASU president, who laid the rationale of the aforesaid activity. “ASU is not just an excellent agricultural hub for research but a trailblazer as well in producing quality teachers for the province and region. Let us therefore live up to our vision and mission intended for our teacher-education program,” Dr. Palma stressed as part of his encouragement for the CTE staff to continue initiating and cultivating such forum.

This one-day program was divided into two sessions. This first was done in the morning with two formidable education leaders of the university- Dr. Ersyl Biray, ASU vice-president of the academic affairs; and Dr. Edna Gonzales, dean ASU-CTE main campus. Dr. Biray and Dr. Gonzales gave a talk on teaching mythodologies and excellences through qualities of would-be educators. In the talk Dr. Biray substantiated the issues over the worn-out strategies in the teaching and learning processes. “There is no inferior and superior teaching methods. What must be done first by the teacher is to know and understand better the needs of students thereupon he/she can draw upon insights as to what teaching techniques he/she must utilize for his/her set of students,” said Dr. Biray. He shared five teaching strategies that must be done and used as well by teachers to make their teaching effective. On the other hand, Dr. Edna Gonzales carried out the foremost issues concerning excellences of would-be teachers. “I am saddened though that at present we only have few teachers who have lived up to educative ideals. Being in the realm of nurturing and cultivating lives requires nonetheless the passion and selfless service to humanity. And this I believe are the qualities that teachers lack at present,” expressed Dr. Gonzales as she tackled professionalism issues that would-be educators must take into account.

The second session was done in the afternoon with Mr. Jonathan Tapispisan who shared his insights on assessing through the use of comic strip. With him, Dr. Gonzales gave input about creativity in the teaching and learning processes.

This aforesaid seminar ended with a closing remark from Prof. Clarita Tambong, chairperson, ASU-Laboratory High School.