Analysis of ICT Integration Initiatives in Basic Education and Lessons Learned: The Case of the Philippines

Author(s):  
Kurt Junshean P. Espinosa ◽  
Jaime D.L. Caro
2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Dave E. Marcial

Information and communication technology (ICT) redefines the landscape of education. It changes the way teachers teach and students learn. However, achieving innovative teaching and learning is not an easy task because technology-assisted teaching and learning are affected by many variables. Teachers are challenged to utilize new teaching strategy to fill in the gap with the millennial learners. This paper presents the experiences of 16 teacher educators from the Philippines who underwent intensive training on the use and integration of ICT in the classroom. Specifically, this article describes the facilitating and hindering factors of innovative teaching and learning as experienced by the respondents. Likewise, this paper articulates the lessons learned of ICT integration as experienced by the respondents. Further, this article presents the recommendations to achieve innovative teaching and learning using ICT. Results reveal that portability, usability, creativity, independent learning, commitment, dedication and administrative support are the facilitating factors in ICT integration in the classroom. On the other hand, time constraint, lack of technical and administrative support, and poor flexibility of the technology are the hindering factors in technology-assisted teaching and learning. Results show that there is a positive change as experienced by participants in using the technology in the classroom, in spite of obstructions which are always present in any classroom integration of technology. The study concludes that innovative teaching and learning are a responsibility not only of teachers but all stakeholders in the teaching and learning processes. Innovative teaching and learning are possible, yet, they need enough time and investments, especially in a developing country like the Philippines.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steluta topalov

<p>On 4 august 2020, one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions the world has seen in recent times took place in the Port of Beirut. Caused by the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, inadequate stored in a warehouse in the port, the blast destroyed much of the city’s port and the surrounding infrastructure and severly  damaged the dense residential and commercial areas within 5 km of the explosion site. The impact of the explosion, which registered as a 3.3 magnitude earthquake according to the U.S. Geological Survey, was felt as far away as the island of Cyprus.</p><p>Athough the event was an technological hazard, the impact of the explosion is similar to a standardised natural disaster.</p><p>According to UNDP, a total of 200 000 residential units were affected with an estimated of 40 000 buildings damaged; 200 people lost their lives, around 6 000 individuals were injuried and around 300 000 people were displaced.</p><p>Such figure are comparable to other large-scale disasters such as Cyclone Vayu in India, which occured in June 2019 or the displacement caused by the Typhoon Vongfong, in the Philippines.</p><p>The frequent increase of the natural disasters  puts pressure on the critical infrastructure of the cities. The disruption of the transportation system,  which is vital for the sustainable daily operations, are having a big impact on the economical, enviromental and social dimension of a city system. Among the various types of transportation system, ports are a focal point because of its strategic role for the economic growth of cities,regions and  global network. In addition, they are nodal points for the social and economical activity of the inhabitants.</p><p>Although the ports have played a key role in the development of their host cities, they are also vulnerable to a broad range of risks and threats because of a particular spatial character: the location at the intersection of land and sea.  </p><p>The study of the Beirut’s Port explosion examines the impact of port failures on the host urban enviroment and the relationship between hazards, vulnerability and the impact. The vulnerability of the port to disasters results  to the vulnerability of its host city. A context –based understanding  of the impact of the disaster and the elements at risk is essential to identify appropriate risk management strategies. The location of the port within the urban environment, in densely populated area, as in case of Beirut are some of the characteristics of the port cities that can magnify the impact of disasters to which they are prone.  The study will focus on a collection of data that records the impact and allows visualisation of the complex patterns of the disaster risk reduction.</p><p>The impact caused by the Beirut’s port explosion reminds us about the important role of the ports in their host cities and how fundamental is to identify the port’s infrastructure  exposure to hazards and risks.  Lessons learned from such event may be useful to reduce disaster risks in the port cities.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e596
Author(s):  
Rodney Pino ◽  
Renier Mendoza ◽  
Rachelle Sambayan

Baybayin is a pre-Hispanic Philippine writing system used in Luzon island. With the effort in reintroducing the script, in 2018, the Committee on Basic Education and Culture of the Philippine Congress approved House Bill 1022 or the ”National Writing System Act,” which declares the Baybayin script as the Philippines’ national writing system. Since then, Baybayin OCR has become a field of research interest. Numerous works have proposed different techniques in recognizing Baybayin scripts. However, all those studies anchored on the classification and recognition at the character level. In this work, we propose an algorithm that provides the Latin transliteration of a Baybayin word in an image. The proposed system relies on a Baybayin character classifier generated using the Support Vector Machine (SVM). The method involves isolation of each Baybayin character, then classifying each character according to its equivalent syllable in Latin script, and finally concatenate each result to form the transliterated word. The system was tested using a novel dataset of Baybayin word images and achieved a competitive 97.9% recognition accuracy. Based on our review of the literature, this is the first work that recognizes Baybayin scripts at the word level. The proposed system can be used in automated transliterations of Baybayin texts transcribed in old books, tattoos, signage, graphic designs, and documents, among others.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nestor Gregorio ◽  
John Herbohn ◽  
Rogelio Tripoli ◽  
Arturo Pasa

Forest and landscape restoration in the tropics is often undertaken by groups of smallholders and communities whose livelihoods are primarily agricultural and forest-based. In the Philippines, the implementation of forest restoration programs involving people’s organizations showed mixed results. We present a case study of a pilot community-based forest restoration project that was undertaken in Biliran Province to understand the impediments, and pilot test interventions to improve restoration outcomes. The project was designed using systems thinking, employing smallholder-based best-practice, and applying the principles of a participatory approach. The results revealed that the initial participation of smallholders is mostly driven by short-term financial incentives. However, long-term commitment to managing the trees is attributed mainly to sustainable livelihood, land and tree rights, equitable sharing of benefits, strong leadership, effective governance and improved human and social capitals. The support of extension officers, use of high-quality seedlings, and participation of women are essential for community-based forest restoration success. Key lessons from our research could contribute to fulfilling the forest and landscape restoration commitments of developing countries in the tropics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Garcia ◽  
Mandy Meng Fang ◽  
Jolene Lin

Abstract Marine plastics pollution (MPP) is an alarming problem affecting many countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and generated mostly from land-based sources. Five Asian countries (i.e. China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka) have been identified as the largest sources of MPP globally. This article presents two cases studies focused on the two largest polluters: China and Indonesia. Both countries face similar challenges in dealing with plastic pollution. They have weak legal and institutional frameworks in place to deal with MPP. The two case studies also show that there have been more creative and effective measures taken at the domestic level by local governments and non-state actors, many of which involve partnerships among different stakeholders. This article argues that governance efforts to address MPP require an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach, involving multi-level and multi-actor strategies and targeted regulatory and non-regulatory measures. However, our findings also suggest that most efforts should be directed at the subnational level, from which the problem mainly originates. This article proposes a number of legal and policy recommendations, based on the lessons learned from the case studies, which can be instrumental in reducing the global MPP crisis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 2249-2260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma. Laurice Jamero ◽  
Motoharu Onuki ◽  
Miguel Esteban ◽  
Nicholson Tan

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