21st Century Perspectives of e-Learning

An academic colleague and good friend, Ms. Kiran Budhrani, has always been a topnotch as far excellent presentations will be topic. Her recent slides 21st Century Perspectives of e-Learning - http://www.slideshare.net/kiranb/elearning-21st-century-perspectives-on-teaching-learning-and-technology is now about to hit 60,000 views. Very good work Kiran!

But I think Kiran is not just making exceptionally wonderful presentations. She is trying to get reactions on her ideas. Please allow me to retell the very same comments I gave to Kiran, shared together with her other academic friends last Sep. 2, 2010, 12.39am --
----------------

Congratulations Kiran! Nice work. I like the shift of the TV, the smiling guy looking on the screen & the catchy title.

Here are my thoughts--
If we are talking about informal, social learning as the present direction, why insist of having teachers, anyway, particularly at the HE. No teacher will be able to cope if you talk of media, technology, comm. & web literacy. So let's DECONSTRUCT education! Move away from having a traditional teacher. Better, NO TEACHER, NO CLASSROOM!

Imagine open structures as you described it, not just on the content that the students collect or manipulate. Students in peer groups coaching other peer groups. Peers making a thumbs up (or down) to say 'this is correct for me', 'this is what I need', or 'this is the best answer so far'!

late good night.. early good morning..
tweet..tweet..tweet.. :-)

Practicing ICT among Filipino Teachers

To teach a subject matter is one thing. To use ICT to enhance teaching of a subject matter is another thing. To use ICT to allow enjoyable, authentic and empowered learning would be another challenging thing for our Filipino teachers.

So it is fundamental that a Filipino teacher to use ICT in teaching and for learning to take place requires her to practice ICT. Practice means regular use of ICT. This means she should take time from her busy schedule to-- read and respond to her e-mails everyday; use the computer (maybe the school computer or her netbook computer) in making her lessons and grades, read relevant news sites and blogs related to her subject area everyday. For a Filipino teacher to be able to apply ICT effectively requires deliberate practice. Here's a very good example of deliberate practice, how Benjamin Franklin developed his writing skills -- http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2010/08/benjamin-frankl.html .

What happens after practice? The teacher becomes comfortable on the use of the technology-- the computer, the internet, the e-mail, maybe even some games, thesaurus or translation program. But it does not end here. Comfort and confidence she has gained would allow her now to incorporate various ICT tools in teaching and learning. And with the resilient character of technology, experimentation on how technology will deliver better teaching and encourage progressive learning can be done by the teacher.

So practice, constant use, experimentation and whole lot of exposure to various technologies will make our Filipino teacher a confident ICT practitioner.

BASIC ICT TOOLS FOR THE FILIPINO TEACHER

As I promised, I will spend some time each week to write something about how ICT can help teaching and learning in our country.

I have been into the use of ICT teaching for over seventeen years now. I have always tried my best to be kept abreast of what’s happening in the IT and computing field and to use this knowledge to complement my teaching. Even with the advent of student or learner-centric approach to education, in the Philippines, in my opinion, before you achieve this, change will have to take place first among our beloved teachers.

For today I would like to start with what fundamental ICT tools a Filipino teacher would need. When we say Filipino teacher, she or he may be teaching in the primary school, elementary or high school or even tertiary school with no particular subject matter in mind. Here are my recommendations:

1. a netbook laptop. A netbook laptop is a tool that will allow her to do fundamental teaching work using technology. It will allow her to do her grades, make her lessons, and do online communication.

Why a netbook? A netbook is a standard 10” laptop with USB ports, audio ports, a built-in webcamera, a hard drive, it is lightweight, and has a battery life of 6-10hours. A Pinoy teacher usually has exam papers or book references in her bag. These are teaching materials she can’t just leave most of the time. So a lightweight netbook will provide more mobility for the teacher to do her work—in the campus, at home or in the park. (It is recommended to have two netbook adaptors, one to be used at home & another one in school).

2. a broadband connection. A Globe or Smart broadband connection is recommended. Together with mobility, the broadband connection allows cheaper internet access than going to the internet café.

I personally bring mine in my bag together with my compact powder. I don’t need to spend time finding a free slow wifi connection just to do my connectivity requirements. There are available software too that can make the broadband connection become telco agnostic. Just keep at least 3 extra sim card for connectivity use.

3. a Gmail or Yahoo e-mail account. A free email account that can be accessed anywhere 24/7 is very essential. Both Gmail and Yahoo allows a good size of working storage and a number of file attachments usually restricted in school or college servers. This allows her to communicate with other teachers, students, parents and even friends.

Constant use of email breaks the mindset barrier of hierarchy of communication. What do I mean with this? A Pinoy teacher does not have to make an appointment with her principal to discuss a class or student concern or to channel her concern first to the subject coordinator before elevating it to the principal. The beauty of the email allows the teacher to talk directly to the principal.
And promptness in communication too, can make a difference most of time especially for matters that require decision or resolution to problems.

4. a spreadsheet program. A spreadsheet program will permit her to make a transparent, referred computation of grades. A spreadsheet program also allows easy management of grades.

5. a word editor program. A word editor program allows her to make her lessons, notes, exams (in different versions) and even her personal essays like this one.


These are the basic tools needed. And our Pinoy teacher is headed to becoming a very good ICT teaching practitioner. Have a great week!

For the Filipino Teacher

I spent a brief time in Camelot Hotel yesterday afternoon in Quezon City giving a lecture on Communities of Practice (COPs). I was moved by the simplicity of the delegates and the warm hospitality of the professors from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. And one of the questions thrown to me really struck me (not exactly to this statement but to this effect)-- Given my exposure on various uses of technology in education, what is the topmost problem we have locally and how can this be addressed?

And so I answered that I still consider economic problem as the primary issue. It was concurred by Dr. Lorenzo of PUP. But I guess economic issue should not hurdle us from building a COP for that matter. I also would like to dedicate extra time starting this week to post something to support the idea of ICT use in teaching--for my dedicated teaching colleagues in the country.

I will share different creative ways of using ICT in teaching as I have done them.

The 3rd Annual Conference The Philippine Association for Business Educators, (PAFBE) Inc

My supervisor was one of the speakers in the 3rd Annual Conference The Philippine Association for Business Educators, (PAFBE) Inc held last July 30 and 31. Unfortunately, he had a sudden important engagement and I agreed to pitch for him. Dr. Lorenzo of PUP, the convenors, the officers, the teachers and delegates of PAFBE gave a warm response to my presentation.

Here are the excerpts of my presentation---

"Even with late notice, I tried my best to prepare something that you will bring home as part of a solution instead of posting many issues and concerns that may drag your weekend of pondering whether there is an answer to the never ending question of how do we implement technology.

For this afternoon, I am bringing to you a not very young idea. This is an idea typically used in business organizations in the light of sustaining the use and application of technology. And I will put this in the context of education. The title of my presentation is Creating Communities of Practice (COPs) through Practical ICT and Web 2.0."

"Context is putting and using technology on the right perspective of the subject matter. And the knowledge and skills of the business educators or even the teachers will be very important in this situation. Context is not using technology as suggested in the software tutorial. Context is making the students realize to use or apply the right technology as prescribed by the situation, the problem to be solved or the project to be done. And this is one of the creative challenges among teachers".


I hope I was able to inspire them of the idea of Communities of Practice. I have shared with them the concept, the characteristics as posted by Etienne Wenger, the proponent of the COP and I gave my own examples situating it to the local setting. I also hope that introducing Web 2.0 gave informative insights of various alternatives on how to use them in teaching. Some of these are--

Web 2.0 Teaching & Learning Tools
These are some of the common examples. There are still many tools and solutions.

Youtube – to showcase student experiences; to reuse good howto videos
An anthropological introduction to Youtube by Michael Wesch -- http://www.grokdotcom.com/2008/08/04/1462/
An ethical behavior and social responsibility video by Louie Sioco, James Sy & Johann Go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EJW89mUagA
Blogs – to extend class discussions; to extend student interactions
http://whymanagetech.blogspot.com/2007/05/notes-on-external-business-environment.html
Forums, e-groups & social network sites – to post announcements; to share files; & to encourage healthy dialogues and responsible online behavior among students
Google maps – to visually enhance geography concepts
Online News – to know what is happening in the world
Wikis – to encourage collaborative writing and research
Photos – to encourage artistic expression and develop digital art skills
http://mobilemartha.multiply.com/photos/album/12/EM-TECH_Technology_Exhibit
Skype & yahoo messenger – to facilitate online discussions
Second life – to enhance remote role-playing activities

I also mentioned to them that mobile phones and music players are useful ICT tools--
o To capture proof of data gathering (e.g. interview)
o To capture procedures of the experiments
o To capture board notes
o To listen about the lessons or to produce outputs through podcasts
Podcasts are audio files in MP3 format that is used to hold various content like discussions, interviews, opinions or meetings.
Of course, PRACTICE makes PERFECT or EFFECTIVE OUTCOMES.

Very important hindsights to bring home---
1. Don’t get immersed in the technology, context is more important!
2. Make it a rule of thumb to apply your teaching techniques and styles.
3. Discuss your methods openly to your colleagues. It encourages “shared practice”.
4. Encourage student participation and collaboration.
5. Institutionalize “best practices” and build a “Community of Practice”! 

To confer or not to confer in a conference

There are many reasons why an academic would want to participate in a conference. It could be to be able to validate her ideas and get insights on others' perception. It is also a way for her to become abreast of the new developments in her field, realize her ideas may not be new but still useful. It is also possible to realize that things that motivate her to do research may be the same motivations other academics have.

In a conference, it is either she will engage in a constructive dialogue or not. It is also possible that she will just be on that stage of just receiving, filtering and processing all the new things she is hearing and learning.

It is also a way to see the world, travel and learn about other cultures and try out new dishes. This is one of the attractive side of participating in a conference. She gets to be out of the classroom, on an official capacity, move in autonomy, manage schedules and accommodations, learn phrases of another language and interact with coercive taxi drivers.

But the other important thing that some conference attendees tend to forget or overlook is the opportunity of meaningful connections, having new academic friends (maybe real friends in the long run) and a possibility of continuous exchange of new ideas and experiences. These meaningful connections are not completely addressed by online interactions or even listening to a video or podcast of a very good social anthropologist. Nothing can replace a beautiful encounter in a worthwhile conference or symposium.

And I am glad I took such bold step of engaging in meaningful connections. I have a few but very good academic friends. And we still keep in touch.

*The first four photos were taken during the ICICTE July 2009 Conference in Corfu, Greece. Some of the academic friends I met-- Maria Spante, Liming Zhang, Karen Baskett (not in the photo), Uthman Alturki, Hind Alfadda, Keith Kirkwood and Svetlana Osipova.

Maria Spante and Keith Kirkwood were both gracious to come to Manila last March 2010 to speak in our conference. (The last photo was taken on the first day of the Manila conference.)

And there's Touchpoint 2010

These are my thoughts and words for Touchpoint 2010--

TOUCHPOINT is a new word and concept coined to denote an engaging interaction, a learning epiphany, a fresh connection. It can still be defined further. And as we realize the idea of Touchpoint, the more it becomes meaningful.

When Touchpoint 2010 International Conference was conceived, it has the following goals—to encourage intellectual engagement among Filipino academic peers, to open and create opportunities for linkages and connections, and to support local teachers and educators on their quest for better teaching and learning practices with the use of ICT. The presence and participation of foreign academic peers have enhanced the quality of didactic exchange in this historical event.
________________________________

Here's the conference programme.

Conference Programme
March 4, 2010
Thursday
7.30-8.30am Registration
8.30-8.40am National Anthem
Invocation by Prof. Estefanie Ulit
8.40-9.00am Welcome Remarks
Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC, President and Chancellor, De La Salle University
9.00-9.15am The Touchpoint 2010 Rationale
Prof. Oliver Malabanan, Touchpoint 2010 Program Chair
9.15-9.20am Introduction to First Plenary Speaker
Prof. Oliver Malabanan, Touchpoint 2010 Program Chair
9.15-10.00am First Plenary Talk and Keynote Speech
“Interactivity, Visualization and Learning: Challenges and Possibilities”
Dr. Maria Spante (Invited)
Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden
10.00-10.20am Questions/Reactions to Plenary Talk
10.20-10.40am Coffee Break
10.40-10.50am Introduction to Second Plenary Speaker
Prof. Sherwin Ona, CITe4D Chair, DLSU
10.50-11.25am Second Plenary Talk
Dr. Emmanuel Llana (Invited)
President, Idea Corp
11.25-11.40am Questions/Reactions to Plenary Talk
11.40-12.00nn Cultural Presentation by the La Salle Dance Company
12nn-1.00pm Lunch
1.00-1.10pm Introduction to the Third Plenary Speaker
Prof. Ma. Victoria Pineda, Touchpoint 2010 Vice Program Chair
1.10-1.50pm Third Plenary Talk
“Participating To Learn, Learning To Participate”
Prof. Keith Kirkwood (Invited)
Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
1.50-2.10pm Questions/Reactions to Plenary Talk
2.10-2.30pm Coffee Break
2.30-5.00pm Parallel Sessions

March 5, 2010
Friday
9.00-9.10am Introduction to the Fourth Plenary Speaker
Dr. Zelinna Cynthia Pablo-dela Cruz
Information Technology Department, De La Salle University
9.10-9.45am Fourth Plenary Talk
Prof. Charibeth Cheng
Director, Advanced Research Institute for Computing, De La Salle University
9.45-10.00am Questions/Reactions to Plenary Talk
10.00-10.20am Coffee Break
10.30-12.00nn Parallel Sessions
12.00-1.00pm Lunch
1.00-4.30pm Parallel Sessions
4.00-4.30pm Coffee Break
4.30-4.40pm Introduction to the Fifth Plenary Speaker
Prof. Estefanie Ulit, De La Salle University
4.40-5.20pm Fifth Plenary Talk and Closing of the Conference
Dr. Jose Lloyd Espiritu, Touchpoint 2010 Editor
De La Salle University, Manila
5.20-5.30pm Questions/Reactions to Plenary Talk
6.30-7.00pm Pick-up time for the Social Dinner
7.00-8.30pm Social Dinner with all the Presenters & Guests
with Intermission of the DLSU Cultural Arts Office
Social Dinner is sponsored by iSolutions

Prof. Renato Jose Molano
Master of Ceremonies

My Riyadh Trip

Mar. 2. I received an e-mail from the KSA conference organizers that they will be sponsoring my participation.
Mar. 4. I received the documents required in processing my Saudi visa.
Mar. 10. I got my Saudi visa.
Mar. 12. I was sick and had an upset stomach. But I was able to finish my KSA presentation of about 32 slides.
Mar. 13. It was late in the evening when I received my e-ticket.
Mar. 15, 12.15 mla time. I left Manila for a straight flight to Riyadh via Saudia airlines.

Mar. 15, 20.30 ksa time. I checked in at the Al Khozama Hotel.
Mar. 16. I had the chance to see the Al Faisalaiah Mall, spent an hour at the Al Faisaliah Tower to see the highly urbanized layout of Riyadh. In the afternoon, made a 500meters walk going to the Panda supermarket. The Olaya roads are wide, clean and the sidewalks are very spacious. I saw a good number of very nice chocolate stores.

That night, I slept early around 8.30pm and woke up at 12.30am ksa time, to study and prepare for my lecture.
Mar 17. I felt good that day. I went to the grandballroom of the Al Faisaliah for the conference and heard very excellent plenary lectures. I also met and talked to some lady professors from the KSU and KAU of Jeddah. The Saudi ladies I met were very kind, warm, cheerful. One invited me to Jeddah and another one invited me to Medina.

In the afternoon, I delivered my lecture at Hall 3. I was the third speaker. I was very happy to have received questions and compliments from other academic colleagues. Mashallah! :)

I finished all the sessions in the afternoon, got a Starbucks frappucino and head back to the hotel.

Mar. 18. After listening to another set of very fine speakers, I had a nice lunch. I decided to take a short walk and found Dr. Kim, my mentor from Korea and Mr. Lee, a good academic friend from Korea too, having lunch. I had the chance to talk to them.

In the afternoon, we had a tour at the National Museum, so far the biggest museum I have visited.

Mar. 19. We were brought to the dates store and the small market near another museum.
23.15 ksa time, i left for Manila.

Upcoming Conferences that Preoccupies My Attention

ELI RIYADH 2009
First International Conference on e-Learning and Distance Learning
March 16-18-2009
Riyadh, KSA
Link: http://www.eli.elc.edu.sa/en/index.php


ICICTE 2009
International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies in Education
July 9-11
Corfu, Greece
Link: http://www.icicte.org/index.htm
Critical Dates:
February 13
Deadline for proposals.
February 28
Notification from Scientific Committee about whether proposal has been accepted.
April 10
Deadline for first draft of papers.
May 10


eISTA 2009
The 7th International Conference on Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications: EISTA 2009
in the context of
The 3rd International Multi-Conference on Society, Cybernetics and Informatics: IMSCI 2009

July 10th - 13th, 2009 – Orlando, Florida, USA
Link: http://www.iiis2009.org/imsci/Website/AboutConfer.asp?vc=5

ICIT 2009
The 4th International Conference on Information Technology
June 3rd – 5th, 2009
Amman, Jordan
The conference is organized by the AL-Zaytoonah University of Jordan
Link: http://newsite.alzaytoonah.edu.jo/ICIT/pages/index.aspx
_____________________

With all these worthwhile conferences, I pray I can attend any of them this 2009. I don't mind a few extra waiting hours in the airport, long hours of travel, sleepless nights to write and improve my paper, another set of sleepless hours to make a good presentation, read and brief myself of the place of the conference, and even shell out some extra money for the taxi and other expenses that my funding will not cover~~ ALL OF THESE just to be able to participate and learn from other ideas, see other beautiful places, taste different dishes, learn some other culture and meet bright minds and maybe have new friendships..

The TARC International Conference on Learning and Teaching 2008

The Tunku Abdul Rahman College of Malaysia organized the 2008 Learning and Teaching Conference held at the Marriot Hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia last August 4 and 5, 2008. (Link to the list of abstracts)
It was a very succesful event. Congratulations to the organizers! It was very organized and time-managed from the call of papers to the actual conference. TARC tried its best to make it hassle free to all its delegates and presenters. The marriot Hotel as a venue was very conducive for a conference and acquired a relaxing ambiance as well. The members of the organizing committee were all cordial and cheerful. TARC is very lucky to have a very good staff.

The keynote speeches are all a blast! Any administrator who have attended will take a step back and rethink the very purpose of teaching, why a school or a university should exist and are we playing our roles to allow true learning to take place.

Cheers to TARC College! I wish you more success in your succeeding conferences.

My Papers Presented in Thailand

**It's just a shame I don't have pictures during the conferences. I'm usually perked but a bit nervous that I don't feel comfortable taking pictures while I have not presented. Hence, I borrowed a photo from the conference site.

1. "Videos, Blogs And Podcasts: Leverage Instruments of Teaching and Learning Assets"
Presented in the 4th International Conference on e-Learning for Knowledge-Based Society- Nov. 2007, Muang Thong Tani Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand. Sponsored by the DLSU-VCA Office.


2. "Hypernarratives In Class: A Fusion of Creativity, Imagination and Technology"Presented in the 4th International Conference on e-Learning for Knowledge-Based Society- Nov. 2007, Muang Thong Tani Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand. Sponsored by the DLSU-VCA Office.

3. "Promoting Innovative Technology-Based Class Projects Using a Knowledge Sharing Mindset"Presented in the Amazing e-Learning II Conference-Mar. 2008, Suan Dusit Rajaphat University Sponsored by the DLSU-VCA Office.
http://www.elearning.dusit.ac.th/conference2008
http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:l6g2UWQXoOQJ:www.db-s.co.th/conference2008/images/stories/the-program-schedule-of-activity-a.doc+ma+victoria+pineda&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=ph

If you wish to get a copy of my paper, pls e-mail me at mavicpineda@yahoo.com.

Some people I wish to acknowledge in Thailand--

Dr. Amornvan Limsommut
Director of E-Learning Center
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University

Professor Dr.Srisakdi Charmonman
CEO, College of Internet Distance Education, Assumption University
Chairperson, Organizing Committee of the eLearningAP2007
Assumption University

Dr. Taminee Shinasharkey
Assumption University


UPCOMING CONFERENCE: The Fifth International Conference on eLearning for Knowledge-Based Society - December 11-12, 2008, Bangkok Thailand
Check out the site!!

KOP KOON KA!!

My March 2008 Trip to Bangkok

I had the chance to present another paper on KM in education in the Amazing e-Learning II Conference in Bangkok, Thailand last March 7, 2008. The conference was hosted and organized by the Suan Dusit Rajaphat University. It is a big, progressive university similar to DLSU where I teach. As a rajaphat university, it also receives subsidy from the government. And the subsidy becomes higher once the rajaphat gets recognition from ISO and other accrediting bodies. Here in Manila, while DLSU has achieved Level 4 accreditation from the government (wherein level 4 is the highest level so far), not much benefit is felt by the university coming from the government.



Suan Dusit has its own e-Learning Center which is housed in a 3-floor building. The conference rooms and function rooms are designed and equipped for international engagements. Suan Dusit has also its own hotel, the Suan Dusit Place. It is likewise a training venue for the HRM students of Suan Dusit. The hotel is situated beside the university. It is clean, peaceful, with available internet in the different floors, and the rates are cheap. Buffet breakfast does not have a wide selection but offers American and Asian breakfast with fruits and overflowing coffee, milk, juice, and chocolate. The hotel attendants, mostly students, are courteous.


One block away from the university is the Vmanmek Mansion, a historical place. Thailand is very known for preserving their cultural heritage. And this mansion situated in a big land with several structures, preserve and house some of the old, significant items of the kingdom of Thailand.

How do they preserve these places? First, all guests are required to remove their shoes or footwear in entering the mansion. This is to preserve the wood floors with no nails, attached by wood glue. They also group the guests by batches and are commonly guided by tour guides.

A Perspective from the Guru

The Korean e-Learning Experience From the Eyes of a Filipino Teacher

by Mavic Pineda

Government e-Learning Initiatives


The e-Learning practices of Korea will be very much attributed to strong leadership and existence of national policies[1] geared towards the high utilization and fusion of ICT in all sectors of life in Korea. Policies on e-commerce, e-cluster, e-community, e-Learning collaborative system are few of the recent agenda.

The Ministry of Education is very vital in the current success of Korea’s e-Learning endeavors. While the MOE is getting only around 15% of the national budget, it is able to establish strong partnership with big private companies like Samsung and LG to support the ICT infrastructure needed in schools and state universities. The MOE also takes time to send their teachers to various training outside the country for effective ICT fusion in teaching and learning. [2]

Generally, the e-Learning applications and the learning management systems developed are in Korean language. Presently, MOE is finding ways to translate or convert these programs and other learning materials to English.


Model Schools and Infrastructures


With the broadband internet available in all sectors of the society, e-Learning broadcasting like web casting, video on demand and video-conferencing; and home computing which they call as “cyber home learning service” are the common tools in Korean teaching. Screen casting, holographic simulation and animation tools are also available.

Korea has also established and sustained a dynamic, huge, online teachers’ community in the presence of ALCOB, the APEC Learning Community Builders. This is a good campaign of e-learning practices and a form of empowerment among the teachers. Because of the ALCOB Teacher’s Community, the teachers are able to form their groups, showcase their teaching style, and communicate with teachers around the world.


Below is a table of some of the schools/centers that I visited together with the other participants.

The Busan Information Center may be commended with its model of uniform curriculum and centralized development of lesson materials. I find the development of lessons in forms of video clips to be very effective in several ways. Video clips come very handy because it’s CD based, and consumes short time that allows students to enjoy what is viewed while absorb what is being conveyed in the video. Both teachers and students can easily review the lesson again and again. The language used is in the vernacular which makes it highly understandable.



The Center of Teaching and Learning is an ideal institute. It is able to support teachers and students with interests to improve their learning abilities.



Some Interesting Instructional Techniques

While a lot of teaching strategies and methods were discussed, there were some techniques that caught my attention. Aside from e-mail and chat, the use of videoke to learn a second language is very effective.

Student exhibits and competitions harness the best among the students. Competitions are very common in all the schools. Competitions get the best not only from the students but even from the teachers who coach the students.

Online and/or computerized exams push students to prepare and study well for exams.


The Kimchi Wrap Concept

The kimchi[3] is a staple healthy food in Korea. The kimchi comes in different varieties using different vegetables like raddish, cucumber, turnip and others. The kimchi is commonly served with a bunch of other side dishes, sometimes with bean curd and other vegetables.

What is interesting that most Korean food websites do no tell is the special way of eating kimchi. That is, you get a vegetable leaf, put the kimchi on top, wrap it, and eat it like you place butter inside a dinner roll. Personally, I call this as the kimchi wrap concept. You can replace or mix the kimchi with meat or another side dish suited to your taste, put it on the leaf, and enjoyably eat it.

This is how e-learning is fused in the Korean educational system, it is the same as the Kimchi wrap. While the base food will be kimchi, there will be over a dozen of different ways to eat or relish the kimchi. Education has a high premium in Korea and there are various methods and ways, as well as ICT tools to use to improve teaching and learning.

Not all cities or schools will have excessive funding but the government ensures the schools have uniform curriculum and lesson materials to be used. The structure allows different methods of eliciting creativity and versatility in teaching while students find learning in and outside the school as an inevitable fun and work. And the teachers are empowered, exhibits a lot of confidence.


Conclusion


While my stay in Korea had only been two weeks in November of 2006, the wisdom of the kimchi wrap extends to how the Filipinos can pick up from the Korean practices.

1. The Filipino educational system may want to follow the model of uniform curriculum and lesson materials. The development of video clips can be adopted. Lessons in video are cost-effective and simple to develop than having a courseware made in Flash or a presentation made in Powerpoint. DVD or CD players and televisions are very affordable equipment and are present in leading public schools in the Philippines.

Language used should be in Filipino and not in English. The use of the vernacular language allows students to compose ideas freely and express them without reservations or any form of translation handicap.

2. The Alcob community is a model that the Philippines can also adopt. A Filipino teachers’ community can be a good way to empower teachers across the archipelago and share all their innovative ideas in teaching.

The De La Salle University of the Philippines, the College of Computer Studies as a Center of Excellence in IT, can initiate the formation of an Online Filipino Teachers’ Community that will have the goal of empowering teachers from both the privileged and underprivileged places of the country.

3. While the Filipino local teachers are very dedicated and committed to imparting knowledge to their students, I think the idea of competitions can bring the best out of the students. Both private and public schools should engage in various competitions, inside and outside their own schools. Competition promotes independence, camaraderie, creativity and excellence among students and mentors.


Finally, the vision of shared prosperity of the Apec e-Learning is starting to be realized. It is not only having the chance of having a bird’s eye view of some of the best e-Learning practices of Korea but learning the wisdom from these practices. And as for the kimchi, jal muk ut sup ni da – that was very good.□

[1] The most recent education policy is stated in the National Education Information System 2004. It comprises a timeline of 10 years.
[2] The use of ICT in teaching resulted to very good performance of students in problem-solving, math and reading in high achievement tests conducted in Korea.
[3] The kimchi typically uses soaked, fermented or pickled cabbage with red, ground chili powder and ginger.

Interesting Technology-based Instructional Tools

Instructional Tools

Web-casting

The Cyberboard, the Big Brother and the Library Kiosk

The Screencasting Tool


The Simulated-visual Tool

Student Support Tools

Electronic lockers

Library Reservation system


originally posted on 02/16/07 3:59pm

post time and date adjusted for presentation purposes

The Princess of Public Schools: The Dae-shin Elementary School

The Dae-shin Elementary School, a public school in Busan, was made to be an ubiquitous model school. The school has a big campus for a public school, clean and spacious classrooms, and well-designed internet lounge for the students and teachers.


It has a huge cyber board, as big as the usual classroom blackboard. The screen makes it convenient for any teacher to teach. It can change the background-- can become graphical notepad for math subject, a musical note for music or a simple blue-red-blue paper background for teaching hand scripting.


The school also uses smart cards for ID and book borrowing in the library. Students are trained to be independent, self-regulated and honest. Students are free to borrow and return the books in the small library using their IDs to tap in this kiosk.

A health machine is also used to make simple physical health assessments of a person. This is good because you don't need to have a doctor always around. The machine can also finish taking physical make-up of a person at a more efficient speed.


The Big brother system is a must in most schools in South Korea. Bullying incidents are very common. Hence, use of CCTV security cameras are all around. This is something I don't want my child to get accustomed with. It's either a child becomes dependent on sombody watching over him or he is contantly curious whether somebody is watching him while picking his nose.

The PROSUMER

A Prosumer is somebody who is a knowledge provider and at the same time a consumer of the knowledge. This is the premise of Dr. Young-hwan Kim. He gave a lecture today on the Vision of APEC Future Education with eLearning for Asia-Pacific.

The Value-based Society
Developing countries are now moving to a knowledge-based society. But "knowledge is significant inly under the umbrella of the VALUE system" accdg. to Dr. Kim.

My ideas: Value is something an individual acquires through time. It is not simple to instill value or values to a person. Values will consist of beliefs, principles and even practices that an individual would adhere to even on occasions of moral dilemma. Values can also be based on culural traditions or religious beliefs. And we have to preserve the value-system. Value system is something that separates us from other living beings. More importantly, value system helps us to become better persons, better citizens of the nation.

The move to the "value-based society" will enable a "responsible knowledge=based society".

The Edutainment Park

The Edutainment Park is a grand, vigorous concept of mixing education and play. I wish the success of APEC and Korea in this endeavor.

My ideas: In the Phil setting, the Filipinos can make attempts to create such kind of edutainment park in a smaller scale like the children's museum. This can be a good alternate from the malls. In the Phils, people do not go anymore in the parks. They find the mall as the place to unwind with the possibility of endless consumption. This park can be a good vehicle of the value system if planned, designed and constructed well..



Professor Young-hwan Kim is the founder of IACE and ALCoB. His research interests include constructing international learning communities, making healthy future education systems, development of AI-applied learning management systems and running APEC-wide edutainment park. He is a very inspiring man, passionate and animated on how eLearning can make a better world.