ILIGAN CITY—This Mindanao city again swept the finals at Microsoft’s annual nationwide search for educators who are blazing trails in the use of information technology (IT) in classroom teaching.
Fedelyn Gomez of Tomas Cabili National High School and Julius Hechanova of Iligan City East High School-Sta. Filomena are two of the three teachers chosen by Microsoft to represent the Philippines this April at the Asia-Pacific conference of the Innovative Teachers Leadership Award (ITLA).
Gomez’ winning entry was designed to help students create a business plan and related multimedia materials for an animal production enterprise. Hechanova designed a micro-lesson involving word problems in trigonometry.
Every year, through ITLA and its Partners In Learning program, Microsoft picks three teachers who have devised creative approaches for integrating IT into classroom instruction.
And every year since 2005, public school teachers from the Iligan City division of the Department of Education have cropped up among the 10 ITLA finalists, besting dozens of competitors from across the country.
Iligan’s winning streak began when Sherlita Daquisonan of Iligan City East High School- Hinaplanon came first in the competition. Two other teachers made it to the magic circle in 2006; another was the frontrunner in 2007. This year, Iligan teachers swept up six of the top ten spots.
What they all have in common, apart from their superior teaching skills, is that their schools are assisted by the Computer Literacy and Internet Connection (CLIC) program of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
CLIC, a component of USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM-3) Program, has provided IT packages for 668 schools throughout the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.
The CLIC package for each school may include up to 10 computers. They also get a printer, local area network, internet access (which includes installing a satellite dish if necessary), books on computers and the internet, and IT-related training for teachers. While the GEM Program is not involved in the ITLA search, it has a continuing partnership with Microsoft, which provides discounted software and training through CLIC.
The combination of hardware, internet access and training, Gomez says, helped spark the creative rush among the teachers of the Iligan City division of the Department of Education. Twenty-three schools in the division have been assisted by CLIC.
“Through the group training, we could share and discuss ideas for incorporating IT in teaching different courses,” she says. “There was a lot of mutual support among the teachers, and from division administrators.”
She also credits the students of her business technology class, who each submitted a business plan in PowerPoint, a two-page brochure on a particular animal breed and its care--using information culled from the internet--and a marketing flyer.
The students’ projects were part of Gomez’ ITLA entry, which she submitted online and presented to a panel of judges in Manila.
“The students put everything into completing their class work and those who got to use the computers earlier helped guide the others,” she recalls. “They were thrilled that their individual projects could be viewed online by anyone in the world. The award wouldn’t have been possible without them—it’s their award.”
Very few of her students have access to IT outside the school, says Gomez. “Those who can afford internet cafés have to wait their turn, and it’s hard to concentrate with all the gaming going on.”
In the school’s computer lab, students could work without distraction, and be guided in the research and drafting of their output. “The ‘internet mining’ application of the CLIC training was useful in teaching them how to segregate useful information,”
“Most of these students will not be able to afford college,” she points out, “But because of this class and the use of the computers and internet, already they are capable of college-level work in business planning and marketing using IT.”
“The CLIC package provides an entry into the global information society.” says Robert Barnes, USAID Economic Growth Adviser. “It enables students to function effectively in an increasingly competitive economy.”
Lydia Pulgo, one of Gomez’ students, says she is now confident about starting an animal production business of her own. She adds: “I can raise capital by working as an encoder or online researcher, using what I learned in class.”
Gelbie Binotong, a third-year student who had no experience of computers before high school, believes her new IT knowledge will help her in finding a call center job after graduation.
This April, the two ITLA winners from Iligan and Noemi Bagayaua of Cembo Elementary School in Makati will be flying to Hanoi, Vietnam, to compete with regional finalists from 22 countries. Only one Philippine representative will be selected for the worldwide finals, to be held in Thailand later this year.
“On the plane to Manila for the national finals, we said to each other that we had already won, even if we didn’t make it to the top,” Gomez says. “The students, our school, our division—we’
