Text2Teach reaches 97 schools!
10/15/2009 | Ayala Foundation
These were the words of Department of Education Regional Director for Region I, Dr. Ligaya Soledad Miguel during the eighth community launch of the Text2Teach project in 2009, held in Villasis, Pangasinan, last September.
The event added another 10 schools to Text2Teach's growing number of recipient schools, putting the total number of schools to the project's second phase at 97 since actual implementation in March 2009. Text2Teach has been implemented in Vigan and Candon cities of Ilocos Sur, Tuguegarao city of Cagayan, the municipality of Ilagan and Santiago city of Isabela, Urdaneta city and the municipality of Villasis of Pangasinan, and La Trinidad, capital of Benguet.
The first phase of the Text2Teach project began in 2003. During this satellite phase, until 2007, the project reached 203 schools scattered nationwide. In the second phase, Text2Teach utilized a clustering approach, working by municipality or district. This approach made it easier to get LGU and community support, allowing for greater operational efficiency and sustainability, and for the program to move on a larger scale. As of October 2009, Text2Teach has reached a total of 300 schools.
Text2Teach evolved from the original satellite based delivery to a full cellular platform during the second phase. Text2Teach is now using a 3G-enabled device such as the Nokia N95 8GB equipped with an application called Nokia Education Delivery (NED). The application allows the teachers to select from 387 education videos on Match, Science and English specifically created for the project, providing a highly effective visual aid for teachers. It is also an opportunity to create an interactive, student-focused learning environment in the classroom.
The videos are watched using the 29-inch television sets provided by the project. The lesson plans that come with the teachers' guides are fully integrated into the basic education curriculum. They were created to meet local education guidelines and standards. Both the television sets and teachers' guides, major components of the program, are part of the local government's counterpart to the project.
In 2007, Nokia turned over the national project management of Text2Teach to Ayala Foundation, providing private sector funding to implement the project to 350 new schools. Ayala Foundation is also tasked to mobilize partner resources, raise counterpart funding from the public sector and provide help desk and technical support to the schools.
Globe Telecom provides free P150 monthly load allowance for one year to be used for helpdesk concerns and additional P1,000 load if there are new or updated materials to be downloaded through the mobile phones using their 3G network.
SEAMEO Innotech conducts an intensive 3-day teachers' training to prepare the teachers on the use of the Text2Teach technology and videos in the classroom, to ensure the quality and standard of teaching using the program. To date, under the second phase, almost 600 school heads, teachers and school officials were trained, with almost 18,000 grades 5 and 6 students benefiting from the program.
The great thing about the new phase is that it not only demonstrates how mobile technology can be used for education, but also how the private (Text2Teach Alliance composed of Ayala Foundation, Nokia, Globe Telecom and SEAMEO INNOTECH), and public sectors (Department of Education-Central; the various local Department of Education units, and the Provincial and Local Government Units) can work together in bridging the educational and digital divide around the world.
For more information, please contact: MARISSE CATANGAY Manager-Text2Teach, Ayala Foundation, Inc. Tel.: +(63 2) 752-1185 / (0917) 840-6958 Email: catangay.mc@ayalafoundation.orgVisit http://www.ayalafoundation.org for more information.
