A local version of an e-learning website that originated in Ireland was unveiled on July 16 to serve as an added technology tool for teachers to teach science and math subjects.
The portal, skoool.ph, was launched by Department of Education (DepEd) secretary Jesli Lapus and Intel Microelectronics Philippines country manager Ricky Banaag at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.
DepEd’s Bureau of Secondary Education (BSE) reviewed and evaluated the contents of skoool.com, originally developed by Intel Ireland, and selected the locally relevant lessons that aligned with DepEd’s curricula for high school levels.
Skoool is a native Celtic word that means school.
Banaag said the IP rights of the website have been licensed to DepEd at no extra cost. skoool.com is an Intel-driven initiative that has been implemented in other countries such as UK, Ireland, Sweden, and Thailand.
In a speech, Lapus said the website will not only function as a technology aid for teachers but also an online resource that will allow learning to be done outside the confined walls of the classroom.
"The Philippine education system needs to evolve from a teacher-led instructional model to one that is personalized and learnerfocused to meet the challenges of the 21st century," said Lapus.
He said technology has a major role in creating a new model that leverages on alternative learning spaces where education happens anytime and anywhere.
Lapus, however, said the web portal is just a supplement and will not replace the basic education method currently being used in the country. "If you’re a teacher who has a hard time teaching science and math concepts, then you may find this website helpful," he said.
John Macasio, chief technology officer of Stepdesk Phil, the company hired by DepEd and Intel to create the local edition of the website, said the objective of the portal is not to give grades but to make concepts clearer to the teachers and students.
"We did not reinvent the wheel by adopting the content that was relevant to us. We just strengthened the content," he said, adding that their next step is to integrate lesson plan templates which teachers can download for their use.
Macasio said the DepEd central office has trained teachers from 37 schools all over the country how to us the portal.
DepEd has an on-going ICT integration in education. It is eyeing to provide computer laboratory-equipped high schools with Internet connectivity.
Another Deped official, Paul Soriano, said the agency will be providing a mirror site of skoool.ph in the local server of schools which do not have permanent connection to the Internet.
DepEd said it is also digitizing its modules for its mobile teachers to enable them to have easier access to instructional materials and reach out to learners outside the formal school system.
The content of the skoool Philippines website consists of learning materials in high-school level mathematics and science covering algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Each topic consists of lessons and exercises for students to test their comprehension, presented in the form of interactive animated graphics, video, and voice-over to make complex subjects like mathematics and science interesting and easier to understand.
Intel and the BSE developed the site’s content based on identified areas of difficulty in these subjects and tapped the expertise of top teachers in their fields for the ongoing development of its content.
The skoool web technologies are designed for use on all personal computers including Intel-based Classmate PCs. Available resources through skoool represented a worldwide investment of over million and over seven-year development, Intel said.
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