IMPRESSIONS

IMPRESSIONS

According to Oxford dictionary, impression is an idea, a feeling or an opinion that you get about somebody/something, or that somebody/something gives you.

Here are some impressions from training participants of two iSchools Project training roll-out.

PC recycling training workshop is a 10-day lecture/hands-on recycling or reuse of computers or other electronics.

“It was indeed an experience of a lifetime to hold a crimping tool as well as the soldering tool.” – Maria Aurora M. Miguel – teacher from Baybay National High School

“I learned to never take for granted the rights of the software – basin mapreso, tagam.” It means if caught infringing intellectual property rights like unlicensed software, one could be put to prison thus regretting for the rest of his life. – Marife Calungsod - teacher from Baybay National High School

Computer and Internet Literacy Course is a 5-day training / workshop that aimed to give basic ICT literacy to teachers and students.

“We are so glad that we had a training like this because it enhanced our skills nd knowledge in terms of improving our strategies in teaching through the POWER OF MEDIA. It's really mean a lot !” - Teresa Miape – teacher from Lim-ao National High School, Kananga, Leyte

“The participants to this training are very fortunate because aside from the knowledge acquired we were provided with 2 snacks and 1 meal and t-shirt for free. We were very enthusiastic to learn particularly in making a presentation that we hardly noticed that its already late in the evening.” Armelita Polistico – principal of Waterloo National High School

These are just some of the many impressions that we received. Surely, the other implementing state universities and colleges of the iSchools Project more or less heard or received the same impressions. It is just apt to say that the iSchools project is able to bridge the digital divide. It might not be for all, but atleast, for some.

The year that was 2010

For Visayas State University (VSU), the year 2010 is a year of many achievements. Instructors and students alike received national awards. Nine academic programs of the university got level 1 accreditation by the Commission on Higher Education. As part of VSU’s extension project, the implementation of the iSchools Project in VSU for year 2010 also proved to be fruitful.

These were the trainings conducted and hosted for the year 2010 by VSU for the implementation of the iSchools Project.

• ICT Integration – Training on the most effective way of integrating information and communications technology in the teaching strategies of the teachers
• PC Recycling – Training on how to make use salvageable parts of the wasted computer to minimize electronic wastes.
• Web Development Trainers Training – trained different web developers to create a training design for the roll out
• Web Development Roll out Training – participants of the recipient schools was taught the basics on web development using Joomla! - an open source content management system.
• Basic Online Writing Technique – writers from all participating state universities and colleges were taught on the tips and techniques for online writing to better document the iSchools project activities.
• PMEIS – stands for Project Monitoring and Evaluation Information System aimed to educate the trainees on what information to gather and how to gather them for the upcoming closeout of the project
• COA meeting – auditors, accountants and representatives of the implementing universities gathered in VSU to better understand the iSchools Project and the financial matters it involves.
• SPW Rollout – The sustainability planning workshop roll out that was attended by the recipient schools’ principal, lab manager and PTCA representatives. It aimed to equip them on how to continue the operation of their computer laboratories and how to manage financial issues even if iSchools project is not there to assist them anymore.

Visayas State University iSchools team was also able to do roll out for the Computer and Internet Literacy Course Training to the different iSchools Project recipient under the monitoring of VSU. The recipients schools are from Leyte, Cebu and Bohol.

The members of the team also attended different capability building trainings conducted by other partners of the iSchools Project.

This year, 2011, will it be as fruitful and busy for Visayas State University being an implementing university for the iSchools Project? The answer lies on the days to come.

ICT Literacy Training for Teachers

My group is currently in Valencia High School, Poblacion Oriental, Valencia Bohol to Conduct ICT Literacy for Teachers for the iSchools Project! way to go iSchools....
RP: Magdalene Unajan
LA: Jonah Flor Oraño
LA: Jocelyn Paring

Another group from is in Calituban National High School, Calituban, Talibon Bohol.
RP: Michael Anthony Jay Regis
LA: Jude Rola
LA: Charlie Mark Cutamora

Another group will be in Colawin National High School, Colawin Proper, Argao, Cebu.
RP: Winston Tabada
LA: Dionesio Estupa
LA: Mary Jane Jabines

We are the iSchools Team of Visayas State University, Visca, Baybay, Leyte.

Perfect Combination

If you want to get rich, don’t become a teacher.

This is a sad joke shared around among public high school teachers. Yes it is sad, but its true, at least how most of the teachers see it to be. So you get to wonder why a successful, business-oriented individual quit venturing the rich world of commerce and enter the poverty-stricken world of education.

She is born from a well-off and business – minded family. She studied college in an exclusive girls only college in Cebu City. Her parents wanted for her to take up business course to continue their family business, jewelry trading and some general merchandising store, when the time is right, but her love is in the field of medicine. Her parents stopped supporting her education because she disobeyed them. Being a daughter of a businessman that she is, she continued her college education by selling stuff: from affordable food items to expensive jewelries.

To make the story short, she fell in love, have kids, got married and thus stopped schooling but still continued into jewelry retailing and became successful at it. It just so happen that there are just things that goes perfectly if they get paired with each other. Take for instance, coffee. Coffee is best paired with creamer and not milk. Bread is for butter and that is also why there is Jack and Jill and not Jack and Jane.

The same goes for a person. There are some who are blessed with both beauty and brains. With her, she is benefited with the compassionate heart and the brains and charisma of a sales executive. With these two, she went far in the line of commerce especially in jewelry business.

She is Mrs. Evangeline Maraon: a successful businesswoman with the heart of an educator. Hilaan National High School (HNHS), Bontoc, Southern Leyte is fortunate to have her as their principal. With her, HNHS has received and will be receiving a lot of facility improvements. It is all because of Mrs. Maraon.

Ma’am Vangie, as she is fondly called, left the rich world of business to be a teacher. She has set her eyes and heart set on the welfare of the hope of our nation: the youth especially the students. She uses her business experience and charisma to the local politicians and public figures to establish good relationship. She sells HNHS the way she sells her jewelries.

Sales is a clear indicator if a business is successful. With HNHS, facility improvement is the criteria of success. Despite the fact that HNHS is located 25 kilometers from the highway, with very rough road and going there proves to be an uphill climb., HNHS is chosen as one of the recipients of the iSchools project. Their computer laboratory is with twenty brand new computers, an LCD projector and an Internet connection.

In just a short period of time, HNHS is able to ask funds for the construction of a new computer laboratory. In just a matter of six months, the school has cemented a large portion of their area that is prone to landslide. They were able to ask funds from the governor of the province himself. HNHS has also concreted their canals and is now in the process of putting up a large school name.

With HNHS location, being in remote and mountainous area where government leftists used to camp out, one could say that improvement and project funding would be slow, like a turtle’s walk, if not impossible. But HNHS has proved it wrong, or better said, Mrs. Evangeline Maraon has proved it wrong. There are projects, improvement and still more to come for HNHS. Funds arrived and improvement is fast because HNHS principal just happens to be a businesswoman by nature.

Just like body is to soul, Ma’am Vangie is to Hilaan National High School: perfect combination for the improvement of HNHS.

Getting to know Lando

What’s with the name anyway? Will I die if I don’t get to know him? For me and for you, he is just a nobody. But for Sogod National High School, Lando is a name that they would be proud to know of.

Lando is the nickname of Mr. Rolando C. Timbang. He is the school principal of Sogod National High School (SNHS), Sogod, Southern Leyte. He is born in Cadayunman, Liloan, in the southern part of Leyte. He finished his Bachelor of Science in Education degree, major in History, in Saint Joseph College in Maasin City, Leyte. He is married and is blessed with a daughter who is now a college student.

Before Sir Lando, as students address him, arrived in SNHS, he taught Araling Panlipunan II, English and Pilipino subjects in Himay-angan National High School. While he was finishing his Master’s Degree majoring in Management, he was appointed as an Understudy for Head Teacher, a Supreme Student Counsel Adviser and the President of the Teachers Association. After some time, he was promoted from being an understudy to being a Head Teacher.

His years of experience as head teacher proved to be enough for him to be promoted. It is of no wonder that he is given the responsibility of being the school principal of SNHS. He replaced Mr. Sonny Tayum, then principal of SNHS.

Just like all other new comers, he was greeted in SNHS with gladness for some and contempt for others. He has apprehension in managing the school with a population of more two thousand students, unlike in HNHS whose population barely reach 500. Some has doubts if he could manage the school, while others are confident that he can because of his experience.

Sir Lando believes that problems are just there to spice up life. He faces the challenge of governing SNHS with big faith in God, positive attitude and a happy disposition.

He showed SNHS that he deserve their loyalty and acceptance as their new principal. He led SNHS to achieve regional competitions awards both in academic and sports. He brought outside organizations to give funds to the school and spearheaded facility improvement. He has gained the support of the local government unit as well as the support of the school stakeholders.

He showed Sogod National High School that he can be the angry, forgiving, compassionate, strong and knowledgeable principal that they wanted him to be.

Currently, SNHS is one of the recipients of the iSchools project. The project will provide the school with:

• 19 Desktop computers with LCD monitors

• server with webcam

• laptop

• HP 4-in-1 printer

• Multimedia projector

• Capability training for teachers and students

In return, the school must provide a room to be used as the computer laboratory and as a community e-learning center. Big amount of money and lots of responsibility is involved being a recipient of the project. The entire stakeholder of the school must be involved.

How the iSchools project in Sogod National High School will turn out is in the good hands of Mr. Lando C. Timbang. With his experience and with all the support of the school stakeholder and funding agencies, surely, everything will turn out just fine. Lando is up for the challenge.