It is true. Visayas State University (VSU) can attest to it. VSU has been an implementing university for the iSchools Project since 2007. Part of being an implementing university, VSU team is to attend different capability building seminar to be better prepared for training rollout.

One of these many capability building seminar is the ICT Literacy Conference for Teachers. Currently, the conference is held in Crown Royale, City of Balanga, Bataan. It kicked off July 2 and will end on July 5.

The participants from VSU sent are from the Department of Computer Science and Technology (DCST):

• Winston M. Tabada
• Marionito J. Gonzales
• Jude B. Rola
• Michael Anthony Jay B. Regis
• Magdalene C. Unajan

Despite the fact that classes have started and these faculties from DCST will be missing their classes, still, VSU allowed them to attend the conference. It is of course with the agreement that classes are properly co-ordinated despite their absence. That is why, iSchools Project in VSU is in good hands.

VSU has selected representatives from the different colleges to reconstruct the  structure and contents of the university homepage.  Amongst the representative colleges / centers are:

• College of Agriculture
• College of Education
• College of Engineering and Agri-industries
• College of Forestry and Natural Resources
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• College of  Nursing
• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Economics and Management
• VSU Alang-alang
• VSU Villaba
• VSU Tolosa
• VSU Isabel
• PhilRootCrops
• National Abaca Research Center
• National Cocunut Research Center
• FARMI
• ISRDS

These chosen ones are currently undergoing a workshop on web development and content management using Joomla, a free and open source software. It is being hosted by Department of Computer Science and Technology (DCST) with its dept head, Engr. Winston Tabada. The workshop is spearheaded by the Office of the President with Dr. Alan Loreto as the incharge. Mr. Marionito Gonzales, DCST faculty serves as the resource person.

VSU website address is www.vsu.edu.ph and can also be visited thru www.vsu-visca.edu.ph. One can also see updates on VSU through this site: http://www.facebook.com/vsu.visca

This is a cliché common to most of the schools located in the mountainous part of the Philippines. With schools in this areas, one could say heaven is almost at the tip of their fingers. One of these schools is Hilaan National High School (HNHS) in Bontoc, Southern Leyte.

Despite the 18-km distance from the highway, HNHS has 358 enrollees where majority of the students still excel academically. Even though it costs almost 100 pesos for the motorcycle fare, HNHS actively participates in the secondary activities organized by Department of Education (DepEd). They do not just participate, they also win.

The distance and the road going to HNHS is both a curse and a blessing. A curse because of the bumpy ride, the rocky roads and the apparent danger because of the cliff on the road sides. Passing through these roads is sometimes next to impossible if there is a heavy rain downpour. At the same time, most of the teachers of HNHS consider the distance as a “blessing” instead.

The location of Hilaan National High School subjects HNHS to be exempted of periodic visits from the regional office of DepEd. Being exempted means lesser expenses and lesser class interruptions as observed by the students and teachers alike. Even though they often get exempted, it does not mean that the quality of their education is of less quality compared to those schools from the city.

In addition to proving the fact that distance is not a hindrance to quality education, HNHS has been chosen as a recipient school of the iSchools project. This project of President Gloria Arroyo is being implemented by the Commission of Information and Communication Technology (CICT) in partnership with the different state universities and colleges of the country.  The project gives twenty one computers to the recipient school and an internet connection.

With the internet connection and the state-of-the-art computers given by the iSchools project, HNHS will now be more connected with world. It will not just encourage the students to do better; it will also improve the quality of education.

HNHS, being a recipient of the iSchools project, implementing and sustaining the project itself needs strong leadership to guide the school in this big opportunity. HNHS is lucky to have Ms. Evangeline Maraon as their head teacher. She does not just have the convincing power of a saleswoman; she also has this strong connection with the local government officials. It helps a lot to have a strong rapport especially in asking for financial support. HNHS is also gifted with dedicated and talented teachers.

Strong leader, dedicated teachers and students that excel: these are just but some of the assets of Hilaan National High School. These assets help HNHS to prove to the world that despite the distance, quality education is still at reach. Just like the cliché that heaven is at the tip of the fingertips, so is quality education for HNHS.

What is there to make up my mind for anyway? I needed to make up my mind whether to attend the Commitment Setting and Planning Workshop for the iSchools Writers in Manila or to go to Cebu or to finish checking the works of my students.

Just like anybody else, decision-making needs careful assessment of the consequences of saying yes or no. If I am to stay in school and continue checking the students’ works, I can submit grades on time but I will miss the opportunities and the responsibilities that entails of being an iSchools writer.  I love being a writer. If I am to go to Cebu and attend to my personal stuff, submission of grades will be delayed and I will still miss the meeting of the iSchools writers. Decisions… decisions…

That is why I need to invent my make-up-your-mind-danator. Kidding aside, I remember a quote by an American entertainer Peter Marshall.  “Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for – because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”

So, I decided to attend the meeting in the University of the Philippines-Diliman. I made my stand. The meeting-workshop in Manila will give the participants like me a clear idea of how it is to be an iSchools writer. It will also point out the responsibilities and benefits that goes along with being a writer for iSchools. I know it would be difficult. I am pretty sure of it. But, I have to stand for something or else, I would surely fall for anything. See, the gadget did the trick! I arrived at a decision.

Off I traveled and arrived in Manila on the 14^th of March. Attended the training on the 15^th and met wit the other would-be iSchools writers. Others are determined to be a writer already while some, like me, are still caught up in the height of work and personal conflicts.

During the meeting, I finally come to terms with myself. An introduction made by Ms. Rosella Torrecampo, one of the training speakers, is from the Greek Oracle of Delphi, “Gnothi se auton.” In English, know thyself. Indeed! If I know myself better, it would not have been hard on my part to decide which is which. If I know myself better, I would know what things I should stand for. I would have known that I can multitask and I can work even under pressure.

Although I cut short by one day on the meeting to go to Cebu, I submitted the required outputs. While I was in Cebu, I checked my students’ works from time to time. All is well that ends well. I get to attend the workshop, I went to Cebu and I even managed to check the works of my students. The bonus is I get to know myself better and that is because I made my last stand: that is to fully accept of being an iSchools writer.

Rest and relax with peanuts on the side

Eating peanuts to let time pass by while waiting for dinner…

The culprit because according to the EENT specialist, i am not supposed to eat peanuts because it triggers my allergic rhinitis.. when my nose is clogged, my ears build up pressure and it hurts.. terribly.

Computer and Internet Literacy Course in DAFENHS, Tomas Oppus, So.Leyte

I wish I could capture into words

the expression on her face

when she was teaching her mother

the basics on the computer lesson.

She is a 10-year old kid

and her mother is in her late thirties

she is in the grade school

while her mother is a high school principal

she is trying to tell her mother to click this

her mother is trying to follow

she is telling her mother to do this

her mother is trying to grasp what she is telling.

This is now the reality on the 21^st education

it is clearly bridging the digital divide.

It is not just the digital divide

but also the age gap.

The teachers are the learners

and the learners are the teachers..

makes sense? I dont think so

although, thats exactly what im trying to do.