Marilou J. del Rosario PhD

Teaching nowadays has greater demands. Pupils are harder to motivate with the onset of latest technology: cell phones, computers, iPod and the like. Some children are so hooked with computer games and social networking sites (like face book and twitter), and modern gadgets that lead to losing their focus and interest in studying. But of course, this is case-to-case basis. Some pupils use these modern technologies to their advantage. They use them as aid in their studies, projects and research.

This is where the greater demand and challenge to teaching comes in. Teaching using chalk and board only will not get the attention and interest of these computer savvies. Teachers of the 21st century should be computer literate and technologically equipped in order to fully use modern technology in teaching to the best advantage of the learners. The integration of information and communications technology in teaching (ICT) has proven effective in improving the academic performance of pupils.

This is the philosophical basis of the Computerization Program of the Department of Education (DepED). This program gives multi-media equipment for Public Elementary Schools nationwide. The multi-media classroom package includes: 1 host PC, six 17” LCD monitor, 6 keyboard and mouse, 2 desktop virtualization kit using shared computing technology, 1 UPS, 1 interactive whiteboard, 1 printer, 1 LCD projector, and face to face lecture and hands-on training for Desktop Computer, Interactive Whiteboard and Desktop Virtualization using shared computing technology.

The Department of Education is also working hand in hand with its stakeholders, LGUs and NGOs to meet the required resources for its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) program. Last year, the DepED worked hand in hand with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Microsoft Philippines to train teachers on MS Office software and the use of the MS Encarta electronic encyclopedia. This project also provided the teachers’ schools with 224 desktop computers, 116 printers, 14 small projectors, and MS Office and Encarta software for the teachers’ use.

Through the efforts of the Department of Education (DepED) and with its partnerships and support received from its stakeholders, schools can transform education via ICT. And one of the big contributory factors for this to be realized is by developing teachers who will employ modern teaching methods and will accept the demands of teaching in the time of digital age.

A good number of educational sites can also be found in the internet. These websites can be used by teachers as aids to teaching in a modern way. Beautifully read audio stories for children and adults can be found in storynory.com. Teacher resources like lesson plans and exercises by grade and subject can be downloaded for free on www.curriki.org. Khan Academy is a site that contains over 2,700 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history, while TeacherTube is a video sharing website similar to, and based on, YouTube. It is designed to allow those in the educational industry, particularly teachers, to share educational resources such as video, audio, documents, photos, groups and blogs.

There are a lot of websites that can help teachers in answering the demands of digital age and thereby answering the needs of the 21st century learners.