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A. Introduction
Nowadays, educational computing has been associated with digitizing
raw data for multimedia data processing. Once data is digitalized, it
is very convenient for educators to keep, to move, to operate, and to
use the data. In fact, the recent development of digital technology allows
us to produce movie clips on the computer relatively easily. It means
that we can make them without deep sufferings, and use them conveniently.
This new trend and technology is very useful for teachers who want to
develop their teaching and learning materials. However, the teachers who
work in a certain area are not under the situation of using multimedia
tools and techniques. So ALCoB Philippines Internet Volunteer 2003 Team,
which consisted of six members, decided to introduce the new digital technology
and data processing technique to teachers who work in a not so good circumstance
to create their own multimedia materials.
In order to do this we prepared
two sets of computers, which include scanners, digital cameras, and digital
camcorders. To help teachers handle multimedia data, Qsign Studio, which
is the multimedia data processing program, was offered by Moin information
Technology Co., Ltd. In addition to that, we prepared some
demonstration CDs for our Korean school activities, instructions, and
things necessary to exchange cultural diversities.
The destination of our trip was Davao City of Mindanao, Philippines. We
planned to visit two schools that needed our help, one Elementary School
and one High School. The staff members at the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST) helped us prepare our volunteer activities ahead of
time even though we had suffered from insufficient information on the
targeted schools.
B. Sharing the Multimedia Technology and Multimedia Data Processing
Technique
a. Our exciting experience in Pantukan National High School (PNHS) of
Davao City
It took us around two and half hours from Davao City to Pantukan National
High School by car. It was located in a rural area far from the city.
Being advised by Dr. Funa who is director of RSTC in Region XI, we changed
our first plan, traveling back and forth from Davao to Pantukan everyday,
and unpacked our heavy luggage near PNHS.
When we arrived at the school, there were a large number of students and
teachers waiting for us. They showed their interest to a group of foreign
visitors with shyness and curiosity. We were the first Korean teachers
to visit them, but they opened their mind to us quickly. With their greetings,
we said almost in one voice that they were very innocent people with passion
for music, cultural values, etc.
The main place we worked
was a computer lab where there were several computers and other equipment.
Teachers occasionally complained that their computer systems were insufficient
for the teachers as well as the students. It should be noted that there
were at least fifty students in each class, and the worst case scenario
exceeded seventy students in each class.
While some of us were installing the to-be-donated equipment in the computer
lab for training sessions, others walked around the school to figure out
the overall situation of the school with a few teachers. The number of
teachers was around sixty for more than two thousand students. We could
get access to general school environments with the precise information
on the students' classroom work and their need for the new technology,
but the situation was worse than we expected.
In the Philippines, Math
and Science teachers have many opportunities to participate in-service
training programs because the government encourages math and science with
a special policy. However, our team gave an equal chance to take part
in the training regardless of the teacher's majors. Therefore, we adjusted
our plan. It was to give the chance to take part in the training for students
as well as for teachers because they really wanted to get a good chance
to learn about new technology.
We started our lessons with
cultural exchanges. When we met more than dozen PHNS teachers in a small
computer lab for the first planned session, we tried to sing Korean songs
with a guitar. This immediately opened up a harmonious starting point
toward successfully performing our mission at PHNS. It helped us make
a rapport with new faces. They, especially, liked listening to our songs,
and they were good at singing and dancing. Their personalities, such like
that, were very helpful to become familiar with us and to make the atmosphere
of the training session highly effective.
After the first step, we
presented to them some CDs that were made by us and used them in our classroom
activities. It was so effective to let them understand what the educational
multimedia was and when we could use them.
They understood very fast
about the digital camera and the digital camcorder. The trainees learned
what a digital camera was and what a camcorder was. They also took pictures
with it and taped their activities such as singing, dancing, and school
life. After that we demonstrated how to transfer the data into the computer.
When the wire was disconnected from the computer, participants nodded
their heads treating it as a usual occurrence.
We also taught them how
to operate graphic and movie clips with Qsign Studio. But there were not
enough computers to practice it. The only computer with which one could
handle multimedia data freely was not available in that computer lab.
So we selected Joel, a computer teacher, who was expected to be responsible
for the new imported computer system brought by us. He got intensively
trained with that system by one of our team members. And we had more classes
for all the teachers and a few more class students to handle original
digitized and video data. As time passes by, Joel was able to work on
the computer to create multimedia materials with the scanner, the digital
camera and the camcorder.
The whole process of our
work was very active and exciting because all of the participants were
absorbed in the class that we did. When we finished our schedule at PNHS,
we donated the computer system to the school. They were so happy and showed
us their appreciation.
There was a nice big closing ceremony with several teacher's speeches,
student's performances, and teacher's farewell songs. We also expressed
to them our gratitude for their joyful and enthusiastic participation.
In the middle of the ceremony, the principal gave us their gifts, and
with all our hearts, we delivered ours to them.
Our activities at PNHS were
over the sharing of multimedia technique. There was a good fellowship
through the computer technology between us. We gave them all our heart
and they showed us their pure mind and deep belief. We could create a
new relationship, and expect to reduce the gab of computer technology
by sharing our know-hows. When we left the school, they didn't stop saying
'I love you, I'll miss you.' The computer made us friends. We also left
footprints with our shared happiness and appreciation. We did our best
at PNHS, and hope to continue to promote follow-up training programs for
both teachers and students in the near future.
b. Our other achievements in Sirawan Beach Elementary School
(SBES) of Davao City
Our second destination was Sirawan Beach Elementary School. It was located
in a Moslem area. There were nine teachers and seven classes with the
total number of four hundred students. When we arrived at the school with
a university van provided by Dr. Funa, many teachers and children surrounded
the van to greet us. The young school kids were actively cheerful and
expressed their genuine curiosity to the oriental visitors who seemed
to enter into this closed Moslem community from another planet.
The principal, with a smiling
brown face, told us that she and other teachers had been waiting for our
visit since Wednesday of the last week. As she kindly guided us to her
office, we were almost shocked by seeing that there were several computers
and other equipment such as a copy machine in the principal's office.
The school circumstances
and conditions of SBES would be different from PNHS, so we tried to figure
out what would be the best configuration for this school, with our second
round of computer donations and training programs. Having an
intensive debate on the need of adjusting our original plan, we were able
to come up with a better plan after the first day at SBES. The environment
of the school was not proper to keep the computer system that we brought
for them because of several reasons. First, the room temperature was so
high without an air conditioner. Second, teachers seemed to need
more useful computers than the high tech computer system.
After returning back to
Davao city, we tried to explain the SBES computing environment to the
Ateneo High School principal. Exchanging several alternatives with each
other, we accepted Dr. Funa's suggestion, which offered two new computers
and color printers instead of our high tech system. It was not bad for
SBES. In fact it was better. So all of us were satisfied with such a deal.
With slight modification
of our original training program, we began with the following training
scenarios. First we introduced what the digital camera was and how to
use it. Lots of SBES children loved taking pictures with the digital cameras.
When we finished the training session for digital cameras, every teacher
tried to take pictures of the school. So we traveled classroom to classroom
taking pictures of classes to collect multimedia data for SBES in order
to make SBES multimedia material. In the meantime, some of us set up new
computer systems for SBES. The equipment was not safe for their electricity,
so we had to buy new electronic wires and adapters to fix some electrical
problems and upgrade the computer room's usability.
To finalize our volunteer
work, we made a final CD for their memory with all the pictures taken
at SBES, and gave them a series of class pictures covered with wood frames.
The most surprising gifts to them were two new computers and a digital
camera provided by IACE. More than that, they learned how to use the equipments,
and we believed that they would use them effectively with a lot of fun.
They also appreciated the several things that we brought for the children.
Before leaving the school,
there was a warm and happy closing ceremony. Teachers and students showed
us their lovely songs and cute Moslem dancing. We appreciated the teacher's
hard work and participation in a poor computing environment. Many children
who were really excited with taking pictures and our activities asked
us if we would come again the next day. We were so sorry to say, "No",
hoping for another visiting chance without any promise. We
couldn't forget the kind and diligent teachers and the cute children,
with big eyes, and their love that they showed us, either.
We were not totally satisfied
with our solution for them, because their computing circumstances and
conditions were so poor, but we did our best to share our technology.
Even if we couldn't do everything perfectly for them, we were so happy
to go along with them for two memorable days near Sirawan Beach in a Moslem
community.
C. Our Additional Mission at Ateneo High School
Our donation for Ateneo high school helped us make us a new training course.
They needed a new kind of training session to learn how to effectively
use the new system. As a core part for the session, Qsign Studio was introduced
for the first time as an easy-to-use editing tool for video clips. The
participants consisted of two groups of teachers. One group of teachers
was selectively recruited from Pantukan National High School where we
already visited. The other group of teachers was from kindergarten, elementary
and high school that attached to Ateneo de Davao University.
They learned and practiced
how to handle separated data and how to create a movie file with Qsigh
Studio. We worked on that program with a team teaching method. They followed
our demonstration led by Dr. Jun and practiced with our help in a one-on-one
situation. Some of them were very good at handling the new software. It
was a very successful training session. They completed their own work
without any failure in one day. At the end of the session we appreciated
each participant's work with individual demonstrations sharing Korean
and Philippines' songs. Our self-evaluation for the day's activities echoed
in such a way that the digital divide and the cultural divide were all
melted in an enthusiastic and cheerful computer lab.
This extra training program
was another good chance for PNHS teachers to learn and to practice with
Qsign Studio. We were happy to work with them again because they actually
needed more time to practice with Qsign Studio. On that day, they got
up very early in the morning and traveled a long way to Davao to participate
in the training. When we met again, we were full of joy and happiness.
However, when we had to say goodbye again with warm hugs and sad Korean
songs, we had running tears for each other.
D. Concluding Remarks
We flew to the Philippines to share our advanced computer technique and
we did it. Information and technology is a very important element in our
life. Recognizing that we are behind the recent information can make us
feel uneasy, and usually help us catch up.
Through this visit to the
Philippines, we realized that it is necessary for everyone to manipulate
technical device and software in a happy and joyful mood. What was the
deep feeling that we shared together? Technique and equipment were distant
from people in other communities. If we were not close to them with our
sincerity and love, how could we connect their hearts with ours through
our computer technique?
The educational environment of AHS, a private high school, was so wonderful
compared with PNHS. However, the students and teachers of PNHS had many
precious things, open minds, passion for learning, warm hearts, etc. It
was the same at SBES. Because of their personalities, we thought that
they could accept new faces and new techniques fast and easily.
We expect that our effort
contributed to reducing the gabs of computer techniques, and delivering
happy computing. We will keep our valuable experiences at Davao city of
Mindanao, Philippines, and continue to share our ideas and know-hows.
We also will keep these precious and beautiful moments taken in Davao
City for our professional development.
We are grateful to the staff
of Department of Science and Technology that helped us finish up our mission
successfully. We also express our deepest appreciation to all the participants
and staff members of IACE to launch our ALCoB Internet Volunteer program.
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