Globe Telecom Brings Digital Literacy Program to Bicol; University of Nueva Caceres Hosts PRISM

Over 100 school teachers from different parts of the Bicol region convened in Naga City over the weekend to showcase the different digital literacy projects that they created as part of PRISM, a three-week professional development program conducted by Globe Telecom.

PRISM involves a two-day immersive bootcamp, blended project-based learning, and personalized coaching for a total of 1,000 educators all over the country who are teaching the new Media and Information Literacy (MIL) subject in Senior High School as well as English and Social Studies at both K-12 and higher education levels. The program is scheduled in Metro Manila, Naga City, Pampanga, Cebu City, and Cagayan de Oro City from January to June this year.

For the Bicol leg, the event was hosted by the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC), which shares Globe Telecom’s goal of promoting world-class learning through technology.

“This is a milestone not only for Globe and UNC but also for the Bicol region and our education sector. We are one with PRISM’s objective to expand our teachers’ capabilities by improving their digital literacy skills to be more effective educators to this new generation. Two of our defined paths for UNC’s roadmap is to be the employer of choice as well as the school of choice in Naga and in the Bicol region,” said Eleanor Salumbre, UNC Vice President for Administration and Finance.

UNC and Globe Telecom share in the understanding that technology opens up a myriad of growth opportunities for Filipinos in their own communities, in the region, and even beyond our national shores.

The teachers were invited by Globe to undergo various activities and projects in technology-enabled instruction and content development that can help them face the challenge of integrating technology in their lessons and making it an effective tool for learning anytime, anywhere.
A key component of the program is the Brightspace Integrated Learning Platform. The teachers will undergo distance learning for three weeks with access to the global Brightspace Community, multimedia resources to guide them through the learning process, and a seamless platform to collaborate with learning coaches and teachers in real time.

“Students of today are digital natives who grew up in the era of Google, social media, and instant connectivity. The changing times mean that teachers need to continuously adapt to their evolving role. They will have to be able to facilitate learning through new methods of teaching and various media, some of which may not even exist yet. This is precisely why fostering creative and critical thinking in learners is paramount.” said Michelle Tapia, Advisor & Head of Globe’s Education Strategy & Innovation.

She added: “Globe aims to empower every Filipino with world-class learning through technology so that they can achieve their dreams and be successful in life. We close the gap by providing teachers the relevant knowledge and skills that they need to help students succeed in the 21st century, starting with the digital literacy program.”

Derrick Heng, Senior Advisor, Globe myBusiness Group said that the company understands that “to invest in education is to invest in connectivity”.

Thus, as with education, Globe continues its commitment to provide world-class internet across the Philippine archipelago. Last year, Globe has committed close to US$500 million for the expansion of its corporate data network. Parallel to this infrastructure build for enterprises is the company’s initiative to create an internet superhighway by deploying fiber in 20,000 barangays all over the country by 2020 to equip Filipinos for a more digitally connected future.”

Teachers undergoing the PRISM Digital Literacy Program are nominated by both Globe and the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC).

The PEAC National Secretariat processes the nominations submitted by schools nationwide while a Vetting Committee, composed of two (2) representatives from the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), a DepEd Regional Director, and the PEAC Executive Director, is set in place to closely vet the nominated teachers.