DEPED’S DIGITAL RISE HAS

BEGUN
DEPED TAYO·MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019·READING TIME: 4 MINUTES

Early in my administration, I laid out the 10-Point agenda where the Department
committed to the full implementation of the K to 12 Curriculum. The K to 12 Curriculum
revolves around four core skills that are needed in the modern world: Life and Career
Skills; Effective and Communication Skills; Learning and Innovation Skills; and
finally Information, Media, and Technology Skills.

The DepEd Digital Rise is intended to support the implementation of the fourth Skill
that is imbedded in our curriculum.

There are many ways that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can
support our curriculum, but there are three very important areas which the Digital Rise
will focus on.

First is the delivery of ICT subjects designed to build up the competencies of our
children. These include Productivity Tools which are taught as early as Grades 4-6,
Basic Programming taught in Grade 7, Multimedia Skills taught in Grades 8-10, and
Vocational Courses in ICT, such as computer servicing and call center services, that are
taught in Grades 11-12. To implement this the Department has been delivering computer
laboratories that would allow teachers to teach computer classes. We will be moving
away from computer laboratories which would require the conversion of one classroom
towards mobile carts containing tablets and laptops that can be moved from one
classroom to another. This shift would allow us to deliver computer classes even if
electricity is intermittent, facilitate collaboration activities among students, and even
move valuable equipment when floods and disasters strike.

The second major area that the Digital Rise will focus on is ICT-assisted Teaching.
Under this program, DepEd will install a digital board or television in each classroom and
provide all teachers with laptops that contain e-Learning resources that they can use for
their classes. Starting this year, all our devices will be preloaded with Open Education
Resources. These include around 7,842 learning materials from the DepEd LR Portal;
1,566 materials from CHED; 7,000 videos and 20,000 interactive exercises from Khan
Academy; and 5.8 million articles from Wikipedia Offline. All of these will be accessible
offline and will be mapped to the curriculum so that teachers will be guided on which
resource are ideal for teaching a particular subject and competency. Teachers will no
longer need to use manila paper to prepare visual aids when they have access to
e-Learning resources that they can project in their classes.

The third area that the Digital Rise will address is ICT-assisted Learning. Under this
program, DepEd will provide each learner with a tablet or laptop that they will use to
access the e-Learning resources that will be available both offline and online. This
transformative learning through the use of educational devices will enhance the 21st
Century Skills of learners, and bridge the digital divide, most especially in the Last Mile
Schools.

Moreover, DepEd will also release a Learning Management System that will contain an
item bank that will measure all the competencies in the curriculum. This will be used to
randomly create standardized questionnaires that can be used for the National
Achievement Test (NAT), quizzes and periodical tests. When a learner completes a test,
the Learning Management System will also recommend e-Learning resources for items or
competencies which a learner was not able to answer correctly. As such, tests and quizzes
will become a tool for learners to understand which competencies they are weak in and
what learning resources are available to help them understand these competencies.

Finally, to support the delivery of these services, DepEd will be using ICT to
improve administration and governance. The Department is already in the process of
implementing an integrated DepEd Enterprise Resource Planning System (DERPS) that
will automate financial management and provide real time data that will allow us to
manage education resources efficiently.

This is our vision for ICT in education, which is part and parcel of the DepEd
blueprint for Public Schools of the Future, which the Office of the Undersecretary of
Administration and the entire Administration Strand has crafted. It is not about delivering
high tech equipment to the schools. It is about providing teachers with the skills and tools
to facilitate the process of learning. It is very much centered on the learner, giving them
the appropriate information and resources to learn on their own and understand the core
competencies in our curriculum.

This is DRIVE – DepEd’s Digital Rise. Through all these endeavors, the Filipino
learners will rise. They are our future, our hope, our success! And in this Cyber Expo,
their rise has begun.

LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES

Secretary, Department of Education

Highlights of Message for the 1st DepEd Cyber Expo

Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City

12 March 2019