DepEd's Digital Rise Program: includes television for each classroom and laptop for each teacher

The DepEd Digital Rise is intended to support the implementation of the fourth Skill that is embedded in our curriculum.

There are many ways that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can support our curriculum, but there are three very important areas which the Digital Rise will focus on.

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First is the delivery of ICT subjects designed to build up the competencies of our children. These include Productivity Tools which are taught as early as Grades 4-6, Basic Programming taught in Grade 7, Multimedia Skills taught in Grades 8-10, and Vocational Courses in ICT, such as computer servicing and call center services, that are taught in Grades 11-12.

To implement this the Department has been delivering computer laboratories that would allow teachers to teach computer classes. We will be moving away from computer laboratories which would require the conversion of one classroom towards mobile carts containing tablets and laptops that can be moved from one classroom to another. This shift would allow us to deliver computer classes even if electricity is intermittent, facilitate collaboration activities among students, and even move valuable equipment when floods and disasters strike.

The second major area that the Digital Rise will focus on is ICT-assisted Teaching. Under this program, DepEd will install a digital board or television in each classroom and provide all teachers with laptops that contain e-Learning resources that they can use for their classes. Starting this year, all our devices will be preloaded with Open Education Resources. These include around 7,842 learning materials from the DepEd LR Portal; 1,566 materials from CHED; 7,000 videos and 20,000 interactive exercises from Khan Academy; and 5.8 million articles from Wikipedia Offline. All of these will be accessible offline and will be mapped to the curriculum so that teachers will be guided on which resource are ideal for teaching a particular subject and competency. Teachers will no longer need to use manila paper to prepare visual aids when they have access to e‑Learning resources that they can project in their classes.

The third area that the Digital Rise will address is ICT-assisted Learning. Under this program, DepEd will provide each learner with a tablet or laptop that they will use to access the e-Learning resources that will be available both offline and online. This transformative learning through the use of educational devices will enhance the 21st Century Skills of learners, and bridge the digital divide, most especially in the Last Mile Schools.

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Moreover, DepEd will also release a Learning Management System that will contain an item bank that will measure all the competencies in the curriculum. This will be used to randomly create standardized questionnaires that can be used for the National Achievement Test (NAT), quizzes and periodical tests. When a learner completes a test, the Learning Management System will also recommend e-Learning resources for items or competencies which a learner was not able to answer correctly. As such, tests and quizzes will become a tool for learners to understand which competencies they are weak in and what learning resources are available to help them understand these competencies.

Finally, to support the delivery of these services, DepEd will be using ICT to improve administration and governance. The Department is already in the process of implementing an integrated DepEd Enterprise Resource Planning System (DERPS) that will automate financial management and provide real time data that will allow us to manage education resources efficiently.

This is our vision for ICT in education, which is part and parcel of the DepEd blueprint for Public Schools of the Future, which the Office of the Undersecretary of Administration and the entire Administration Strand has crafted. It is not about delivering high tech equipment to the schools. It is about providing teachers with the skills and tools to facilitate the process of learning. It is very much centered on the learner, giving them the appropriate information and resources to learn on their own and understand the core competencies in our curriculum.

This is DRIVE – DepEd’s Digital Rise. Through all these endeavors, the Filipino learners will rise. They are our future, our hope, our success! And in this Cyber Expo, their rise has begun.

LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES
Secretary, Department of Education
Highlights of Message for the 1st DepEd Cyber Expo
Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City