Country’s largest teaching institution joins the Globe PRISM program

Globe PRISM Participants from the Philippine Normal University

Globe Telecom, in partnership with the Philippine Normal University, the largest training institution for teachers in the country, recently held the culminating activity for PRISM, a digital literacy training program designed to equip school teachers with technological expertise for effective classroom learning experience.

As a strong advocate of education and digital learning, Globe designed PRISM, a professional development program to help Filipino educators teach for 21st century learning. This is in line with Globe Telecom’s sustainability commitment to empower every Filipino with world-class learning through technology in response to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 to “ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.”

“As we become more and more digital as a society, it is crucial for teachers to learn how to apply information and communications technology (ICT) tools in the classroom if they want to motivate their students to learn the skills needed to adapt to the digital age,” said Derrick Heng, Senior Advisor for Globe myBusiness. “Through this program, we are enabling the teachers in discovering new and exciting ways in which they can nurture critical and creative thinking among the students” Heng added.

Dr. Ester B. Ogena, Philippine Normal University President and Derrick Heng, Senior Advisor for Globe myBusiness lead the opening of the PRISM digital learning expo at the Philippine Normal University Auditorium.

The partnership with the Philippine Normal University has proved to be a mutually beneficial partnership in bringing world-class learning for Filipino students, with the PNU being the largest training institution of teachers, powered by the telco’s ICT expertise. “We truly appreciate and commend Globe for bringing the PRISM program to PNU. We recognize the need to transform the way we teach to meet the demands of millennial learners, and through PRISM, we’ll be able to better equip our teachers and educators,” said Dr. Ester B. Ogena, Philippine Normal University President. “We look forward to seeing more of our faculty maximize the use of technology in improving the quality of graduates and educators we produce. We hope to see a ripple-effect of having the PRISM program adopted to other campuses of the university, and to other teachers and teacher-educators throughout the country” Ogena added.

The pressing need for digital teaching skills prompted Globe early this year to reach out to 1,000 educators from all over the country. Of the number, 250 teachers came from the PNU, contributing to a total of 800 teachers who have undergone the program this year.

Through PRISM, the selected teachers underwent a three-week professional development program conducted by Globe. It included a two-day immersive bootcamp, distance project-based learning, and personalized coaching. A key component of the program is the Edmodo interactive social learning platform that enabled distance learning for three weeks with access to multimedia resources to guide them through the learning process. This also allowed them to collaborate with learning coaches and other teachers in real time. The program concluded with a culminating activity wherein the teachers showcased various projects on technology-enabled instruction through the application and synthesis of what they learned throughout the program. Teachers who went through the program have shown 80% improvement in terms of digital literacy.

PRISM is supported by Globe myBusiness whose mission is to help transform Philippine schools and empower every Filipino with world-class learning through technology. “We want to create a better education system and impact the lives of the students in the best way that we can. Students today are digital natives who grew up in the era of computers, mobile phones, and instant connectivity, making it necessary for teachers to be adept in the use of technology in order to guide the students properly in the use of digital information both inside and outside the classroom,” added Heng.

Teachers who undergo 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.

PRISM was earlier conducted in Metro Manila, Naga City, Cebu and Pampanga, and is on track with its objective to train 1,000 educators nationwide.