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July 22, 2021 – To help upskill and equip Filipino educators with the integration of educational technology, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Global Networks Association of Teachers as a Foreign Language (GENTEFL) of Thailand conducted the Free International Multidisciplinary Webinar Series for Teachers from June 30 to July 2, 2021.

“There are a lot of technologies today, so many gadgets which make us do so many things and achieve so many goals and projects all at the same time. We surely can multi-task. ICT will help us in the long run as we continuously provide basic education to our learners,” Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said.

Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del B. Pascua shared the efforts being done by the Department in uplifting educational technology in the country.

“In the Philippines, we have been innovating and implementing programs such as the use of TV, Radio, the use of different authoring tools for the development of Open Educational Resources (OER), and the use of different Learning Management Systems (LMS). All of these education technology tools are being scaled up at a rate that has never been seen in our country and around the world,” Usec. Pascua said.

“Education is about sharing, and we are very pleased to share our learnings from implementing these various programs through the speakers that are lined up in this webinar. We also look forward to learning about your best practices so we can adopt them in our country,” Pascua added.

The three-day webinar series gathered experts and specialists from different areas of studies and from all parts of the globe to equip and empower educators in their areas of specialization integrated through educational technology.

“As many of you know the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, the way we work, and the way we educate our children.  We are glad to co-organize this event where teachers from all over the world can share their experiences in responding to the pandemic,” DepEd Information and Communications Technology Service Director Abram Y.C. Abanil said.

The webinar also provided an avenue for teachers from different parts of the world to connect and share teaching experiences during the pandemic, and to develop the adaptability of the participants in the application of concepts learned in their context.

GENTEFL Thailand President Andy C. Cubalit shared that their goal is to strengthen and expand partnerships with other organizations to provide an avenue for teachers to connect, share, and learn best practices and experiences.

“Some topics include something new, something old, and something forgotten and it’s just a reminder for you. But our hope is for you to produce a strategy or technique, something fresh, unique and engaging, and helpful for your students,” Cubalit said.

The webinar also set the stage for the launching of the Literary Expo. A project under the Literary Special Interest Group, its purpose is to hone and showcase not only students’ but also teachers’ skills in writing poetry, short stories, as well as poetry reading, declamation, oration, storytelling, and the like.

Dir. Abanil acknowledged the huge challenge to education brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, but at the same time believes that it is also a big opportunity to introduce new ways of doing things.

“These new ways of using technology help make the delivery of education more effective even after the pandemic. We hope that this webinar series will give you some insights and some ways you can take back to your respective classes,” Dir. Abanil ended.

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