notyourtypicalemptech-blog

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 WHAT IS K TO 12 PROGRAM?

The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education through Universal Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start schooling and are given the means to slowly adjust to formal education.

Research shows that children who underwent Kindergarten have better completion rates than those who did not. Children who complete a standards-based Kindergarten program are better prepared, for primary education.

Education for children in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong learning and for the total development of a child. The early years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are the most critical period when the brain grows to at least 60-70 percent of adult size..[Ref: K to 12 Toolkit]

In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors through games, songs, and dances, in their Mother Tongue.

Examples, activities, songs, poems, stories, and illustrations are based on local culture, history, and reality. This makes the lessons relevant to the learners and easy to understand.

Students acquire in-depth knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes through continuity and consistency across all levels and subjects.

Discussions on issues such as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation, and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) are included in the enhanced curriculum.

Students are able to learn best through their first language, their Mother Tongue (MT). Twelve (12) MT languages have been introduced for SY 2012-2013: Bahasa Sug, Bikol, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, and Waray. Other local languages will be added in succeeding school years.

Aside from the Mother Tongue, English and Filipino are taught as subjects starting Grade 1, with a focus on oral fluency. From Grades 4 to 6, English and Filipino are gradually introduced as languages of instruction. Both will become primary languages of instruction in Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS).

After Grade 1, every student can read in his or her Mother Tongue. Learning in Mother Tongue also serves as the foundation for students to learn Filipino and English easily.

Subjects are taught from the simplest concepts to more complicated concepts through grade levels in spiral progression. As early as elementary, students gain knowledge in areas such as Biology, Geometry, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Algebra. This ensures a mastery of knowledge and skills after each level.

For example, currently in High School, Biology is taught in 2nd Year, Chemistry in 3rd Year, and Physics in 4th Year. In K to 12, these subjects are connected and integrated from Grades 7 to 10. This same method is used in other Learning Areas like Math.

Senior High School is two years of specialized upper secondary education; students may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity. The choice of career track will define the content of the subjects a student will take in Grades 11 and 12. SHS subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or specific Tracks.

CORE CURRICULUM

There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum. These are Languages, Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Current content from some General Education subjects are embedded in the SHS curriculum.

TRACKS

Each student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic; Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three strands: Business, Accountancy, Management (ABM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HUMSS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).

Students undergo immersion, which may include earn-while-you-learn opportunities, to provide them relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen track.

TVET (TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING) NATIONAL CERTIFICATE

After finishing Grade 10, a student can obtain Certificates of Competency (COC) or a National Certificate Level I (NC I). After finishing a Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track in Grade 12, a student may obtain a National Certificate Level II (NC II), provided he/she passes the competency-based assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

NC I and NC II improves employability of graduates in fields like Agriculture, Electronics, and Trade.

MODELING BEST PRACTICES FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

In SY 2012-2013, there are 33 public high schools, public technical-vocational high schools, and higher education institutions (HEIs) that have implemented Grade 11. This is a Research and Design (R&D) program to simulate different aspects of Senior High School in preparation for full nationwide implementation in SY 2016-2017. Modeling programs offered by these schools are based on students’ interests, community needs, and their respective capacities.

NURTURING THE HOLISTICALLY DEVELOPED FILIPINO (COLLEGE AND LIVELIHOOD READINESS, 21ST CENTURY SKILLS)

After going through Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High curriculum, and a specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will be ready to go into different paths – may it be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship.

Every graduate will be equipped with:

Information, media and technology skills,

Learning and innovation skills,

Effective communication skills, and

Life and career skills.

CORE CURRICULUM SUBJECTS

There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum: Languages, Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Oral comunication

Reading and writing

Komunikasyon at pananaliksik sa wika at kulturang Filipino

21st century literature from the Philippines and the world

Contemporary Philippine arts from the regions

Media and information literacy

General mathematics

Statistics and probability

Earth and life science

Physical science

Introduction to philosophy of the human person/Pambungad sa pilosopiya ng tao

Physical education and health

Personal development/pansariling kaunlaran

Earth science (instead of Earth and life science for those in the STEM strand)

Disaster readiness and risk reduction (taken instead of Physical science for those in the STEM strand)

APPLIED TRACK SUBJECTS

English for academic and professional purposes

Practical research 1

Practical research 2

Filipino sa piling larangan

Empowerment technologies (for the strand)

Entrepreneurship

Inquiries, investigatories, and immersion

Akademik

Isports

Sining

Tech-voc

SPECIALIZED SUBJECTS

Accountancy, business, and and management strand

Humanities and social sciences strand

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics strand

General academic strand

IMPLEMENTATION

Program implementation in public schools is being done in phases starting SY 2012–2013. Grade 1 entrants in SY 2012–2013 are the first batch to fully undergo the program, and current 1st year Junior High School students (or Grade 7) are the first to undergo the enhanced secondary education program. To facilitate the transition from the existing 10-year basic education to 12 years, DepEd is also implementing the SHS and SHS Modeling.

TRANSITION FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Private schools craft their transition plans based on: (1) current/previous entry ages for Grade 1 and final year of Kinder, (2) duration of program , and most importantly, (3) content of curriculum offered.

[notyourtypicalemptech-blog]

ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and are defined, for the purposes, as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” These technologies include computers, the Internet, broad casting technologies (radio and television), and telephony.

ICTs are a potentially powerful tool for extending educational opportunities, both formal and non-for mal, to previously under served constituencies—scattered and rural populations, groups traditionally excluded from education due to cultural or social reasons such as ethnic minorities, girls and women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, as well as all others who for reasons of cost or because of time constraints are unable to enroll on campus.

•  Anytime, anywhere

.  One defining feature of ICTs is their ability to transcend time and space. ICTs make possible asynchronous learning, or learning characterized by a time lag between the delivery of instruction and its reception by learners. Online course materials, for example, may be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ICT-based educational delivery (e.g., educational programming broadcast over radio or television) also dispenses with the need for all learners and the instructor to be in one physical location. Additionally, certain types of ICTs, such as teleconferencing technologies, enable instruction to be received simultaneously by multiple, geographically dispersed learners (i.e., synchronous learning).

•  Access to remote learning resources

.  Teachers and learners no longer have to rely solely on printed books and other materials in physical media housed in libraries (and available in limited quantities) for their educational needs. With the Internet and the World Wide Web, a wealth of learning materials in almost every subject and in a variety of media can now be accessed from anywhere at anytime of the day and by an unlimited number of people. This is particularly significant for many schools in developing countries, and even some in developed countries, that have limited and outdated library resources. ICTs also facilitate access to resource persons, mentors, experts, researchers, professionals, business leaders, and peers—all over the world.

·        

ICTs help prepare individuals for the workplace.

One of the most commonly cited reasons for using ICTs in the classroom has been to better prepare the current generation of students for a workplace where ICTs, particularly computers, the Internet and related technologies, are becoming more and more ubiquitous. Technological literacy, or the ability to use ICTs effectively and efficiently, is thus seen as representing a competitive edge in an increasingly globalizing job market.

Benefits/Advantages  of ICT in Education

Here are some of the benefits which ICT brings to education according to recent research findings.

General benefits

·         Greater efficiency throughout the school.·         Communication channels are increased through email, discussion groups and chat rooms·         Regular use of ICT across different curriculum subjects can have a beneficial motivational influence on students’ learning.

Benefits for teachers

·         ICT facilitates sharing of resources, expertise and advice·         Greater flexibility in when and where tasks are carried out·         Gains in ICT literacy skills, confidence and enthusiasm.·         Easier planning and preparation of lessons and designing materials·         Access to up-to-date pupil and school data, any time and anywhere.·         Enhancement of professional image projected to colleagues.·         Students are generally more ‘on task’ and express more positive feelings when they use computers than when they are given other tasks to do.·         Computer use during lessons motivated students to continue using learning outside school hours.

Benefits for students

·         Higher quality lessons through greater collaboration between teachers in planning and preparing resources .·         More focused teaching, tailored to students’ strengths and weaknesses, through better analysis of attainment data·         Improved pastoral care and behaviour management through better tracking of students·         Gains in understanding and analytical skills, including improvements in reading·         Comprehension.·         Development of writing skills (including spelling, grammar, punctuation, editing and re-drafting), also fluency, originality and elaboration.·         Encouragement of independent and active learning, and self-responsibility for learning.·         Flexibility of ‘anytime, anywhere’ access (Jacobsen and Kremer, 2000)·         Development of higher level learning styles.·         Students who used educational technology in school felt more successful in school, were more motivated to learn and have increased self-confidence and self-esteem·         Students found learning in a technology-enhanced setting more stimulating and student-centred than in a traditional classroom·         Broadband technology supports the reliable and uninterrupted downloading of web-hosted educational multimedia resources·         Opportunities to address their work to an external audience·         Opportunities to collaborate on assignments with people outside or inside school

Benefits for parents

·         Easier communication with teachers·         Higher quality student reports – more legible, more detailed, better presented·         Greater access to more accurate attendance and attainment information·         Increased involvement in education for parents and, in some cases, improved self-esteem·         Increased knowledge of children’s learning and capabilities, owing to increase in learning activity being situated in the home·         Parents are more likely to be engaged in the school community·         You will see that ICT can have a positive impact across a very wide range of aspects of school life.

ICT and Raising Standards

Recent research also points to ICT as a significant contributory factor in the raising of standards of achievement in schools.

Schools judged by the school inspectors to have very good ICT resources achieved better results than schools with poor ICT.

Schools that made good use of ICT within a subject tended to have better achievement in that subject than other schools.

Socio-economic circumstances and prior performance of pupils were not found to be critical.

Secondary schools with very good ICT resources achieved, on average, better results in English, Mathematics and Science than those with poor ICT resources.

A range of research indicates the potential of ICT to support improvements in aspects ofliteracy, numeracy and science.

Improved writing skills: grammar, presentation, spelling, word recognition and volume of work .

Age-gains in mental calculations and enhanced number skills, for example the use of decimals .

Better data handling skills and increased ability to read, interpret and sketch graphs Improvements in conceptual understanding of Mathematics (particularly problem solving) and Science (particularly through use of simulations)

The use of ICTs help improve the quality of education

ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several ways: by increasing learner motivation and engagement by facilitating the acquisition of basic skills, and by enhancing teacher training. ICTs are also transformational tools which, when used appropriately, can promote the shift to a learner-centered environment.

Motivating to learn

. ICTs such as videos, television and multimedia computer software that combine text, sound, and colorful, moving images can be used to provide challenging and authentic content that will engage the student in the learning process. Interactive radio likewise makes use of sound effects, songs, dramatizations, comic skits, and other performance conventions to compel the students to listen and become involved in the lessons being delivered. More so than any other type of ICT, networked computers with Internet connectivity can increase learner motivation as it combines the media richness and interactivity of other ICTs with the opportunity to connect with real people and to participate in real world events.

Facilitating the acquisition of basic skills

. The transmission of basic skills and concepts that are the foundation of higher order thinking skills and creativity can be facilitated by ICTs through drill and practice. Educational television programs such as Sesame Street use repetition and reinforcement to teach the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes and other basic concepts. Most of the early uses of computers were for computer-based learning (also called computer-assisted instruction) that focused on mastery of skills and content through repetition and reinforcement.

Enhancing teacher training

. ICTs have also been used to improve access to and the quality of teacher training. For example, At Indira Gandhi National Open University, satellite-based one-way video- and two-way audio-conferencing was held in 1996, supplemented by print-materials and recorded video, to train 910 primaryschool teachers and facilitators from 20 district training institutes in Karnataka State. The teachers interacted with remote lecturers by telephone and fax

Examples of ICT-based activities

What kind of classroom activities are suited to the use of ICT? The following is a brief guide to some of the most common uses of ICT in teaching and learning.

Finding out

Students can use ICT to find out information and to gain new knowledge in several ways. They may find information on the Internet or by using an ICT-based encyclopedia such as Microsoft Encarta. They may find information by extracting it from a document prepared by the teacher and made available to them via ICT, such as document created using Microsoft Word or a Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow. They may find out information by communicating with people elsewhere using email, such as students in a different school or even in a different country.

Processing knowledge

Students can use ICT as part of a creative process where they have to consider more carefully the information which they have about a given subject. They may need to carry out calculations (eg. by using Microsoft Excel), or to check grammar and spelling in a piece of writing (perhaps using Microsoft Word), or they may need to re-sequence a series of events (for example by re-ordering a series of Microsoft PowerPoint slides).

Sharing knowledge

Students can use ICT to present their work in a highly professional format. They can create documents and slideshows to demonstrate what they have learned, and then share this with other students, with their teacher, and even via email with people all around the world.

Computers and the Internet use for teaching and learning

There are three general approaches to the instructional use of computers and the Internet, namely:1)  Learning about computers and the Internet, in which technological literacy is the end goal;2) Learning with computers and the Internet, in which the technology facilitates learning across the curriculum; and3) Learning through computers and the Internet, integrating technological skills development with curriculum applications.

Learn about computers and the Internet

Learning about computers and the Internet focuses on developing technological literacy. It typically includes:•        Fundamentals: basic terms, concepts and operations•        Use of the keyboard and mouse•        Use of productivity tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, data base and graphics programs•        Use of research and collaboration tools such as search engines and email•        Basic skills in using programming and authoring applications such as Logo or HyperStudio•        Developing an awareness of the social impact of technological change.

Learning with computers and the Internet

Learning with the technology means focusing on how the technology can be the means to learning ends across the curriculum. It includes:•Presentation, demonstration, and the manipulation of data using productivity tools•Use of curriculum-specific applications types such as educational games, drill and practice, simulations, tutorials, virtual laboratories, visualizations and graphical representations of abstract concepts, musical composition, and expert systems•Use of information and resources on CD-ROM or online such as encyclopedia, interactive mapsand atlases, electronic journals and other references.Technological literacy is required for learning with technologies to be possible, implying a two-step process in which students learn about the technologies before they can actually use them to learn.

Learning through computers and the Internet mean

Learning through computers and the Internet combines learning about them with learning with them. It involves learning the technological skills “just-in-time” or when the learner needs to learn them as he or she engages in a curriculum-related activity.

Computers and the Internet used in distance education

Many higher educational institutions offering distance education courses have started to leverage the Internet to improve their programme’s reach and quality.

          One of the major barriers for the cause of ICT not reaching its full potential in the foundation stage is teacher’s attitude. According to Hara (2004), within the early years education attitudes towards ICT can vary considerably. Some see it as a potential tool to aid learning whereas others seem to disagree with the use of technology in early year settings. Blatchford and Whitebread (2003:16), suggests that the use of ICT in the foundation stage is “unhealthy and hinders learning”. Other early years educators who are opposed to offering ICT experiences within the educational settings take a less extreme view than this and suggest that ICT is fine, but there are other more vital experiences that young children will benefit from, (Blatchford and Whitebread, 2003). In theory some people may have the opinion that the teachers who had not experienced ICT throughout their learning tend to have a negative attitude towards it, as they may lack the training in that area of the curriculum.

             Another important drawback to using ICT in schools is the fact that computers are expensive. According to the IT learning exchange (2001), in most schools ICT will be the single largest curriculum budget cost. This may be seen as a good thing but on the other hand there will be little money left over for other significant costs.

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Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, which devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, on November 8, 2013. It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 6,300 people in that country alone.

HOW THE ICT WORKS IN YOLANDA PEOPLE FINDER?

There is a growing list of initiatives online that aim to help those looking for information on persons affected by the typhoon. The two most prominent lists are the following:

1) Google Person Finder

An initiative of Google, the list allows relatives and friends to input names of people they are looking for or post information about themselves or people they know for others to find.

If you are looking for somebody, click "I am looking for someone" and input the name and pertinent details of the person you are looking for. If there is a match with anybody in the list, the system will list matching names.

If you have information on a person who might be in the list, click "I have information about someone" and follow instructions in the form that pops-up.

2) #TracingPH Platform (Philippine National Red Cross)

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has deployed assessment and rescue teams to the areas affected by recent typhoon Yolanda to evaluate the damage and to support rescue efforts.

Welfare Desks and tracing services are established in the affected areas. The form allows families without news of their loved ones in affected areas to contact the PRC Social Services Department.

The database on the Red Cross list is private.

3. Survivors' list

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which sent its IT team to Tacloban City to map the extent of the damage, also came up with the list of survivors below:

4. Official list of casualties

The Official Gazette has posted a list of casualties based on the annex of a report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) issued on November 10, 6:00 a.m. The page is updated as official reports are issued.

The spreadsheet below shows casualties listed by the DSWD:

Indeed, ICT has proven it’s importance when it comes in such difficult situations. Thanks to the advanced technology that we have in our present time, for info’s, updates, warnings, hottest trendings are being delivered to us quicker and faster-- now if you’re looking for your love ones who’s living somewhere nearby the area where Typhoon Yolanda lashed, you don’t need to go there to check if they are safe and sound. It’s just one tap and one click away from you. Thanks to ICT.