Great strides for Text2Teach in classroom learning
With the introduction of new technologies, the teaching aids will be made available in all 38,000 public schools across the country
TEN YEARS ago, Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) launched “Text2Teach,” a mobile learning package, which aims to support educators with teaching aids using technology. Among its pioneering partners is Nokia (now Microsoft Mobile), which provided the program model.
During the Phase 1 of Text2Teach, teachers from selected public elementary schools used Nokia 3310. The package also included a satellite for far-flung areas and a media terminal.
The advent of smartphones also prompted the upgrade of the program. The Microsoft Education Delivery (formerly known as Nokia Education Delivery until Microsoft absorbed the mobile business of the phone maker in April) is a software installed in Lumia phones and other Windows Phone devices, where teachers can download their teaching materials.
In the classroom, they can connect wirelessly to a (smart) TV or data projectors and stream the lesson for the whole class to see.
MED solutions
“The model is the same but the whole technology has been changed,” said Sanna Eskelinen, Global Lead for Social Investments of Microsoft Mobile, during the 10th anniversary celebration of Text2Teach.
Microsoft Education Delivery or MED application makes use of Lumia’s Mirror My Screen feature, which transforms the device into a multimedia remote control.
Text2Teach is the local version of BridgeIT, a global program conceptualized by Nokia, Pearson, the International Youth Foundation, and the United Nations Development Programme.
Teachers can download more than 300 educational video materials for Grade 5 and Grade 6 Math, Science, English, and Val- ues Education. It comes with a Globe Telecom BridgeCom prepaid SIM card, a 32-inch LED Toshiba television, and Lumia phone (that runs on Windows 8 and onwards operating system).
According to Irineo Demecais Jr., Education Pillar Lead of Ayala Foundation, the upgrade costs around P120,000 for each school. Apart from the hardware, the package also includes Teacher’s Guide, and 455 Lesson Guides, and is supported by 365 video content.
Works offline
“MED is just one of our solutions,” Eskelinen said. “We have education solutions from gamebased learning for preschool kids to learn mathematics to high school kids learning math. It’s really about understanding the local context and needs, and then we look for solutions matching that need. It has (always) been that the model is the teachers should have the device.”
“We also included a comment feature,” Eskelinen said, “so teachers can send questions about the resources or just comment on them.”
The content is stored in Globe Telecom’s data server, according to Demecais. Teachers can download them on the phone whenever available.
“Once downloaded, they are already ‘libraried’ on the phone’s storage,” he said.
“I think that’s one of the most important features of the program because it doesn’t require constant online connection,” Eskelinen said. “Once downloaded and stored on the mobile phone, teachers can play them back again and again in a classroom. This is most useful in remote areas of the country and in many other countries where connection is not constantly available.”
Yoly Crisanto, SVP for Corpo- rate Communications of Globe, said: “One of the key success factors (of Text2Teach) would have been the collaboration between the technology providers. It’s important that you have a working network out there and that the education department has developed the content itself. It has to be accredited by the DepEd.”
Mainstreaming
Demecais said that the remotest area where Text2Teach is available is in Patikul, Sulu (Mindanao).
The program partners also announced that Phase 5 of Text2Teach would see the implementation of “mainstreaming” to target the local Department of Education divisions. Mainstreaming hopes to institutionalize Text2Teach at the community level. It will shift from providing direct program implementation in schools to empowering the local DepEd division.
Eskelinen said that BridgeIT is being implemented in Bangladesh, Colombia, Chile, Haiti, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, and Vietnam.
AFI, DepEd, the Department of Interior and Local Government, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap), Microsoft, and Globe signed a commitment to mainstream Text2Teach, implementing it in all 38,000 public schools across the country.
At present, Text2Teach has benefited more than 1,000 schools, over 300,000 pupils, and 3,000 teachers nationwide.