Zamboanga teacher gets Microsoft award

A PUBLIC teacher from Zamboanga del Sur has been recognized by Microsoft Corp. as one of the innovative teachers in the country for using social networking site to gather support for her students’ mangrove conservation project.
Shateen Senara, 31, a teacher at the Taluksangay National High School in Zamboanga del Sur, said she could not believe that the project she initiated for her senior high school students will earn recognition from computer giant Microsoft Corp.
She said the project was developed to help the community preserve its mangroves. However, she said, she and the students were deterred initially as they didn’t know how to start.
“I did some research on what the students can do to help the community and I thought mangrove planting could be a feasible project since it would be beneficial in protecting our coastal areas from erosion. Since none of the students has ever experienced tree-planting before or used the Internet a lot for school projects, then this could be an interesting experiential project for them,” Senara said.
While mulling on how to start the project, Senara said she decided to take a page from what she learned from the Global Filipino Teacher (GFT) training program initiated by telecommunications firm Globe Telecom and the Coalition for Better Education (CBE) last year by tapping the Internet to gather support.
GFT is an intensive 54-hour, six-day teacher training program that promotes the use of Information Communications Technology (ICT) via online collaboration and project-based learning (PBL) approaches across different subject matters and teachers.
For the project, Senara taught the students to utilize the Internet to garner support from local stakeholders, including local officials, urging them donate for the project and to join the students.
“We created Facebook groups where we updated on each other on the progress of the project and the tasks they had to do. One group was assigned to document the project online using Multiply. Since resources were limited, the team who learned how to use the Internet taught their other classmates what they know. They also asked for donations and they borrowed laptops from the school to work on the project,” she said.
The mangrove tree-planting was recently recognized by Microsoft in its 7th Innovation in Teaching Leadership Awards (ITLA) besting nine other finalists from across the country. With the award, Senara is flying to New Zealand to represent the Philippines in the regional Microsoft ITLA Competition.
Senara said aside from the benefit to the community, the project has also opened the eyes of the school and the students to the wonder of Internet and modern technology.
“I am glad my project was recognized. My students also become more confident because of their newly-acquired skills. School is not always about grades but of new experiences and memories,” she said.
She added that their school has also become more appreciative of innovation in teaching, especially after the project’s success as well as her being chosen to represent the country in the New Zealand competition.
“Even if it isn’t in a formal way, I am happy that I can influence my co-teachers on how to teach better by using modern technology,” she added.
Senara, however, is not the only GFT graduate to be recognized by Microsoft Philippines.
Rob Nazal, head of Globe Corporate Social Responsibility, said that this year, eight out of 10 finalists of ITLA are all product of the program.
“This speaks a lot about the impact of the GFT program and the training our teachers receive on project-based learning and ICT integration. It demonstrates how ICT can provide teachers and students with more accurate and quicker access to information, tools for easier learning, and a chance to collaborate with the rest of the world,” Nazal said.
Earlier, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro lauded the help of the private sector, non-government organizations and civil society organizations in their effort to upgrade the delivery of quality basic education through the use of ICT.
Luistro said they are now setting their focus on their ICT program on the country’s more than 38, 000 elementary schools as the project for high schools is set to be completed this school year.
Only three percent of the 6, 750 high schools nationwide are not connected to the Internet, figures from DepEd showed. (AH/Sunnex)
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/03/26/zamboanga-teacher-gets-microsoft-award-213269

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Creekside Road corner of Centennial Road,
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3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

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