Philippine basic education gets boost with online learning

MANILA, Philippines - The world is flat.

So goes the title of Thomas Friedman’s bestselling book about how the world as we know it, has changed so fast, so soon.

And so it has. Leaps in technology continue to tear down barriers, resulting in a more and more borderless world. This global phenomenon has resulted in major changes in the workplace that now requires its workers to have a different set of skills, knowledge and attitudes. How can we prepare our student-citizens  for the world of work and make sure that they remain competitive in the face of a fast-evolving 21st century workplace?

Government data show that in the public education sector alone, there are currently about 20 million schoolchildren enrolled in  39,000 public elementary schools and 7,000 public high schools all over the country.

Each year, the Department of Education faces the perennial challenge of shortages in classrooms, textbooks, and even of teachers. And with K to 12 on the ground, the need to have an inexpensive, cost-efficient yet effective way of teaching and learning has never been more urgent.  It cannot afford to forever have old-world solutions to new-world problems.

It can be strongly argued that utilizing electronic and online teaching and learning resources are much more cost efficient in as much as digital content does away with the expensive costs of paper, printing, warehousing and physical distribution. And they can be very environment-friendly , too.

One viable solution that can answer the need for world-class 21st century education is the use  of interactive multimedia digital content and online delivery systems such as the Genyo Online Learning Management System.

Genyo is the country’s first and only web-based learning management system for basic education that contains  curriculum-based learning objects, lesson plans, tutorials, activities, and exercises for Science, Math, English, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan.

Entering a new and unserved  territory

Realizing the vast potential and benefit to the country that such a system could provide, DigiLearn Multimedia was organized to answer the unique needs and requirements of the public education sector. Genyo is to be distributed and managed in the public school system by DigiLearn.

An affiliate of Diwa Learning Systems Inc, DigiLearn builds its commitment on the success of DIWA as the country’s leader in print and digital learning resources. Now, DigiLearn is eager to share the digital learning experience with the more than 20 million Filipino school kids enrolled in the public schools through state-of-the-art learning resources.

DigiLearn President Jose Maria T. Policarpio, an acknowledged advocate of integrating technology in education,  strongly believes that every Filipino child must be given equal access to basic education resources so they can develop knowledge and skills that will prepare them for the challenges of the 21st century world. “DigiLearn is prepared to help DepED bridge the gap in educational resources by helping provide K to 12 curriculum-based materials in the electronic medium,” pointing out that electronic materials are more cost-efficient, effective, and readily accessible. Adding to that, utilizing such state-of the art resources give the students a more real-world approach to education.

Aspiring to evolve to be the leading provider of learning resources utilizing the latest in educational technology, Policarpio says that DigiLearn is more than ready to fulfil its mission of “education for everyone, anytime, anywhere.”