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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Mountain Province school goes high-tech
BONTOC, Mt. Province -- High-tech classroom instructions has reached the province with a technical-vocational institution now going on-line to complement classroom lessons.
Joel Fagsao, director of the XiJEN Institute of Technology, said since July this year, students of his school could now access their lessons from the Internet using the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle).
Fagsao said Moodle is an open-source course management system that can be downloaded for free from the Internet. This was introduced to his school by Jerson Watan, a local but Manila-based computer enthusiast and web-hosting provider.
XiJEN initially adopted the system designed to supplement learning in the classrooms with students accessing their lessons on line while still attending regular classes with their teachers. Students and teachers alike view this as a new way of learning things, Fagsao said.
With this system, students can have their quizzes, submit their assignments, and view other lessons support materials on line. These can be accessed at the school's e-learning site at www.bayanwebhost.com/xigenonline.
After just two months of implementation, Fagsao noted absences being reduced to almost zero, teachers becoming more enthusiastic and learning becoming collaborative. Students are also observed to be bonding together discussing their lessons on the corridors while some, who have not seen or used computers during their high school days, have more reasons to explore the Internet.
Fagsao emphasized that the commitment of teachers is very important in teaching approach such as this because it means extra time in preparing their lessons for on line use. But if they see the benefit of the system, training on the various features of the Moodle takes just half day, he added.
Among the schools using Moodle are the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, College of Saint Benilde, University of the Philippines (UP) High School in Cebu and La Consolacion College.
The new technology is seen to prepare the students for better chances in the job market especially since the national government is promoting information and communication technology under its thrust for education and youth opportunities.
(September 28, 2005 issue)
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