DepED's ICT4E Strategic Plan

Last September during the 3rd National ICT Congress in Cebu, Secretary Jesli Lapus announced the 5-year Information and Communications Technology for Education (ICT4E) 5-year Strategic Plan. Its vision is about enabling 21st Century Education for All Filipinos, Anytime, Anywhere. Consultative workshops have been conducted among the various education stakeholders (teachers, administrators, DepED management, students, parents, other government agencies and the private sector) in the formulation of this plan. While I believe in this plan, I think it is about time that we have this plan, I am quite concerned on how it will be operationalized. The DepED has eyed quite a big budget for this, which is hoped to get approved by our legislators. While this is still being awaited, projects with the DepED will continue. Today, we learned that Oracle will expand its online learning project, called ThinkQuest in partnership with the DepED. For us, a fellow government agency, will continue the iSchools and eSkwela projects.

eSkwela ICT camp

I have always been interested in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) for teaching and learning. I have always believed in its potential to make learning more relevant, innovative, fun and exciting for learners.

I'm glad that through the eSkwela project I have been able to organize an activity where ICT can be used creatively and innovatively. It is somehow reminiscent of my old job, and of the activities that I used to do there. We're trying to do a similar activity, but in a much smaller scale. Nonetheless, I hope it will be as fun and exciting.

The eSkwela project targets the use of ICT for creating projects in the form of desktop publications, websites, videos, photo albums, etc. It is part of eSkwela's overall pedagogical approach of teaching and learning. At the ICT camp, participating learners and instructional managers from the eSkwela centers will be trained in the effective use of computers, the Internet and open source software as tools for learning, design and collaboration. At the ICT camp, participants will be studying e-Learning modules and deepen their learning through the creation of ICT-based projects.

For more information about the ICT camp, you may visit http://ictcamp.eskwelatraining.info.

For more information about the eSkwela project, you may visit http://eskwela.wikispaces.com.

House Bill No. 4300 / Senate Bill No. 2546

These are the bills enacting the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) to become the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Looks like we're progressing quite fast on this bill. A letter from Pres. Arroyo has been sent to the Senate to immediately enact the bill (please see related article here).

It has been predicted that once it is enacted, we're looking at having the DICT by early next year.